Rome: Tokyo Olympic bronze medallists Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan were among the first men’s teams to play their second match at the Beach Volleyball World Championships Rome 2022 on Saturday and the Qataris continue to make a strong impression at the Foro Italico.

After starting their campaign in the Italian capital with a win over Paraguayans Roger Battilana and Gonzalo Melgarejo on Friday, the Qataris displayed an even stronger game to top Americans Taylor Crabb and Taylor Sander in straight sets (21-14, 21-15) in their second Pool D match.

“We’re playing better every match and that’s our goal,” Cherif commented. “It wasn’t an easy match, it was the first time we played them and we didn’t know what to expect. We struggled a little bit at the beginning, but we had the strength to come back and ended the match really well. Our side out was good and our defensive strategy was perfect. Hopefully we can play even better in the next pool match.”

The 27-year-old blocker had a dominant performance at the net against the Americans, producing six blocks, as well as nine kills, for his team. Solid in defence, Ahmed scored 15 points in kills.

Ranked second in the FIVB World Rankings, Cherif and Ahmed are competing together at the World Championship for just the second time in their careers. The two finished 17th in Hamburg, Germany, in 2019.

The back-to-back victories have ensured the Qataris will be in the Round of 32 of the World Championship. On Monday, they will face French pair Arnaud Gauthier-Rat and Youssef Krou and another victory will grant them the top spot in the Pool.

Source: Qatar Olympic Committee