Qatar’s Cherif Younousse (left) and Ahmed Tijan in action during their match yesterday.
DOHA: Qatar’s Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan advanced to the Round of 16 of the Asian Beach Volleyball Championship 2026 in Shangluo, China, after topping Group B with a perfect three-win record.
The Qatari duo sealed their third victory by defeating Thailand’s Netitorn and T. Poravid 21-18, 21-11 in straight sets.
Younousse and Tijan opened their campaign with a straight-sets win over Malaysia’s Teh and Yong Jian before overcoming New Zealand’s Sam and Ben Odia in a three-set encounter, 21-14, 19-21, 21-15.
The Group B winners now advance to the Round of 16 as they continue their bid for the title and qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Meanwhile, Qatar’s Moussa Al-Khair and Mohamed Ehab Zaki ended their group-stage campaign with their first victory, beating Hong Kong’s pair 21-12, 21-12 in straight sets.
Al-Khair and Zaki had opened the tournament with a 0-2 defeat to China’s Wang and Du Hongjun before losing 2-0 to Thailand’s Pitak and Watchrawit, 21-19, 21-18.
The championships feature 24 pairs divided into six groups of four, with teams playing a single round-robin format.
