Tunisia turn the tempo up with first win in Doha

Tunisia broke through for their first win at the 2026 FIVB Volleyball Boys’ U17 World Championship in Doha, Qatar, defeating Venezuela in four sets Saturday as three matches went the distance and Day 4 produced first victories for four teams across the five pools.

Brazil’s five-set win over Poland kept them unbeaten at 2-0 in Pool C, while Chinese Taipei and Türkiye also prevailed in five-set matches. Romania and Tunisia recorded their first victories, with the Day 4 results leaving Romania, Tunisia, Chinese Taipei and Egypt at 1-1.

Tunisia opened Saturday’s action in Doha, Qatar, with their first victory, overcoming Venezuela 3-1 (25-22, 22-25, 25-16, 25-23) in Pool A at Aspire Ladies Hall. Tunisia’s work at the net made a significant difference, with 16 blocks complementing an attack led by Youssef Mallek.

Mallek finished with a match-high 27 points, including 23 attacks and three aces, while captain Mahdi Jenhani contributed 16 points. Mohamed Bilel Gobji added 13 points and shared the blocking lead with Anas Gueddiche with five blocks apiece, as Tunisia repeatedly found ways to slow Venezuela at the net.

Venezuela still produced 50 attack points, just three fewer than Tunisia, with Diego Alejandro Rondon carrying much of the offensive load with 21 attacks in a 23-point performance. Benjamin Josue Garcia added 10 points, while Cesar Antoni Parra converted all six of his attacks and finished with seven, but Tunisia’s 16-2 advantage in blocks provided the clearest separation between the teams.

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Romania picked up their first win in Pool B with a 3-0 (25-14, 26-24, 25-15) victory over Cuba at Al Arabi Sports Hall, combining efficient attacking with sustained pressure from the service line. Romania converted 34 of 48 attacks and produced nine blocks and six aces, with their most demanding test coming in the second set.

Tudor Mihail Calciu and captain Alexandru-Gabriel Apostu shared the scoring lead with 14 points each. Calciu was particularly effective at the net, scoring on 10 of 12 attacks and adding four blocks, while Apostu contributed nine attacks and a match-high four aces. Matei Constantin Mihaila added 11 points, including nine attacks and two blocks, giving Romania another consistent scoring option.

Cuba captain Reinaldo Márquez led his team with 14 points, including 13 attacks, while Victor Erasmo Contreras added nine points, all in attack. Cuba finished with 30 attack points, but Romania created the greater separation at the net with a 9-1 advantage in blocks and added six aces to keep the pressure on throughout the match.

Brazil came through the tournament’s first five-set battle, outlasting Poland 3-2 (25-12, 23-25, 25-17, 23-25, 16-14) in Pool C at Aspire Ladies Hall. The South Americans generated much of their advantage at the net, finishing with 15 blocks, while Poland twice responded after falling behind in sets to force the match into a decider.

Arthur de Paula Aguiar Lima delivered the biggest offensive performance for Brazil with 28 points, including 27 attacks on 43 attempts. Middle blocker Lucas Pereira de Abreu provided a different kind of impact with 14 points, seven coming from blocks, while Lucas de Paula Dultra added 12 and Lorenzo José Trentin finished with 11. Brazil’s 15 blocks gave them a sizeable advantage in that department, while setter Pedro Berlitz de Almeida also contributed six aces.

Poland pushed Brazil all the way behind 22 points from Oktawian Nowak, who had 18 attacks, two blocks and two aces. Bartosz Nowak added 16 points, while Kevin Posłuszny finished with 13, including five blocks. Poland produced 53 attack points to Brazil’s 55 and stayed within reach until the end, before Brazil secured the fifth set by the narrowest two-point margin.

Egypt showed their resolve in the day’s second five-setter, defeating Türkiye 3-2 (17-25, 25-22, 26-24, 20-25, 15-12) in Pool D at Al Arabi Sports Hall for their first win in Doha. They did so despite Türkiye finishing with more attacks, blocks, aces and total points, with Egypt finding different sources of production across their lineup.

The scoring load was spread across Egypt, with Mohamed Amer (Gabal Jr.) and captain Omar Mostafa (Mando) finishing with 16 points each and Mohamed Abdelaziz adding 15. Mando made his biggest impact at the net, accounting for seven of Egypt’s 11 blocks, while Gabal Jr. put away 15 attacks. Egypt also capitalized on 38 opponent errors, which proved important against a Türkiye side that held the advantage across the three scoring skills.

Yusuf Deniz Tirpanci led all scorers with 20 points for Türkiye, including 18 attacks, while Alper Göksu contributed 15 points with five blocks and Altan Aras added 11. Türkiye finished with 15 blocks and five aces and scored five more points overall, but Egypt made the most of their opportunities to emerge with their first victory.

Meanwhile, Chinese Taipei staged a stirring comeback from two sets down to defeat Algeria 3-2 (20-25, 22-25, 25-22, 25-23, 15-12) in Pool E at Aspire Ladies Hall, completing the day’s third five-setter and collecting their first win in Doha. After more than two hours of play, there was nothing between the teams on the scoreboard overall, with both finishing on 107 points.

The turnaround was powered by a broader attacking contribution. Tsai Chen-Chien led Chinese Taipei with 17 points, while Liao Yi-En followed with 16 and captain Zheng Wen-Guan added 13. Wang Cheng-Fon chipped in 11, including four blocks, as Chinese Taipei finished with four players in double figures and 10 blocks as a team.

Algeria remained a threat through Djaber Abdelhak Sekkak, whose 23 points were the most by any player in the match, with Ahmed Khelil Bensalah adding 15 and Ramzi Chabane 13. They actually held a 62-60 edge in attack and matched Chinese Taipei’s 10 blocks.

With the final day of pool play approaching for several teams, Sunday brings another five-match slate across Doha’s two venues. Argentina and Brazil meet at 11:00 at Aspire Ladies Hall, followed by Iran against Chinese Taipei at 14:00, while Italy and Cuba play at the same time at Al Arabi Sports Hall. The day concludes at 17:00 with hosts Qatar taking on Tunisia at Aspire Ladies Hall and Spain facing Egypt at Al Arabi Sports Hall.

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