China wins women's volleyball opener at Asian Games

NAGOYA, Japan, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- China beat the Philippines 3-0 on Wednesday for its 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 improved its blocking and defense to dominate the third.

"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 face Kazakhstan in its second Group B match on Friday.

Also 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.