Ningbo, China, September 24, 2023 – Two teams of hosts China, Iran and Kazakhstan each plus Qatar and Indonesia entered quarterfinals of the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 Men’s Beach Volleyball Competition after their respective wins at the elimination round of 16 held Sunday here at Xiangshan Beach Volleyball Center.
No. 5 seeds Wang/Li of China met up with No. 6 seeds Mahmoud/Nassim of Qatar in the elimination round of 16 and the host duo prevailed 2-0 (21-12, 21-15) and strode to the quarterfinals.
The first set saw the Qatar duo commit mistakes here and there, letting the host pair widen the gap larger and larger. Following another error from Qatar, China reached the set point at 20-10. Though Qatar fought to save two set points, Wang Yanwei seized the chance to hit a killing spike and finished the comfortable first set 21-12.
Qatar reduced their mistakes in the second set and stuck to the host until 12-12. China emitted an ace service to establish a 15-12 lead, forcing Qatar to request a timeout. However, China continued to play confidently and diversely. Following a dip by Wang Yanwei, China smoothly closed out the second set 21-15.
“The first set win was quite easy for us and the second set came back to a real battle. We resisted their counterattacks and tried to make some changes in services in the middle of the set. It worked out and we finally won the match,” said Li Jie of China.
The other pair of China, No. 1 seeds Abuduhalikejiang/Wu experienced a much tough road to enter quarterfinals, as they nosed out Pribadi/Efendi of Indonesia in a thrilling 2-0 (21-19, 21-18) victory.
Both sides presented a seesaw battle from the beginning until 17-17 tie. However the host proved their capability in scoring crucial points at the set end and they finally prevailed in a narrow margin.
China started the second set with an uplifting 5-1 lead before Qatar soon pulled it back to a 6-6 tie. China requested a timeout and both sides again were immersed to an ankyloses situation. China withstood the pressure and exploded their force at the set end to capture another close win.
“It was a tough win. After entering elimination round, every match will be not so easy. But we have confidence to win and finally stand on top of the podium,” said Abuduhalikejiang of China.
Thailand had a disappointing day as both pairs were eliminated. Kaewsai/Jongklang were defeated by Pourasgari/Aghajanighasab of Iran 0-2 (15-21, 15-21), while Taovato/Tipjan were edged out by Aldash/Gurin 1-2 (13-21, 21-19, 12-15).
Another two three-setters were staged, seeing Salemiinjehboroun/Shoukati of Iran nose out Takahashi/Ageba of Japan 2-1 (21-16, 18-21, 15-6).
Ashfiya/Akbar of Indonesia defended their victory against Garcia/Buytrago of Philippines 2-1 (21-17, 16-21, 15-6).
The other pair of Kazakhstan Bogatu/Yakovlev were also on a tear as they outpowered Al Jalbubi/Al Hashimi of Oman 2-0 (21-15, 21-15).
In the last match of the day held in the evening, Al-housni/Al Shereiqi of Oman counterbalanced top seeds Samba/Janko of Qatar for a while till soon yielded 0-2 (13-21, 11-21).
The quarterfinals to be held on Monday will witness two matches between same countries, with Abuduhalikejiang/Wu taking on Wang/Li in the all-Chinese affair and Aldash/Gurin challenging Bogatu/Yakovlev in an all-Kazakhs battle. Pourasgari/Aghajanighasab of Iran will face Ashfiya/Akbar of Indonesia, while Salemiinjehboroun/Shoukati of Iran challenge Samba/Janko of Qatar. Winners will play semifinals Tuesday, while the final showdown will be held on Thursday.
Ningbo, the second largest city of Zhejiang Province, enjoys a long history of over 7,000 years with plenty of historical and religious sites. Served as one of the co-host cities for the 19th Asian Games, Ningbo will host two events of beach volleyball and sailing in its coastal Xiangshan County. The 19th Asian Games will be held in Hangzhou, capital city of Zhejiang from September 23 to October 8, 2023.
Match Result and Schedule (Local time)
September 24, 2023 (Sunday)
10:00 IRI (Pourasgari/Aghajanighasab) v THA (Kaewsai/Jongklang) 2-0 (21-15, 21-15)
10:00 PHI (Garcia/Buytrago) v INA (Ashfiya/Akbar) 1-2 (17-21, 21-16, 6-15)
13:00 THA (Taovato/Tipjan) v KAZ (Aldash/Gurin) 1-2 (13-21, 21-19, 12-15)
13:00 OMA (Al Jalbubi/Al Hashimi) v KAZ (Bogatu/Yakovlev) 0-2 (16-21, 17-21)
15:00 QAT (Mahmoud/Nassim) v CHN (Wang/Li) 0-2 (12-21, 15-21)
15:00 IRI (Salemiinjehboroun/Shoukati) v JPN (Takahashi/Ageba) 2-1 (21-16, 18-21, 15-6)
19:00 CHN (Abuduhalikejiang/Wu) v INA (Pribadi/Efendi) 2-0 (21-19, 21-18)
20:00 OMA (Al-housni/Al Shereiqi) v QAT (Samba/Janko) 0-2 (13-21, 11-21)
September 25, 2023 (Monday)
12:00 CHN (Abuduhalikejiang/Wu) v CHN (Wang/Li)
13:00 KAZ (Aldash/Gurin) v KAZ (Bogatu/Yakovlev)
19:00 IRI (Pourasgari/Aghajanighasab) v INA (Ashfiya/Akbar)
20:00 IRI (Salemiinjehboroun/Shoukati) v QAT (Samba/Janko)
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