SANTA ROSA CITY: Filipino duo Ran Abdilla and James Buytrago emerged victorious against Japan's Yoshi Hasegawa and Dylan Kurokawa in a thrilling match at the Asian Senior Beach Volleyball Championship held at the Nuvali Sand Courts in Santa Rosa City, Laguna. Despite a challenging start, the pair overturned their initial set loss to clinch the game with scores of 22-24, 24-22, 15-9. According to Philippines News Agency, the Philippine team displayed resilience and determination, bouncing back from a disappointing first set to secure a much-needed win following their previous loss to New Zealand's Alani Nicklin and Thomas Hartles. Buytrago expressed the team's resolve after the match, stating, "We will not simply break down and give up. It was a very difficult and frustrating first set, but we just had to continue fighting. We needed this win badly." The victory marks an important moment for Abdilla and Buytrago as they prepare for their next challenge against Thailand's Netitorn Muneekul and Wachirawit Muad pha. Abdilla commented on the team's mindset, saying, "We were really tired but the mindset is to win. There is nothing better than the feeling of winning, but we're not done here yet, lots of volleyball left to play." In contrast, fellow Filipino pair Rancel Varga and Lerry Francisco faced a setback, unable to surpass Thailand's Dunwinit Kaewsai and Banlue Nakprakong with scores of 14-21, 19-21. Despite an initial lead in the second set, the duo was unable to maintain their advantage. Meanwhile, Australian top seeds Mark Nicolaidis and Izac Carracher continued their winning streak, securing their second consecutive victory against Japanese rivals Nassim Malki and Kosuke Fukushima, 21-16, 16-21, 15-6. The Australians are set to face Iranian champions Abbas Pourasgari and Alireza Aghajanighasab next. Other notable matches included Australia's Thomas Hodges and Zachery Schubert defeating Thailand's Surin Jongklang and Kittituch Khomkham, 21-17, 21-19, and Japan's Takumi Takahashi and Jumpei Ikeda overcoming Kazakhstan's Dmitriy Yakolev and Sergey Bogatu, 25-23, 16-21, 16-14.