Qatar’s Younousse and Tijan advance to Round of 16
Doha: Qatar’s beach volleyball stars Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan outclassed Sweden's David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig to advance to the Round of 16 at the Paris 2024 Olympics, on Monday.
In one of the most exhilarating matches played at the Eiffel Tower Centre Court, the Tokyo Games bronze medallists Younousse and Tijan staged a brilliant comeback against the World No.1 pair to secure a 2-1 victory with scores of 15-21, 21-19 and 20-18 in a 58-minute affair.
“It was a very tough game and we are really happy. We were playing against the number one team in the world. We were expecting a really tough game, and our coach in the last speech told us to be ready for three sets and a really intense game. So thank God we won the game,” Younousse said after the intense encounter in which Qatar had to fend off four match points to seal the win, keeping the crowd on the edge of their seats.
His trusted long-term partner Tijan agreed.
“Oh, this match was very tense. Funny, yeah, funny nice, but it was tough. But we expected to enjoy the game and stay positive no matter what. In the first set we played very badly, but we didn't give up. We stayed focused and kept fighting until the end. Thank God. It gave us the victory,” an elated Tijan said.
Younousse said their experience helped in overcoming the top pair who had not lost a single set in recent matches.
"They forced us to hit the ball every time from the back. But we are not new to this circuit, so we fixed it very well in the second set. Then we really got into a rhythm. In the tie-break, it was very tough. We had maybe four or five match points. But this is the level, this team is very strong. They hadn't lost a single game in the last two tournaments. This is their first loss in the last two tournaments, so we are really happy. We were expecting a tough game,” Younousse said.
The victory, their second in Paris – following Saturday’s straight-set win over World No.13 Italian pair of Paolo Nicolai and Samuele Cottafava, put the Qatari duo on top of the Pool A Table, but Younousse said the task (in the pool stage) is not over yet.
Younousse and Tijan will take on the Australians Izac Carracher and Mark Nicolaidis on August 1.
“The job is not finished. We have another game, and this is just one of the battles. The battle isn't finished yet. Now it's time to rest and get back to work the day after tomorrow to finish the pool strong and get ready for the big fight,” Younousse added.
Ahmed said: “Against Australia, We're going to bring the same strategy, the same tactics, of course. We will not underestimate any team. They are a good team. Any team that made it to Paris is good, so we are going to give our best against every single team.”
The top two teams from each group will directly advance to the round of 16, along with the best two third-place teams.
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