Qatar’s Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan celebrate with their medals.
Doha: Qatar’s Olympic bronze‑medallists Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan on May 3, 2025, capped a flawless week at home by overcoming Australia’s Paul Burnett and Luke Ryan 21‑19, 21‑13 to clinch the AVC Men’s Beach Tour Doha Open title.
At Al Gharafa Beach Complex, the home favourites and world No. 9 pairing managed to tackle an early challenge from the third‑seeded Australian duo with a tight opening set win in 18 minutes.
The Qatari duo then upped their pace in the second set, maintaining a comfortable advantage at 10-5 and then at 13-7, before wrapping the title win in the 34‑minute eight points ahead.
The victory completed a perfect five‑match run in Doha for the top seeds who did not drop a single set on their way to the title win.
Their wins this week came against Uzbekistan’s Mukhammadali Otabekov and Nodirjon Alekseev in the second round, Bahrain’s Ali Marhoon and Hasan Abdulla Nasser in the Round of 16, Thailand’s No. 6 seeds Dunwinit Kaewsai and Banlue Nakprakhong in the quarters, and the fourth seeds Netitorn Muneekul and Wachirawit Muadpha of Thailand in the semi-finals.
The victory also extends their continental winning streak to 10 matches following last week’s triumph at the Samila Open in Thailand.
Earlier, at the same venue, Australia’s 12‑seeded Ben Hood and Oliver Merritt edged Thailand’s Muneekul and Muadpha 18‑21, 21‑19, 15‑10 in a thrilling bronze‑medal showdown.
Held with the participation of 21 teams from 10 nations the Doha Open delivered elite‑level beach volleyball action while earning players valuable ranking points apart from lucrative prize money.
