truebluefan

All Thai women's teams got off to a flying start with two straight wins over their less-trained rivals on the opening day of the 9th Samila-Sang Som Asian Beach Volleyball Tournament at Samila Beach on Monday.

Thailand 1's Kamolthip Kulna and Yupa Phukrongploy, champions at the Hyderabad-hosted Asian Championships a couple weeks ago and the last year's South East Asian Games gold-medallists, took only 30 minutes in crushing New Zealand 2's Micah Lindsay Brown and Emma Preston 21-15, 21-13 before storming past China 2's Li Yang and Hu Anna also in straight sets 21-16, 21-17.

Thailand 2's Jarunee Sannok and Usa Tenpaksee, fresh from capturing the Phatthalung-Loma-Sang Som Asian Beach Volleyball Invitation in Phatthalung province last week, showed no mercy to Singapore 2, thrashing them 21-8, 21-9 in 25 minutes before taming New Zealand 1's Susan Blundell/Anna Scarlett 21-18, 21-11.

Team-mates Maneerat Udonchawee/Julalak Radarong of Thailand 3 team followed suit after recovering from the first-set down 22-24 to Vietnam 1's Phan Thi Cam Hong/Huynh Do Hong Loan to take the remaining sets 21-19,15-12 in 53 minutes. The Thai girls later powered past Sri Lanka 2-0 (21-7, 21-17).

All three teams of the host girls advanced to the quarter-finals of the three-day meet.

In the men's category, Tran Ngoc Cao Son/Nguyen Minh Thien of Vietnam 1 stunned Thailand 1's Sataporn Sawangrueang/Borworn Yungtin, who won the last week's Asian Invitation in Phatthalung, in the hard-fought three-set thriller 21-16, 15-21, 22-20.

However, the Thai squad upped their tempo in the later match to beat Laotians Phonesavanh Nidsavandvong/Sinthanov Poumthongsee in straight sets 21-8, 21-14. The other matches saw the much stronger sides had a comfortable day by thrashing their inexperienced rivals to make the next round.

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