Kazakhstan and Ukraine have reached the semi-finals of the last sitting volleyball Tokyo 2020 Paralympic qualifier in Duisburg ©World ParaVolley

Kazakhstan and Ukraine underlined their credentials as the top challengers for the final men’s sitting volleyball place at the Paralympics as they maintained their 100 per cent records in the last qualifier in Duisburg.

Kazakhstan, the only Asia-Oceania representatives among the six teams contesting an event that will conclude on Saturday (June 5), beat their latest opponents in the A2 group, the United States, 19-25, 25-19, 25-14, 25-22.

Ukraine then maintained their own winning run in the B2 group as they defeated Canada 25-15, 25-19, 25-20.

Kazakhstan and Ukraine are now separately installed in the semi-finals that will follow tomorrow’s final group match, a B2 meeting between Canada and Croatia.

In the concluding game of the day hosts Germany beat the United States 3-0.

Paralympic hosts Japan, world champions Iran, China, Russia, Brazil, Egypt and Bosnia and Herzegovina have already qualified for the men's event at the Paralympics, scheduled to take place in the Japanese capital from August 24 to September 5.

Qualification for the women's tournament was completed last February, before the pandemic struck.