The Peninsula
Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan Janko lived up to their top billing as they clinched the AVC Aspire Beach Volleyball Qatar Master 2018 title, following an emphatic 2-0 victory over Australia’s Cole Durant and Damien Schumann in the final at Aspire Park yesterday.
The title-triumph marked a hat-trick for Qatar in the prestigious home tournament.
It was also the third Asian crown for Cherif and Tijan, who also won the gold medal at the 18th Asian Games in Indonesia (August) and the Asian Beach Volleyball Championships in Thailand (September), within four months.
The Qatari duo is expected to improve their rankings after the latest title win as top Asian sides eye qualification for the World Championships.
“We are happy with our performance,” Cherif said after the victory yesterday.
“When we came in the tournament, our target was to maintain the same level and we are delighted that we have managed to that,” added the lanky Qatari star.
Australia’s Durant and Schumann, the second seeds, saved their best for the final and started off aggressively against the favourites in front of packed stands. They took a 5-2 lead before the Qatari duo raised their game to take control of the all-important match.
Both the teams were involved in stiff battle for each point after the scores reached 7-7, resulting in thrilling rallies. But Qatar managed to continue their lead after that, eventually winning the opening game 21-16 for a 1-0 lead.
Backed by home fans, Cherif and Tijan, who defeated Japan’s Yuya Ageba and Gottsu Ishijma in the semi-final, took a 21-18 victory in the second game to win the tournament.
Their victory in the second game, relatively, came with ease as Cherif was dominant at the net with his deadly smashes and blocks, while Tijan pulled off some fine digs, which forced the Aussies to make unforced errors.
“Australian players did well in the start but we remained focused which helped us to win the final,” said Cherif.
Japan claim third position
Also yesterday, Japan’s Ageba and Gottsu secured their maiden podium finish on Asian Tour after defeating Kazakhstan’s Alexandar Dyachenko and Alexey Sidorenko 2-1 in the third position match.
Led by Gottsu, who also represented his national volleyball team at Beijing Olympic in 2008, the Japanese duo made a strong comeback after losing the first game 17-21 to earn third position.
Although Dyachenko and Sidorenko were impressive in the match, the 6 ft. 6 in. tall Gottsu made life difficult for the Kazakhs by keeping Japan ahead in the evenly-contested second game. When the score was levelled at 18-18, Gottsu crafted three quick points to level the match for Japan.
With their confidence boosted after the second game, the Japanese pair led the decisive round right from the start, winning it 15-12 to take the bronze medal.
“We are a new team and it’s our first third position,” Ageba said after the victory.
“This victory will boost our confidence and we are very happy with our performance,” he said before giving thumbs up to the event’s organisers.
“The arrangements and facilities were brilliant and we enjoyed our stay in Doha,” added the Japanese player.
Earlier yesterday, Younousse and Tijan overcame early hiccups to beat the Japanese pair 2-0 in the semi-final.
Powered by Gottsu, Japan put up a good fight in the first game and were leading by 13-10 at one stage, before the home side returned to their best, taking a 1-0 lead with a 21-16 win in the opener.
Younousse and Tijan faced little difficulty in the second game which they won 21-10 to move into the final.
In the first semi-final, Australia’s Durant and Schumann defeated Kazakhstan’s Dyachenko and Sidorenko 21-15 and 21-17 to book their place in the final.