JIANGMEN, China, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Defending champions Shanghai won the 2022 Chinese Men's Volleyball Championship after a 25-22, 25-21, 23-25, 26-24 victory over Beijing in the final on Sunday.
The two powerhouses in the domestic league demonstrated their strength in the semifinals as Shanghai swept Sichuan 3-0, while Beijing defeated Shandong 3-1.
The first set of the final saw the lead change hands several times and the two sides were tied at 17-17 before Shanghai called a timeout. The defending champions got four points in a row and took the set 25-22.
Beijing had an error-laden second set with players struggling with serves and reception and conceded another set to Shanghai 25-21.
The third set saw Beijing claw back with 25-23, thanks to Wang Dongchen's performance.
The match became dramatic after 21-21 in the fourth set, after which Shanghai surged ahead 24-21 to take three match points in hand, but could not convert any of them against a resilient Beijing side. Opposite Wu Pengzhi earned another chance for Shanghai with his powerful spike and Shanghai managed to seal the final victory 26-24.
In the other game on Sunday, Shandong narrowly defeated Sichuan 24-26, 25-17, 23-25, 27-25, 17-15 to take third place. ■
