Cherif Younousse (left) and Ahmed Tijan celebrate with the Qatari flag after sealing the title.
Doha: Qatar’s top-ranked beach volleyball duo, Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan, added another accolade to their illustrious career by winning the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Beach Tour - 24th Samila Open at the Samila Beach in Thailand, yesterday.
The former Olympic bronze medallists, currently ranked 12th in the FIVB World Rankings, beat New Zealand’s eighth-seeded Bradley Fuller and Ben O’Dea 2–0 (21–16, 25–23) in a 41-minute battle to secure the title.
The duo has already claimed a number of Asian titles, including three Asian Championship crowns (2018, 2019, and 2022) and two gold medals at the Asian Games (2018 and 2022).
On their way to the final, Younousse and Tijan overcame Iran’s Alireza Aghajanighasab and Abbas Pourasgari 2–0 (21–19, 21–19) in the semi-final yesterday. Earlier in the quarter-finals, the Qatari duo dashed Paul Burnett and Luke Ryan’s hopes of winning back-to-back AVC Beach Tour titles by defeating the Australian pair 2–0 (21–18, 21–16) in a 36-minute encounter.
