Nagoya (Japan), Sep 16 (IANS) China beat the Philippines 3-0 on Wednesday for their first victory in Group B of the women’s volleyball tournament at the 2026 Asian Games.
Tang Xin scored a match-high 19 points, while Zhuang Yushan added 17 and Wang Aoqian had 13 as China won 25-18, 25-22, 25-8 in 72 minutes.
The Philippines kept the first two sets competitive before China, who won the gold medal in the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, improved their blocking and defense to dominate the third, reports Xinhua.
“The Philippines put up a spirited fight, and their back-row defense caused us quite a few problems,” China head coach Zhao Yong said. “I think we failed to apply enough pressure on them defensively, especially in the second set.”
China entered the Asian Games looking to rebound after losing 3-2 to Thailand in last month’s Asian Championship final, a result that denied it direct qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“Chinese women’s volleyball always rises to the occasion in the face of adversity,” Zhao said. “The players must have confidence in themselves, and I believe they have the ability to do so.”
China will next face Kazakhstan in their second Group B match on Friday.
Also on Wednesday, host Japan beat Nepal 3-0 in Group A. Newly-crowned Asian champion Thailand swept Mongolia 3-0, and Chinese Taipei beat Kyrgyzstan 3-0 in Group C. In Group D, South Korea defeated Hong Kong, China, 3-0 and Vietnam beat Qatar 3-0.
–IANS
