China and Cuba opened their Beilun Cup women's volleyball tournament campaigns on a winning note Wednesday.

Reigning Olympic champion China crushed the Netherlands in straight sets, while the Cubans fought back from 2-0 down in sets to outlast the Dominican Republic in a five-set thriller.

The Chinese proved too strong for their European rivals and took the first two sets comfortably, 25-16 and 25-18.

The Dutch women refused to give in and stepped up pressure in the third set. A number of unforced errors on the Dutch side, however, allowed China to close out it at 26-24.

On Thursday, The Netherlands takes on Cuba and China faces the Dominican Republic.