KOBE, Japan — Australia’s D’Artagnan Potts and Jack Pearse captured the men’s championship at the AVC Beach Tour Suma Open 2026, defeating Japan’s Kai Kurokawa and Ryuichi Adachi in straight sets in the final Sunday.
The Australian pair, who entered the tournament as the top-ranked team, secured a 2-0 (21-19, 21-16) victory to conclude the four-day competition held Oct. 22-25 in Suma, Japan.
Potts and Pearse faced a strong challenge from the Japanese duo in the opening set but prevailed 21-19 before establishing a wider advantage in the second to complete the championship victory.
Their title-winning performance followed a demanding semifinal against fellow Australians Joshua Howat and Finley Bennett, whom they defeated 2-1 to secure their place in the final.
Earlier in the knockout stage, Potts and Pearse defeated Japan’s Fukushima and Ikeda 2-0 in the quarterfinals.
The championship added another title to the Australian pair’s AVC Beach Tour campaign, following their victory at the Yunyang Open in China earlier this year.
Japan’s Kurokawa and Adachi finished as runners-up after an impressive run to the championship match.
The Japanese pair advanced through the quarterfinals with a 2-1 victory over Indonesia’s Bintang Akbar and Sofyan Rachman before defeating another Indonesian pair, Imam and Fairuz, 2-0 in the semifinals.
Despite falling short in the final, Kurokawa and Adachi delivered Japan a strong finish on home sand.
Australia completed a successful tournament with two teams among the top three finishers.
Howat and Bennett secured third place after defeating Indonesia’s Imam and Fairuz 2-0 (21-17, 21-14) in the third-place match.
The Australian pair had earlier overcome China’s Liu Y. and Mao Yuan 2-1 in the quarterfinals before falling to eventual champions Potts and Pearse in a three-set semifinal.
Indonesia’s Imam and Fairuz finished fourth after reaching the semifinals with a 2-1 quarterfinal victory over Australia’s Oliver Merritt and Jed Walker.
The tournament concluded with Australia claiming the championship and third place, while host nation Japan secured the runners-up position.
The AVC Beach Tour Suma Open 2026 provided another opportunity for leading and emerging beach volleyball pairs to compete internationally, contributing to the continued development of the sport and strengthening competition across Asia and Oceania.
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