Tunisia clinches Round of 16 spot, turns back African rival Egypt in FIVB Worlds

Tunisia secured the first ticket to the Round of 16 in Pool A with a 25-19, 25-18, 25-22 win over Egypt on Thursday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The all-African showdown brought their long-standing continental rivalry to the global stage, with Tunisia bouncing back from a 25-23, 20-25, 23-25, 16-25 loss to Iran on Tuesday. The victory gave Tunisia two wins and six points, securing their spot in the next round.

While Tunisia was reeling from its earlier loss, Thursday's result kept the race for the second Round of 16 berth wide open in Group A.

Despite Tunisia leading the standings with a superior set ratio, the entire table stood on equal footing, with each team holding one win, heading into the final day of first-round action.

The two African powerhouses have long dominated the Men’s African Volleyball Championship, trading titles since the tournament's inception in 1967. Out of 24 editions, Tunisia and Egypt have claimed the top spot 20 times. Although Egypt are the reigning champions, Tunisia holds the edge with 11 titles overall.

“From the start of this World Championship, we knew we would be facing Egypt, so we prepared well for the match. We played very well in service and attack. It was good today, so we deserved to win,” said Oussama.

“The win is good for our morale. Because next year, we have the African Championship. We need to prepare step by step going there,” he added.

For Egypt, Seif Abed and Ahmed Said scored 12 and 10 points, respectively, in a losing effort. Egypt also slipped in the world rankings, from No. 20 to No. 22,  after a tough 27-29, 25-23, 25-21, 25-21 defeat to Alas Pilipinas Men on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, Serbia stunned world No. 4 Brazil to clinch one of the two available Round of 16 spots in Pool H with a hard-fought 25-22, 25-20, 25-22 sweep.

The Serbians, who had opened their campaign with a straight-set loss to Czechia, now advance to the next round, where they will face one of the top two teams from Group A.

Opposite spiker Dražen Luburi? led all scorers with 19 points, built on 17 attacks and two aces. Palve Peri? and Miran Kujundži? chipped in 15 and 10 points, respectively, in a well-balanced Serbian offense.

Despite the loss, the powerhouse Brazilian squad can still qualify for the next round thanks to its superior set ratio. Their fate now depends on winless China, which must either take at least one set or, better yet, pull off an upset against third-placed Czechia, to keep Brazil’s campaign alive.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News