Beach Volleyball Players Shin Ji-eun and Kim Jung-ah to Face Defending Champions China in Round of 16

The South Korean women's beach volleyball duo of Shin Ji-eun (25) and Kim Jung-ah (24) will face the defending champions in the round of 16 at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

According to the groupings for the women's beach volleyball round of 16 announced by the organizing committee today (the 27th), Shin and Kim were drawn against China's Xia Xinyi and Yan Xu.

The two players will aim for a spot in the quarterfinals against the powerhouse Chinese team at 3:00 p.m. on the 28th at the Hekinan Ryokuchi Beach Court in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

The duo of Xia Xinyi and Yan Xu won the championship at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, winning all eight of their matches.

At that time, Shin Ji-eun teamed up with Kim Se-yeon and faced Xia and Yan in the group stage, suffering a 2-0 (8-21, 5-21) defeat.

Xia and Yan are ranked 17th in the world and are the top-ranked team in Asia.

Kim Nam-sung, head coach of the South Korean beach volleyball national team, stated, "The opponent is strong, but the ball is round. We will minimize unforced errors and do our absolute best in the match."

Shin and Kim advanced to the round of 16 by finishing second in Group D of the group stage with a record of one win and one loss.

Out of the four South Korean men's and women's beach volleyball teams competing in this tournament, Shin and Kim are the only ones to pass the group stage.

(Photo provided by Head Coach Kim Nam-sung of the South Korean beach volleyball national team, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.