Tournament favourites Vanuatu were pushed all the way by Tonga in a thrilling start to the Port Moresby 2015 men’s beach volleyball competition.
Vanuatu won 2-1 (21-19, 20-22, 15-13) in three closely contested sets at BSP Stadium.
“We feel great winning this match but credit to our opponents who played very well,” said Vanuatu captain Isaac Mael.
In other men’s matches, Papua New Guinea defeated Northern Marianas 2-0 and Fiji beat Tuvalu 2-0.
In the women’s matches, New Caledonia defeated Fiji 2-0, Vanuatu beat Guam 2-0 and Tahiti overcame Tuvalu 2-0.