Apart from Group A in China, both Japan and Poland are hosting the other two groups for the women's teams. Each of the three groups offers two tickets to Paris.

The opening day in Ningbo also witnessed Serbia overpowering Mexico 3-0, the Czech Republic edging out the Dominican Republic 3-2, and Canada narrowly beating the Netherlands 3-2.

China's victory wasn't straightforward, as Ukraine led at the outset of each set. Ukraine's Anastasiia Kraiduba notched a game-high 19 points, with 16 from attacks and three from serves. Her teammate Oleksandra Milenko contributed 14 points.

Li Yingying led China with 14 points, while three other Chinese players also contributed double digits in scoring.

"It's the significant start for the road to Paris 2024, I don't agree with the saying that Group A is the easiest one," said China head coach Cai Bin. "The first day's matches are quite competitive and our players are still trying to catch the rhythm of the game. For every team, the first day's match is not easy to play," Cai added.