Chinese beach volleyball men's duo Wu Penggen/Xu Linyin scored their second preliminary victory at the Beijing Olympics on Tuesday.
They beat Estonian rivals Rivo Vesik and Kristjan Kais 2-1.
In the first set, the Chinese duo was outscored by the rivals from the beginning due to failures in organizing attacks and the rivals' water-tight defense also held back the host team. The first set ended 15-21.
The hosts improved their combination in the second set and the 2-meter-tall Xu Linyin showed his advantage at the net, ending the set 21-11.
The Estonians tried further in the third set to find ways to resist attacks of the much taller rivals but the host team was in a stable form. The third was set 15-13 in favor of the Chinese.
"We were a little strained at first and the defense of the rivals also exerted big pressure," commented the 1.98-meter Wu on their first set loss.
"In the next two sets, we bettered our organization and it worked," he added.
"In next matches we'll play in a more relaxed way and play to our best standard," said Wu.
They are to meet Spain's Herrera/Mesa, expected to be a harder rival, in the next preliminary on Thursday.
As the only Chinese men's team to have qualified for the Beijing Olympics, the Chinese pair are considered a medal contender. They clinched five silver medals and two bronzes on the World Tour.
(Xinhua News Agency August 12, 2008)