Qatar’s Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan made a powerful start to their 2025 Beach Pro Tour season by winning gold at the Xiamen Challenge in China on Sunday. Competing in their first tournament of the year, the two-time Olympians and Tokyo 2020 bronze medalists dropped just one set across six matches on their way to the top of the podium.
This victory marks their first Beach Pro Tour gold since 2022. With this win, their career medal tally now stands at three golds, three silvers, and two bronzes.
The surprise story of the tournament came from Switzerland’s Marco Krattiger and Leo Dillier. Starting in the qualification rounds and seeded 24th in the main draw, the Swiss duo advanced all the way to the final. Though they fell short against the Qataris, they claimed the silver medal—just two weeks after earning bronze at the Valencia Futures event. It’s their second straight Beach Pro Tour podium finish.
France’s Teo Rotar and Arnaud Gauthier-Rat, seeded 20th, secured bronze with a straight-sets win over Norway’s Markus Mol and Adrian Mol. It was their first medal as a team. Gauthier-Rat, who has already qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics, previously earned five Beach Pro Tour medals with other partners. Rotar brought experience as well, with three tour medals and a 2021 U19 world title.
In the final, Cherif and Ahmed delivered a commanding 2-0 (21-14, 21-14) victory over Krattiger and Dillier. Cherif led the team with 18 points, including 14 attacks and four blocks. Ahmed contributed nine points, with one coming from an ace. The Swiss pair put up a strong fight, each scoring 11 points.
“It’s been a long week! This was our first stop and it was the best way to start our season at the elite level,” Cherif said after the win. “The job is not finished. We’ve just started and now it’s time to go home, rest, and prepare for Ostrava.”
Ahmed added, “It’s a great feeling to get our first gold medal on the 2025 Beach Pro Tour. It’s a good start for us and we’re looking forward to achieving more.”
In the bronze medal match, Rotar and Gauthier-Rat defeated the Norwegian Mol brothers 2-0 (21-11, 21-12). Rotar scored a match-high 18 points, including all eight of their team’s blocks. Gauthier-Rat added nine points, including one ace. Markus Mol led Norway with 12 points, including two aces and two blocks.
Earlier on Sunday, the semifinals featured intense battles. Cherif and Ahmed edged out Mol & Mol in a tight 2-1 (21-16, 17-21, 15-11) match. Ahmed served three aces, and Cherif added four blocks. Markus Mol stood out for Norway with six blocks and two aces.
In the other semifinal, Krattiger and Dillier overpowered the French pair 2-0 (21-16, 21-18), with Krattiger recording seven kill blocks.
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