Lausanne, Switzerland, July 14, 2017 - Japan thundered past Thailand on Friday in Canberra to remain undefeated after three matches in Pool B of the Asian qualifiers for the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship in Italy & Bulgaria and practically secure one of the two qualifying spots.
Japan produced a solid 3-0 (25-12, 25-18, 25-16) over Thailand to retain a perfect record of three straight-set wins.
Australia, who rested on Friday and return to action Saturday, are also undefeated after two games and remain on track for one of two available tickets to the World Championship.
Chinese Taipei, meanwhile, swept New Zealand 3-0 (25-17, 25-21, 25-16) in Friday's other game at Canberra, scoring their first win in the competition.
Play in Canberra continues Saturday, when the two undefeated sides of Australia and Japan clash at 20:00 local time (10:00 GMT). Thailand and Chinese Taipei will open the day's action at 17:00 (07:00 GMT). The competition concludes Sunday.
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Pool A of the Asian qualifiers, with Iran, China, Korea, Qatar and Kazakhstan, will be held 10-14 August in Tehran for two more spots from Asia to Italy/Bulgaria.
Hosts Italy and Bulgaria and defending champions Poland have already been joined in the 2018 World Championship by France, The Netherlands, Slovenia, Russia, Serbia and Finland who all qualified last month through the second round of European qualifiers.