Korean men’s sepaktakraw takes 1 win, 1 loss in quadrant opener

The Korean men's sepaktakraw team won against Singapore but lost to the Philippines in the men's quadrant opener at the 19th Asian Games. The team will next face Japan and India.

Korea's Gong Ha-sung returns the ball against Singapore during a men's sepaktakraw preliminary match at the 19th Asian Games in Jinhua, China on Sunday. [AP/YONHAP]

The Korean men’s sepaktakraw team took one win and one loss in their first day of the men’s quadrant tournament at the 19th Asian Games.

Korea defeated Singapore 2-0 in their first group stage match but lost to the Philippines 2-1 in their second.

Each match has three sets, and the first side to 21 points wins that set.

The Korean men’s team will next play Japan on Monday and India on Tuesday for their third and fourth matches of the preliminary stage. Korea did not enter a women’s team in the women’s quadrant contest.

The matches are being held at the Jinhua Sports Centre in Jinhua, China.

Sepaktakraw is a sport with origins in Southeast Asia. “Sepak” translates to “kick” in Malay, and “tekraw” is the Thai word for the woven rattan ball used in play on a badminton-size court.

The rules are similar to volleyball where the goal is to get the ball over the court in three touches or less, and the team wins a point when their opponents fail to return the rally. But players are barred from using their hands, instead blocking the ball with their heads and their feet.

In quadrant, four players take either side of the court — marking a key difference from the traditional “regu” style, which has three players on either side. This is the second Asian Games to include quadrant as a medal contest after the category made its debut in 2018, in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Korea earlier took silver in women’s team regu and bronze in men’s team regu, meeting their results from 2018, when the national team took one silver and one bronze across all contests in sepaktakraw.

BY MARY YANG [mary.yang@joongang.co.kr]