Qatar's Younousse and Tijan win Asian Beach Tour Doha Open
Doha
Qatar's beach volleyball stars Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan proved unstoppable once again, outplaying Paul Burnett and Luke Ryan in the highly-anticipated final showdown of the AVC Men's Beach Tour Doha Open at the Al Gharafa Beach Complex to capture gold medal in dramatic fashion on Saturday.
The match lived up to expectations, offering a thrilling display of skill and intensity. The sensational 21-19, 21-13 victory over the Australia's third seeds and gold medallists at the 2nd Nuvali Open in Philippines handed the host country its first-ever AVC Beach Tour title on home soil.
Cherif/Ahmed had already beaten the Aussies 2-0 in the quarterfinals of the 24th Samila Open in Songkhla, Thailand and the Qataris went on to capture the unprecedented title in early April.
Following their well-rounded, unblemished performance in the four-day, men's only event, the Qataris deserved the win.
Cherif/Ahmed showcased their outstanding performance to win consecutive five matches with remarkable unbeaten record and without dropping a set to their respective opponents prior to reigning supreme.
For Cherif/Ahmed, the great success on home soil could be the similar feat they had repeated in their career. The Qataris had dominated the Asian Championships for three times (2018, 2019 and 2022) aside from clinching Asian Games twice, 2018 in Palembang, Indonesia and 2022 in Hangzhou, China and securing bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020, the first-ever Olympic medal for Qatar in beach volleyball. Last year, they also took bronze medal at the World Beach Pro Tour Finals on home soil.
Cherif/Ahmed proved they remain in great shape this year as they have won key outings. On April 10, they claimed gold medal for Qatar at the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) Beach Games Muscat 2025 in Oman and six days after that, they topped the podium at the AVC Beach Tour 24th Samila Open in Thailand.
With this achievement, Cherif/Ahmed earned 320 AVC ranking points and a cash prize of US$2,500, further solidifying their standing among Asia's elite and signaling strong preparedness for upcoming international competitions. The Australian runners-up received 288 points and a US$2,000 prize money.
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