The Iranian men’s national beach volleyball A team has earned a spot in the semi-final round of the 2017 Asian Senior Beach Volleyball Championships in Thailand, clinching an emphatic win over the Chinese pair.
On Sunday, the Iranian pair of Bahman Salemi and Rahman Raoufi ruled out China’s Ha Likejiang and Jian Bao 2-0 in a quarterfinal fixture staged at Samila Beach in Thailand’s southern city of Songkhla to advance to the next stage of the tournament.
The Iranian volleyball players opened the match energetically, and racked up points to surge ahead. The Chinese team sought to narrow the deficit but failed, and the Iranians eventually grabbed the first set by 21 points to 11.
The Iranian side sustained its momentum into the second set, and could notch up a 21-15 victory despite intermittent fightback from the opposite side.
The Iranian beach volleyball A team is scheduled to take on top seeds Julio Donascimento and Ahmed Tijan Janko from Qatar A on Sunday evening for a place in the final.
The 2017 Asian Senior Beach Volleyball Championships kicked off in Thailand on April 14, and will finish on April 17, 2017.