Alas pair outlasts Japanese foe

MANILA, Philippines — Ran Abdilla and James Buytrago came up with a scintillating performance to beat Japan’s Yoshi Hasegawa and Dylan Kurokawa, 22-24, 24-22, 15-9, yesterday in the Asian Senior Beach Volleyball Championship at the Nuvali Sand Courts in the City of Santa Rosa.

Shaking off a frustrating start, Abdilla and Buytrago made a strong push to force a decider which they fully controlled.

The Alas Pilipinas top men’s pair bounced back from a straight sets loss to Alani Nicklin and Thomas Hartles of New Zealand for a 1-1 record ahead of a crucial match in pool play against Thailand’s Netitorn Muneekul and Wachirawit Muadpha.