The morale-boosting 25-23 25-21 25-23 victory over the Japanese team put the local girls into their first Princess Cup Women's Volleyball Invitation final.

In today's final, the in-form Sangsom will be pitted against the winners of last night's match between Vietnam's Hanoi and China's Sichuan, with the Toray Arrows challenging the losers in the third-place play-off. In the 5th-8th place games, Japan's Hitachi powered past Chung Shan of Taiwan in straight sets, while China's Liaoning pulled off a convincing straight sets win over India's Chennai.

Asians out

Holder Ding Junhui will rock the snooker world by not defending his title at this year's UK championship at the Barbican Centre in York in December. The teenager who figured at No 62 on the rankings last season but in 2006-07 moves to No 27 and a top 32 for the first time, defeated Steve Davis 10-6 in the UK final six months ago.

But now the Chinese Snooker Federation are insisting the Shanghai professional represent his country at the Asian Games, which are staged every four years and in December Ding goes to Doha, Qatar, from December 1-15 regional event. Other Asian professionals are also almost certain to turn their backs on the UK championship as their national associations wield the whip and orders them to Qatar. They include Hong Kong's Marco Fu, a world championship semi-finalist two months ago, and Thailand's James Wattana.

Tamarine wins

Thailand's Tamarine Tanasugarn defeated doubles partner Hsieh Su-wei and advanced to the second qualifying round of the US$200,000 DFS Classic International women's tournament in Birmingham on Saturday. Tamarine was briefly tested by the eighth-seeded Hsieh, who is the Thai's doubles partner. The two finished as runners-up in Surbiton, England, last Friday. On Saturday Tamarine proved too tough for her partner, winning 7-5 6-2, and will next face Australian veteran Nicole Pratt.

Meanwhile, 16th-seeded Thai Paradorn Srichaphan and countryman Danai Udomchoke have been provided with comfortable first round tasks in the Stella Artois grass court championships in London. Paradorn, a quarter-finalist in 2004, was drawn to play Belgium's Dick Norman while Danai, who is making his debut in the main draw of the tournament, faces Czech Thomas Zib.