Cebu City, Philippines, March 3, 2005 – Chinese Taipei, the favourite to win this 2006 Men's Volleyball World Championships First Round Tournament (Asia Pool C) in Cebu City, opened their account with a convincing straight sets 3-0 (25-21, 25-14, 25-20) win over the Philippines on the second day of the tournament on Thursday.

It was a match the Philippines had singled out for a possible upset victory over their more fancied opponents but Chinese Taipei, ranked 39th on the FIVB world rankings, proved too strong for the hosts, who are not officially ranked, despite the fanatical support for the home team from over 4,000 fans.

Lin Hsien Chen was inspirational for Chinese Taipei putting in a captain’s performance with 17 points, to hand the Philippines their first defeat of the tournament after they beat Macau on the opening day.

"We are a very strong team,” Chinese Taipei coach Chang Mu San said. “We were confident of winning against the Philippines."

Meanwhile, Macau collected their first win of the tournament with an enthralling 3-0 (29-27, 25-20, 25-21) victory over Tonga, who are participating in an international FIVB event for the first time.

The contest between two of the lesser fancied sides in the competition, who had both lost on the opening day, was always going to be a tight affair and they didn’t disappoint, with Macau fighting hard to claim the honours in just under one hour and 20 minutes.

"It was a tough match but we are happy that we won,” Macau head coach Leong Veng Tong said. “Tonga played well but they seemed nervous."

Tongan coach Inoke Fotu was satisfied with the performance of his players, who represent the only Pacific Island country participating this year. "We fought well, everyone in the team gave his best,” he said. “Like I’ve said before, every match is a learning experience for the team."

Day three of the five-day tournament on Friday sees Chinese Taipei take on Tonga at 17:00 (local time) followed by Macau versus Indonesia at 19:00.

The two highest-placed teams from this 2006 Men's Volleyball World Championships First Round Tournament will advance to the second round, which will be played in June.