By Armstrong Vas
DOHA: Qatari duo Jefferson Pereira and Cherif Younousse is targeting a podium finish at the Doha Open 2015 – a FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour event – which kicks off today with 32 teams at the Qatar Beach Volleyball Academy courts at Al Gharafa.
The duo, having caught the attention of the beach volleyball world with their fifth-place finish at the world Championships in Holland in July this year, aim to bring Qatar on the international beach volleyball map by reaching the final in Doha.
“It’s a big year for us and we are eager to gather as much points as possible. We are looking forward to have good results this year,” Pereira said yesterday.
“Last year was just the first year of the tournament in Qatar. But this year we are well prepared, we are ready and we have the experience of playing on the World Tour, so look forward to doing something better than last year, like getting into the final, semi-final, like achieving something better,” the Rio-born star said.
“We have been really improving. Volleyball in Qatar is getting better and better every year. Young players are keen to prove themselves and to represent Qatar in the international Beach Volleyball tournaments,” the 25-year-old, who has playing for Qatar for the last three years, said.
Pereira remains focussed on the performances in the sand since the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro are coming closer.
“I’m really looking forward to the Olympics in Brazil. It would be a huge feeling to make the qualification since the Olympic Games take part in my hometown Rio de Janeiro and all my family and friends could come to watch my matches,” Pereira said.
Asked how difficult task they have on hand in Doha, Pereira said there is not much difference between the top 32 teams, who will feature in the main draw.
“After the qualification rounds are over, we will know which are our opponents in the first round group stage matches of the tournament. The level of the teams will be the same. All the 32 teams are equally strong, so the draw does not matter much. Whoever plays better on his day will win.”
The pair is looking forward to local crowd support in the championship.
“Crowd support will be nice, the atmosphere will be terrific, it was nice playing in Holland during the World Championship. Hope we can live up to the expectations of the local crowd and perform as per their expectations.”
Pereira said the fifth-place finish at the World Championship in Holland has had an impact on their performance on the World Tour. “It is a big thing, and a huge motivating factor for us to finish fifth in the world championship. “We can be really proud of our latest games in Holland. We need more time as team to get used to each other, but I’m really optimistic as we’ve had some great results against strong opponents,” Pereira said.
Explaining the reason for their off and on presence on the World Tour, Pereira said: “We just started to play together and we did not have points. It is difficult to feature on the World Tour without points. That is the reason we were not seen much on the World tour this year.”
“We will be getting points from this tournament (Doha Open) and we will be seen in action next year,” added Pereira.
The Peninsula
