As beach volleyball’s preliminary matches continue at the Tokyo Olympics, American medal contenders April Ross and Alix Klineman won their first match on Saturday night. Ross and Klineman beat Xue Chen and Wang Xinxin in straight sets, 21-17, 21-19.
Ross and Klineman traded the lead with Xue and Chen in the second but ultimately were able to avoid a third set. They finished with 12 digs to only four for Xue and Chen.
The Americans next face the Spanish duo of Liliana Fernández and Elsa Baquerizo at 8 p.m. ET on Monday. Liliana and Elsa haven’t played their first match of the tournament yet.
Ross is going for her third Olympic medal after winning silver in 2012 and bronze in 2016. She has been playing with Klineman, a first-time Olympian and former indoor volleyball player, for three years. The pair won silver at the 2019 World Championships.
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