Korea'ss Lee Hyun-Jung (front) and Lee Euna look to receive from China's Xue Chen and Zhang Xi as they go down easily in their match on Tuesday |
Guangzhou, China, November 17, 2010 – China's Xue Chen and Zhang Xi crushed Korea pair Lee Hyun-Jung and Lee Euna in a one-sided encounter on a day when all of the Korean players failed to make their mark at the 16th Asian Games Beach Volleyball competition in Guangzhou.
After a scintillating straight-set win over Kazakhstan's Lyudmila Issayeva and Inna Rakhmatulina in their opener the previous day, Xue and Zhang – top seeds, world No.3 and two-time Asian Championship winners – remained unstoppable in Pool A, thrashing the Korean duo 21-7, 21-9 in just 25 minutes on Tuesday.
The powerfully-built Xue, 198cm tall and weighing 85kg, scored a crucial 12 points through attacking hits, and added five blocks to her tally. "This match was much easier than the one we played Kazakhstan the previous day," said Xue, who was the only player to score through blocking.
"We have played several (SWATCH FIVB) World Tour events and that's a great asset for us. The shock defeat of another Chinese team (Huang Ying and Yue Yuan) to Malaysia on Monday did not put us under any pressure. However, the strong winds at the Centre Court partly affected our performance despite the fact that we won without too much effort.
"The gold medal is what I want to get," she added. "It's necessary we need to adjust ourselves mentally because in Doha, Qatar (four years ago), we were second seeds, but here in Guangzhou, we are top seeds." Her team-mate Zhang said: "The Koreans are not tall but they have some subtle skills. Their form is OK when you consider that Beach Volleyball is a new sport in Korea."
Wednesday is a rest day for Xue and Zhang, who play their final pool round-robin preliminary match against the eighth-seeded Kong Cheuk Yee and Tse Wing Hung of Hong Kong on Friday.
Unseeded Issayeva and Rakhmatulina of Kazakhstan, beaten by Xue and Zhang in their opening fixture, made amends by brushing off Kong and Tse 21-19, 21-12 on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Korea's players had a day to forget in both the men's and women's events. Aside from Lee Hyun-Jung and Lee Euna's defeat, the other Korean women's pairing of Lee Sin-Hwa and Kwak Mi-Jung were sent packing by fifth seeds Tatyana Mashkova and Irina Tsimbalova of Kazakhstan 21-8, 21-6.
Tuesday's results
Women's competition
Pool A: Xue Chen/Zhang Xi (China) b Lee Hyung Jung/Lee Euna (Korea) 21-7 21-9; Lyudmila Issayeva/Inna Rakhmatulina (Kazakhstan) b Tse Wing Hung/Kong Cheuk Yee (Hong Kong) 21-19 21-12
Pool C: Kamoltip Kulna/Yupa Phokrongploy (Thailand) b Nirosha GHL/Leena PPSS (Sri Lanka) 21-9 21-13; Urata Satoko/Takemi Nishibori (Japan) b Kou Nai Han/Chang Hui Min (Chinese Taipei) 21-17 21-18
Pool D: Jarunee Sannok/Usa Tenpaksee (Thailand) b Geethika KKLG/Sujeewa WW (Sri Lanka)21-7 21-11; Tatyana Mashkova/Irina Tsimbalova (Kazakhstan) b Lee Shunwa/Kwak Mi Jung (Korea) 21-8 21-6 | 
