The first leg of men’s pool action at the U21 Worlds offers five tie-breaker outcomes.
The main draw for the men`s competition at the 2025 FIVB U21 Beach Volleyball World Championships commenced on Thursday. All 32 participating teams took to the courts in Puebla for their initial pool stage matches. The opening day was marked by intense competition, with five matches extending to a decisive third set, generating significant excitement among fans and setting a high standard for the upcoming days.
Among the memorable three-setters, Switzerland`s Julian Friedli and Tim Pirmin Amrein secured a 2-1 (21-11, 19-21, 15-9) victory against Kazakhstan`s Klim Ryukhov and Vladislav Mastikhin, marking a successful start to their Pool C campaign.
Friedli commented on the match, stating, “It was a truly enjoyable game against a relatively unknown opponent. They put up a very strong fight. I wish them the best for the remainder of the tournament.” He added, “Playing here in Mexico is wonderful. I love Mexico! The people are incredibly kind and supportive.”
In the same pool, a highly anticipated clash saw 2022 U19 world champions Gustavs Auzins and Kristians Fokerots of Latvia triumph 2-0 (21-16, 21-19) over the 2024 U19 world champions Szymon Pietraszek and Jakub Krzeminski from Poland.
Puebla witnessed the day`s longest men`s match as Czechia`s Vojtech Pavlusek and Vojtech Votava claimed a thrilling 2-1 (21-13, 18-21, 16-14) win against Namibia`s Max Krafft and Jura Krafft. Despite the African duo being the first to reach match point at 14-13 in the tie-breaker, the Europeans rallied with three consecutive points to seal their victory. In another Pool B fixture, Norwegian qualifiers Even Aas and Jonah Utvik delivered a dominant 2-0 (21-16, 21-16) performance against Poland’s Szymon Beta and Artem Besarab.
In Pool D, Iran`s AmirAli GhalehNovi and Habib Naseri mounted a comeback from a set down to defeat Ukrainian qualifiers Dmytro Kozii and Sviatoslav Nahornyi 2-1 (16-21, 21-12, 15-11). Concurrently, China`s Liu Yuan and Mao Yuan registered a straightforward 2-0 (21-18, 21-18) win over Argentina`s Marcos Gonzalez and Brais Del Coto.
Italian qualifiers Andrea Sanguanini and Matteo Iurisci overcame the loss of an epic first set to secure a 2-1 (24-26, 21-11, 15-9) victory in Pool E against Hungary’s Bence Tari and Akos Veress. Meanwhile, Australia’s Finley Bennett and James Kay executed a commanding 2-0 (21-15, 21-17) shutout against Morocco’s Abdellatif Ourhdach and Ilyas Karbal in the same pool.
Pool A also featured a three-set encounter, where Canada`s Louis Charbonneau and Henry Heider navigated the strong challenge from Thailand’s Paphawin Manyahong and Wichaya Wisetkan to win 2-1 (21-19, 17-21, 15-10). The local heroes, Antonio Lares and Carlos Andres Ayala, delighted the capacity crowd with an impressive 2-0 (21-16, 21-14) victory over the lucky losers from qualification, Casper Willems and Alexy Humblet of Belgium.
The remaining three pools concluded their opening matches in straight sets. In Pool F, Germany’s Tristan Frobel and Tamo Wust secured a 2-0 (21-17, 21-14) win over Ecuador’s Isaac Jimenez and Alfredo Velez, while Lebanon’s Hadi El Chabib and Jad Abi Karam triumphed 2-0 (21-7, 22-20) against El Salvador’s Rafael Vargas and Fernando Ponce.
In Pool G, Chile’s George Hargreaves and Jose Brain achieved a 2-0 (21-18, 21-16) victory over Paraguay’s Juanangel Gomez and Gaston Armadans. Brazil’s Joao Mares and Henrique Barros followed with a decisive 2-0 (21-18, 21-13) sweep against the Dominican Republic’s Ramon De Jesus and Melvin De Jesus.
In Pool H, Costa Rica’s Julian Araya and Esteban Flores celebrated a 2-0 (21-12, 23-21) win over Egypt’s Abdelrahman Elfeky and Marwan Takyeldeen. In the other match of the pool, USA’s Malachi Brewington and Titus Lance secured a 2-0 (21-13, 21-14) victory against Mozambique’s Ednilson Tivane and Helton Guvo.
Men`s pool stage competition in Puebla will continue on Friday.
Oliver Wrenwick