A live average audience of 9.2 million viewers watched the match on CCTV5, which is to date the highest live volleyball audience in the market for 2026.
As usual, China began their VNL campaign with a very young squad and had two 17-year-olds - setter Zhang Zixuan and middle blocker Guo Zhongnan - and one 18-year-old - middle blocker Wang Aoqian - playing significant minutes against the Thais. Zhang registered 46 assists, while Guo and Wang combined to produce 22 points for the home team.
It was, however, one of their most experienced players, 23-year-old Zhuang Yushan, who led the charge in the continental Derby, registering a match-high 21 points (20 kills, one block) against Thailand. Head coach Zhao Yong brought veterans Gong Xiangyu and Wang Yuanyuan off the bench during the match and got positive answers from both, with the 29-year-old opposite scoring nine points (seven kills, one block, one ace) and the 28-year-old middle blocker adding another eight (four kills, three blocks, one ace).
"It wasn't easy for us to reset mentally after a difficult match and an unexpected result in our first match," Zhuang remarked. "Thailand did a great job today, and we had to put in our best effort to fight back."
