Jinjiang, China, May 31, 2018 – Japan’s Sakurako Fujii/Samaa Miyagawa and USA’s Aurora Davis/Bree Scarbrough withstood the challenges in the qualification round of the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour Jinjiang 2-star by posting double wins on Thursday at the Yakou Tourist Area.
Sakurako/Miyagawa started off with a convincing 2-1 (21-14, 21-11) win over Singapore’s Weiyu Ong/Serene Ng in their first round encounter, before being pushed to their limits by their compatriots Minori Kumada/Yui Nagata in the second round.
After splitting victories in the first two sets, the match went down to the wire, with Sakurako/Miyagawa eluding their rivals in the final set with a two-point margin 2-1 (24-22, 12-21, 16-14).
Meanwhile, Scarbrough/Davis defeated two Thai opponents on opening day. The American duo prevailed against Chanthira Khanok/Sumintra Sow 2-1 (21-18, 18-21, 15-7) in the first round, then performed better against Pronsuda Kritsana/Yodsaphat Pakham 2-0 (22-20, 21-14) in the second round, securing their entry to the main draw.
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Canada’s Caleigh Cruickshank/Megan Nagy, Chinese Taipei’s Kou Nai-Han/Liu Pi Hsin, Poland’s Agata Ceynowa/Martyna Kloda and USA’s Caitlin Ledoux/Kendra Vanzwieten also sealed their main draw spots with straight-set wins.
Nagy/Cruickshank beat Hong Kong’s Wai Yan Au Yeung/Ting Chi Yuen 2-0 (22-20, 21-14), while Chinese Taipei’s Kou N.H./Liu P.H. routed Italy’s Andrea Nucete-Elliot/Rebecca Perry in a tough 2-0 (21-19, 21-19) race.
Kloda/Ceynowa controlled the tempo against Israel’s Michal Barannik/Anita Deev 2-0 (21-14, 21-17), while Ledoux/Vanzwieten mounted a compelling surge to beat Chinese Taipei’s Pan Tzu-Yi/Yu Ya-Hsuan 2-0 (21-8, 21-8).