Beijing: A Chinese pair made the women's beach volleyball final on Tuesday for the first time ever but they face formidable opponents in American defending champions Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor.
Wang Jie and Tian Jia overcame teammates Xue Chen and Zhang Xi in three sets but the task in front of them is huge, with the US spikers unbeaten in a year and yet to drop a set here.
Walsh and May-Treanor's 21-12 and 21-14 win over Brazil's Talita Antunes and Renata Ribeiro was their 107th consecutive victory, setting the scene for an enticing showdown in the final on Thursday.
In China's favour will be a capacity home crowd, but May-Treanor said they wouldn't allow the patriotic fans to disrupt their drive to the title.
"We'll just focus on the match, we will not be disturbed by the audience," she said.
Another motivation for May-Treanor is to once again hear the Star Spangled Banner played in their honour.
"I always relive it (winning the Athens gold medal) over and over. Even though it was four years ago, it still feels like I'm there," she said, adding that a new coach had helped rejuvenate their game.
"Now we know how to get out of trouble, our passing and defence are better," she said. "We are still working on our serves though."
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