A spectacular duel unfolded between Kento Miyaura of Japan and Trevor Clevenot of France.
Japan secured a hard-fought victory over France in a five-set thriller during the men`s Volleyball Nations League match in Burgas on Thursday. The match featured outstanding performances from Kento Miyaura of Japan and Trevor Clevenot of France. With this win, the Japanese team improved their record to 4-2 with 11 points, climbing to fourth place in the VNL standings. France, the reigning VNL and Olympic champions, are now sixth with a 3-3 record and 9 points.
Following a surprising straight-sets loss to host nation Bulgaria on Wednesday, Japan rebounded strongly on Thursday with a 3-2 victory over France (25-22, 19-25, 22-25, 25-20, 15-11) in Burgas, returning to their winning form.
Kento Miyaura was a standout performer for Japan, contributing significantly with four of the team`s nine aces, including the crucial match-winning serve in the final set. He added 18 attack points with a 51% success rate and one block, totaling 23 points. Tatsunori Otsuka, an outside hitter, also reached double-digit scoring with 10 points and an impressive 75% attack efficiency. Notably, 35 of Japan`s points were a result of unforced errors by the French side.
Expressing his satisfaction, Miyaura commented after the match, “We knew this would be a very tough game, so I`m incredibly happy we won. Unlike yesterday when we might have been too passive, today we shifted our mindset and focused on being more aggressive from our side.”
For France, Olympic gold medalist Trevor Clevenot showcased his excellent form, leading his team with a match-high 24 points, including one block, and an attack efficiency of 59%. Opposite Theo Faure, also an Olympic champion, contributed 19 points, with two aces and two blocks. Middle blockers Francois Huetz and Mousse Gueye were effective at the net, combining for eight of France`s 11 blocks and scoring 14 and 11 points respectively. Other Paris 2024 Olympians involved included setter Antoine Brizard, who substituted early before starting the tie-breaker, and outside hitter Yacine Louati, who played the last three sets. Jean Patry and Barthelemy Chinenyeze are yet to make their VNL 2025 appearance.
Reflecting on the game, Chinenyeze stated, “It was a difficult match for us; Japan performed very well. We started strong, but they managed to recover. We are still developing as a team. Some players, including myself, are returning and getting back into game shape. The younger players are doing excellent work, gaining valuable experience in high-level matches, which is crucial for our continued progress.”
Elsewhere in the Volleyball Nations League, matches continued throughout Thursday. The Netherlands faced Germany in Belgrade, while Turkiye played Ukraine in the second Burgas match. Later fixtures included Serbia hosting Cuba in their capital, and in Chicago, Brazil played China followed by Canada against USA.
Jasper Thornfield 
Oliver Wrenwick