In their first friendly match a week before the World Championship in Manila, the Italian national team prevailed over Japan after a dramatic tie-break at "LaLa Arena Tokyo Bay". The match was played in five sets and offered contested rallies from both sides of the net.

The Japanese started stronger and won the first set, but the champions from Italy immediately equalized with solid blocking and serving. In the third set, "the Azzurri" once again took the initiative after an evenly matched fight, before the hosts returned to the game with changes to their lineup and a victory in the fourth part.

The decisive tie-break, however, went to the Italians, who asserted their will and reached the final success with a 3:2 (23:25, 25:18, 25:22, 21:25, 15:12) victory.

For the Japanese, this was their first encounter with Italy since the quarter-final at the Olympic Games in Paris, and a second match between the two teams is scheduled for September 7th.

photo: Midori Suzuki