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Qualifier Jessica Pegula continued her giant-killing act by beating the second top-10 player in a fortnight to earn her biggest semi-final of her career in Doha on Thursday. At the Khalifa Interntional Tennis and Squash Complex, the American needed just 57 minutes to upset No. 2 seed Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 6-1 to reach the last four stage at Qatar Total Open. Pegula, a quarterfinalist at the Western & Southern Open last year and the Australian Open a month ago, now has a 20-7 record since the Tour resumption. Striking 20 winners to just seven unforced errors, the 27-year-old showcased a fine all-court game to take down 2017 champion Pliskova in their first-ever encounter and for her sixth straight win, including the qualifiers here. Pegula, who conquered fifth-ranked Elina Svitolina en route to her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the Australian Open, has momentum in her favour and she is ready to carry it forward. “I would definitely say my fitness, staying healthy, has really helped me mentally knowing that I feel good pretty much every match, knowing that I don’t have to be too concerned about injuries or anything like that. So I think that has definitely been the biggest factor, you know, to start the year,” Pegula said after the win yesterday. Pegula took control of the match from world go, aiming her returns deep and at Pliskova’s feet. Pegula took full advantage of the Czech, who had battled past midnight the previous day to edge Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur in three sets as she lacked sharp movement and intensity. The American has dropped just one set this week, and rarely looked like doing so again yesterday. Finishing points in the forecourt efficiently, Pegula saved the only break point she faced in the first set and sealed her second set point with another baseline return. Pliskova briefly rejuvenated her tennis to break Pegula at the start of the second set, but it was short-lived. Pegula nearly slumped in Doha qualifying. On the brink of elimination, Pegula battled 19-year-old Russian Anastasia Potapova 6-2, 6-7(3), 7-6(6). Since that tough test in qualifying, Pegula has unleashed her aggression roaring through eight straight sets into a showdown against Pliskova. “Definitely a confidence builder. I had a really tough match in my second-round quallies against Potapova, and honestly, I probably should have lost,” she said. “I think after that match I decided to just use that confidence to scrape out that match to play really aggressive and step in and just go for my shots. So I actually think that match, second-round quallies, really helped me to this point and why I'm playing pretty well right now,” added Pegula, who defeated former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko 6-2, 7-5 in the previous round. Pegula will take on former champion Petra Kvitova, who survived Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 in the first match of the day. Both players have been in top form this week, reaching the quarterfinals without dropping more than five games in any match, and were able to bring that level against each other. But overall, it was Kvitova who landed the most lethal blows at the right times, tallying 31 winners to 24 unforced errors. The Czech raced out of the blocks, taking a 5-1 lead in just 19 minutes after a brilliant purple patch of play. Kontaveit never backed down, even if too late to save the first set, but was useful in terms of flipping the dynamic to dominate the second set. Two-time Wimbledon champion Kvitova, a winner here in 2018 and runner-up to Aryna Sabalenka last year, displayed real grit to seize hold of the deciding set.    

Continuing her winning return to the WTA circuit, Indian star Sania Mirza reached the doubles semi-finals of the Qatar Total Open with Slovenian partner Andreja Klepac at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex on Wednesday. Former World No. 1 Mirza and Klepac sailed into the final four with a straight sets 6-2, 6-0 win over their higher-ranked rivals, fourth seeds Anna Blinkova and Gabriela Dabrowski. It was Mirza’s first tournament in 12 months. Incidentally, it was at the same tournament, where she played last in February 2020 before pandemic halted the Tour. Mirza herself had recovered from Covid-19 in January this year. “I feel okay. I mean, considering I haven’t played in a year, I feel good,” she said. “I mean, I have a little bit of, like, some issue — just a little bit of muscle issue but nothing, like, serious. But that’s to be expected because I’m playing after so long, so my body is getting used to it a little bit,” the 34-year-old said. Mirza is also looking at a new season ahead with the Tokyo Olympics an added motivation. “Olympics is definitely one of the reasons that I would like to put myself in that position, to be able to compete at my fourth Olympics if I do make it. We came really, really close to winning that medal last time. You know, we lost the bronze medal match, but I feel like when I sort of close this chapter of my life, which is tennis, I feel like if I look back, probably an Olympic medal is something that I would have loved to win if I was supposed to close my chapter today. “So I want to give myself another shot at it, sure. Whether I can be or will I be able to, time will tell. But, yes, that is something that is important to me. It's something that I have thought about, and it was one of the motivations for me to come back,” the six-time Grand Slam winner said.  

Anett Kontaveit seems to have developed a habit of winning games in a jiffy. The Estonian first defeated Australian Open runner-up Jennifer Brady 6-1, 6-2 in 56 minutes in the first round on Tuesday and on Wednesday, she defeated Angelique Kerber 6-1, 6-4 in yet another sub-hour encounter to enter quarter-finals of the Qatar Total Open at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex. “I don’t think you really think about or expect if it’s going to be a fast match or a long match. But I feel I’m playing good tennis. I was happy with the way I played today and happy with the way I served out the match, as well,” Kontaveit said. Kontaveit wrapped up the first set on Wednesday in 23 minutes after breaking Kerber’s serve twice. The German, ranked two places behind the Estonian, managed to win only one game. Set two started in a similar way, with Kontaveit soon 4-1 up until Kerber started to fight back, breaking Kontaveit’s service unexpectedly and soon finding herself just a game behind at 5-4. Kontaveit, however, held her serve in the tenth game, and with the set and the match. Kontaveit took 77.4 percent of her first service points and won 50 percent of her second serves – the corresponding figures for Kerber were 56.3 percent and 31.3 percent, respectively. Kerber converted only one break point, compared with Kontaveit, who managed four out of five. This was Kontaveit’s fourth victory over Kerber in five matches, with the latter’s sole victory in Cincinnati in 2019. The 25-year-old, who reached the Australian Open third round before losing to American Shelby Rogers in the third round, is off to a very good start this season. She also reached the Grampians Trophy final in Melbourne in the first week of February, but the final was not held due to a Covid-19 case emerging at a tournament quarantine hotel. “I think I have put in good work in the offseason, and I feel like I have been playing confidently and positively this week. I think, you know, it’s been working out these two matches,” she said. Talking about facing tougher opponents as the tournament progresses, she said there is no pressure on her. “I think the tournament is very strong, so I don’t feel like there is any pressure on me at all. I can just enjoy being out here and playing good tennis,” the World No. 24 said. “Definitely I have to take it match by match. I feel confident with the way I have been playing, and of course I want to do well and every time I step on the court I want to win,” she said. Kontaveit, whose previous best result in Doha was reaching the second rounds in 2019 and 2020, will meet World No. 10 Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitova in the quarter-finals.  

World No 8. Aryna Sabalenka has reasons to be quietly confident of a rare Doha double. The Belarusian is the defending champion at the Qatar Total Open at Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, having beaten former champion Petra Kvitova in the final last year. She then won two more titles last year — Ostrava and Linz — after the Covid-19 pandemic-enforced break on the Tour. When the new season began in January, the Minsk-born player won the title in Abu Dhabi, her ninth overall. It’s safe to say that form is on her side in her bid to win the WTA 500 Premier tournament in the Qatari capital for the second straight year. Last time there were not many expectations from Sabalenka, but this time despite being the defending champions she is not feeling anything different. “I don’t feel any different. I came here for some great matches, for the great fight. Yeah, I'm the defending champion but I still feel there is nothing to lose, and, yeah, I’ll just go for it and do everything I can. So it’s not a big difference compared to last year,” said Sabalenka, who was on a 15-match winning streak before Estonian Kaia Kanepi halted the 22-year-old in an Australian Open warm-up tournament in Melbourne last month. Sabalenka is hoping to follow in the footsteps of her compatriot Victoria Azarenka, who she had beaten for the title in Ostrava, to become only the third woman to successfully defend the title in Doha. Azarenka accomplished the feat in 2012 and 2013, while Russian Anastasia Myskina had done so back in 2003 and 2004. The Golden Falcon trophy has also been lifted twice by Russia’s Maria Sharapova (2005 and 2008). The promising Belarusian, who is known for her attacking style of tennis, had a couple of practice sessions here and is pretty comfortable with the conditions. “I’m really happy to be here. It’s actually my favourite place to play. The conditions are still the same. It’s a little bit windy. It’s cool weather. Its great courts. The conditions are pretty good, I would say, like last year. And I’m really, really happy to be here and have this opportunity to compete here again,” the 22-year-old said. While past achievements and experience may not automatically lend themselves to present success, there should also be plenty of optimism, given her significant success in both singles as well as doubles in recent times. With three straight titles, 15 consecutive match wins and almost a Grand Slam breakthrough result (4-6, 6-2, 4-6 against Serena Williams at the Australian Open in the round of 16), coupled with her first doubles title in Melbourne, Sabalenka rose to a new career-high singles ranking of World No. 7 and doubles World No.1. Looking back at her match against Williams at the Australian Open, where she had not dropped a set in the first three rounds, Sabalenka feels it was a missed opportunity. “Honestly, I felt like I missed my opportunity because I feel like if you are coming back from 1-4 and you’re kind of feeling your game and you’re there, you’re fighting, you just have to take this opportunity. I felt like mentally I was a little bit up and she was down. Yeah, and also on the first set I didn't take my serve. Same situation in the third set,” Sabalenka elaborated. “I would say it was like not really smart mistakes from me. Yeah, but it was a good experience. Because I never played against these kinds of champions like Serena. And going on the court, I was thinking ‘what's going to happen, how she's playing, what her power is and all this stuff’. Then I stepped on to the court and I understood, like, ‘wow, actually I can play her, I can beat her’. Yeah, I would say, I missed my opportunity. Definitely, I had it.” Now she wants to focus more on singles to take her game to another level. “This is actually what we are kind of thinking with my team, and that’s why we are trying to stop playing doubles at the Grand Slams and we’re trying to play less tournaments the week before the Grand Slam to make sure I can prepare myself better. And this is something that we are working on, like, trying to bring my level on the Grand Slams,” she said. Sabalenka will start her campaign against two-time Grand Slam winner Garbine Muguruza on Wednesday. The Spaniard defeated Russian Veronika Kudermetova 6-2, 7-6 in the first round on Tuesday.    

World No. 6 Karolina Pliskova hasn’t really got going this season. She has played three tournaments, including the Australian Open, and has made an exit earlier than her ranking would suggest. In her last match, the Czech player was beaten by compatriot Karolina Muchova 7-5, 7-5 in the third round of the Australian Open, and is keen to find her rhythm in the Qatar Total Open at the Khalifa Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha. The lanky player is not too worried, either about her form or her future. “Well, I don’t really want to look that much into the future or in the past right now, because anyway there is not much you can do about it. So, it’s mostly about being in the present. Then mostly the goal for me now is just to play as many tournaments or as many matches as I can, because I really feel like I’m missing that tournament rhythm,” Pliskova said on Monday. The former world No. 1, who has won 16 singles and five doubles titles on the WTA, is confident that she is on the right path. “Although I played some matches, I still don’t think I’m close to how I want to play. But other than that, I think in the practices everything is going quite well. My team is great, so everything is working. But I just feel I’m maybe missing a little bit more matches and the tournament mode or the rhythm, so I don’t feel like I’m playing the best. But I hope it’s going to come with me playing maybe more weeks, more tournaments, and having more matches,” said the 28-year-old. Talking about the Doha event, she said, “It’s always nice to be back in Doha; of course, still memories from a couple years back when I won the title here. I think the conditions here are a little bit slower. I like that. Of course it can be windy, but let’s see what it’s going to be on my match day.” Pliskova awaits the winner of today’s match between Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur, the highest-ranked Arab player in WTA history, and Russian Anna Blinkova. Jabeur had beaten Pliskova in the pre-quarters last time in Doha. “She’s a tough opponent, especially here. I don’t know if there is going to be some crowd. Last year was quite, you know, tough. The crowd here was a little bit noisy (smiling). But other than that, I think she’s also a great player. She gives you a lot of different balls. I think it’s never going be easy with her. We also played in the US Open I think two years ago, so I think it was always quite a tricky and tough match against her. So it’s going to be definitely tough,” the 2017 champion said.    

World No. 31 Ons Jabeur has become the toast of Arab tennis world in the last three years and she is enjoying it to the fullest. And she is excited to be back in Doha – her “favourite” place — for the Qatar Total Open. “Doha is among my favourite places. I love to play here as I have always received a lot of crowd support here. It’s amazing. Last year so many people were cheering for me and I love playing in front of my fans,” the Tunisian told the media before the tournament yesterday. “The support I’ve received while playing in these tournaments is amazing. That’s one of the reasons I love coming back to Doha,” she said. The highest-ranked player Arab ever in the history of women’s tennis, Jabeur also became the first Arab woman to reach the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam when she made it to the last eight in the Australian Open in 2020. Jabeur’s eye-catching performance, however, did not come overnight as the 26-year-old had been making impressive strides on the Tour over the past three years. In January 2019, she outdid compatriot Selima Sfar, who was the highest-ranked Arab woman when she broke into the top-100 to become the 75th-ranked player in 2001. Jabeur reached a career-high ranking of 56 while in 2018, she became the first Arab to reach a final (or semi-final) on the WTA Tour at the Moscow Kremlin Cup. Jabeur, who is currently coached by UAE-based former Davis Cup player Issam Jellali and long-time trainer Bertrand Perret, currently has a win percentage of 62.3. Despite collecting 11 titles on the ITF Tour, the Tunisian is yet to win a single crown on the WTA Tour. However, she has some fond memories of last year’s Doha-Dubai double and is hoping for another good show this time. “I’d love to win a tournament in Doha or the UAE. As an Arab woman, playing on the Arab soil is a big deal. Winning either of them would be something special,” she said. Jabeur played in Abu Dhabi in the second week of January this year and went down fighting against Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka in the round of 16. In Doha last year, she lost to the Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitova in the quarter-finals. Even as Jabeur sets her sights improving her record in these two tournaments in the region, one thing she can count on is overwhelming fan support.

World No. 11 Kiki Bertens hasn’t competed since last year’s French Open, dealing with an injury and also undergoing a surgery on her Achilles tendon in October in Amsterdam. The Dutch No 1, who has since spent her time recuperating in the Netherlands, will make a return in Qatar Total Open, and was feeling good on the practice court. “We had a good hitting session yesterday. I am feeling good. I am pain free, I am ready and hungry to play some matches in Doha,” said Bertens in a virtual press conference Sunday, hoping to build the rhythm and get back at her best for the season. After extensive rehabilitation, Bertens is growing in confidence, even as she keeps her approach realistic. “I certainly think I still have the level, otherwise I wouldn’t be here at the moment, but I have to put the things in perspective. For me, it’s tough to have any predictions because it’s my first tournament in a long time,” said Bertens, whose career-high ranking was World No 4 in May 2019. For the first time in ten years, Bertens was in her own country all winter. She played her last match at the beginning of October. In the fourth round of Roland Garros, she lost to Italian Martina Trevisan. Earlier in the tournament, Bertens was big news, when she left the track in a wheelchair after her victory against Sara Errani. “It was quite tough to see everyone play. It was also only the second Grand Slam that I missed. And I’m not a huge training animal either, I don’t really like just training for months. I am a competition player. I need practice to improve,” she said. “So it’s about to be able to compete again, see where my level is, get the match rhythm again and try to enjoy my time on the match court again. That’s my first goal.” Bertens, who was the first to land in Doha for the WTA 500 Premier competition this year, will face Jelena Ostapenko in the first round Monday, with both having won two matches against each other so far. They last met in Strasbourg last year where Ostapenko reached the quarter-final after Bertens withdrew in the final set of their round-of-16 game. “I love Doha to be honest. We got here early because I have to play outdoors again, which is a huge difference as I practiced only indoors with my coach Elise the last few weeks,” she said. The 29-year-old is definitely one of the most prolific players on the tour. She has 10 singles titles to her name, including the Madrid Open and Cincinnati Open. With that, she has also got a pretty healthy record against many top 10 players. This year’s tournament is Bertens’ fourth appearance in Doha. She made her Qatar Total Open debut in a rain-soaked 2017 opening round, where she fell to eventual finalist Caroline Wozniacki. After skipping 2018, she returned in 2019 to earn her first two Doha victories over Camila Giorgi and 2016 champion Carla Suarez Navarro. In the quarterfinals, she fell to eventual champion Elise Mertens. Last year, she was stopped in the round of 16 by China's Zheng Saisai. Bertens ended the 2020 season as World No. 9, her third time finishing in the top-10, having won a title in St. Petersburg and reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open and the French Open.

Ali al-Shahrani had an eventful back nine as the Qatari golfer grabbed the Qatar Open Amateur Championship lead with an overall card of one-over after the second round on Friday. The 27-year-old Qatari, who had two birdies on the front nine to go with two bogeys, fired three birdies in the last five holes before closing out his round with a double bogey on the 18th to reach one-under for the day in windy conditions at the Doha Golf Club. Al-Shahrani, who started the day on the second spot behind South African Ruan Jordaan, showed promise in the tournament and was pleased with his performance. “Considering the conditions, I think I played well and it was a good day for me. Yesterday, I shot 2-over and today I shot one-under and now I am leading with one-over. Also, today it was very windy, but I think I have managed well today and hopefully tomorrow I will do better to win the tournament,” al-Shahrani said. Talking about his wild card for Qatar Masters, he said, “Every year Qatar Masters has two spot for Qatar national team. This year I have been selected alongside Jaham Jassim al-Kuwari for the event. I hope I will represent Qatar in a good way.” Al-Shahrani has a six-shot lead over his compatriot and friend Saleh Ali al-Kaabi, who is in second spot. The three-day championship is being played on individual strokeplay format and the field will be reduced to just 60 players for final day’s play. Overnight leader Jordaan was disappointed with his performance as he was in third place, two strokes behind al-Kaabi. “Conditions were very tough today. I had the luck of the draw yesterday, so I had an early tee off and the wind was not so strong when I was on the golf course yesterday,” said Jordaan. “I think I am no longer in contention for the winners spot after my round two performance, but I will try to be in the race for qualification for the Qatar Masters,” said the South African, who is based in Qatar and is a regular at the Doha Golf Club. Tom Sweigart is in the fourth spot followed by another Qatari, Jaham al-Kuwari. The winner of the championship, which is being organised by Qatar Golf Association in association with Qatar Olympic Committee, will qualify for the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters golf championship, a European Tour event which will be held from March 11-14 at the Education City Golf Club. LEADING ROUND II SCORES 145: Ali al-Shahrani (74-71) 151: Saleh al-Kaabi (79-72) 153: Ruan Jordaan (73-80) 155: Tom Sweigart (75-80) 157: Mike Elliott (75-82) 158: Jaham al-Kuwari (83-75), Pratyush Jain (77-81) 159: Sam Wall (79-80) 160: Jordan Massey (79-81), Iain Stewart (77-83)    

*Gharafa defeated double defending champions Shamal in the final for their 2nd title Abdulrahman Saad had a dream to win the Qatar basketball league title with Al Gharafa and he fulfilled that Sunday at their home court. At the Al Gharafa Indoor Hall, Saad powered Al Gharafa to stun double defending champions Al Shamal 89-71 in the final of the Qatar Men’s League and regain the title after a gap of seven years. Gharafa players hoist their coach Kosay Hatem after the win “I am very happy to win. It was my dream to lift the league for Al Gharafa. We have a great set of players and we have combined well throughout the tournament. I hope we will continue our winning streak in the other tournaments also,” said Saad, who was declared the Player of the Tournament. The Qatar international, who has grown up with Gharafa, was a 17-year-old when his club won their first Qatar league title. Although a part of that team, he did not play an important role in their maiden triumph in 2014. However, last year, he captained Gharafa to the league final, but they failed to go the full distance. Gharafa coach Koussay Hatem, who has seen Saad develop as a top international player at the club, lauded his efforts. “I am very happy for Abdulrahman. He has always given his 100 percent for the club and I think he deserves more of it,” the long-serving Iraqi coach said. Al Gharafa’s American star Franklin Session was the topscorer of the match with 24 points, while Al Shamal’s Lebanese player Wael Arkaji scored 21 points. Earlier in the day, Al Arabi defeated Al Sadd 82-70 to clinch the third place in the league. Vasileiadis Konstantinos scored 21 points for the winner, while Majok Ater scored matchhigh 25 points for the losers. On Saturday, Qatar Cup champions Al Wakrah defeated Al Khor 72-56 to finish fifth. Senegal star Ousseynou Mbow was the lead scorer with 21 points for the winners. Julius Coles also scored 17 points.

Al Shamal are aiming for a hat-trick of Qatar Men’s Basketball League titles when they take on Al Gharafa in the final today at the Al Gharafa Indoor Hall. The double defending champions are coming into the final with one loss in the last five games, while Al Gharafa are unbeaten in their last five games. Al Shamal’s Moroccan coach Hassan Hached, who is going for back-to-back titles admitted the final, a rematch of last year’s decider, will be a different ball game. “We have won the last two finals, but we all know finals are not like a league game. Final is always a pressure game, but I have full confidence in my players,” he said. Al Shamal won in 2019 defeating Al Arabi 80-77 in the final and in 2020 they won against Al Gharafa 81-70. On the other hand Al Gharafa are eager to regain the league title after a gap of seven years. Al Gharafa had last won the title in 2014 when their current captain Abdulrahman Saad was still a teenager. Al Gharafa’s long-serving coach Kosai Hatem also believes his side is ready for the final. “We have played the season very well. I have full confidence in my team, if we play to our potential, we have a very good chance to win the title,” Hatem said. In the last couple of years Gharafa has had a roller-coaster ride, having lost to 17-time champions Al Rayyan, the most successful team in the history, in the 2016 final, but winning the prestigious Amir Cup and Qatar Cup in 2017. Apart from Saad, Nedim Muslic and Franklin Session are key players for Gharafa, while Georgian international Mikheil Berishvili and Lebanon’s Wael Arakji will lead the defending champions. Amir Cup champions Al Arabi will meet Al Sadd in the third-place match, which will kick off at 5pm today, while the final will be played at 7pm.   QATAR CUP DRAW Nine teams will participate in this year’s Qatar Cup, the draw for which was held yesterday. The competition is expected to be a keenly-contested one as it will be held just after the Qatar Men’s Basketball League. The competition will commence from January 26. Meanwhile, Doha was named as the venue of Group B FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Qualifiers next month, FIBA Regional Office Asia said on Friday. Tokyo was previously announced as hosts for Group B, but due to restrictions imposed by the Japanese authorities, the Group B competition has been moved to Doha.

Judo legend Teddy Riner is back again after a surprise 2020 season, which included two defeats. The double Olympic champion easily beat Inal Tasoev to win the Doha Masters and opened his season on a high ahead of the Olympics. The rejuvenated Frenchman was looking confident throughout the men’s +100kg final against the world No 3 Russian, who received three shido penalties. “It’s good to be back on top after a long gap and qualify for the Tokyo Olympic Games. I was very focused on getting the win in Doha and I’m so happy I succeeded,” Riner said. Riner’s decade-long winning streak, which spanned 154 bouts, was ended in February 2020 on home soil at the Paris Grand Slam by Kageura Kokoro of Japan. “The opponent was strong, but I managed to outdo him. The venue was absolutely fantastic and I really enjoyed fighting here. I always kept my focus and was intent only on winning the gold medal here,” he said. Riner’s gold was the third of the day for France that finished at the top of the table with overall five golds, one silver and one bronze. The other two gold of the day for France was won by Madeleine Malonga, who defeated Shori Hamada of Japan in the women’s -78kg category. “I am very happy. It was a difficult competition. It is the start of the year and it was important to win for me. It is the year of the Olympics and since I am the world and European champion I wanted to win this event so I am now targeting the Olympic Games. It was a big break during events because of the virus and was difficult to prepare but I trained daily for this event,” said Malonga. Romane Dicko in +78kg category won the other gold for France. She defeated Iryna Kindzerska of Azerbaijan. The current World Champion in men’s -90kg category, Noel Van T End won the gold medal. He had difficult contests throughout the preliminary rounds, but Noel found the necessary energy to go through to the final. In a high pressure final Gerogia’s Beka Gviniashvili dominated the bout, but he was too late to avoid Van T End’s waza-ari score. In the end the champion applied a lightning fast strangle for an ippon finish almost at the bell to win the first gold for the Netherlands. “This is the first tournament of the year and I am very happy to win a gold medal here. It is a big achievement in this Olympic year. I was in top form and with these points which I got today I think I am safe and will go for the Olympics for sure. This is a very nice tournament with a few problems with the coronavirus but hospitality is very good and the weather here is very nice. The organisation is very good and I am happy to perform here again. I look forward to coming here again for the World Championships in 2023,” T End said. RESULTS Men’s +100kg Gold: Teddy Riner (France) Silver: Inal Tasoev (Russia) Bronze: Yakiv Khammo (Ukraine) and Henk Grol (Netherlands) Men’s -100kg Gold: Varlam Lipartelini (Gerogia) Silver: Zelym Kotsoiev (Aze) Bronze: Peter Latchik (Israel) and Arman Adamian (Russia) Men’s -90kg Gold: Noel Van T End (Netherlands) Silver: Beka Gviniashvili (Gerogia) Bronze: Eduard Trippel (Germany) and Lasha Bekauri (Georgia)   Women’s +78kg Gold: Romane Dicko (France) Silver: Iryna Kindzerska (Aze) Bronze: Nihel Cheikh Rouhou (Tun) and Kayra Sayit (Turkey) Women’s -78kg Gold: Madeleine Malonga (France) Silver: Shori Hamada (Japan) Bronze: Guusje Steenhuis (Netherlands), Loriana Kuka (Kosova) Best female athlete: Dlcko Romane (FRANCE) – 4 ippon – 9 minutes and 3 seconds. Best male athlete: Grigalashvili Tato (GEORGIA) – 4 ippon – 16 minutes and 33 seconds.

Reigning world and European champion Clarisse Agbegnenou of France started the new season on a winning note at the International Judo Federation’s 2021 Doha Masters at the Lusail Multipurpose Hall yesterday. Agbegnenou, who won her fifth European title in Prague on November 20, defeated Nami Nabrkura of Japan in the final to win the -63kg category gold. “I am very happy because it was really tough. It is nice to start (the season) like that but I would keep in mind that I need to do a lot of work and to be ready for the Olympic Games,” Agbegnenou said. Agbegnenou, the silver medallist at the Rio Games in 2016, is getting ready for the Tokyo Games. “I am already qualified for Olympics. I wanted this competition to see myself what I can do and assess myself to know what I need to work on. This event gave me confidence that I can put up my level and I can work on other things. I have good motivation and power so I have to stay like this. Definitely, I have to improve a lot and work on new techniques,”Agbegnenou said. The four-time world champion Frenchwoman praised Qatar for hosting the event successfully during the coronavirus pandemic. “It is really hard what is happening to the world, but Qatar is organizing this event really well. We wanted to see this country more and I hope we can see it in good times because it seems really beautiful.” The bronze medals of the category went to winner of the Tbilisi Grand Prix Sanne Vermeer of the Netherlands and Andreja Leski of Slovania. In the -70kg women’s category, Yoko Ono of Japan claimed the gold medal. She defeated Russian Madina Taimazova. In the final, Taimazova resisted well during regulation time, but the golden score period was too much for the young Russian, who had to suffer a defeat by hold down. In the men’s -81kg category, reigning European champion Tato Griglashvili, from Georgia, defeated Frank De Wit of the Netherlands. The final seemed rather balanced for most of regulation, but following a slight injury, De Wit seemed slightly distracted. It helped Grigalashvili take advantage of the situation to throw him before applying an unstoppable arm lock. 2018 world champion South Korean Changrim An claimed the gold medal in the -73kg category. He defeated Soichi Hashimoto of Japan in a tough final.   At the end of regular time no point was scored and the athletes entered golden score, where they continued to neutralize each other’s moves. It was only after three minutes and 43 seconds of extra time that Hashimoto applied a dangerous technique - for which he received a Hansoku-make (defeat by grave infringement) - and An won the third gold medal for Korea in the event. Both of Qatar’s judokas crashed out yesterday morning. Khalil Rabahi and Morad Zemouri, both participated in the men’s -81kg event, but failed to get past their rivals in the first and second round respectively. The 28-year-old Zemouri, who represented Qatar at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and had a first-round bye, lost to Dominic Ressel of Germany in the second round. The 23-year-old Rabahi lost to experienced opponent world No 19 Anri Egutidze of Portugal. The men’s under-100kg and over-100kg, and women’s under-78kg and over-78kg bouts will be held today.   RESULTS Men’s -73kg Gold: Changrim An (Korea) Silver: Soichi Hashimoto (Japna) Bronze: Igor Wandtke (Gewrmany), Turave Khikmatillokh (Uzbekistan) Men’s -81kg Gold: Tato Griglashvili (Georgia) Silver: Frank De Wit (Netherlands) Bronze: Ivaylo Ivanov (Bulgaria), Sagi Muki (Israel) Women’s -63kg Gold: Clarisse Agbegnenou (France) Silver: Nami Nabrkura (Japan) Bronze: Sanne Vermeer (Netherlands) Andreja Leski (Slovania)   Women’s -70kg Gold: Yoko Ono (Japan) Silver: Madina Taimazova (Russia) Bronze: Kim Polling (Netherlands), Giovanna Scoccimarro (Germany)

It has been almost a decade since Al Arabi won a title and their coach Heimir Hallgrimsson has been forthright about their ambition to end that drought against a weakened Al Sadd side in the 2019-2020 Ooredoo Cup final at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Al Duhail today. “The Ooredoo Cup final is an important milestone for us as it has been a really long time since Al Arabi won a trophy. It is also a good opportunity for us to turn things around. We need to win the trophy,” Hallgrimsson said at the pre-match press conference. Trophies have been rare for The Dream Team in the recent past; they won their last title in 1997 — the Sheikh Jassim Cup. However, the seven-time Qatar league champions, whose last league title was also in 1997, is full of motivation against Al Sadd , whose preparations are marred by the absence of their several senior players. Ten Sadd players are away with the Qatar team preparing to play Ghana in the international friendly on October 12 and some of their foreign players are also on national duty for their friendlies. “I had watched Al Sadd play Qatar SC the other day in round two of the 2020-21 Ooredoo Cup. They had some 10 players in the Qatar national team camp, yet they had depth in their squad. Al Sadd is always a tough team,” said the Icelander. “We had a good pre-season camp, even though a brief one. Chances are same for both teams in this match. We must be playing at our best. We will also be missing some players due to national duty and injuries. But that’s not important. We will play to our capabilities.” Though Al Sadd is not fielding their top team, the 14-time league champions also have the motivation to complete the title hat-trick of the season after their triumph in Sheikh Jassim Cup and Qatar Cup this season. Wolves coach Xavi Hernandez admitted his team would miss the top players but felt it is a great opportunity for the young players to make their presence felt. “We are very happy to be playing in this final. To be honest, I did not expect that we would qualify for this game. We have to play with a group of players who are not on national team duty. The final is a big opportunity for the young players. I’ve told them to take advantage of it. These youngsters are the future of the club, I hope they enjoy the occasion and prove themselves,” Xavi said. The former champions (2010-2011) will have the experience of midfielders Rodrigo Tabata and Santi Cazorla. “This final is a good chance for our young players in particular. We have plenty of experienced players as well. I hope we will be successful and emerge as champions,” Tabata said. Al Arabi’s striker Sebastian Soria also feels that they have a big opportunity today. “We had more than a month to work and prepare for the final after we qualified for it. We’ve trained well. We had played some good games last season. I am happy that I am a part of Al Arabi this season. I already played two matches in this season’s Ooredoo Cup and have confidence in our abilities. We have a big chance,” Soria said. Taking about Sadd’s inexperienced side, Soria said, “The most important thing is the attitude. We must have a strong mentality. Al Sadd may be without many top players, but we are focusing on our game and winning the Cup. We are in the final because we played well in the games prior to it.” In the semi-finals, Al Arabi defeated Al Rayyan 2-1 and Al Sadd beat Al Ahli 2-0.

Al Gharafa are eager to regain the Qatar Men’s Basketball League title after a gap of six years, as they will take on defending champions Al Shamal in the final at the Al Gharafa Indoor Hall today at 6:15pm. Al Gharafa had last won the title in 2014 when their current captain Abdulrahman Saad was still a teenager. Saad believes his team is ready to win the title again. “We have played the season very well. I have full confidence in my team, if we are injury free and play to our potential, we have a very good chance to win the title,” Saad told Gulf Times. Al Gharafa defeated Al Arabi 88-83 and Al Shamal beat Al Wakrah 79-63 for their spots in the decider. In the last couple of years Gharafa has had a roller-coaster ride, having lost to Al Rayyan, the most successful team in the history with 15 titles, in the 2016 final, but winning the prestigious Amir Cup and Qatar Cup in 2017. Saad, after returning from an injury he suffered during his stint with the national team, played well to score 16 crucial points in the semi-finals against Al Arabi. This is the second time Saad will be playing the league final in his long career with Gharafa. “I played my first season with Gharafa in 2013-2014 and we won the title that year. Now this is my ninth season in the senior league and we are again in the final. This time I am captain of the team and this is a big thing for me,” the 23-year-old guard said. Talking about his team’s composition, he said: “Naddem is supposed to be back for the game from injury and he is a very important player for us. I think as a team we are ready or the final.” Gharafa’s coach Kosay Hatem said his team had overcome many hardships to reach the final. “This final is important because of the setbacks we faced over the past two seasons. We last won the league way back in 2014. We haven’t done well after winning the Qatar Cup-Amir Cup double in 2017. We have faced many adversities sometimes, we had to play with only junior players, but we have managed,” Hatem said. The Iraqi coach also feels that it wasn’t all luck that his side reached final despite finishing fourth in the league phase. “We were late entrants to the semi-finals stage, but I don’t think we are lucky to reach final. We have defeated round-robin phase leaders Al Arabi in the semi-final and it gives us confidence. We are a deserving finalist,” he said. On the other hand, Shamal’s Moroccan coach Hassan Hached aims to win back-to-back titles.  Shamal have finished second after the double round-robin first phase, however, Hached admitted the final would be not an easy game. “Playing against an experienced team like Gharafa is always difficult. We won the title last year and want to retain it. But it’s easier said than done. Unlike before, the final is limited to a single game and it’ll make things more complicated,” he said. “We’ve been consistent throughout the season and I’m hopeful it’ll stand us in good shape for the final,” he said. The final was originally scheduled for March 3, but the QBF postponed the match as two players from each side, who had travelled to Iran with the national team to participate in the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers, were placed under precautionary quarantine by the country’s health authorities. The players have been declared fit by the authorities concerned.  Al Arabi defeated Al Wakrah 82-75 on March 3 to finish third in the league.

No rest for the weary, they say. David Drysdale knows that all too well. A struggle of nearly 21 years and almost 500-odd tournaments continues for the Scot as, in fading light at the Education City Golf Club, Spain’s Jorge Campillo prevailed over Drysdale in an epic five-hole playoff to win the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters yesterday. Campillo had a two-shot lead going into the final two holes, despite a bogey on the 16th. But a double bogey on the 17th and a par on the final hole meant that he was tied with Drysdale at 13-under to push the matters into a playoff for the second time in as many weeks. Last week, Sami Valimaki of Finland overcame difficult conditions to win the Oman Open after beating South African Brandon Stone in a playoff in the third edition of the European Tour event. Yesterday, Campillo found sand off the tee on the first playoff hole but a 25-foot putt brought a birdie which Drysdale matched from six feet. Another 20-footer brought another birdie for the Spaniard, with Drysdale even closer to the hole than his previous effort. The duo could not be separated as they made routine pars on the third and fourth. Continuing to play the 513-yard 18th for the fifth time, another putt from beyond 20 feet brought Campillo a birdie. But the 44-year-old Scot, whose wife Vicky caddies for him, missed from similar range for a heart-breaking end to his campaign around ECGC. It was the fourth time Drysdale had finished runner-up. “I’m just so proud right now of the way I played in the playoff,” an elated Campillo said. It is Campillo’s second title, having won his first European Tour title after 229 events at the Trophee Hassan II in 2019. “I played not so good on the first few holes and then in the middle of the round I played okay. Apart from 17, I was solid. You know how the mind works, I wasn’t expecting to make a bogey on 16, on that tee shot I was comfortable, but I was a little bit scared of the driver on 17. I missed it there and then I hit a bad putt, I don’t normally hit bad putts from off the green. “You have to be patient, you have to try hard. I knew I was going to make some putts. It was a tough win but I’m glad I pulled it off,” the 33-year-old said. “It’s a great par four, 18, a tough hole. David was hitting some great shots into the hole and I had to make some putts. Three birdies out of six on 18 to win is something to be proud of.” Earlier, Dane Jeff Winther bogeyed the 16th and 17th to finish one shot out of the play-off alongside Swede Niklas Lemke and Finn Kalle Samooja. Lemke made birdies on the second, fourth, fifth, sixth, eighth, 11th, 13th and 14th to surge up the leaderboard but made two late bogeys in a 65. Samooja holed very long putts on the ninth and 11th in a 69 containing four birdies and two bogeys. Swede Alexander Bjork was at 11-under, a shot clear of countryman Marcus Kinhult, Italy’s Nino Bertasio, South African George Coetzee, Spaniard Pablo Larrazabal and England’s Chris Paisley. India’s SSP Chawrasia, a four-time European Tour winner, finished tied 28th. LEADING FINAL ROUND SCORES 271: Jorge Campillo (ESP) 66-66-67-72, David Drysdale (SCO) 67-69-64-71 Campillo wins on fifth play-off hole 272: Niklas Lemke (SWE) 68-69-70-65, Kalle Samooja (FIN) 70-67-66-69, Jeff Winther (DEN) 66-69-65-72 273: Alexander Bjork (SWE) 70-63-69-71 274: Nino Bertasio (ITA) 72-69-67-66, George Coetzee (RSA) 70-68-69-67, Marcus Kinhult (SWE) 68-65-73-68, Pablo Larrazabal (ESP) 72-67-63-72, Chris Paisley (ENG) 69-70-67-68 275: Marcus Armitage (ENG) 67-71-66-71, Lorenzo Gagli (ITA) 66-70-69-70, Gavin Green (MAL) 70-69-71-65, Scott Jamieson (SCO) 67-68-69-71, Adrien Saddier (FRA) 69-70-67-69

Jorge Campillo kept his momentum going in the third round to emerge as the sole leader going into the decider at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters at the Education City Golf club yesterday. Looking for his second European Tour title, Campillo played a third round 67 to take a one-shot lead over title-less veteran Scot David Drysdale and Dane Jeff Winther into the final day of the tournament. The Spaniard started the day in a share of the lead and picked up five shots in six holes around the turn to move three ahead and into a commanding position. However, his 44-hole bogey-free streak came to an end on the 12th. Campillo’s sixth birdie of the day too was cancelled out by a bogey on the 15th, as he came home in level par for a 14-under total. “It was tough, especially the last four holes into the wind, so it wasn’t playing easy at all. The front nine wasn’t windy, it was playing easy, and the back nine was tough. I missed a few short putts but overall a good last three holes,” Campillo said. “I am in a good position for tomorrow but still 18 holes to go. It is going to be a tough day tomorrow, but I am glad with the position I am in right now because I wasn’t playing good, so being leader after three days after the last few weeks is nice,” the 33year-old said. Campillo won his maiden title Trophee Hassan II in April 2019 and is hopeful of another good day today. “If I had not won a golf tournament already I would have been a little bit nervous coming into tomorrow, but since I have won, it is a little bit more familiar, so I will still be a little nervous but hopefully tomorrow I can play as good as today and win.” England’s Andy Sullivan began the third round in a tie for the lead with Campillo, but three bogeys and a double-bogey on the 18th meant that he carded a disappointing 72 to fall five shots off the pace. On the other hand, Drysdale is aiming for his first title in his 498th European Tour event while a win for Winther would come at his 97th attempt. “We had good fun, good playing partners are always good to have and you can lean on your caddie as well. We just enjoyed it and played very well. I putted very well as well and that’s a big factor,” Winther said. “It’s wide and I like it. I need a bit of help off the tee at the moment but otherwise than that I really like it. The greenkeepers have done very well this week, it’s phenomenal to putt on. I’ll keep doing the same. I’m going to try not to think about it and it’ll be exciting. I look forward to it.” Pablo Larrazabal, the other Spaniard, also came up with a fine round yesterday. He carded an eight-under 63 with two eagles and six birdies, the lowest of the day to finish tied fifth with Swede Alexander Bjork at 11-under overall with three birdies and a bogey. “The pin positions are super tough and very tricky. I felt that I played well with some good putts including a 15-metre one on the 13th. Another 18 holes to go… let’s see what happens,” the five-time champion on the European Tour said. The 37-year-old Spaniard ended his four-year wait for a European title in December 2019 when he won the Alfred Dunhill Championship. Finn Kalle Samooja and England’s Jack Senior were at ten-under, a shot clear of two more Englishmen in Marcus Armitage and Andy Sullivan, India’s SSP Chawrasia, Belgian Thomas Detry and Scotland’s Scott Jamieson. Leading round III scores 199 — Jorge Campillo (ESP) 66 66 67 200 — David Drysdale (SCO) 67 69 64, Jeff Winther (DEN) 66 69 65 201 — Benjamin Poke (DEN) 68 67 66 202 — Alexander Bjork (SWE) 70 63 69, Pablo Larrazabal (ESP) 72 67 63 203 — Kalle Samooja (FIN) 70 67 66, Jack Senior (ENG) 69 66 68 204 — Marcus Armitage (ENG) 67 71 66, Andy Sullivan (ENG) 66 66 72, S.S.P Chawrasia (IND) 67 69 68, Thomas Detry (BEL) 72 66 66, Scott Jamieson (SCO) 67 68 69 205 — Lorenzo Gagli (ITA) 66 70 69

India’s SSP Chawrasia looks set for a strong finish in the 2020 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters after carding a three-under par 68 to finish the third round at 9-under. Chawrasia, who shot 67 and 69 on the first two days, had four birdies on the front and one more on the back, and a bogey on either side to finish tied ninth alongside England’s Andy Sullivan and Marcus Armitage, Belgium’s Thomas Detry and Scotland’s Scott Jamison. “It was a good day for me. I have been playing good over the last three days and now looking forward to the fourth day. I am really enjoying my game after a long time… 18 more holes to go,” Chawrasia said. If Chawrasia finishes higher than seventh, it would be the best Indian performance at the event in its 23-year history. Jyoti Randhawa’s tied seventh in 2008 is the best by any Indian in Doha. He also had a shared 12th in 2005. Having finished 47th as his best result in previous eight appearances and after missing cuts for three successive years since 2017 at the Doha Golf Club, the 41-year-old golfer from Kolkata managed to play well over the last 36 holes this time at the new venue — the Education City Golf Club. The four-time winner on European Tour Chawrasia had his best start with four shots saved in the first seven holes. But he suffered a bogey on the ninth – something which he did on the first two days as well, before regaining a stroke. He was looking steady and parred the next three holes. However, a blip in concentration led to another bogey on the 15th. However, he regrouped himself and carded par on the remaining three holes. Talking about the conditions, he said: “When I came here, it was so windy. I was wondering how I would play. It is so tough to play in windy conditions, but I managed good scores and I hope for a better day tomorrow,” the two-time Indian Open champion said. Chawrasia had carded a 67 at last week’s final round in Oman and has now shot four successive rounds in 60s. Another good one could see him finish with a flourish. The Indian, who twice touched double figures under par, is still five behind leader Jorge Campillo, who carded a third round 67 to take a one-shot lead into the final day. Chawrasia was a bit lucky at the end of the day as he got a free drop when his approach shot landed in stands at the 18th hole and he finished the hole at par four with a fine chip shot. “Luckily I got the free drop, and I had a good chip and parred the final hole to complete a satisfactory round considering the conditions,” said Chawrasia, who is going to play in Indian Open next. Chawrasia, who missed the cut last year at the Doha Golf Club (DGC), said “I like this course too. It is beautiful, but I think Doha Golf Club is a tough course to play in windy conditions.”

Sweden’s Alexander Bjork carded the lowest round of his European Tour career and of the tournament so far, shooting a 63 to sit at 9-under at the halfway mark in the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters yesterday. Bjork is a shot off the lead alongside compatriot Marcus Kinhult and three others. It was a bogey-free round for Bjork, who had just one top-ten in 2019, as he carded an eight-under, the lowest round at Education City Golf Club. “I have been struggling a lot lately but I have been starting to feel last week that the game was getting a bit better,” Bjork said. “I played quite good yesterday but did not get the putts to drop,” he said. Bjork was on a high feet after claiming his maiden European Tour win at the Volvo China Open in 2018 en route to finishing in Europe’s top 20 at the end of the campaign. The next year, he only had one top-ten finish. However, he has felt recently that his game is returning to him and that certainly showed in Doha. “I just got into a really good flow from the start today, hitting almost every fairway, kind of firing at the pins, so it just felt really good,” the 29-year-old said. Bjork took full advantage of a wind-free morning to put himself in contention. “I took advantage of the really calm weather and when you feel like the swing is really there and there is no wind, you can aim at the pins and I got a lot of good chances. “Like I said, I have been coming off quite a tough stretch, so it was a lot of fun to actually feel the flow again and maybe my best round tee to green since I won two years ago. It was fun to get that feeling again because it was a long time ago,” he said. His countryman Kinhult also had an eventful 65 with an eagle, six birdies and two bogeys. Kinhult revealed he had been to the Qatar Open table tennis as part of his preparations. “I played practise rounds as always and I went to the table tennis actually, it is about ten minutes away, so that was my preparation for the week,” the reigning British Masters champion said. Kinhult is in Qatar with his father and coach Martin, who is still a big influence on his son. “My dad will always be and he is here this week,” he said. “It’s his first tournament of the year and we are staying together, so it’s nice to have him out here,” the 23-year-old Swede said.