Bangkok, Thailand, June 21, 2024 – Top seeds China will battle it out with Iran and Australia set up clash with Indonesia in the highly-anticipated men’s semifinals, while the women’s encounters see Japan go up against Thailand and hosts China challenge New Zealand in the 2024 AVC Beach Volleyball Continental Cup Finals at Ningbo Banbianshan Beach Volleyball Center in Ningbo, Xiangshan, China.
The topflight three-day competition serves as the last Asian qualification which will qualify one team (National Federation) apiece in each gender to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
In the men’s knock-out quarterfinals on Friday, top seeds China beat Oman 2-0. Veterans Ha Likejiang/Wu Jiaxin, who claimed debut FIVB World Tour one-star event in Anapa, Russia in 2018 and clinched gold medal at 2022 AVC Beach Tour Bandar Abbas Open in Iran, gave the host side a 1-0 advantage after 2-0 (21-17, 21-17) win against Haitham Alshereiqi/Ahmed Alhousni. Fellow countrymen Wang Yanwei/Li Jie struggled to beat Hood Al Jalaboubi/Mazin Alhashmi in hard-fought two-setter 21-19, 30-28 to hand China the convincing 2-0 win.
China will next battle it out with Iran, which pulled off another 2-0 win against Japan, in the Saturday’s semifinals.
Abbas Pourasgari/Alireza Aghajani drew the first blood for Iran following their dramatic 2-1 (21-18, 13-21, 15-9) win against Takumi Takahashi/Jumpei Ikeda, while Abolhamed Mirzzali/Sina Shoukati Shekarsaraei struggled to beat Dylan Hiroki Kurokawa/Kosuke Fukushima 2-1 (23-21, 21-18) for the Iran’s eventual 2-0 win.
Australia also made their mark in the quarterfinals to send Qatar packing 2-0, with Mark Nicolaidis/Izac Carraher, who captured gold at the inaugural Mollymook Australian Beach Volleyball Tour in 2022, brushing off Abdallah Ibrahim Nassim/Ihab Zaki Mohamed 2-0 (21-14, 21-8) and Jack Pearse/Paul Burnett, who won first Beach Pro tour Futures event together last November in Geelong and took the 23th Samila Open in Songkhla, Thailand this year, demolishing Assam Ahmed Mahmoud/Saifeddine Binaziz Elmajid 2-0 (21-11, 21-16).
In the semifinal clash on Saturday, Australia will face Indonesia, which narrowly beat New Zealand 2-1. Bintang Akbar/Sofyan Rachman Efendi came from behind to beat Thomas Reid/John McManaway 2-1 (19-21, 21-18, 15-9) for the Indonesia’s 1-0 lead. However, Bradley Fuller/Ben O’Dea gave New Zealand 1-1 after managing a 2-0 (21-11, 21-15) shutout of Yosi Firnanda/Danangsyah Pribadi.
In the Golden Match to determine the eventual winners, Indonesia’s Bintang/Sofyan survived a huge scare from Fuller/O’Dea to capture the thrilling 2-1 (21-14, 24-26, 15-11) win.
In the women’s event, top seeds China easily defeated Lebanon 2-0 to next face off against New Zealand in the Saturday’s semifinals.
Wang Jingzhe/Dong Jie beat Cheikho Mirna/Hamzeh Mirvat in a totally one-sided battle 2-0 (21-13, 21-8), while Cao Shuting/Zhu Lingdi mercilessly crushed Nour Hamze/Sara Akkari Ismail 2-0 (21-3, 21-5) in another lopsided affair.
In the other quarterfinal clash between New Zealand and Vanuatu on Friday, Kiwis Alice Zeimann/Shaunna Polley, Asian champions in 2022 and consecutive two-time Mount Maunganui winners, overpowered Sherysyn Toko/Majabelle Lawac to lead New Zealand 1-0 and Olivia MacDonald/Danielle Quigley demolished Loti Joe/Linline Matauatu 2-0 (21-15, 21-15) for New Zealand’s clean sweep.
Japan, which downed Indonesia 2-0 in the Friday’s quarterfinals, will next take on Thailand.
Akiko Hasegawa/Miki Ishii put Japan in front 1-0 after 2-0 (21-12, 21-18) rout of Indonesians Nur Sari/Desi Ratnasari, while Suzuka Hashimoto/Reika Murakami made it 2-0 for Japan following their 2-0 (21-19, 21-18) win against Indonesians Bernadette Shella Herdanti/Josephine Selvina Anasthasya Kaize.
Thailand also proved a cut above Kazakhstan to pull off 2-0 win against them. Taravadee Naraphornrapat/Worapeerachayakorn Kongphopsarutawadee, gold medallists at the 2021 Asian Championship and silver medallists at the 2023 edition, trounced Laura Kabulbekova/Nadezhda Ivanchenko 2-0 (21-17, 21-12), while Charanrutwadee Patcharamainaruebhorn/Woranatchayakorn Phirachayakrailert outperformed Anastassiya Ukolova/Mariya Peressetskaya 2-0 (21-18, 21-10).
MATCH RESULTS
MEN
WOMEN
MATCH SCHEDULE
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