29th SEA Beach Volleyball Championships happening now at Palawan Beach, Sentosa until Sat, Sep 30
Photo Credit: HUANG XIAOLONG
SINGAPORE - Wrapping up Day 2 at the 29th SEA Beach Volleyball Championships, the top four men’s and women’s teams have advanced to the semi-finals on the sands here at Palawan Beach, Sentosa, in Singapore. Matches for the semi-finals will start from 10.30am tomorrow followed by the finals at 4.15pm.
| SEMI-FINALISTS | |
| Women | Men |
MAI, Thi Hoa
TRAN, Thi Cam Thi
[VIE]
|
RACHMAWAN, Candra
ASHFIYA, Mohamad
[INA]
|
NUMWONG, Rumpaipruet
HONGPAK, Khanittha
[THA]
|
KHAOLUMTARN, Adisorn
JONGKLANG, Surin
[THA]
|
RATNASARI, Desi
EKA, Yokebed
[INA]
|
RAMADHAN, Gilang
PRIBADI, Danangsyah
[INA]
|
JULIANA, Dhita
UTAMI, Putu
[INA]
|
INKIEW, Nuttanon
PADSAWUD, Sedtawat
[THA]
|
The day started with the downpour in the morning and all matches were delayed by an hour. However the pace and heat picked up with tension growing as teams move one step closer to the finals.
NUMWONG/HONGPAK (Thailand) easily won their first two matches on the DAY 1, 2-1 against LIM/DAWN (Malaysia) and, 2-1 against RONDIMA/PONS (Philippines). Without having to play a match in the morning of Day 2, the rested pair easily defeated ORENDAIN/CEBALLOS (Philippines) in the quarter-finals to secure their place in the semi-finals.
Similarly, having won 2 matches on Day 1, both NG/ONG and SIM/HUANG from Singapore advanced to the quarter-finals but that was as far as Singapore could go. NG/ONG lost to RATNASARI/EKA (Indonesia) 2-0 and SIM/HUANG lost 2-0 to MAI/TRAN (Vietnam).
Singapore Coach Dean Martin said, “Our teams put up a really good fight and played excellently on the courts. What was lacking was their experience and exposure at this competition level. They will definitely do a lot better with more experience.”
On having the lost the quarter-finals to JULIANA/UTAMI (Indonesia), Philippines Cherry Ann RONDINA said, “We were very down after losing but there is a reason behind everything and we now have gathered a lot more experience which we can bring back to the Philippines, having participated at this regional championship.” Her partner, Bernadeth PONS agreed, “we didn’t have any expectations when coming here, knowing the competition is strong. We just made sure to give our best and we did!”
Thailand’s player Khanittha HONGPAK, 23 years undergrad, said about the championships, “The competition here is very strong. The players are not as tall as the westerners but they have skills and very quick movements. We are looking forward to defeat Vietnam quickly tomorrow and think we have a good chance at being the champions.” The 23 year old is currently majoring in public administration and has competed in many international beach volleyball championships around the world. A seasoned player, she typically competes in about 12 countries each year with five in Asia. Yet it is her first time in Singapore and she says, “Singapore is a beautiful city with huge skyscrapers but not the jam we have in Thailand. It’s also great that it is a cosmopolitan city and the chicken rice is very delicious!”
On the men’s, RACHMAWAN/ASHFIYA (Indonesia) was ruthless in knocking out the competition from the start, winning their first two matches in under 30 minutes. They won 2-0 against ALEXANDRE DA SILVA/SAMPAIO (Timor-Leste) as well as against POON/SHEN (Singapore) to move into the quarter finals where they won 2-0 quickly again knocking out ARBASTO/GARCIA (Philippines) in 29 minutes.
They move on to the semi-finals tomorrow and will be playing against KHAOLUMTARN/JONGKLANG (Thailand). Thailand’s Surin JONGKLANG, 21 years who serves in Thai Navy believes that it will be a tough fight for him but is not giving up his hope for the championship title.
Both men’s pairs from Indonesia and Thailand advanced to the semi-finals. INKIEW/PADSAWUD (Thailand) will be playing against RAMADHAN/PRIBADI (Indonesia).
Thailand’s men’s coach, Sataporn SAWANGRUEANG, 40 years, says “we are all from the Navy, which makes training session easy. We train five days a week with three gym sessions every week. Back home, we usually start sparring on the courts in the afternoon so for us, Singapore is much cooler but the sand is very coarse.”
On his hopes for the semi-finals, SAWANGRUEANG predicted, “it is a bit of luck. We have played against Indonesia before. Sometimes they win, something we win. So we’ll just have to see what happens tomorrow.”
The players agreed that teams participating this year were very competitive and that the matches have not been easy to win. Another common thing they agreed was the organisation of the tournament here as well as the hospitality they received.
Please see appendices for teams and results from Pool Play and Quarter Finals. Results can also be viewed at: https://www.vas.org.sg/seabvb-matches
After all the tension, heat and fast-paced ball action on the sands, fans and spectators cooled off to mingle with players at the after-party live concert hosted by the organisers as the sun set. For those who did not made it to the semi-finals, the party has just started, with live performances from Singapore’s artists, Jack & Rai and Second Sunrise.
Join the live action on the sands tomorrow at Palawan Beach, Sentosa next to the Palawan Pirate Ship and party with the champions after the presentation ceremony right here on the beach!