Ningbo, China, September 24, 2023 – China, Japan and Thailand have two pairs each in quarterfinals of the 19th Asian Games Women’s Beach Volleyball Competition after the elimination round of 16 held Sunday here at Xiangshan Beach Volleyball Center.
Both pairs of Japan encountered Kazakhstan teams, and they all wrapped up comfortable wins, with Mizoe/Ishii overwhelming Rachenko/Ukolova 2-0 (21-8, 21-7) and Hasegawa/Sakaguchi outplaying Kabulbekova/Ivanchenko 2-0 (21-7, 21-12).
Top seeds Xue/Xia of China also met up with no much resistance from their rival as they knocked out Yuen/Lo of Hong Kong, China 2-0 (21-11, 21-7).
The other host pair Wang/Dong had a tough beginning but managed to capture a 2-0 (21-13, 21-7) victory against Wong/To of Hong Kong, China.
The pair of Hong Kong, China started the match proactively and stuck to the host until 7-7 tie. Getting adapted with the rhythm, China demonstrated their muscles and opened the score. A killing spike by Wang Fan helped China seal the first set win 21-13.
The second set was much easier for the host. With a remarkable 4-0 start, they staged different styles to score and reached a 21-7 set win following a dip error from the opponent.
“It is our first match at the direct elimination round. We played a little bit impatiently under some pressure. So the game looked not so smooth as our last two matches,” said Wang Fan of China.
Phirachayakrailert/Patcharamainaruebhorn of Thailand had a rough road to enter quarterfinals as they edged out Progella/Matibag of Philippines 2-0 (21-16, 25-23) in the elimination round of 16.
Thailand came into the match mightily with a miraculous 10-0 lead. However, they increased errors while Philippines also created some scoring chances. The gap was shortened to 14-11. Thailand requested a timeout and regained concentration and smoothly concluded the set 21-16 following a well-placed dip.
Difficulty soared in the second set, seeing the Thais duo trap themselves with a 1-5 beginning. They have been chasing all the way until 19-19 tie. On the home stretch, they made less mistakes and took the hard-fought set 25-23.
“In the whole match, we are having difficulties in competing with them, because they are more experienced than us. They played in different countries and their exposure is so much. I am still 17 years old. I think I have also learned a lot of experience from the game,” said Matibag Grydelle Joanice of Philippines.
The other pair of Thailand…
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