Ningbo, China, September 22, 2023 – The 19th Asian Games Men’s Beach Volleyball Competition had its last round of Pool Play and determined the rest berths to top 16 on Friday here at Xiangshan Beach Volleyball Center.
In Pool C, No. 3 seeds Taovato/Tipjan of Thailand proved their superiority by seeing off Wong/Lam of Hong Kong, China with a comfortable 2-0 (21-14, 21-12) victory. The Thais duo started the match solidly with an 11-2 lead. However, the pair of Hong Kong, China gradually found their rhythm and staged several splendid plays, shortening the gap to 4 points. Thailand answered with reinforced weapons and wrapped up the first set 21-14. The second set was quite similar and ended up 21-12 in favor of Thailand.
“Thailand is a strong team. We knew it might be our last match in this Asian Games. So we just enjoyed every play of the game.” said Wong Pui Lam of Hong Kong, China. “Well, it is a good experience here. The audience was so passionate. We can hear their cheering for us.”
With an unbeaten 2-0 record, Thailand topped Pool C followed by Takahashi/Ageba of Japan with 1-1. Both pairs qualified to top 16.
In Pool A. Garcia/Buytrago of Philippines claimed their maiden victory after defeating Ismail/Naseem of Maldives 2-0 (21-11, 21-12) in the morning and thus secured a ticket from the Pool to the next elimination round of 16.
In Pool H, No. 8 seeds Salemiinjehboroun/Shoukati of Iran registered their third successive win to top the pool after sweeping Tam/Chan of Macao, China in 2-0 (21-8, 21-12), while Al Jalbubi/Al Hashimi of Oman outperformed Rustamzoda/Tursunov of Tajikistan in 2-0 (21-15, 21-14) to lock the second place of the pool.
In Pool E, No. 12 seeds Aldash/Gurin of Kazakhstan challenged No. 5 seeds Wang/Li of China for the pool top spot Friday afternoon and the host pair prevailed 2-0 (21-17, 21-19).
China came into the match with a proactive 2-0 lead before Kazakhstan pulled back to a 5-5 tie. Errors increased on the Kazakhstan’s side, trapping themselves to a 7-11 deficit. China resisted the comeback from the opponents and held on the leading edge to the set end. Following a dip error by Kazakhstan in a long rally, China concluded the first set 21-17.
Compared with Kazakhstan’s constant mighty spikes, China diversified their attacks with spikes and dips, disordering the opponents’ defense. Kazakhstan requested a timeout at 5-8 behind, and they also began to choose some dips. It worked out as they once chased up to 19-20. However, a fatal service error ruined themselves and yielded the second set 19-21.
The last match of men’s preliminary round was held in the evening between World No. 3 Samba/Janko of Qatar and Requinton/Abdilla of Philippines, deciding the final two berths to top 16. However, the Philippines duo were too weak to tremble their powerful opponents. They hardly found anyway to penetrate Qatar’s blocks but could earn some points from the opponents’ errors. Qatar pocketed an easy 2-0 (21-9, 21-7) victory and topped Pool B with two consecutive wins followed by Pribadi/Efendi of Indonesia with 1-1 record.
The drawing of lots for the elimination round of 16 was held in the evening after the end of preliminary round. Teams will have one day break Saturday for Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 Opening Ceremony to adjust themselves and prepare for the next round. Winners will play quarterfinals on Monday. The final showdown will be held Thursday on September 28.
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 22, 2023 (Friday)
9:00 Pool A PHI (Garcia/Buytrago) v MDV (Ismail/Naseem) 2-0 (21-11, 21-12)
9:00 Pool H IRI (Salemiinjehboroun/Shoukati) v MAC (Tam/Chan) 2-0 (21-8, 21-12)
10:00 Pool H OMA (Al Jalbubi/Al Hashimi) v TJK (Rustamzoda/Tursunov) 2-0 (21-15, 21-14)
14:00 Pool C THA (Taovato/Tipjan) v HKG (Wong/Lam) 2-0 (21-14, 21-12)
15:00 Pool E CHN (Wang/Li) v KAZ (Aldash/Gurin) 2-0 (21-17, 21-19)
20:00 Pool B QAT (Samba/Janko) v PHI (Requinton/Abdilla) 2-0 (21-9, 21-7)
September 24, 2023 (Sunday)
10:00 IRI (Pourasgari/Aghajanighasab) v THA (Kaewsai/Jongklang)
10:00 PHI (Garcia/Buytrago) v INA (Ashfiya/Akbar)
13:00 THA (Taovato/Tipjan) v KAZ (Aldash/Gurin)
13:00 OMA (Al Jalbubi/Al Hashimi) v KAZ (Bogatu/Yakovlev)
15:00 QAT (Mahmoud/Nassim) v CHN (Wang/Li)
15:00 IRI (Salemiinjehboroun/Shoukati) v JPN (Takahashi/Ageba)
19:00 CHN (Abuduhalikejiang/Wu) v INA (Pribadi/Efendi)
20:00 OMA (Al-housni/Al Shereiqi) v QAT (Samba/Janko)
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