Chinese beach volleyball women duo Tian Jia/Wang Jie will take on their last rival in the preliminary competition on Wednesday, and they have vowed to finish first in their group.
The Chinese women, who have gained two preliminary victories, have clinched a berth in the top 16. Nevertheless, they have said that they would go all out to play against Maaseide/Glesnes of Norway, who have also advanced with two wins.
Tian/Wang, the No. 2 seed on the Olympic qualification ranking, is expected to beat the Norwegian pair before thousands of home spectators. In their previous encounters, the Chinese kept a 6-0 winning record over the Norwegians.
In another match in Group C, Sydney 2000 Games champions Cook and her partner Barnett will meet Ana Paula/Larissa of Brazil. The battle is expected to be fierce as both teams, considered to be medal favorites, are also seeking to top the group.
The Brazilian pair have been improving their combination since Ana Paula replaced injured Juliana days before the Olympics started.
In men's section, defending champions Emanuel/Ricardo will take on Austria's Schacht/Slack, who have won two preliminaries. It will not be an easy game for the defending champions, who lost to the Austrian pair five times in their 12 encounters.
U.S. favorite Rogers/Dalhausser, who lost their first match against Latvians, will spare no effort in their third preliminary against Argentina's Conde/Baracetti. The Americans, who netted a victory on Monday, are expected to get a second preliminary win.
(Xinhua? News Agency August 12, 2008)