China's Tian/Wang in women's beach volleyball final
19/8/2008 17:56
Tian Jia and Wang Jie of China won over their compatriots Zhang Xi and Xue
Chen in the semifinals of beach volleyball tournament at the Beijing Olympics
today.
Tian/Wang needed to play three sets before downing their fellow
Chinese duo.
Zhang/Xue won the first set 24-22. They trailed at the beginning
of the second sect but were able to come from behind. The two sides traded set
points in the latter part of the second set and scored the highest points in the
beach volleyball tournament at the Beijing Olympics. The set ended 29-27 in
favor of Tian/Wang.
The third set went in the advantage of Tian/Wang, who
beat the younger duo 15-8.
"Both of us played to our best standard in the
match. I hope both of our two teams will have good performance in our next
matches," said Tian after the match.
"My partner (Wang Jie) played excelently
in the match. It seemed she was not for the first time at the Olympics," she
added.
"I have done my best in the match. I have played and practiced beach
volleyball for eight years and all that has been for the Beijing Olympics," the
24-year-old Zhang said at the press conference.
Her parter Xue Chen was
sustained a waist injury when she tried to save but failed to touch the last
ball.
About the loss of the third set, Zhang said, "We lack experiences and
they captured our gaps and curbed our ways of offensive."
"I hope Tian and
Wang would play better in the final against the United States and I hope I can
give my strength to them," she said.
On the coming final against defending
champions Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, Wang said, "They are a very strong
team, both in experience and techniques. We are going to face big difficulties
in the match."
"We'll do our best and we don't think about the result," she
added.
Xinhua
|
