Japan beat Brazil at the SWATCH FIVB Sanya Open Tournament, China
The SWATCH FIVB Sanya Open Tournament is underway in China from 26-31 October, 2010. The event has welcomed 65 teams from 26 different nations to compete in the tournament. The teams are playing for the prize money of US$190,000. The tournament was kicked
off with the Country Quota matches of several countries. The successful teams earned berths in the Qualification Tournament, which was played on Wednesday, 27th October, 2010.
At the end of the 2nd day of the tournament, the teams from six countries marched as winners. The top four seeded teams were already tipped to pave their way to the Main-Draw stage. Besides them, a pair of Great Britian teams and two teams from
Japan also clinched spots in the Main-Draw.
Japan vs. Brazil 2-1 (15-21, 21-19, and 17-15)
Takemi Nishibori and Satoko Urata of Japan proved themselves in the CQ matches and got promoted to the Qualification Tournament where they were challenged by teams from Kazakhstan and Brazil. The dynamic Japanese duo displayed great effort and dismantled
the power of their opponents. In the first match, Japan easily managed to dominate Kazakhstan’s team. On the other hand, Brazil was waiting to collide with the Japanese team for the Main-Draw berth. The Brazilian pair comprised of Ana Paula Henkel and Tatiana
Minello.
First Set
The 12th-seeded Japanese duo of Takemi Nishibori and Satoko Urata opened the match on a good note. They served well and poised their feet on the sand. Satoko was a good attacker and she hit the ball with full might. Likewise, Nishibori did a great
job receiving the ball. She stretched her arms wide and tackled the difficult shots with great skill. They started off really well and created a winning impression in the game. Nonetheless, the 28th seeded Ana Paula Henkel and Tatiana Minello stroke
back and returned the ball in Japanese-half. It seemed as if they spent little time at getting an idea of the game and then they stung their opponents like bees.
The Brazilian pair changed the mood of the game and contributed several points in a row. They picked up the lead and restricted the Japanese team from scoring. Japan’s duo tried to get out of the blues but couldn’t help their situation. The Brazilians sparked
on the scene and thrashed a 21-15 victory over Japan in the first set.
Second Set
The humiliating defeat in the first set filled the Japanese team with rage. They formulized a different strategy and attacked aggressively. Japanese fans were upset with the bad performance of their team in the earlier set but Takemi Nishibori/Satoko Urata
shook off the bad impression and worked out good shots in the second set. The fans cheered at the teams and screamed their lungs out in support of their favourite players. Japan made a great come-back and tied the game score by winning the second set at 21-19.
Third Set
The Japanese squad kept the same momentum and energy in the third set. They avoided reception errors and strengthened their defence line. Brazil’s team tried to return in the game but their strategy didn’t work. Japan earned a better status and took their
score to the end line. Brazil lost the third set with a two points’ margin at 15-17, while Japan celebrated their wonderful victory in the last match of the qualification tournament.
"We are very, very happy,” Urata said. “I have a new partner this year and we aren’t very tall, so it was important to set well. We were not worried at match point because we knew we needed just one point. I believe in my team.”
"The first time, the first time!” exclaimed an emotional Nishibori. “The other team is very strong and big but we were able to overcome it.”
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