Qatar’s Julio do Nascimento and Ahmed Tijan lost to Iranian Rahman Raoufi and Bahman Salemi Injehboron in a marathon semi-final match of the Asian Beach Volleyball Championship in Songkhla, Thailand on Sunday.
Second seeds do Nascimento and Tijan won the opening set after a prolonged battle. But the Iranians rallied to bounce back and wrapped up the one-hour-and-11-minute match with 27-29 22-20 15-10 victory.
In the final on Monday, the Iranian pair will clash with Indonesians Ade Candra Rachmawan and Mohammad Asfiya, who knocked out top seeds Chris McHugh and Damien Schumann of Australia in straight sets.
Both do Nascimento and Tijan will next take on the Australians in the bronze medal match, a repeat of the Pak Bara Masters. The Qataris have a good chance to avenge for the loss that they suffered in Satun last week.
Rachmawan and Asfiya, earlier, exacted the revenge for their Pak Bara Masters final defeat by Qatar’s lead duo of Jefferson Santos Pereira and Cherif Younnouse in the quarter-finals.
Pereira and Younnouse, ninth in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, lost the first set. But they staged a thrilling return and crushed the Indonesians in the second before failing to handle the closing points and suffering a 17-21 21-7 13-15 defeat in 50 minutes.
Iranians Raoufi and Salemi took 43 minutes to eliminate Chinese Ha Likejiang and Bao Jian 21-11 21-15.
Local stars Nuttanon Inkiew and Sedtawat Padsawud were tamed by McHugh and Schumann, losing at 14 and 19 in 36 minutes.
Do Nascimento and Tijan posted an impressive straight-set triumph over Indonesians Gilang Ramadhan and Dannangsyah Pribadi in 37 minutes to advance to their second successive semi-finals.
النتائج

GOLD MEDAL
R Raoufi/B Salemi (IRI) vs Candra/Asfiya (INA)
BRONZE MEDAL
Julio/Ahmed Tijan (QAT) vs McHugh/Schumann (AUS)
SEMI-FINALS
Julio/Ahmed Tijan (QAT) lost to R Raoufi/B Salemi (IRI) 29-27, 20-22, 10-15 (1:11 hours)
Candra/Asfiya (INA) beat McHugh/Schumann (AUS) 21-18, 21-16 (0:35 mts)
QUARTER-FINALS
Julio/Ahmed Tijan (QAT) beat Gilang/Danang (INA) 21-15, 21-18 (0:37 mts)
Ha Likejiang/Bao J. (CHN) lost to R Raoufi/B Salemi (IRI) 11-21, 15-21 ( 0:43 mts)
Jefferson/Cherif (QAT) lost to Candra/Asfiya (INA) 17-21, 21-7, 13-15 (0:50 mts)
I. Nuttanon/P.Sedtawat (THA) lost to McHugh/Schumann (AUS) 14-21,19-21 (0:36 mts)