Jude Garcia and Krung Arbasto sent Iran-2’s Iran’s Bahman Salemiinjehboroun and Abolhassan Khakizadeh into a decider but eventually absorbed defeat in the quarterfinals of the 2021 AVC Asian Seniors Beach Volleyball Championships, Thursday at the Bang Tao Beach in Phuket, Thailand on Friday morning.
It was a battle of youth and experience as it was Garcia and Arbasto’s first time in this stage of the competition, while Iran had taken medals in this level — Salemi bagging a gold even in 2017 championships and a silver medal in the following year and Khakizadeh just taking the U-19 title last July.
The two-time Beach Volleyball Republic champions fought hard in that third and final set, only the more experienced pair from Iran prevailed 15-12.
The Iranians earlier had to fend off the Filipino duo in the first set, just to take the opening frame at 19-12. Then, in the following set, Garcia and Arbasto caught fire early and never looked back to force the deciding set with a huge 21-13 score line.
It could have been the country’s first-ever medal in the continental championships on either the men’s or the women’s side.
The highest a Filipino men’s pair has been was in 2005 with now coaches Parley Tupaz and Rhovyl Verayo ending in fifth place.
