Qatar’s Cherif Younousse (right) and Ahmed Tijan celebrate a point against Australia’s Paul Burnett and Luke Ryan.
Doha, Qatar: Qatar’s beach volleyball duo, Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan continued their unbeaten run at the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Beach Tour Samila Open in Thailand, advancing to the semi-finals with a thrilling victory over their Australian counterparts yesterday.
The top-ranked Asian duo, Younousse and Tijan swept past Paul Burnett and Luke Ryan, securing the win with a 21-18, 21-16 scoreline in a 36-minute clash.
Earlier, the former Olympic bronze medalists, Younousse and Tijan overcame Indonesian team of Danangsyah Pribadi and Yosi Firnanda by 21–15, 21–14 in their final group stage match which lasted 39 minutes.
Their campaign began with a commanding victory over Hong Kong’s S. H. Kan and C. Wong (21–8, 21–6) in 24 minutes. They then outlasted Kazakhstan’s Sergey Bogatu and Kirill Gurin 21–11, 26–24 in a tightly contested 47-minute encounter, before dispatching Iran’s Salemi and Ghalehnovi (21–13, 21–9) in 33 minutes to secure a place among the top eight contenders.
Younousse and Tijan, currently ranked 12th in the world, will next face Iran’s top pair, Abbas Pourasgari and Alireza Aghajanighasab, in today’s semi-final. The final is scheduled to take place later today.
