Chinese women beach volleyball duo Zhang Xi/Xue Chen won their first preliminary match at the Beijing Olympics in Beijing on Sunday.

The pair, for the first time at the Olympics, beat Greek duo Efthalia Koutroumanidou/Maria Tsiartsiani 2-1.

The Chinese made several mistakes in striking at the beginning of the first set but they calmed down soon and scored with powerful strikes and aces, ending the first set 21-18.

In the second set, the hosts, who were eager to win the match, lost their advantage with just three points to end the set, losing to the Greeks 19-21.

In the third set, the Chinese made successful use of the rivals' leaks in defense and secured the victory with targeted attacks, outscoring the rivals 15-12.

The victory added to the wins of another women pair Tian Jia/Wang Jie and men duo Wu Penggen/Xu Linyin, both of whom defeated their respective rivals in their first preliminary match.

"We were a little bit strained in the game and the rivals are very strong, so we lost a set," said Xue, 19, the youngest beach volleyball player at Beijing Games, after the match.

"But we'll be very confident in playing in the next matches," she said.

The Chinese women, who have netted four FIVB World Tour gold medals and were also 2006 Asian Games champions, ranked fourth on the World Tour currently. They are believed to be serious contenders for medals along with Tian Jia/Wang Jie.

(Xinhua News Agency August 10, 2008)