The Bandar Abbas-hosted 2022 Asian Senior Men’s Beach Volleyball Championship in Iran has reached its climax on Thursday when teams qualified for round of 16 will battle it out in the knockout stages to keep Finals hopes alive.
Top teams including three Australian pairings navigated their ways to the Thursday’s round of 16. Defending champions and third seeds Christopher McHugh/Paul Burnett, who captured the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, overcame a shaky start following their stunning 0-2 loss to Japanese Kensuke Shoji/Ikeda Jumpei in their opening clash on Tuesday.
The Australian sensation turned things around to defeat Indonesian stars Mohammad Ashfiya/Ade Candra Rachmawan, silver medallists at the 2018 Asian Games on their home soil, 21-19, 21-17 on Wednesday and advance to elimination round of 16 as the Pool C winners.
Compatriots and fifth seeds Zachery Schubert/Thomas Hodges, who are chasing dreams of another title after winning three this year including the AVC Beach Tour Samila Open in Thailand in September and the Matsuyama Beach Volleyball Tour in Japan in October, spent only 21 minutes in demolishing Japanese Yoshiumi Hasegawa/Masato Kurasaka 21-13, 21-12 for a perfect sweep in Pool E.
Another Australian pairing, fourth seeds Izac Carracher/Mark Nicolaidis, followed suit as the Coolangatta Future Beach Pro Tour winners powered past Omanis Ahmed Alhousni/Haitham Alshereiqi 21-12, 21-19 on Wednesday to secure their place in the round of 16.
Top seeds Abdolhamed Mirzaali/Arash Vakili escaped unscathed as the Iranian duo enjoyed the second comfortable win at home following their 21-11, 21-19 triumph against Japanese Takumi Takahashi/Shiro Furata to capture the top spot in Pool A.
Apart from Mirzaali/Vakili, the other three Iranian pairings sealed their wins in respective pools on Wednesday.
Sina Shokati Shekarsaraei/Abbas Pourasgari, who have yet lost a single set to their respective rivals in Pool H, brushed off Indians Naresh Tumpera/Raju Krishnam 21-11, 21-10 in 32 minutes on Wednesday to make it three in a row for a clean sweep in Pool H.
Bahman Salemi/Alireza Aghajanighasab, fresh from 2-0 rout of Hong Kong, China’s Wong Puilam/Lam Kifung the previous day, recovered from the first set down to Surin Jongklang/Banlue Nakprakhong to beat the Thai 7th seeds in three-setter 18-21, 21-19, 15-7 in their last Pool G encounter.
Aro Mojtaba/Mahdi Mahfouzi also came back to beat Kazakhstan’s Nurdos…
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