Japan and Iran are the last two teams to qualify for the semifinals of the men's Asian Championship in Fukuoka. The hosts defeated India 3-0 (25:17, 25:15, 25:19), while Iran handled Chinese Taipei 3-1 (25:19, 25:19, 21:25, 25:18).
Thus, the two semifinal pairs are now known. On September 12, Japan will face South Korea, and Iran will play Australia. The third-place match and the final are scheduled for the following day.
Japan left India with little chance. The hosts won the three sets with 17, 15, and 19 points respectively, with their most significant advantage being in attack – 42:26 points.
The Japanese also made a difference from the service line with 7 aces against only 1 for India. The only main scoring element in which the Indians had an advantage was blocking – 8:6.
Ran Takahashi was the top scorer for Japan with 14 points, and Yuji Nishida added 12. For India, Jerome Vinith Charles finished with 11 points, and Chirag Yadav with 6.
| Indicator | Japan | India |
|---|---|---|
| Attack | 42 | 26 |
| Block | 6 | 8 |
| Aces | 7 | 1 |
| Points from opponent errors | 19 | 15 |
| Total points | 74 | 50 |
| Digs | 55 | 34 |
| Receptions | 44 | 62 |
| Set assists (SET) | 82 | 69 |
The difference is most clearly seen in attack and on serve. Japan scored 16 more points from attack and six more aces. India's advantage in blocking – 8:6 – was not enough to compensate for the hosts' superiority in the other main elements. The quarterfinal between Iran and Chinese Taipei was far more contested. The Iranians took the first two sets with the same score – 25:19, but their opponent brought back the intrigue with 25:21 in the third. In the fourth, Iran again took the initiative and finished the match at 25:18. Porya Khanzadeh was the top scorer for Iran with 24 points, and Amin Esmaeilnezhad added 12. For Chinese Taipei, Chang Yu-Sheng scored 18 points, and Wen I-Kai – 14.
| Indicator | Iran | Chinese Taipei |
|---|---|---|
| Attack | 68 | 49 |
| Block | 7 | 11 |
| Aces | 4 | 4 |
| Points from opponent errors | 17 | 17 |
| Total points | 96 | 81 |
| Digs | 54 | 52 |
| Receptions | 71 | 82 |
| Set assists (SET) | 102 | 99 |
And here the decisive difference was in attack - 68:49 points for Iran. Chinese Taipei was more effective in blocking with 11:7, while in aces the score was 4:4, and both teams received 17 points from opponent errors. Iran finished with 19 more points from attack and this was the main statistical advantage of the winners. The other two quarterfinals were played a day earlier. Republic of Korea eliminated China with 3:1, and Australia defeated Thailand with 3:0 (25:22, 26:24, 25:19).
Semifinals - September 12:
Japan - Republic of Korea
Iran - Australia
The winners will compete for the title on September 13, and the semifinal losers will play for the bronze medals.
