Babolsar, Iran, October 9, 2018 – Four teams, two from Kazakhstan and one each from Thailand and Iran, won their qualification matches on the first competition day at the Babolsar one-star stop on the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour to advance to Wednesday’s main draw.
With eight pairs participating, only one round of qualifications was held on Tuesday on Iran’s Caspian Sea coast and the four winners completed the list of 16 duos to engage in main draw action.
Kazakhstan’s Alexey Kuleshov and Artem Petrossyants, top-seeded in the qualification bracket, managed a 2-0 (21-18, 21-17) victory over Iran’s Mohammad Shalikar and Aboozar Shabankartabalundafi, while another Kazakhstani pair, Nurdos Aldash and Abdulmajid Mokhammad, disposed of Cote d'Ivoire’s Komenan Jose Alexa and Sess Aime Melesse with a 2-0 (21-15, 21-15) shutout.
In the day’s longest running match, second-seeded Thais Kitti Duangjinda and Banlue Nakprakhong knocked out Iran’s Sina Enayati and Javad Firouzpourbandpei with a 2-0 (21-17, 21-19) defeat, but another home pair, Seyedarshia Akbari Noudehi and Amir Malmir cheered up the crowd with a 2-0 (21-19, 21-16) win over third-seeded Norwegians Hans Erik Dybfest and Christian Helland.