The duo, who paired up for the first time at the beginning of the season and won their first-ever FIVB Beach World Tour gold medal on Iran's Kish Island in February, triumphed 21-18, 21-11 at Guanyinshan Gold Beach.

Next up for Liamin and Krasilnikov is Cuba’s Sergio Reynaldo Gonzalez Bayard and Diaz Gomez Nivaldo Nadir, who defeated Austria’s Alexander Huber and Lorenz Petutschnig 21-14, 21-15 today.

Also through to the round of 16 are the ninth-seeded qualifiers Sean Rosenthal and Trevor Crabb of the United States after they overcame Belgium’s Dries Koekelkoren and Tom van Walle 21-12, 21-17.

Standing between them and a place in the quarter-finals are Qatar’s Júlio César Do Nascimento Júnior and Ahmed Tijan, who beat Brazil’s Oscar Brandão and Hevaldo Sabino Moreira 21-19, 17-21, 15-12.

Rosenthal and Crabb’s compatriots Ryan Doherty and James Avery Drost defeated China’s Ha Likejiang and Bao Jian 21-19, 21-15 and now face an encounter with Australia’s Christopher McHugh and Damien Schumann, 21-11, 21-19 winners over Latvia’s Rihards Finsters and Edgars Tocs.

Top-seeded Italians Paolo Nicolai and Daniele Lupo, the Rio 2016 Olympic silver medallists, beat Switzerland’s Mirco Gerson and Michiel Zandbergen 21-17, 21-16.

Awaiting them in the round of 16 is another Swiss pairing, Nico Beeler and Marco Krattiger, who overcame China’s Li Zhuoxin and Zhou Chaowei 21-14, 21-16.

In the women’s competition, one of the four Brazilian teams are guaranteed to be knocked out in the next round as Maria Antonelli and Carolina Horta Maximo will play against Josemari Alves and Liliane Maestrini.

Antonelli and Maximo defeated Poland’s Kinga Kolosinska and Jagoda Gruszczynska 18-21, 21-19, 15-6, while Alves and Maestrini proved too strong for the US's Kimberly Dicello and Emily Stockman in a 24-22, 21-19 win.

In their new partnership, Brazil’s Barbara Seixas De Freitas and Fernanda Alves made light work of their opening match against China’s Xia Xinyi and Wang Yuanyuan with a comfortable 21-7, 21-10 victory. 

They go onto meet Russia’s Olga Motrich and Nadezda Makroguzova, who defeated Vanuatu’s Linline Matauatu and Loti Joe 21-18, 22-20.

China’s hopes are still alive through Fan Wang and Yuan Yue after they beat Australia’s Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Brittany Kendall 21-16, 21-12.

Their next match is against Germany’s Nadja Glenzke and Julia Großner, 21-16, 11-21, 15-13 winners against the US’s Caitlin Ledoux and Kendra Vanzwieten.

Americans Emily Day and Brittany Hochevar, 21-17, 21-18 victors at the expense of Germany’s Sandra Ittlinger and Teresa Mersmann, also have a difficult match on their hands against Finland’s Riikka Lehtonen and Anniina Parkkinen, who downed Norway’s Ingrid Lunde and Oda Johanne Ulveseth 21-14, 21-7.

The tournament is due to conclude on April 23.