Indonesian Beach Volleyball Pair Advance to Asian Games Quarterfinals

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia’s Bintang Akbar and Sofyan Rachman Efendi advanced to the quarterfinals of the men’s beach volleyball event at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games after defeating Oman’s Hood Al Jalaboubi and Mazin Al Hashimi in the round of 16 on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026.

The third-seeded Indonesians secured a straight-sets victory, 22-20, 21-18, at Hekinan Ryokuchi Beach Court in Hekinan, Aichi, Japan, Antara reported.

Bintang and Sofyan started strongly in the opening set and built an early lead. However, the Omani pair fought back to level the score at 20-20 before the Indonesians held their nerve to close out the set 22-20.

In the second set, Bintang and Sofyan again looked to dictate play through a series of effective attacks. Although Hood and Mazin stayed within reach, the Indonesian pair remained solid in the closing stages to secure the set 21-18 and seal the match.

The victory keeps the third-seeded duo in contention for a medal at the Games.

In the quarterfinals, Bintang and Sofyan will face the winner of the match between Qatar’s Musa Alkeer Mou and Mohamed Zainelabedin and China’s Song Jinyang and Wang Yanwei for a place in the semifinals.

The Indonesian pair have enjoyed a flawless campaign so far. They topped Pool C with three victories without dropping a set.

In their final group-stage match, Bintang and Sofyan defeated the Philippines’ James Buytrago and Ronniel Rosales 21-18, 21-15. ***