Qatari beach volleyball stars Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan remained undefeated in pool play at the 2025 Beach Pro Tour Elite16 event in Newport Beach, California. Their flawless performance during the preliminary rounds guaranteed them a direct path to the quarterfinals.
The duo swept all three of their Pool A matches in straight sets. Their standout victory came in a closely fought match against Norway’s Hendrik Mol and Mathias Berntsen, ending with scores of 21-19 and 23-21. Wins against American and Australian teams confirmed their strong return to form following previous injury challenges.
Top teams advancing directly to the quarterfinals:
- Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan (Qatar) – Pool A
- Jacob Hölting Nilsson and Elmer Andersson (Sweden) – Pool B
- Evandro Gonçalves and Arthur Lanci (Brazil) – Pool C
- Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler (Germany) – Pool D
These four pairings successfully avoided the intense Round of 12, which will determine the remaining quarterfinalists. Among the notable teams set to compete are the Crabb brothers (USA), Carracher/Nicolaidis (Australia), and the Chilean Grimalt cousins.
This performance adds to an already impressive 2025 for Cherif and Ahmed, who have previously secured victories at the Xiamen Challenge and Elite16 events in Gstaad and Rio de Janeiro.
Elimination rounds begin Friday, culminating with medal matches on Saturday, which promise a dramatic finish to this elite tournament on the global beach volleyball stage.
For full tournament details and results, visit the official event page on Volleyball World.
