Double premiere at the Beach Pro Tour season opener in Doha
11.03.2024 - Doha
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Boermans/De Groot claimed their first Beach Pro Tour gold as a duo, while Brazil’s Carol/Bárbara won their first Elite16 gold.
In last week’s Doha Elite16, the first of the 2024 season, Dutch duo Boermans/De Groot topped the all-European men’s podium. In the final match of the event, they showed no mercy to Swedish youngsters Åhman/Hellvig and beat them 2-0 (21-11, 21-10), earning the Dutchmen their first Beach Pro Tour gold as a duo. In the world ranking, they are still the third-ranked Dutch men’s duo behind Brouwer/Meeuwsen and Immers/Van de Velde, yet their success in Doha is a clear sign that they could still catch up and claim a spot at the Olympic Games for themselves. Especially impressive were their two wins over world-ranking leaders Mol/Sørum during the competition, once in the pool play with a 2-1 (21-17, 18-21, 15-12) and in the semifinals with an impressive 2-0 (21-16, 22-20). The Beach Volley Vikings still went home with a medal though, having defeated German champions Ehlers/Wickler in the bronze medal match. Though the Germans kept Mol/Sørum on their toes throughout the match, they were defeated in a 2-0 (21-18, 21-19).
For Carol/Bárbara, this was a historic tournament as they managed to win their first Elite16 gold. Last season they already collected gold medals from Challenge tournaments in Espinho, Edmonton and Haikou, as well as an Elite16 silver in João Pessoa, but this was their first triumph at the highest tournament level of the Beach Pro Tour. In the final women’s match, they beat Canadians Melissa/Brandie 2-0 (21-18, 21-18), recreating the exact same results of the last time they faced off at last year’s Paris Elite16.
Finishing off the podium are reigning world champions Hughes/Cheng. In the bronze medal match, they beat Tina/Anastasija 2-0 (21-15, 21-18). The two duos faced off not too long ago, in the Doha World Finals, when the Latvians had beaten the Americans, but Hughes/Cheng could retaliate this time.
