Powerhouses China suffered a shock defeat to Thailand in final of the Asian championship.

China set the tone of the opening set while facing their shorter opponents. This powerful spike saw China take the first set 25-20. But the tide turned in the second set when China began to make uncharacristic errors in passing, blocking and spiking.

Thailand fought back to claim next two sets to take 2-1 lead. The fourth set was a tight contest, but it was the Thais who made the most of their advantages, taking a 16-12 lead. China came back to tie the set at 19-all. But again the Chinese made several crucial mistakes to allow the Thais walk away with the fourth set 25-23. Thailand took the Asian crown, and for China, it was their second loss in a row in the Asian Championship final.

(CCTV September 15, 2009)