Cristian Savani (No.15) of Shanghai spikes the ball against Beijing during the third match of their final series of the Chinese Volleyball Association competition in Shanghai on Tuesday. Beijing won the title after a 25-22, 28-26, 20-25, 25-23 victory. Photo: CFP

Defending champions Shanghai won the 2022 Chinese Men's Volleyball Championship after a 25-22, 25-21, 23-25, 26-24 victory over Beijing in the final on Sunday.

The two powerhouses in the domestic league demonstrated their strength in the semifinals as Shanghai swept Sichuan 3-0, while Beijing defeated Shandong 3-1.

The first set of the final saw the lead change hands several times and the two sides were tied at 17-17 before Shanghai called a timeout. 

The defending champions Shanghai got four points in a row and took the set 25-22.

Beijing had an error-laden second set with players struggling with serves and reception and conceded another set to Shanghai 25-21.

The third set saw Beijing claw back with 25-23, thanks to Wang Dongchen's performance.

The match became dramatic after 21-21 in the fourth set, after which Shanghai surged ahead 24-21 to take three match points in hand, but could not convert any of them against a resilient Beijing side. 

Opposite Wu Pengzhi earned another chance for Shanghai with his powerful spike and Shanghai managed to seal the final victory 26-24.

In the other game on Sunday, Shandong narrowly defeated Sichuan 24-26, 25-17, 23-25, 27-25, 17-15 to take third place.

Xinhua