The last event of 2015, although part of the 2016 FIVB Beach Volley World Tour, passed as a recital by the winners of the opener in Fuzhou, China, in April. Bรถckermann-Flรผggen, enjoying the best time of their careers, happened to win the first and the last event of a long and exhausting season.
Something more – the best German team on the Tour in 2015 added two silver medals in between (at the Opens in Rio de Janeiro and Xiamen). The win on Friday evening in the Qatari capital meant also that for a second year in row a German team prevails in Doha, following the surprise triumph of the underdogs Holler-Schrรถder in 2014.
The final match was a repetition of the Xiamen gold medal encounter. Back in China, the Americans Nicholas Lucena and Phil Dalhausser won their first title together and left the Germans on the penultimate podium step. This time, however, Markus Bรถckermann and Lars Flรผggen had learned their lesson and won their second gold medals this year in three sets (21-18, 16-21, 15-13).
“This year is the first time we’ve reached a semifinal and that experience was important,” Bรถckermann said. “We’ve learned to get it right and we need to keep it going.”
The podium was occupied by Americans as another US pair, Jon Hyden and Tri Bourne, grabbed the bronze medals. It was only the second pair of accolades for the them as they had not appeared on the podium since their stunning win at the Berlin Grand Slam in 2014, the twosome’s only title. Quarterfinalists from the 2015 World Championship in the Netherlands, Hyden-Bourne outplayed in three sets the Frenchmen Krou-Rowlandson (21-15, 20-22, 15-12).
“I thought it was one of our best performances of the year,” the veteran Hyden, 43, said. “It was really fun and both teams were making great plays and I’m just glad we came out on top.”
Bronze medals at the season opener in Fuzhou remains the best Youssef Krou and Edouard Rowlandson could achieve in 2015. The defeat to Hyden-Bourne meant not only that the Frenchmen would not repeat their season best but also that they would not take another pair of bronze medals from Doha as they did in 2014.
The Doha Open was the last of three events in 2015 (alongside the Opens in Puerto Vallarta and Antalya) which will be counted toward the 2016 season. What is curious, however, is that the Opens in Mexico and Qatar will be scheduled again in 2016. And while the Puerto Vallarta tournament will take place in October, the 2016 Doha Open will be played at the beginning of April, or said otherwise – in less than six months.
