Türkiye, France claim wins on third day of VNL action in Beijing
BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Türkiye and France each secured victories on Friday at the FIVB Volleyball Nations League (VNL) in Beijing, as both teams continued to test their lineups and build momentum during the first week of competition.
Türkiye swept Thailand 3-0 (25-23, 25-14, 25-22), improving its record to 2-0 in the Beijing leg. Opposite Aleksia Karutasu delivered a standout all-around performance with a match-high 19 points, including 10 kills, four blocks and five aces.
"It wasn't as easy as it looked," Karutasu said. "Thailand played a great defense and challenged us in every set. I'm proud of how we stayed composed and got the job done."
Head coach Daniele Santarelli praised his young squad's composure. "We're on the right track. Many of these players are making their VNL debuts, and I'm proud of how they handled today's match against a strong Thai team."
Looking ahead to Saturday's clash against fellow unbeaten side Poland, Santarelli added: "Poland is one of the strongest teams in the world with a very cohesive starting lineup. We're still learning and developing chemistry, so it'll be a big test for us."
Thailand, meanwhile, suffered its third straight defeat in Beijing, following losses to Poland and Belgium earlier in the week. Outside hitter Pimpichaya Kokram led Thailand with 15 points, while Donphon Sinpho added 10. Thailand will rest on Saturday before facing France on Sunday in its final match of the leg.
Earlier in the day, France overcame Belgium 3-1 (25-22, 13-25, 25-13, 25-19), rebounding from its opening loss to Poland and handing Belgium its second defeat in Beijing.
French opposite Iman Ndiaye was on fire, racking up 30 points with dominant attacking at the net. In contrast, Belgium had only one player in double figures - captain Britt Herbots, who finished with 14 points. After beating Thailand on Thursday, Belgium now stands at 1-2 in this leg and will have a bye on Saturday.
France, improving to 1-1, will face host China on Saturday in what promises to be a high-stakes matchup for both teams.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
19 minutes ago
- The Star
Tang Jie blames semi-final loss to Thai pair on his unforced errors
National mixed double shuttler Toh Ee Wei - Chen Tang Jie react during quarter-final match at the Malaysia Open 2025 at Axiata Arena Bukit Jalil. — FAIHAN GHANI/The Star PETALING JAYA: Mixed doubles shuttler Chen Tang Jie did not shy away from taking responsibility for his defeat with Toh Ee Wei at the hands of Thailand's in-form pair Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Supissara Paewsampran in the Indonesian Open semi-finals. Tang Jie-Ee Wei were hoping to make it into their first ever World Tour Super 1000 final but were denied by Singapore Open champions Dechapol-Supissara, losing 23-21, 15-21, 11-21 in 65 minutes at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta yesterday. Tang Jie was disappointed with his performance and felt that his unforced errors during crucial moments in the match played a part in the world No. 4 pair's loss. "We tried to find a way to attack but near the net, I made a lot of unnecessary errors," lamented Tang Jie in a post-match interview with the Badminton World Federation (BWF). "That's the difference today (yesterday) as the Thai pair performed better than us but I'm responsible for the defeat too. "I think in the first game, the difference was we did better in handling the shuttle in the mid court area. "I changed my strategy in the second game as we were playing against the draught but it did not work." Ee Wei said: "We did break through to win the first game but in the second game, when it was point to point, we never grabbed the chance." Tang Jie-Ee Wei did well to fight back from 17-20 and 20-21 down to win the first game but could not maintain their performance in the second and deciding games. Dechapol-Supissara are now fast becoming Tang Jie-Ee Wei's bogey pair after also beating them in the Japan Masters first round last November and Indonesian Masters quarter-finals in January. The Malaysian duo's sole victory over the Thai pair came in the Indian Open second round in January. Tang Jie-Ee Wei need to quickly find a way to overcome Dechapol-Supissara, who have become one of the best pairs in the world since combining only last year. The Thais captured four titles before adding the Singapore Open to their collection and are now just one win away from their sixth crown. Standing in their way to the title today will be either world No. 10 French duo Thom Gicquel-Delphine Delrue or China's world No. 11 Cheng Xing-Zhang Chi. Meanwhile, it was still an encouraging showing for Tang Jie-Ee Wei in only their second individual competition since reuniting in April following a brief split due to a strained relationship. The pair improved on their performance in the Singapore tourney where they suffered a second-round exit. Tang Jie-Ee Wei will next take a break from tournaments before switching their focus to the back-to-back Japan Open (July 15-20) and China Open (July 22-27).
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Tang Jie-Ee Wei exit Indonesian Open in semi-finals
PETALING JAYA: Mixed doubles shuttlers Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei's run in the Indonesian Open ended in the semi-finals after losing to Thailand's in-form pair, Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran. Tang Jie and Ee Wei fought hard but struggled against the Thai duo, who won the Singapore Open last week, and lost 23-21, 15-21, 11-21 in 65 minutes at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta on Saturday (June 7). This marks the world No. 4 pair's third defeat to world No. 6 Dechapol and Supissara in four meetings, following losses at the Japan Masters last November and Indonesian Masters in January. Despite the defeat, it was Tang Jie and Ee Wei's best performance since reuniting in April after a brief split due to a strained relationship.
New Straits Times
2 hours ago
- New Straits Times
'Sorry, no revenge for your brother'
KUALA LUMPUR: The Moroccan fighter had wanted to get even with Ahmad Nor Iman Aliff Rakib for beating his brother last year. But Aliff,who is of Thai-Malay descent, never let Morrocco's Elmehdi El Jamari have the pleasure. Muay Thai fighter Aliff scored a unanimous-decision win over El Jamari in ONE Fight Night 32 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok today. Aliff (60-9), who has an 8-centimetre height and 10-centimetre reach advantage over El Jamari (27-1), repeatedly landed powerful kicks to his opponent's body. But El Jamari bore the bruises of those strikes on his ribs and landed heavy left hooks which Aliff absorbed without flinching. Following his fourth consecutive win, Aliff revealed that he had been unwell going into the fight and was forced to change tactics. "The way I fought was not what I had planned," said the 21-year-old in a post-fight interview. Officials also announced today that Aliff's next fight could be against Thailand's reigning ONE strawweight world champion Prajanchai P.K. Saenchai. "I have nothing much to say to Prajanchai because I know how good he is. My new goal is to take the belt from him. It would be my honour to face someone like him," said Aliff. Prajanchai, who was at the Bangkok venue, responded: "First of all, I would like to congratulate Aliff and also send my support to El Jamari. If this match (against Aliff is destined to happen, it would be my honour." Meanwhile in the flyweight division, Johan Ghazali Zulfikar, 18, suffered his second straight defeat in One Championships. The Malaysian-American, better known as Jojo, lost to American-Colombian Diego Paez on split-decision.
