AVC Beach Tour Liupanshui Open 2010 - New Zealand and Thailand make their mark
The Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) organised an exciting event of beach volleyball in China this month. The Liupanshui Open 2010 concluded on Wednesday as teams from New Zealand and Sri Lanka reached the men’s final. Meanwhile, both teams from Thailand made it to the final of the women’s event.
Out of a total of 33 pairs, 20 male pairs and 13 female pairs from 12 different countries attended the 3-day beach volleyball event. Teams demonstrated their class and mastery with the ball against one another and entertained beach volleyball fans in China.
Sam O’Dea and Ben O’Dea of New Zealand paved their way to the final after defeating China’s Lin Wu Gin and Lu Zijian in the semi-final game. The Kiwis had a rough time at the start of the match against the Chinese as they won the first set of the match. But they couldn’t succeed in the final two sets of game and lost the match to the Kiwi pair with a score of 21-19 and 15-9.
The men’s final match saw Kiwi Brothers and another Sri Lankan pair in a head-to-head fight for the Liupanshui Open title. The heated competition continued for 42 minutes and concluded in favour of Sam O’Dea and Ben O’Dea from New Zealand. The Kiwis opened the first set with a strong blow which earned them a lead in the early minutes of the set. Sri Lanka’s Mahesh Perera M. Jude and Bombuwala Wasantha didn’t come out easy against the Kiwi pair who tied the game with some amazing drop shots.
The game further progressed and they broke the ties and gained the commanding position in game. The over-hand passes of Kiwi Brothers worked out and helped them raise their points. They locked Sri-Lankans at 16 points and hit the game point to win the set. They posted 21-16 to claim win and moved forward in the second set.
The second set was closely fought as both the teams tried to dominate the other side. Somehow, Sam O’Dea and Ben O’Dea of New Zealand settled their win after ending the set with a score of 21-19. The Kiwis won the gold medal after a two setter victory against Sri Lanka.
China’s Lin Wu Gin and Lu Zequan clashed with Kittipat and Teerapat from Thailand for the third spot in the AVC Beach Volleyball Tour 2010. The Chinese pair exhibited an excellent game and shaded Thailand’s team with heavy volleys. Thailand was stunned by the outstanding delivery of line shots by Lin Wu Gin and Lu Zijian of China. In the end, Thailand had to settle for the third spot as the Chinese posted a 2-0 (21-16 and 21-16) victory over the Thai team.
The women’s final saw both teams representing Thailand. Jarunee Sannok and Usa Tenpaksee collided with Kamoltip Kulna and Yupa Phokrongploy in the final combat. The top-seeded Sannok/Tenpaksee dismissed their country mates in two straight sets in just 35 minutes.
The same pair at Liupanshui 2010 had previously won gold at the Asian Beach Games in Indonesia as well. China failed to make an impression in the women’s edition. Three women teams from China participated in the competition. Only one pair survived until the semi-final stage of the tournament. China’s Wang Tingting and Zhao Liu played for the bronze medal but lost their match to 4th seed Mashkova Tatyana and Tsimbalova Irina of Kazakhstan. The Chinese received a 0-2 (19-21 and 19-21) defeat at the hands of Kazakhstan.
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