September16September 18, 2026

Games Wednesday

(Park Arena Komaki)

1 p.m. – Korea vs Qatar

4 p.m. – Hong Kong vs Vietnam

7:20 p.m. – Indonesia vs Nepal

Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Gym 

1 p.m. – Kazakhstan vs Philippines

4 p.m. – Taipei vs Mongolia

7 p.m. – Kyrgyzstan vs Thailand

NAGOYA, Japan – Defending champion China and Thailand, as expected, blasted their respective rivals at the start of the women’s volleyball competition at the 20^th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya.

The Chinese, bidding for their 10^th straight gold medal in the continental showpiece, banked on the troika of Xin Tang, Zhuang Yushan and 19-year-old Wang Aoqian to beat the Philippines in straight sets, 25-18, 25-22, 25-18, in their Pool B match.

The Thais were equally ruthless, clobbering Mongolia, 25-12, 25-18, 25-18.

Both powerhouses secured three points as they pressed their bids for another mouth-watering title clash.

Over at the Park Arena Komaki, Vietnam, runner-up to Thailand at last year’s Bangkok SEA Games, mauled Qatar, 25-23, 25-8, 25-9, to draw level with South Korea in Pool D after the latter overpowered Hong Kong-China, 25-23, 25-12, 25-12.

The Thais came into the game still on cloud nine after retaining their title at the AVC Continental Cup in China by outlasting the Chinese squad.

Chinese-Taipei drew level with Thailand after a 25-14, 25-15, 25-9 win over Kyrgyzstan.

The host country, Japan, likewise scored an easy 25-8, 25-12, 25-11 win over Nepal in their Pool A match to cap the day of routs.

Drawing big games from Angel Canino and Eya Laure, the Filipinas caught the Chinese flat-footed several times until Xin and Zhuang imposed their might to prevail, leaving a small but highly energized Filipino fans disappointed.

While the first two sets were tight, the third and last set was easy.

Tang led China’s assault with 19, including eight in the second frame, while Zhuang and Wang combined for 30 points.