Oman advances to second round at AVC Samila Open

MUSCAT: Oman’s duo Hood al Jalboubi and Mazin al Hashmi advanced to the second round of the men’s competition at the AVC Beach Tour – 25th Samila Open 2026, being held at Samila Beach in Songkhla, Thailand, from April 12 to 15, after a solid showing in the group stage against a field of 27 teams.
The Omani team entered the tournament ranked 18th among the participating teams with 240 Asian ranking points, with Al Jalboubi and Al Hashmi representing the Sultanate in another appearance that reflected Oman’s continued presence on the Asian beach volleyball stage.
The draw placed Oman in Pool B alongside Qatar’s duo Cherif Younousse/Ahmed Tijan and Hong Kong’s L F Lee/C H Lee. The Omani pair opened their campaign with a tough match against the top-seeded Qatari team and produced a competitive display before going down 2-1. Oman took the opening set 21-16, but Qatar responded to win the second 21-18 and then claimed the decider 15-8, in a match that underlined the Omani duo’s ability to challenge one of the tournament’s strongest teams.

In their second match, the Omani pair secured a clear 2-0 victory over Hong Kong after controlling the contest from the outset, taking the two sets 21-9 and 21-11 to strengthen their qualification hopes and confirm their readiness to continue their campaign in the tournament.
The Omani duo finished the group stage in second place in Pool B with five points, behind Qatar, who topped the group with a perfect record, to seal their place in the next round of the tournament.
The competition is being played with the group stage over the first two days, before moving into the knockout rounds, which include the round of 16 and quarterfinals on April 14, while the tournament will conclude on April 15 with the semifinals and finals.
Oman’s performance in the opening stage reflected a positive showing, particularly with the strong display against a powerful Qatari side, followed by a deserved win over Hong Kong, giving the team an important morale boost in one of the most prominent stops of this season’s Asian Beach Tour.