Korean beach volleyball pair Shin Ji-eun and Kim Jeong-ah clash with defending champion China in the round of 16 of the Asian Games

(Nagoya = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Kyung-yoon = The beach volleyball women's national team Shin Ji-eun (25) and Kim Jeong-ah (24) will face the defending champion in the round of 16 of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

Shin Ji-eun and Kim Jeong-ah were tied with China's Xia Xin-yi and Yanxi in the beach volleyball women's round of 16 group announced by the tournament organizing committee on the 27th.

The two players aim to advance to the quarterfinals against the world's best team at Hekinan Ryokuchi Beach Court, Aichi Prefecture, Japan at 3 p.m. on the 28th.

The Xia Xinyi-Yanxu team was the winning team at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, winning all eight games.

At that time, Shin Ji-eun teamed up with Kim Se-yeon and met the Xia Xin-Yi and Yan Xu group in the group stage, and were completely defeated with a set score of 0-2 (8-21 5-21).

The Xia Xinyi-Yanxu team is ranked 17th in the world and ranked first among Asian teams.

Kim Nam-seong, coach of the Korean beach volleyball team, told Yonhap News, "The opponent is strong, but the ball is round," and "We will do our best in the game while minimizing mistakes."

The pair of Shin Ji-eun and Kim Jeong-ah recorded 1 win and 1 loss in Group D of this tournament, ranked second in the group, and advanced to the round of 16.

Among the four beach volleyball men's and women's national teams that participated in this tournament, Shin Ji-eun and Kim Jeong-ah were the only ones to pass the group stage.