OSTRAVA, Czech Republic : Qatar’s beach volleyball duo Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan began their Ostrava Elite16 campaign with a straight-sets victory over Latvia’s Ardis Bedritis and Arturs Rinkevics on Thursday.
The Qatari pair won their Group B clash 21-18 21-14 to make a strong start at the tournament, which runs until May 31 in the Czech Republic.
Cherif and Ahmed controlled the match throughout, pulling away in the second set after edging a closely contested opener against the Latvian team.
The victory gives Qatar an early boost in the group stage as the Tokyo Olympic bronze medallists target a place in the knockout rounds.
They will next face Americans Taylor Crabb and Andrew Benesh on Friday, with a second successive win likely to secure qualification for the next stage of the competition.
