The opening day of the Xiamen Challenge, part of the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour, brought unexpected energy as qualifier teams upset several higher-ranked opponents with standout performances and strategic gameplay.
Qualifier Teams Shake Up the Bracket
Lower-seeded pairs made a striking impact in the main draw in Xiamen, China. Four teams who qualified earlier surged past expectations to secure spots in the elimination round. These early victories disrupted predictions and elevated the level of suspense in the competition.
Key Upsets
- 30th-seeded Israelis Eylon Elazar & Kevin Cuzmiciov upset third-seeded Austrians Christoph Dressler & Philipp Waller in straight sets. They next face American duo Miles Evans & Chase Budinger (19th seed), who defeated the 14th-seeded Brazilians.
- 29th-seeded Norwegians Markus & Adrian Mol triumphed over the fourth-seeded Australians, with Markus scoring 20 points. Their next match is against France’s Teo Rotar & Arnaud Gauthier-Rat in Pool D.
- France’s 27th seeds Joadel Genevieve Gardoque & Elouan Chouikh-Barbez beat their own sixth-seeded countrymen. They will now face Italy’s 22nd seeds, Manuel Alfieri & Alex Ranghieri.
- Swiss pair Adrian Heidrich & Jonathan Jordan dispatched 8th-seeded Chinese wildcards Liu Yuan & Mao Yuan in straight sets.
In Pool E, Americans Tri Bourne & Evan Cory (28th seed) and Hagen Smith & Logan Webber (21st seed) secured impressive wins over stronger opponents, continuing the trend of underdog dominance.
Top Seeds Hold Strong in Pool B
The lone exception to the chaos was Pool B, where top-seeded Cherif Younousse & Ahmed Tijan from Qatar avoided an upset with a routine straight-set win over Latvian qualifiers. Both matches in this pool were tightly contested, going to three sets.
Looking Ahead
As the action continues Friday, teams aim for first place in their pools — a direct ticket to the Round of 16. With momentum favoring the underdogs, fans can expect more thrilling matchups and potentially more upsets in what’s shaping up to be a high-stakes international showcase.
Read the full article on the Volleyball World official site.
