The quarterfinal round of the 21st Asian Senior Men’s Volleyball Championship kicked off today, with China, Iran, Qatar and Chinese Taipei winning Group E and F matches, while Bahrain, India, Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia took Group G and H victories. Qatar and China victories in today’s matches completely complicated the situation in Pool E, while Iran and Chinese Taipei secured a place in the semifinals before the last match that will decide the winner of the Pool F.
Qatar beat Australia 3-0 with a great performance. Bilal Abunabot had 8 block points out of 12 for Qatar and was the top scorer of the match with a total of 14 points scored (71% attack efficiency). Qatar also maintained a high level of reception with 65% positive and 35% excellent reception. Australia, except in the middle of the first set when they lead with 13:7, could not respond to the Qatar level of play. In the second match in the group, China surprised Japan and with a 3-1 victory remained in the race for the semifinals. Tomorrow’s matches will decide the semifinalists and literally all four teams have a chance to pass among the 4 best teams.
Chinese Taipei made the biggest surprise in this tournament by placing in the semifinals. Led by Serbian coach Branislav Moro, Chinese Taipei beat Pakistan in today’s game and advanced to the semifinals. Iran beat Korea 3-0 and sent them into the playoffs from 5th to 8th place which is a huge disappointment for the Korean national team.
September 16, 2021
Pool E
Qatar – Australia 3-0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-21)
Japan – China 1-3 (19-25, 29-27, 21-25, 19-25)
Pool F
Pakistan – Chinese Taipei 1-3 (20-25, 25-22, 23-25, 22-25)
Iran – Korea 3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-20)
Pool G
India – Kuwait 3-0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-20)
Bahrain – Uzbekistan 3-0 (25-19, 27-25, 25-19)
Pool H
Thailand – Kazakhstan 1-3 (25-28, 23-25, 19-25, 22-25)
Hong Kong – Saudi Arabia 0-3 (12-25, 18-25, 19-25)
September 17, 2021
Pool E
Qatar – China
Japan – Australia
Pool F
Pakistan – Korea
Iran – Chinese Taipei
Pool G
India – Uzbekistan
Bahrain – Kuwait
Pool H
Hong Kong – Kazakhstan
Thailand – Saudi Arabia
16 national teams were divided into 4 groups. Hosts Japan, India, Qatar and Bahrain were in Pool A, current Asian champions Iran, Pakistan, Thailand and Hong Kong China in Pool B, Pool C consisted of Australia, China, Uzbekistan and Kuwait, while in Pool D were Korea, Chinese Taipei, Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia.
Pool A: Japan, India, Qatar, Bahrain
Pool B: Iran, Pakistan, Thailand, Hong Kong China
Pool C: Australia, China, Uzbekistan, Kuwait
Pool D: Korea, Chinese Taipei, Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia
In the 21st edition in Japan, the teams pleyed in a single round-robin format during the preliminary round. The two best teams from each group advanced to the top 8 teams which are divided into group E (A, C) and group F (B, D) to play again in a single round-robin format with transferred results and points from the matches between teams from the same groups that had already played during the preliminary round.The two best teams from Pool E and Pool F will advance to the semifinals, while the other 4 teams will remain in competition from 5th to 8th place. The same game format will be applied to the remaining 8 lower-ranked teams.
The Continental Championship is also a qualifying tournament for the World Championship in Russia next year. Two first-placed teams from the continental tournament will qualify for the World Championship. The two best teams from five Continental Championships will secure a place at the 2022 World Championship. The remaining 12 places will go to the top 12 teams according to the FIVB World Rankings for teams that have not yet qualified, while the host country Russia and current world champions Poland automatically qualified for the competition.
