NAGOYA, Japan, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- China edged Thailand 3-2 in the women's volleyball semifinals at the 2026 Asian Games on Monday, avenging its defeat in last month's Asian Championship final and advancing to the gold-medal match with Japan.
China started strongly and built a four-point lead in the opening set, but Thailand responded with improved attacking and blocking. The teams remained level from 12-12 through 18-18 before Thailand pulled away to take the set 25-23.
China regained its composure in the second set, using quick attacks to establish a lead of about four points and holding on to win 25-21 to level the match.
China took control in the third, opening a lead of more than 10 points before cruising to a 25-11 victory and a 2-1 advantage.
The fourth set was much tighter, with neither side able to pull clear. The teams were tied at 26-26 before Thailand produced strong serving at crucial moments to take the set 28-26 and force a decider.
China dominated the fifth set, using aggressive attacks to steadily extend its lead before closing out the match 15-6.
China racked up 71 points from spikes and 11 from blocks across the match, while Thailand registered 66 spike points and four block points. China's outside hitter Wu Mengjie claimed the game-high 29 points. Pimpichaya Kokram and Thatdao Nuekjang both led Thailand's scorers with 16 each.
After the win, China head coach Zhao Yong said his players maintained their determination throughout the match.
"Both sides played a fantastic match, but our players showed a slightly greater hunger for victory on the court," Zhao said.
China captain Gong Xiangyu said the team put up a resilient defensive performance, which ultimately paved the way for the victory.
"After we levelled the score at 2-2 in the fourth set today, we managed to build such a big lead in the fifth set. That definitely came down to every single player on and off the court standing united, fuelled by the hunger to win the match," said Gong.
China's middle blocker Wang Aoqian said she maintained an unwavering belief in victory from start to finish on the court.
"During this match, one thought kept running through my mind: I knew we could do it," the 18-year-old said.
China reached the semifinals with a 3-0 victory over Vietnam in Sunday's quarterfinals, while newly crowned Asian champion Thailand advanced after sweeping Indonesia.
Monday's semifinal was a rematch of last month's Asian Championship final in Tianjin, China, where Thailand overtook China 3-2 to secure its first ever Olympic berth in women's volleyball.
Thailand head coach Kiattipong Radchatagriengkai expressed his congratulations to China after the match, saying his team still enjoyed their volleyball style.
"I would like to congratulate China. They were super great. Everybody had a great performance. Today was a very good game, good quality," he said. "We tried to control our system, our technique, but it wasn't very easy."
In the other semifinal of the day, Japan defeated South Korea 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-16).
Looking ahead to Tuesday's final against China, Japan's Yukiko Wada said it would be a tough contest.
"I think there will be many balls that won't be decided in a single hit, so I hope we can be mindful of staying tenacious, being patient, and winning those points tomorrow." ■
