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Friday, March 29, 2024 | Daily Newspaper published by GPPC Doha, Qatar.
 Sahan Bidappa
Sahan Bidappa
Sahan Bidappa is a sports writer with Gulf Times. He joined Gulf Times after having worked for more than 10 years with leading newspapers in India. Sahan misses covering cricket in Qatar but has adeptly channelized his talents towards tennis, football and Olympic sports.
India coach Stephen Constantine.
Sports
Long-term goals the focus for India coach Constantine

Stephen Constantine is used to the underdog tag. The Indian football national team coach, presently in charge of the India U-23 team, doesn’t mince words when he says his main focus is to produce fine talent than qualify for the AFC U-23 Championship.  Constantine and his boys are in Doha for the AFC U-23 Championship qualifiers, where they will battle with hosts Qatar, Syria and Turkmenistan for a place in the main event in China next year.  Only group winners will qualify automatically, with the five best runners-up across all groups also making it through. But Constantine knows what is in front of him and his boys and says he prefers the ‘long-term goals’ rather than churn out quick results.  “I’ve been a person who have always preferred to build a team for the future. I’m working with this bunch of guys so that a few may come up the ranks and land up with the senior national team in the coming days,” said Constantine ahead of his team’s Group C opener against Syria today at Al Sadd stadium.  Unlike in Qatar, where the Under-23 teams play plenty of matches home and away in preparation for the big tournaments, Constantine only had three weeks to assemble the team. A proposed tour to United States was cancelled and they had to contend with two friendly matches against Singapore, in which they won one and lost another.  Unlike Syria, who appeared at the 2014 and 2016 U-23 finals, India are yet to progress further than the qualifiers. And Constantine was keeping the expectations to bare minimum. “There will be difficult matches for us over the next five days, but these are the games you want to play. We will give everything we have and hopefully we can get some positive results,” he said.  The Englishman has been the bedrock of Indian football in his two stints. Under Constantine’s tutelage, India have risen to 96th spot in the FIFA rankings, which is their best in the last two decades.  India were ranked 171 when Constantine took over for the second time in February 2015 but under the 54-year-old there has been meteoric rise. Still more needs to be done, especially at the age-group level, says the Indian senior coach. “India’s FIFA ranking doesn’t have anything to with Under-23 level. It’s a completely different aspect,” said Constantine as a matter of fact. “The reason India doesn’t do well at U-23 level is because we don’t give importance to age groups as we should. In the league we don’t have too many U-23 players.  “We have players with us here who don’t have teams. We have some players who have played just maybe 5-6 games the whole season,” the Englishman, who has also coached Sudan, Malawi, Rwanda and Nepal national teams, noted.  “So if you don’t give importance to these age groups, then we won’t qualify for the major tournaments. This time we have assembled the boys barely three weeks ago. There are players with whom I have not worked before. So it will be very difficult for our players against bigger teams. From this group I expect one or two players to come into the national team and that will be the objective,” Constantine added. The weather in Qatar has been extremely hot throughout but that hasn’t bothered Constantine much. “I don’t think the weather will be a problem. It has been hot in India and we are physically ready for the games,’’ he stated. India have two or three players to watch out for in the tournament. One such player is forward Lalianzuala Changte. The teen sensation from Mizoram, having trained at Liverpool’s youth academy at Kirkby, made his mark, when aged 18, he became the second youngest Indian to score in an international match against Nepal in the SAFF Championship in 2015.  Changte has already made four appearances for the senior side and has drawn comparisons with the Indian great Baichung Bhutia. Top scorer in his debut season in the U-19 I-League, Changte did, though, suffer a setback with the national side when they failed to qualify for the 2016 AFC U-19 Championship in Qatar. However, with football on the rise in India – headlined by the upcoming FIFA U-17 World Cup the nation will host in October– a new star to lead the beautiful game’s revolution is needed: Changte could be that man. India’s 23-member squad  Goalkeepers: Vishal Kaith, Kamaljit Singh, Sukhadev Patil Defenders: Salam Ranjan Singh, Lalruatthara, Jerry Lalrinzuala, Davinder Singh, Nishu Kumar, Sairuathkima, Sarthak Golui, Kamalpreet Singh Grewal Midfielders: Anirudh Thapa, Nikhil Poojari, Nandha Kumar, Germanpreet Singh, Mawihmingthanga, Vinit Rai, Robinson Singh, Lallianzuala Changthe Forwards: Hitesh Sharma, Alen Deory, Manvir Singh, Daniel Lalhlimpuia.

A lot on his plate: Qatar coach Felix Sanchez
Sports
Confident Qatar plot path to AFC U-23 Championship

Felix Sanchez looked unperturbed on the eve of the Asian Under-23 Championship qualifier yesterday. The Spanish coach has too many things on his plate these days. Besides managing the Under-23 Qatar team, Sanchez has also been the given the task of overseeing the Qatar national team, albeit temporarily, after Uruguayan Jorge Fossati resigned abruptly last month. Sanchez will prepare Qatar for their remaining 2018 World Cup qualifiers against Syria and China. But before that, the Spaniard has tough task of ensuring his U-23 team qualify for next year’s AFC U-23 Championship in China 2018. With the Group C qualifying matches to be held in Doha over the next five days, starting from today, the pressure will be on Sanchez to deliver. However, on the tournament eve, the Spanish coach was calm and composed, confident his team can deliver on the home turf.  “We have been training for the last few weeks for the competition. All the three matches are going to be tough but we are ready in terms of preparation. We want to win all three matches and qualify for the Asian Cup,” said Sanchez in the press conference yesterday.  Qatar will take on Turkmenistan in their opening match today at Al Sadd stadium today, followed by India on Friday and Syria on Sunday. Only group winners will automatically qualify for next year’s main event. The five best runners-up across all groups will also qualify for the finals. However, if hosts China win their group or are among the best five runners-up, the sixth best runner-up will also qualify. Sanchez, who has been involved with U-23 boys for a long time, having coached them at the U-16 and U-18 level, said his team had the ability to win all three matches and take the direct route to the qualification. “The boys are very motivated to play these matches. A lot of these players played for Qatar in the under-18 and under-16 age groups and they know what they are going to face. And they are looking forward to playing the first game tomorrow,” he said. The Qatar coach said his boys were ready after intense preparations which included a few practice matches.  “We have been preparing for these games for the last few weeks and we are looking forward to the qualifiers. These three games are surely going to be tough, but we’ll try to perform well and we’ll try to reach our first objective which is to qualify for the Asian Championships. We have to stay very competitive for that,” said Sanchez. In the previous edition of the championship held in Qatar, the hosts finished fourth, losing to Iraq in extra-time in the third place play-off. And some of the players who featured in the 2016 tournament, will also be available this time, which will give Qatar much-needed experience of big competitions. Asim Madiboo and Akram Afif again form the core of the team and Sanchez said their experience would be invaluable. “The boys have performed well last edition but this is a new tournament and we’ve to start from the scratch. It’s time for us to execute our plans on the pitch. There are few players who play in the senior national team. While for the rest it’s an opportunity to show they can also represent the senior team,” Sanchez said. Turkmenistan are missing few players to injuries but coach Agamyradov Ahmet was hopeful the available squad can spring some surprises in the tournament.  “We have three difficult matches. We have some players who have not travelled because of injuries. But we will try to do well with the players we have,” said Ahmet.   “Qatar has some good players. I have some information and know some of their players. I know Afif is very a good player but there are others too. It will be a good match. They have players with good mentality and it will be a huge challenge for my side,” added the Turkmenistan coach.   Schedule  Today:   India vs Syria at 5pm Qatar vs Turkmenistan at 8pm  Friday      Turkmenistan vs Syria at 5pm India vs Qatar at 8pm Sunday  India vs Turkmenistan at 5pm Qatar vs Syria at 8pm (All matches at Al Sadd Sports Club)

Chinau2019s Zhou Jingyuan (C), Germanyu2019s Marcel Nguyen (L) and Switzerlandu2019s Pablo Braegger celebrate on the podium of Parallel Bars yesterday.
Sports
Tingting clinches two gold medals on the final day

Having been labelled as the rising star of gymnastics, teenager Liu Tingting justified the tag yesterday by winning the two gold medals at the 10TH FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup in Doha. Barely 16 years of age, Tingting made heads turn when she performed at the Aspire Dome on the final day of the championship. Despite being very short, the Chinese is sensational in her movements and that was on display in abundance yesterday. She first struck gold in the Balance Beam, where Tingting was second last to perform. With Catalina Ponor, a triple gold medallist at the 2004 Athens Olympics, already occupying the top spot, Tingting needed something special to usurp the Romanian. And the teenager executed it to perfection, not losing her balance in the highly difficult apparatus, where not falling of the beam is essential. The Chinese star picked up highest execution score of 8.366 and a total of 14.466 to pip Ponor, who had collected 13.900 points. The third place also went to China with Huan Luo finishing on 13.700. Australia’s Emily Little, who won a bronze at the Melbourne leg last month, came fourth (13.200). “I am satisfied with my overall performance,” Ponor told reporters after collecting her silver medal. “Tingting is a star in the making. She has been very impressive and I wish her luck,” added the Romanian.        Tingting claimed her second gold of the evening in the Floor Exercise, her strongest and also most favourite apparatus. Twisting and turning like a spring, she performed brilliantly to amass 13.366. Australia’s Emily Little (13.133) came second followed by Croatia’s Ana Derek (12.900). Uzbekistan’s 41-year-old Oksana Chusovitina, who won gold in Vault on Friday, was unable to produce any magic as she finished last (12.266) among eight finalists. Tingting would have been delighted with her performance in Doha, having had to a difficult last year. The Chinese girl had missed out on Rio Olympics participation after suffering a hand injury while training on Parallel Bars. And she seems to making up for that misfortune. She had also qualified for the Uneven Bars final, but had failed to finish on the podium on Friday. Meanwhile, China also won two of the three gold medals on offer in the men’s section. Zhou Jingyuan picked up his second medal in the competition, winning gold in the Parallel Bars. Zhou, who won a bronze in the Rings on the first day, collected an impressive 15.900 points. Germany’s Marcel Nguyen came second (15.066), while Switzerland’s Pablo Braegger finished third (14.800). In the last event of the Championship, Ruoteng Xiao completed China’s domination, when he won in the Horizontal Bar with 14.533 points. Tin Sribic of Croatia took bronze (14.400) and Switzerland’s Christian Baumann silver (14.166). Meanwhile, Vietnam’s Thanh Tung Le had a perfect landing to win the men’s vault final, where there was no Chinese participation. Tung Le scored 14.733 points, to push Armenia’s Artur Davytan, a crowd favourite, to second spot. Davytan executed his Vault perfectly, but could not match Tung Le and came second with 14.433 while Finland’s Heikki Saarenketo (14.366) finished third. Around 240 gymnasts and officials from 30 countries participated in the four-day championship. Apart from the World Cup next year, the Qatar Gymnastics Federation will also host the World Championships in October 2018.        RESULTS (FINALS) Men’s Vault 1. Thanh Tung Le (VIE) 14.733 2. Artur Davytan (ARM) 14.433 3. Heikki Saarenketo (FIN) 14.366 Women’s Balance Beam 1. Liu Tingting (CHN) 14.466 2. Catalina Ponor (ROU) 13.900 3. Huan Luo (CHN) 13.700 Men’s Parallel Bars 1. Zhou Jingyuan (CHN) 15.900 2. Marcel Nguyen (GER) 15.066 3. Pablo Braegger (SUI) 14.800 Women’s Floor Exercise 1. Liu Tingting (CHN) 13.366 2. Emily Little (AUS) 13.133 3. Ana Derek (CRO) 12.900 Men’s Horizontal Bars 1. Xiao Ruoteng (CHN) 14.533 2. Tin Srbic (CRO) 14.400 3. Christian Baumann (SUI) 14.166

Winners of menu2019s Floor Exercise celebrate on the podium with Qatar Olympic Committee secretary-general Dr. Thani Abdulrahman al-Kuwari yesterday.
Sports
Veteran Chusovitina clinches Vault gold

The lifespan of a gymnast is known to be very short. Try telling that to Oksana Chusovitina and she will beg to differ. At 42, the Uzbek is breaking all the barriers associated with the sport. At the Rio Olympics last August, Chusovitina became the oldest Olympic gymnast in history, appearing in her seventh Games. While she returned empty handed from Rio and announced her retirement, a few months later she had a change of heart and was back in the gym, getting ready for the new season. Yesterday at the Aspire Dome, Chusovitina showed why she is one of the miracles of sport as she clinched gold in the 10th FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup in Doha. The 1992 Olympic team gold medallist blasted her competition on Vault with a solid performance, even if she didn’t attempt the uber-difficult Produnova vault that she showed last summer in Rio. This was her second consecutive World Cup gold, repeating her feat from Baku, Azerbaijan last week.   In front of a packed, weekend crowd, Chusovitina leapt, twisted and swung to a thunderous applause. The Uzbek stunning vault shot her onto to the top of leaderboard with 14.166 points and pipped Australia’s emerging star Emily Little to second place. Little tallied 14,099, only 0.067 points behind Chusovitina. Just 0.016 points adrift was Slovenia’s Teja Belak, who took home bronze medal. “I do a lot of mental training,” Chusovitina, who has a 16-year-old son, had said recently. “I typically put in two hours in the gym. Then I visualise exactly how the skill needs to be done, and I know exactly what my body needs to be doing.” There could be more magic from Chusovitina today, as she is in the fray for her second gold in Doha when she competes in the Balance Beam final. Meanwhile, Chia-Hung Tang of Chinese Taipei produced a stunning show in the Floor Exercise to win gold. The 20-year-old’s perfect routine impressed the judges as he aggregated 14.366 points, just 0.100 more than second-placed Kazakhstan’s 17-year-old Milad Karimi. Marian Dragulescu of Romania had to settle for silver, after accumulating 14.100 points. The 36-year-old Dragulescu is one of the legends of the sport, having won an impressive tally of 29 Olympic, World or European Championships medals in his illustrious career. He was fancied to win gold in Doha yesterday, but had no answer to his younger opponents’ skills. The podium finishers of the event received their medals from Secretary-General of Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) Dr. Thani Abdulrahman Al Kuwari who also watched the proceedings of the finals.    There was no surprise in the Pommel Horse apparatus as Krisztian Berki, the 2012 Olympics gold medalist, won in his favourite discipline after registering 14.933 points. China’s Ruoteng Xiao (14.800) and Armenian Artur Davtyan (14.066) completed the podium line-up. In women’s Uneven Bars final, Huan Luo of China took gold medal with 14.433 points. Hungary’s Kovacs Zsofia (13.066) and Aussie Georgia-Rose Brown (13.033) claimed silver and bronze medals respectively. In men’s rings final what was the last event of the day, Armenia’s Artur Tovmasyan outstanding performance fetched him the gold with 15.133 points. Igor Radivilov of Ukraine grabbed silver with 15.066 points followed by China’s Zou Jingyuan, who got 15.033 points for bronze medal. Today, the final day of the championship, will see five finals - three in men’s and two in women’s. The male gymnasts will be battling for honours in vault, parallel bars and horizontal bars while women’s events include finals of balance beam and floor exercise.     Results Women’s Vault 1. Oksana Chusovitina (UZB) 14.166 2. Emily Little (AUS) 14.099 3. Teja Belak (SLO) 14.083 Men’s Floor Exercise 1. Chia-Hung Tang (TPE) 14.366 2. Milad Karimi (KAZ) 14.266 3. Marian Dragulescu (ROU) 14.100 Men’s Pommel Horse 1. Krisztian Berki (HUN) 14.933 2. Ruoteng Xiao (CHN) 14.800 3. Artur Davtyan (ARM) 14.066 Women’s Uneven Bars 1. Huan Luo (CHN) 14.433 2. Kovacs Zsofia (HUN) 13.066 3. Georgia-Rose Brown (AUS) 13.033 Men’s Rings 1. Artur Tovmasyan (ARM) 15.133 2. Igor Radivilov (UKR) 15.066 3. Zou Jingyuan (CHN) 15.033

Oksana Chusovitina of Uzbekistan. Right: Qatari gymnasts  Ahmed al-Dayani.
Sports
Veterans Ponor and Chusovitina headline World Cup in Doha

A host of World and Olympic Champions will take centre stage when the 10th Artistic Gymnastics World Cup begins at the Aspire Dome from today. For the first time in tournament’s history, the event will be held over four days – with the first two days reserved for qualification and the last two for the finals. The championship is part of a two-year FIG Individual Apparatus World Cup circuit, which began in November last year and will conclude in March 2018.  Based on their rankings at World Cup stops, gymnasts gain points in the Individual standings. A gymnast with the highest points at the end of the series is crowned World Cup champion in their discipline.  The Qatar Gymnastics Federation has hosted the annual event from 2008. The 10th edition has attracted 111 gymnasts – 80 men and 31 women – from 31 countries, and is just a glimpse of what Doha can offer, with the city hosting the World championships in October 2018. Gymnasts are coming off after participating in Baku, Azerbaijan last week. And once again all eyes will be on five-time Olympic medallist Catalina Ponor in Doha. At 29, the Romanian veteran is not showing any signs of slowing down. After a disappointing Rio Olympics, where she failed to get into the podium, Ponor has begun 2017 in splendid fashion. She won the gold in both the Balance Beam and Floor Exercise in Baku and will be hoping to repeat the same this week.  Ponor is preparing for next month’s European Championships, which will be held in her home country Romania for the first time in 60 years and the gymnast is upbeat about her chances.  Interestingly, Ponor is not the oldest gymnast to take centre stage in Doha. With a record seven Olympic Games under her belt, 41-year-old Oksana Chusovitina of Uzbekistan is still going strong. The 1992 Olympic team gold medallist topped the Vault event with a solid performance in Baku, even if she didn’t attempt the uber-difficult Produnova vault that she showed last summer in Rio. In the men’s, 2012 Olympic champion Krisztian Berki lost out on Pommel Horse to China’s Weng Hao last week. Though Hao will not be in action in Doha, Berki will be attempting to make amends for his second place finish in Baku. Lithuania’s Tomas Kuzmickas is another one to watch out for, having qualified for three event finals and winning a gold on Floor Exercise and bronze on Horizontal Bar in the last event.  In the Vault, Australian Chris Remkes is in fine form. After finishing second before his home crowd in Melbourne a month ago, Remkes finally got gold in Baku.  Remkes will be in action in floor, pommel horse and vault and will lead a strong Australian contingent, with other members being Mitchell Morgans (Parallel and Horizontal), Clay Stephens (Floor, Vault and Parallel Bars) and Michael Tone (pommel horse and rings). “It’s going to be an exciting World Cup in Doha. I hope to do well,” said Remkes, who was born in the Philippines, but moved to Australia at a young age. In the women’s section, Australian challenge will be held by Emily Little, who claimed gold in floor, silver in vault and bronze medal in balance at the Melbourne leg of the FIG World Cup. Little will lead a four-member Australian women’s team that also includes Georgia-Rose Brown, Rianna Mizzen and Emma Nedov. Last month Meanwhile, two young Qatari gymnasts Ahmed Mosa and Jana Elkiki will make their senior debut. Mosa and Elkiki will join Ahmed al-Dayani, who has been regular at the World Cup for the last few years. Qatar Gymnastics Federation (QGF) president Ali al-Hitmi believes it will be a good opportunity for the local gymnasts to rub shoulders with the international athletes and gain some valuable experience.  “This will be a great event for our gymnasts. The Qatar squad has been preparing well and we expect them to shine at the home event. We will be hosting the 10th edition of the event and every year we field our own gymnasts. We have made significant progress over the years,” al-Hitmi said.

Scottish star Scott Brash and his brilliant 16-year-old mare Ursula XII clinched the Grand Prix title with a commanding run at the CHI Al Shaqab yesterday.
Sports
Scottish Brash rides Ursula XII to brilliant victory

Scottish star Scott Brash and his brilliant 16-year-old mare Ursula XII clinched the Grand Prix title with a commanding run at the CHI Al Shaqab yesterday. The formidable combination took top honours in the CSI5* 1.60m class, which carried a whopping €500,000 in prize money, jumping double clear and then setting the fastest time in the four-way jump-off. Brash was first to go in the jump-off and he produced a daring performance, drawing gasps from the crowd, as he delivered the winning round. The two-time Global Champions Tour winner Brash and Ursula XII negotiated the highly technical course with ease to stop the clock in 45.21 seconds. “Quite excited to have won and delighted that she (Ursula XII) did very well. It was a tight contest and glad to have come through. I couldn’t be happier with Ursula’s performance tonight. This top mare delivered three spectacular clear rounds to take the win,” said Brash, who is a London Olympic gold medallist in the team event. “With all the upkeep of the horses, the money goes away quite quickly,” the 31-year-old said of what he would do with his winning pursue of €165,000. “I will be heading to Stuttgart, Germany for a competition next. We have some very good horses including one bred by my father so I am looking ahead to that event,” the Scott added. Turkey’s Omer Karaevli tried to beat Brash’s time with his 12-year old gelding Roso au Crosnier, but could only come home in 45,98 seconds. The runner-up finish gave Karaevli €100,000 and he would be happy with his effort as it came in a star-studded field of 41 combinations. The fastest time in the jump-off was set by Spain’s Pilar Lucrecia Cordon, who with 10-year-old mare Galihne La Cour Zichelhof crossed the finish line in 44.46 seconds. But the pair picked up a penalty, which pushed them to third place, as Cordon had to be content with €52,500. Christian Ahlmann was also faster than Brash as well, but his 17-year- old Taloubet Z hit one fence and the German rider and his stallion ended in fourth place. It was another masterful performance by World No. 1 Isabel Werth of Germany as she won the dressage Grand Prix Freestyle yesterday. Riding Don Johnson Frh, Werth scored a number of 8s and 9s in her test to finish on a score of 81.275%. Werth is the most successful equestrian Olympian ever having contested in five Olympics, winning ten medals and six of those gold. Catherine Dufour gave Werth a run for her money with Atterupgaards Cassidy to score 80.775% but the Danish rider had to settle for second place. Anna Kasprzak, also of Denmark, took third spot with Donperignon tallying 78.700%. Earlier, university student Khalid Mohammed A S al-Emadi secured a superb win in front of his home crowd in the CSI3* 1.45m class. The Qatari partnered his 17-year-old mare Tamira IV to set a winning time of 39.63 seconds. Italian Emanuele Gaudiano won the CSI5* speed class with his stallion Chestnut in a time of 60.34. Jordan’s Ibrahim Hani Bisharat and his mare Brown Sugar finished just a fraction behind Gaudiano on 60.61. The Netherlands’ Markell va der Vlueten had his best result of the show with a third place finish on VDL Group Quatro in 60.94 seconds. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s Ramzy Hamad al-Duhami finally got his big break in the CSI3* Accumulator class, having previously finished second twice with his horse High Quality J. Al-Duhami pulled out all the stops to record the maximum number of points in the fastest time of 46.79 seconds. The second place went to Columbian Andres Penalosa, who finished in a time of 65.00 seconds with Tenor de Rouhet. Qatari rider Jabber Rashid al-Amri came third with Canavaro de Muze (E.T), stopping the clock in 48.47 seconds.

Switzerlandu2019s Martin Fuchs (L) waves to fans after his win in yesterdayu2019s feature event. At right, Qatari rider Salman Mohamed A S al-Emadi with Omar al-Mannai (right), Event Director of CHI Al Shaqab, after his victory in the Against the Clock 1.45m class. PICTURES: Lotfi Garsi.
Sports
Switzerland’s Martin rides Chaplin to glory

Martin Fuchs produced a masterful performance with his stallion Chaplin to win the CSI5* 1.55m class, the feature event of yesterday’s CHI Al Shaqab. The Switzerland rider and his 10-year-old horse were in the class of their own as they trumped nine other riders in the jump-off to clinch the €154,000 money event at the Al Shaqab arena. Fuchs was second last to get off the blocks with Belgium’s Niels Bruynseels’ time of 37.47 seconds to beat. And Fuchs knew exactly what to do, as he marshalled Chaplin with some breathtaking turns and speed to stop the clock in 36.91 seconds and pocket €38,500. Bruynseels had himself put in an immaculate round with 11-year-old mare Gancia de Muze in a highly technical course, which had many difficult twists and turns. Another Belgian rider Pieter Devos was the last to go with 12-year-old gelding Apart Larino and looked good for most of the course, but the pair could only finish in 37.64 seconds and settle for third spot. CHI Al Shaqab will conclude today with another full day of competitions. The marquee event – CSI5* Grand Prix, which carries a whopping €500,000 in prize money is the one to watch out for and will bring curtains to the championship. Meanwhile, Kevin Staut won the CSI5* 1.50m class as the Frenchman blazed across the course aboard his 13-year-old Elky van het Indihof Hdc. The pair finished more the two seconds ahead of Henrik Von Eckermann, who claimed the second spot. Staut pushed the paddle with his bay and produced a clear round in 63.24 seconds. Von Eckermann followed with his stallion Chacanno but was not quite as fast coming home in 65.38 seconds. “I finished fifth yesterday with this mare so I was really pleased to win in this class. It is a great venue with a big arena and good facilities. It is nice to come here in the winter as in France and Europe it is cold at the moment. I will be riding my other horse Aran in the Grand Prix tomorrow,” said Staut. The third spot went to Ibrabim Hani Bisharat, the Jordan rider and his mare Brown Sugar finishing in 65.50, just hundredths of a second ahead of Italian Piergiogio Bucci and the gelding Hearthbraker vd Achterhoe.   In the CSI 3*, which is part of the second and final leg of the Doha Tour conducted by the Qatar Equestrian Federation and is held concurrently with the CHI Al Shaqab, Qatari rider Salman Mohammed A S al-Emadi delighted the home crowd cruising to victor in the Against the Clock 1.45m class. Al-Emadi, riding his 16-year-old gelding Zorro Z, was one of the only three to jump clear. The Qatari posted a winning time of 67.10 seconds, which was nearly four seconds ahead of second-placed Ramzy Hamad al-Duhami. Saudi Arabia’s al-Duhami astride High Quality came home in 70.89 seconds. He had finished in runner-up in one of Thursday’s CSI3* classes and will be hoping to go one better today. Finishing some five seconds behind in third was Frenchman Frederic David with stallion Baloussini.   After tasting a victory at the magnificent Al Shaqab arena, al-Emadi was hoping to take part in the CSI5* events next year. “I have been riding for a long time and started show jumping because my father was a big supporter of the sport. It is great to see how the sport has grown in Qatar. I hope to compete in the five star next year,” said the Qatari.

Winner Bertram Allen in action on his mare Molly Malone V on the opening day of the CHI Al Shaqab yesterday. Picture: Lotfi Garsi
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Allen claims first day’s honours at CHI Al Shaqab

Highly-rated Bertram Allen drew first blood at the CHI Al Shaqab as the Irish rider won the Table A against the clock 1.50m, the feature event on the opening day at the Al Shaqab arena yesterday. The 21-year-old has been in fine form off lately, having registered victories in Spain and continued his winning run last night. Allen and his 13-year-old mare Molly Malone V were quite clearly the fastest in the CSI5* field as the pair negotiated the tricky course quite smoothly. Allen and Molly Malone V were the 42nd pair to get off the blocks out of 43, and the Irish rider exactly knew what they needed to do. Roger Yves Bost of France had set an early lead with Qoud’Coeur de La Loge in 58.04 seconds. But Allen and his mare put on a lightening quick performance to stop the clock at 57.70 seconds. Pius Schwizer of Switzerland was third with Balou Rubin R, just a shade behind Bost in 58.06 secs. Allen was quite pleased with Molly Malone V’s performance and set his sights on winning tomorrow’s Grand Prix, the feature event of the championship. The British bred mare by Kannan is 14 now and the horse has brought the young Irish rider much success during a long partnership. “She has been a great horse for me. Molly will have off day tomorrow as I am saving her for the Grand prix on Saturday,” said Allen, who took home €23000 from a total pot of €92,000. Bost didn’t mince his words as he paid credit to Allen. “I will ride faster next time but Bertram is a very fast rider against the clock, ” said the Frenchman, who will only be riding with Qoud’Coeur de La Loge at CHI Al Shaqab this year. “My horse enjoys it here, with the big arena and the bright lights, he really performs well,” Bost added. In the CSI5* two phase 1.45m class, Morocco’s Abdelkebir Ouaddar beat 41other riders, including World No. 1 showjumper Daniel Duesser of Germany to win the top prize. Ouaddar had won one of the events at the HH The Emir Sword last week, and the Moroccan didn’t put a foot wrong with his experienced grey stallion Cordano Site Z yesterday. They combined perfectly with a second phase time of 28.94 seconds. Sweden’s Henrik Von Eckerman rode a well measured round to post a time of 29.4 seconds with Chacanno, to take the second spot. There were a number of early clears to set the standard and some strong performances from Qatari riders, who are quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with under the tutelage of their Dutch coach Jan Topps. Bassem Hassan Mohamed was one such rider, who finished third on Argelith Squid in a time of 30.31 seconds. In the CSI3*, Kuwaiti Ali al-Khorafi riding Cheryl won against the clock 1.45m class. Al-Khorafi performed a blazing round to finish in a time of 56.8 seconds. “I love competing here at Al Shaqab and there are some great riders to beat this year. I was really pleased with my horse and I hope next year, I will compete her in the 5* class, ” said al-Khorafi. Mubarak Yousef A S al- Rumaihi from Qatar was second with Vivaldi K in 57.6. A close third was another Qatari rider, Nasser Al Ghazeli, who posted a time of 57.70 on board Delloren. The opening event of championship, the CSI3* Two Phases 1.30m class, was clinched by Andres Penalosa of Colombia. Penalosa astride Barcelona cleared his round in 31.02 seconds. Saudi Arabia’s Ramzy Hamad al-Duhami (High Quality J) was second in 31.73, while  Ali al-Khorafi completed the podium with Columbus in 32.12. RESULTS CSI5* Table A. against the clock 1.50m 1. Bertram Allen (Ireland) Molly Malone. Time: 57.70 secs. Prize money: €23000 2. Roger Yves Bost (France) Qoud’Coeur de La Loge. 58.04 secs. €18400 3. Pius Schwizer (Switzerland) Balou Rubin R. 58.06 secs. €13800 CSI5* Two Phases (274.5.3) 1.45m 1. Abdelkebir Ouaddar (Morocco) Cordano Sitte Z. Time: 28.94 secs. Prize money: €6250 2. Henrik von Eckermann (Sweden) Chacanno. 29.41 secs. €5000 3. Bassem Hassan Mohamed (Qatar) Argelith Squid. 30.31 secs. €3750  CSI3* Table A. against the clock (238.2.1) 1.45m 1. Ali al-Khorafi (FEI) Cheril. Time: 56.88 seconds. Prize money: €6250 2. Mubarak Yousuf A S al-Rumaihi (Qatar) Vivaldi K 57.60 secs. €5000 3. Nasser al-Ghazali (Qatar) Delloren. 57.70 secs. €3750  CSI3* Two Phases (274.5.3) 1.30m 1. Andres Penalosa (Colombia) Barcelona. Time: 31.02 secs. Prize money: €3000 2. Ramzy Hamad al-Duhami (Saudi Arabia) High Quality J. 31.73 secs. €2400 3. Ali al-Khorafi (FEI) Columbus. 32.12 secs. €1800 Para-Dressage CPEDI3* Team Grade I 1. Jens Lasse Dokkan (Norway); Cypres, 72.560% Prize Euros 330 2. Elke Philipp (Germany); Fuerst Sinclair, 70.298% Prize Euros 250 3. Magdalena Cycak (Poland); Sybilla 59.583% Prize Euros 200

Qataru2019s Sheikh Ali bin Khalid al-Thani (left) will be one of the strong contenders at CHI Al Shaqab.
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Star-studded line-up for CHI Al Shaqab starting today

CHI Al Shaqab has always been a go-to event for the riders in the equestrian world. And once again the leading riders of the world are in attendance for the prestigious equestrian competition, which begins today at the magnificent Al Shaqab arena. This year’s event assumes even more significance. This is the 25th year since the inception of Al Shaqab, which has become a leading global centre for equine professionals. So understandably the excitement level is on a high among the organisers and riders. CHI Al Shaqab is itself in just its fifth year but in short time has become a major equestrian event. Six of the top-10 ranked riders will be in attendance over the next three days, with the competition offering three and five-star showjumping, as well as international dressage and para dressage. It is the only para dressage competition in the Arab world. In showjumping, World No.1 Daniel Deusser will be hoping to better his second place finish at last year’s Grand Prix. The German will be one of 50 riders and their elite horses eyeing Saturday’s big money event. The 35-year-old Deusser’s closest challenger will be compatriot and second-ranked Christian Ahlmann, who finished third in Doha in 2016 Grand Prix. The other top 10 riders in the field are Simon Delestre (France), Kevin Staut (France), Marcus Ehning (Germany) and Scott Brash (Britain). Brash, the 2012 Olympic champion, has been to Doha few times and is expecting a high class competition. “All the top quality riders and horses come here, so it will be challenging with some technical courses. I think the Grand Prix will be of high standard. There are some riders in great form and anyone can win,” said Brash, who will be on mount Hello Annie, Hello M’Lord and Ursula XII this weekend. “I find the competition fascinating in Chi Al Shaqab. It provides an excellent opportunity for me to compete with other leading competitors and to test my horses in a rather unique climate. I am fascinated by the venue here and our horses are well taken care of throughout the event,” added the Scottish jumper.   Brash also tipped Qatar’s Sheikh Ali bin Khalid al-Thani to be a strong contender. Sheikh Ali has been in fine form recently, having tasted double success with his 11-year-old Mare, Carolina 31. The pair won at the HH The Emir’s Sword International Showjumping championship on Saturday, and had also triumphed at the Al Rayyan Championship in December at the Qatar Equesterian Federation arena. Sheikh Ali, who finished sixth at the Rio Olympics last year, will be hoping Carolina 31 and his other ride First Devision will help his good run continue. The other Qatari riders who will be in action are Bassem Hassan Mohamed, Faleh Suwead al-Ajami, Hamad al-Attiyah and Khalid al-Emadi. Meanwhile, Patrik Kittel of Sweden won both the Grand Prix and the Freestyle test last year, and he will look to repeat the feat this time too. Other dressage riders to watch out include world No. 1 Isabell Werth and Carl Hester of Britain, number five, and sixth-ranked Inessa Merkulova of Russia. Several riders will be defending their 2016 crowns in para-dressage, including 1b winner Nicole Den Dulk, III winner Rixt van der Horst (both from Netherlands), and Philippa Johnson-Dwyer of South Africa, who won the Freestyle III. Claudia Dorpmans, the Belgian Dressage rider, is competing at CHI Al Shaqab for the first time and she was excited for the weekend. “This is my first time attending Chi Al Shaqab. I am excited for the competition to start and to experience competing among the world’s top athletes. I would like to thank Al Shaqab and the competition’s organizers for inviting me here and providing us with such an amazing facility. We are pleased that our horses are being looked after so well,” Dorpmans said. Like last year, Doha Tour will run concurrently with the other international competitions at Al Shaqab. The three star event is part of Qatar Equestrian Federation’s calendar and will competitions will be held in CSI3*. Today’s competition begins at 9:30am in the outdoor arena with jumping 3*. Para-dressage follows at 10:45am in the indoor arena, and riders will compete in classes based on the extent of their physical or visual disabilities. Jumping 3* continues at 12:45pm, and jumping 5* begins at 3 pm, also in the outdoor arena.   Khalifa al-Attiya, Al Shaqab Executive Director, said: “This year’s competition brings together riders from more countries than ever before, and we are expecting the highest levels of sportsmanship to be on display.” Other than watching top riders in action, spectators can look forward to number of exciting activities during the competition.   THE SCHEDULE Today 9:30 am: Jumping CSI 3*, outdoor arena 10:45 am: Para-Dressage CPEDI 3*, indoor arena 12:30 pm: Jumping CSI 3*, outdoor arena 3:30 pm: Jumping CSI 5*, outdoor arena 6:30 pm: Jumping CSI 5*, outdoor arena Tomorrow 8:30 am: Para-Dressage CPEDI 3*, indoor arena 9:30 am: Jumping CSI 3*, outdoor arena 2:30 pm: Jumping CSI 3*, outdoor arena 3 pm: Dressage CDI 5* Grand Prix, indoor arena 4:45 pm: Jumping CSI 5*, outdoor arena 7:15 pm: Jumping CSI 5*, outdoor arena   Saturday 8:30 am: Dressage CDI 5* Grand Prix Special, indoor arena 9 am: Jumping CSI 3*, outdoor arena 10:15 am: Para-Dressage CPEDI 3*, indoor arena 11:30 am: Jumping CSI 5*, outdoor arena 2:15 pm: Jumping CSI 3*, outdoor arena 2:30 pm: Dressage CDI 5*, Grand Prix Freestyle, indoor arena 5:00 pm: Jumping CSI 5*, Grand Prix, outdoor arena Qatar’s Sheikh Ali bin Khalid al-Thani (left) will be one of the strong contenders at CHI Al Shaqab. Picture on right shows Omar al-Mannai (centre), event director of Chi Al Shaqab with para-dressage riders Pepo Puch (third right) of Austria, Claudia Dorpmans of Belgium, British show jumper Scott Brash (right) and other officials. Picture: Lotfi Garsi

Qataru2019s Sheikh Ali bin Khalid al-Thani (centre) poses with runner-up Abdullah Alsharbatly (right) of Saudi Arabia and third placed Derin Demirsoy of Turkey after winning the feature class of the HH The Emiru2019s Sword International Showjumping Championship at the Qatar Equestrian Federationu2019s outdoor arena yesterday. PICTURES: Lotfi Garsi
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Qatar’s Sheikh Ali wins Emir’s Sword in glorious fashion

Qatar’s Sheikh Ali bin Khalid al-Thani and his 11-year-old mare, Carolina 31, put on a splendid show to clinch the feature event at the HH The Emir’s Sword International Showjumping Championship yesterday. Cheered on by a vociferous home crowd, Sheikh Ali rose to the occasion as he guided Carolina 31 to a thrilling win in the CSI5*160cm class at the Qatar Equestrian Federation’s outdoor arena. After two rounds of intense competition, 18 riders out of 27 in the field qualified for the jump-off, with €153,700 of total prize money at stake. Sheikh Ali and Carolina 31 had so far had a below-par outing in the championship but were in their elements yesterday. The pair proved to be a formidable combination as they galloped the long course and jumped clear with a faultless round, stopping the clock at an impressive 41.90 seconds. While the other riders tried to beat Sheikh Ali’s time, they faltered by picking up faults on a difficult course. Sheikh Ali and Carolina 31 had also triumphed at the Al Rayyan Championship in December, and the pair repeated the feat to a thunderous applause on an overcast evening. Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Alsharbatly and his 14-year-old gelding Domingo had to settle for the runner-up spot. The pair was quicker, topping the timings in 39.63 seconds but committed four faults, which pushed them to second place. Turkey’s Derin Demirsoy was third with Harry K, the four faults he incurred dashing his victory hopes. “We were well prepared for the championship. She is always a good horse and I really believe in her. So when I ride good, she always jumps good and that is what happened today,” said a delighted Sheikh Ali, paying full credit to his mare for the victory. “I was really focused to do well in this class. I jumped with Carolina 31 two days back and she jumped very good. She gave me a good feeling that she will be in good form today. And thank God she was in fine form. It was a very good class, but at the same time when you have a good horse everything becomes easier,” the Qatari show-jumper added. The 34-year-old rider, who finished sixth at the Rio Olympics last year, said yesterday’s triumph was an important milestone in his career as HH The Emir’s Sword Championship is a very prestigious event for Qataris. “It’s my home turf and also this is His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani’s event. So it is important for us as Qataris and I am very pleased I could win it for our people,” said Sheikh Ali, who took home HH The Emir’s Sword and €50,721 in prize money. The star Qatari rider said his next target is to do well in this week’s CHI Al Shaqab and other important events in Europe and the World Cup Finals to be held in the United States next month. Meanwhile, Emanuele Gaudiano took his second win in two days after the Italian rider stormed to victory in the CSI5* One round against the clock 155 class. Gaudiano and his 11-year-old stallion Caspar 232 flew around the course to finish in 76.37 seconds, securing a comfortable victory, which gave the Italian €22,975 in prize money. The battle for the second place went down to the wire though. Spain’s Pilar Lucrecia Cordon (Armani Des Maraichers) pipped Alsharbatly (Woulon L) by a mere three hundredth of a second in 80.65. It was Alsharbatly’s fourth podium finish in the championship, though the Saudi rider must have been disappointed not to convert any into victory. In the CSI2* events, Kuwaiti Rakan al-Hasawi, representing FEI, and Saad Alajmi of Saudi Arabia took the top honours. Al-Hasawi won in the 145cm class with Dennis, the pair coming home in 34.83 seconds. The second and third place went to Qatar’s Khejaim Faraj al-Marri (Monopoly) and Sheikh Khalifa al-Thani (Sidoline van de Centaur) respectively. Earlier, Alajmi and Alex Ludine S had combined to score a narrow win in the 135cm class, in a timing of 60.21 seconds. Kuwait’s Latifa al-Othman (Kajaszo Molokai) was second, while Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Alghamdi (Dageraad) finished third. Results CSI5*, Grand Prix Two Rounds with Jump Off FEI Art. 273.3.4.1 & 273.4.4 + 273.2.2 + Annex VIII art.6, 160 cm Prize Money €153,700 1. Sheikh Ali bin Khalid al-Thani (Qatar) CAROLINA 31. Time: 41.90 seconds. Prize money: € 50,721 2. Abdullah Alsharbatly (Saudi Arabia) Domingo. 39.63 secs. €30,740 3. Derin Demirsoy (Turkey) Harry K. €23,055 CSI5*, Table A, One round against the clock, Art. 238.2.1, 155 cm — Prize money: €91,900 1. Emanuele Gaudiano (Italy) Caspar 232. Time: 76.37 seconds. Prize money: €22,975 2. Pilar Lucrecia Cordon (Spain) Armani Des Maraichers. 80.65 secs. €18,380 3. Abdullah Alsharbatly (Saudi Arabia) Woulon L. 80.68 secs. €13,785 CSI2*, Table A, One round against the clock with jump off, Art. 238.2.2, 145 cm — Prize money: €24,600 1. Rakan al-Hasawi (FEI) Dennis. Time: 34.83 seconds. €6,150. 2. Khejaim Faraj al-Marri (Qatar) Monopoly. 38.21 secs. €4,920 3. Sheikh Khalifa al-Thani (Qatar) Sidoline van de Centaur. 38.85 secs. €3,690 CSI2*, Table A, One round against the clock, Art. 238.2.1, 135 cm — Prize money: 12,000 1. Saad Alajmi (Saudi Arabia) Alex Ludine S. Time: 60.21 seconds. Prize money: €3,000 2. Latifa al-Othman (FEI) Kajaszo Molokai. 60.88 secs. €2,400 3. Abdullah Alghamdi (Saudi Arabia) Dageraad. 62.33 secs. €1,800

Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic receives the winneru2019s trophy from Qatar Tennis Federation president Nasser al-Khelaifi yesterday at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex. Pliskova defeated Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets.
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Dominant Pliskova wraps up title in straight sets

In a tournament that was hit by repeated rain interventions, Karolina Pliskova wasted little time as the Czech strolled to her maiden Qatar Total Open title yesterday. The second seed was in sublime form and hardly put a foot wrong, outplaying Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 6-4 in the one-sided final. Though the rain — that wreaked havoc at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex the whole week — stayed away, the chilly conditions that prevailed meant that margin of error was minimum. Her history in Doha and head-to-head against former World No. 1 Wozniacki was both against Plisokva. The 24-year-old had never gone past the second round in Doha and Wozniacki had won all three of her previous matches against Pliskova. But their last encounter came in 2014 before Pliskova reached last year’s US Open final and became a top-10 player. And Pliskova is a much-improved player right now and Wozniacki found that the hard way. Having showed tremendous mental strength and fitness, while winning both her quarter-final and semi-final match Friday, Pliskova took charge right from the beginning yesterday. The World No.3 was up 4-0 in the first set even before the spectators had taken their seats in the centre court. Her service was on fire during her win over third seed Dominika Cibulkova, with 21 aces powering the Czech to victory in the semi-final, where she set a personal record for most aces in a single match. While it wasn’t on the same level against Wozniacki, she packed a punch with solid forehand and some aggressive game.   After holding serve for the first time, Wozniacki did manage to break Pliskova and then held again to make it 3-4. However, Pliskova nipped the comeback in the bud by holding her serve and then breaking Wozniacki in the ninth game to pocket the first set. Wozniacki did change her strategy by running Pliskova from side to side of the court, forcing her to opponent to move, which is regarded as the weakest point in Czech’s game. But Pliskova played well in the big moments to stay ahead of the Dane. Wozniacki was equal to the task in the second set, but failed to capitalise on a break point. On the other hand, Pliskova grabbed a chance to break in the 10th game and duly wrapped up the match, when Wozniacki buried a lob into the net. “It’s amazing. It means so much to me winning this tournament because it’s not easy beating these two girls (Cibulkova in semis and Wozniacki in the final). You saw last night and even today given the way they fight,” said Pliskova, as she took the falcon trophy and $132,740 in prize money. “Also the weather has been taxing with all the rain and rescheduling of matches. I was trying to play my natural game which is aggressive. Also, the serve was really important and for me it was working, so I was happy about that. I also wanted to win here in Doha since I had been losing in the early rounds the last three years. Finally I won some new fans here,” she added. Pliskova has only lost one match so far in 2017, to Mirjana Lucic-Baroni in the Australian Open quarter-finals, and won the title in Brisbane prior to her run to the last-eight in Melbourne. If she continues her fine form, she can challenge Serena Williams and Angelique Kerber for the No.1 ranking. However, Pliskova, played down the talk of top spot and said her main target is to win a Grand Slam this year. “I have other goals than being No. 1 right now and it’s to win a Grand Slam. I was in the final (at US Open last year), so now the next step would be to win it,” she said. “Well, there’s just three (Grand Slams) left now. One of them is on clay. It would be really difficult. Then I’ll just prepare myself the best I can for Wimbledon. Then the US Open, it’s going to be difficult. I’m defending a lot of points there. I would love to win a Slam this year. If not, I still think I have a good chance the next few years,” she added. For Wozniacki, it was another loss in the final in Doha, the last time was in 2011. “Well, it’s a tournament I’ve never won. Clearly I’m a disappointed right now. It’s a goal of mine to pretty much have won everything,” said the 26-year-old, who will jump four places to No. 14 in rankings. “But she played really well today. I thought I played well too. I did my best. It’s been a tough week. Yesterday I had two matches late at night. I just tried to recover as well as I could. I feel like I’m playing really good tennis. I can still improve on some things. I’m really feeling positive and confident moving forward,” added Wozniacki, who will be in action in Dubai this week along with Pliskova. Meanwhile, fourth seeds Abigail Spears of US and Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia clinched the doubles title, defeating Ukraine’s Olga Savchuk and Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan 6-3, 7-6(7) in the final.

Karolina Pliskova
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Pliskova storms into final

Karolina Pliskova powered her way into the Qatar Total Open final yesterday, the No. 2 seed beating third seed Dominika Cibulkova 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in the semi-finals. Pliskova had never defeated Cibulkova in their three previous meetings but the Czech was on fire at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex on a damp night. The World No. 3 served an astonishing 21 aces and showed tremendous mental strength and fitness in overcoming the Slovak. While Cibulkova had finished her quarter-final match on Thursday, Pliskova on the other hand was forced to play the quarters and semis on the same day, due to repeated rain interventions. The momentum was clearly with Pliskova as she overcame many a difficult moments, especially in the first set, to seal her place in today’s final. The 24-year-old will either face Olympic champion Monica Puig or former World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, who were playing the second semi-final late last night, a few hours after winning their quarter-final matches. After rain battered the courts for most of yesterday, the tournament organisers were relieved to see the clouds clear up at night as the players were put on double duty. Today’s forecast is for clear skies, which means the rain-hit tournament will most likely get over on schedule, which didn’t seem the case even till yesterday evening. Earlier, Pliskova had outplayed Shuai Zhang 6-2, 6-0 to set-up a semi-final date with Cibulkova. Zhang, who had shocked fifth seed Garbine Muguruza in the second round, had no answers to Pliskova’s power game. Zhang was broken by Pliskova twice as the Czech took a 5-2 lead, before another rain delay meant that the players again had to scamper for cover. On resumption, Pliskova wrapped up the first set, and broke Zhang again in the opening game of the second set. But heavy downpour ensued that the players had a lengthy break of almost five hours. When they finally returned to the courts, Pliskova was in a hurry to close out the match. Two further breaks put her firmly in charge and she served out to love to put Zhang out of her misery. Earlier, Puig entered the semis, the Puerto Rican’s first since her historic gold in Rio last August.  The 23-year-old has not had a great start to the year, as she bowed out in the first round in Sydney and Brisbane. She did marginally better at the Australian Open, where she reached the second round. But the 47th-ranked Puig’s loss in Melbourne came to 181st-ranked Mona Barthel. Here in Doha, Puig has meant business from day one. After her second-round victory over Yulia Putintseva, where the Kazakh girl had to retire midway, Puig was back in business. Her hard work seems to be bearing fruit. Yesterday, she completed a fighting win over promising Russian teenager Daria Kasatkina 6-4, 5-7, 6-4. The quarter-final was carried over from Thursday, when the match was locked at a set apiece before the players were finally called off court due to rain. On resumption in the afternoon, Puig wasn’t in the mood to hand around for a long time. She was off the blocks quickly, converting her fourth break point to move 3-2 ahead. Puig saved two further break points in her next service game to keep her hopes alive before breaking back to level the match at 4-4. A wayward stroke from Kasatkina, serving at 4-5, handed the 23-year-old a victory. “At our match in Indian Wells I also had match points and lost the match but against her it’s always going to be tough,” Puig said. “We’re both up and coming and she’s such a great player so it was a good match and I loved the fight out there.” Meanwhile, Wozniacki, ranked 18th, beat American qualifier Lauren Davis 7-5, 6-1 in the last quarter-final.

HH The Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Qatar Tennis Federation president Nasser Ghanem al-Khelaifi catch up on some tennis action at the Qatar Total Open at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex yesterday. Inset: Germanyu2019s Angelique Kerber  PICTURES: Noushad Thekkayil
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Kerber crashes out after loss to Russian teen

Exactly a week after she landed in Doha, Angelique Kerber finally hit the court at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex yesterday. It had been a frustrating wait for the top seed as she waited for rain to relent to play her first match. But the off-court frustration would carry on to the court as the German crashed out of the Qatar Total Open. It was an error-strewn performance from Kerber, failing to get any sort of momentum as she fell to Daria Kasatkina in the second round. The Russian teen won 6-4, 0-6, 6-4 to seal her place in the quarter-finals. It was the second time this year that Kasatkina has won against the former World No.1 after beating her at the Sydney International last month, 7-6, 6-2. Kerber, who lost her No. 1 ranking to Serena Williams after she failed to defend her Australian Open crown last month, was looking at the Middle East swing – here in Doha and next week in Dubai to recapture her form. But the 29-year-old moved gingerly yesterday and was clearly struggling with her movements. “I was not feeling the best today; I’m trying to find my rhythm,” Kerber said. “But she (Kasatkina) plays good. I made too many mistakes in the important moments. I think it was, for sure, not my day.” The 32nd-ranked Kasatkina, on the other hand, is a rising star in the women’s game. The 19-year-old is in her second year on the tour and will be fancying her chances of a maiden WTA title. Kerber missed six break point chances in the first set, and Kasatkina capitalised on it. But Kerber bounced back, blanking the Russian in the second set to get herself back on level terms. Seemingly in command heading into the decider, Kerber couldn’t get the momentum going and fell 6-4 in the third. It wasn’t easy for Kasatkina, who needed four set points to complete the upset. It meant that Kerber’s underwhelming start to the 2017 season only got worse, as she stands at 4-4. And none of her four victories have been over players ranked inside the top 50. Kerber was bewildered by her poor form and was keen to turn her fortunes in Dubai. “Of course, the weather, it can happen like this,” she said. “We have to wait a lot, but this is not a big deal. I have to get ready again and feel good because, I was not feeling very good in the last few days. I think this is the most important thing for me right now. Then, of course, looking forward to doing well next week in Dubai,” she admitted. Kasatkina was playing Olympic champion Monica Puig last night in the quarters, before rain brought a halt to the proceedings. Puig of Puerto Rico was leading 2-1 in the decider after both players had taken a set each. After a lengthy delay, play was suspended for the night, with the players scheduled to return today morning to complete their match. Meanwhile, former No.1 Caroline Wozniacki dumped her close friend and fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland out of the tournament with a straight-sets 7-5 6-3 win. Denmark’s Wozniacki, who has slipped to No. 18, has looked in good rhythm so far in Doha and she was once again impressive yesterday. This was the 16th time the pair had faced off, with the Dane now leading 10-6 in the head-to-head. “We always have great matches. The last two times we’ve played I’ve lost to her,” said Wozniacki. She was back on court in the evening for her last-eight clash against qualifier Lauren Davis and was leading 1-0 before rain forced them indoors. Third seed Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia got lucky as she escaped rain for the second successive day and booked her spot in the semi-finals. The current WTA Finals champion ousted former World No.4 Samantha Stosur 7-5, 6-4, finally breaking her drought against the Australian. Cibulkova had lost all five of her previous matches against Stosur – all in straight sets, but the Slovak has made vast improvements since their last meeting in 2014. She hit 18 winners to just 10 unforced errors and converted five of the eight break point opportunities throughout the rain-affected match. “She was fighting and really into the match,” said Cibulkova after winning the 400th match of her career. “It came down to a few points here and there; you can see from the scoreline that it was very tight. The conditions are tough here, but I’m happy to have got lucky this week so far.” “I tried to have a new tactic against Sam because I’d never beaten her before, and it was really working hard today. I have to say, I was playing well,” the Slovak added. Up next for the World No.5 is Chinese Zhang Shuai or second seed Karolina Pliskova of Czech Republic. The last quarter-final match was to take place last night but now will be played today morning. Earlier, Pliskova had made it through to the last eight, after beating France’s Caroline Garcia 7-5, 6-4. Zhang on Wednesday had upset fifth seed Garbine Muguruza.   Results Quarter-finals 3-Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia) beat Samantha Stosur (Australia) 7-5 6-4    Second round Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) beat 4-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) 7-5 6-3     Darya Kasatkina (Russia) beat 1-Angelique Kerber (Germany) 6-4 0-6 6-4      Samantha Stosur (Australia) beat 8-Barbora Strycova (Czech Republic) 6-3 3-6 6-4 2-Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic) beat Caroline Garcia (France) 7-5 6-4    Lauren Davis (US) beat 6-Elena Vesnina (Russia) 7-5 6-2

Chinau2019s Shuai Zhang in action during her match against Spainu2019s Garbine Muguruza yesterday. PICTURE: Noushad Thekkayil
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Zhang pulls off shock win over fifth seed Muguruza

After a near-total wash out on Tuesday at the Qatar Total Open, the organisers heaved a huge sigh of relief after rain relented and most of the scheduled matches were completed yesterday. To compensate for the loss of play on the second day, many players were listed to play two matches, some even three — having signed in for doubles too. The burden of playing two matches showed on some, while others were able to get through it. For fifth seed Garbine Muguruza, the tournament ended early as the reigning French Open champion crashed out in the second round at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex. The Spaniard had opened her campaign in the morning and had little trouble in a routine 6-3, 6-2 win over Cagla Buyukakcay of Turkey. But Muguruza came up against a determined Shuai Zhang in the second round and the Chinese No.1 prevailed in three sets 7-6, 3-6, 7-5. For Zhang, ranked No. 31 in the world, last night’s win over No. 7 Muguruza is one of her biggest result on the WTA circuit as she booked her place in the quarter-finals in Doha. Like her opponent, Zhang had won her first round match in the morning, beating Timea Babos of Hungary 7-6(3) 6-3.  Against Muguruza, the 28-year-old wrested the advantage from the beginning — in the first meeting between the pair. Zhang secured back-to-back breaks to take a surprise early 4-1 lead, thanks to some fine shots off the baseline. Muguruza’s fighting spirit helped her break back to love and restore parity as a tight opening set went to a tie-break. Zhang found her groove right when it mattered, acing her first serves to take the first set, even as Muguruza had double faulted on set point. In the second set, Muguruza made a crucial break at 4-2 as Zhang hit a forehand long. The single break was enough for the Spaniard to serve out and take the match to a deciding set. In a see-saw third set, Zhang took advantage of Muguruza’s weak second serve, to break and take a 5-2 lead. But Muguruza fought back, the 23-year-old pulling things back to level with some breath taking shots. But the Spaniard fizzled out when it mattered, the fatigue catching up with her, having played Fed Cup ties on the weekend. Zhang, making only her third appearance in Doha, made a further break at 6-5 to seal the victory for her best showing till date. Up next for Zhang is either No.2 seed Czech Karolina Pliskova or Caroline Garcia of France. For Muguruza, though, it is back to drawing board as she said she is looking forward to doing well in Dubai next week. “I woke up thinking that I was going to have a very tough day,” Muguruza said after her loss. “I warmed up at 9 in the morning. I played pretty good the first match. The second one, Zhang played very well. The conditions were difficult. There was a lot of wind. She was finding her shots. At the end I think it was two points difference and they went to her,” the Australian Open quarter-finalist added. While the early schedule meant first round matches were completed yesterday, only three second round matches were possible after heavens opened up to halt the evening session. ‘Tough one’ Third seed Dominika Cibulkova and Olympic champion Monica Puig were lucky ones to guarantee their place in the last eight. Slovakia’s Cibulkova, who had a bye in the first round, survived a scare against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia before she came through 7-5, 2-6, 6-2. “I knew it’s going to be a tough one,” said Cibulkova. “She’s in a great form and played in the quarter-finals at the Australian Open. I knew when she’s in good form, it’s going to be really tough.  I was really happy with the way I closed the match and with the way I played in the third set.” Puig of Puerto Rico also made it through to the quarter-finals, after Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan retired in the third set of their match with the score at 6-4, 4-6, 2-1. In fact, Putintseva had entered the second round in the morning after seventh seed Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland withdrew from the tournament due to thigh injury, having lost the first set 1-6. Puig faces a potential next round clash with top seed Angelique Kerber, who was listed to play Russian teen Daria Kasatkina late last night, but will only kick-start her tournament today. Close friends Caroline Wozniacki and Agnieszka Radwanska were also lined up to play at the centre court, but they could only warm-up before they had to walk off the court. Earlier yesterday, Denmark’s Wozniacki twice came from 0-2 down to beat Kiki Bertens, 6-2, 6-3 in the first round. This was the first time the pair had met since 2012 and World No. 18 Wozniacki picked up from where she left off in Montreal a little over four years ago as she completed an easy win. With only three days of competition remaining, the organisers are racing against time to complete the matches. There are still five second round matches to be played and with rain not showing any signs of letting up over the next two days, the organisers have a huge task on their hand. Results Third day results of the Qatar Open (x denotes seeding): 2nd rd Mónica Puig (PUR) bt Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) 6-2, 4-6, 2-1 - retired Dominika Cibulkova (SVK x3) bt Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) 7-5, 2-6, 6-2 Shuai Zhang (CHN) bt Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP x5) 7-6 (7/3), 3-6, 7-5 1st rd Darya Kasatkina (RUS) bt Irina Begu (ROM) 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 Mónica Puig (PUR) bt Laura Siegemund (GER) 6-0, 6-1 Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) bt Timea Bacsinszky (SUI x7) 6-1 - retired Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) bt Kiki Bertens (NED) 6-2, 6-3 Lauren Davis (USA) bt Roberta Vinci (ITA) 6-2, 6-3 Elena Vesnina (RUS x6) bt Christina McHale (USA) 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (9/7) Barbora Strýcová (CZE x8) bt Fatma Al Nabhani (OMA) 6-3, 6-0 Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP x5) bt Çagla Büyükakçay (TUR) 6-3, 6-2 Shuai Zhang (CHN) bt Tímea Babos (HUN) 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 Caroline Garcia (FRA) bt Madison Brengle (USA) 6-2, 4-6, 6-3

Karolina Pliskova speaks during a press conference at Qatar Total Open yesterday. PICTURE: Noushad Thekkayil
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Buoyed by Fed Cup win, Pliskova all set for Qatar Total Open

Karolina Pliskova enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2016, reaching the final of the US Open, where she lost to Angelique Kerber in three sets. She also picked up two WTA titles and moved up from No. 11 to No. 5 in the world rankings. The lanky Czech has continued her fine form this year, as she romped to victory at the Brisbane International and looked a serious contender at the Australian Open. But the 24-year-old suffered a shock loss in the quarter-finals in Melbourne, as her nine-match winning streak in 2017 came to a halt against Mirjana Lucic-Baroni. But Pliskova was back to her best for her country, as she led Czech Republic to the semi-finals of the Fed Cup last weekend. Now in Doha, for the Qatar Total Open, Pliskova is one of the favourites for the title. Seeded second in Doha, Pliskova will open her campaign against either a qualifier or Caroline Garcia of France. The World No. 3, compared to other top seeds has a favourable draw here. Her potential quarter-final opponent is reigning French Open champion Garbine Muguruza, who Pliskova beat easily at Fed Cup last week. Having linked with Petra Kvitova’s former coach David Kotyza last October, Pliskova is the most exciting player to watch out for this year and a glimpse of her potential will be on display this week in Doha.   Excerpts from an interview Usually Fed Cup is quite an emotional few days. How did you wind down from that and how do you feel heading into the Qatar Total Open? Well, it was little bit emotional. It was a tough weekend for all of us, especially for me and Barbora (Strycova). But we were really happy that we won the singles, and then we didn’t have to play the doubles. Overall I think I had a good week there with the practices, with two wins in the weekend, which was important. I travelled to Doha yesterday so I had a day off. Today I was back on court practising and I felt quite good. So excited to be here in Doha and I am ready for the tournament.   How do you describe your game? You have a big swing, big serve and huge potential, and made it to the US Open final last year. I think my tennis has improved so much in the last year. I had some good matches last year. Obviously, 2016 has been my best year so far, as I reached the final of a Grand Slam at US Open. Unfortunately, I lost to Angie (Kerber), but still it was a really good tournament for me. Since then, I think, I have improved a little bit and am trying to get even better. I have a new coach (David Kotyza), so there are a few new things happening around my game. My movements are actually the worst part of my game, but it’s still improving. Everything is going well so far.   You will play either Caroline Garcia or Madison Brengle in the next round. What do you think about them? I will watch a little bit of their match. I have played both of them before. I played Caroline last year in the Fed Cup and she was playing very well there. Obviously, a WTA tournament is a different competition from Fed Cup. So definitely, against Caroline, it will be a different match. And Madison, I know she beat my sister in the qualifiers here, so she has been playing well. She has won three rounds in the qualifiers here, so she’s kind of probably used to the conditions here. So against both of them it is going to be tough. But, like I said, I’m ready for the match.     How is it to have your twin sister (Kristyna) on Tour? It’s good to have someone on the Tour so close to you, like my sister. There is no one closer to me on the Tour, so I don’t need any other friends. We always talk about everything, not only about tennis, but about all the other stuff around tennis. Yes, unfortunately she was in quallies here. She’s in quallies in Dubai. It’s still not that we see each other that often, but it’s better than before. Now we are in the same tournaments, but different hotels. So hopefully it can get a little bit better and see each other more often. But I like this, it’s better than it was. Hopefully I can see her in Dubai. I didn’t see her here because I came late and she left quite early. But definitely she’s going to Indian Wells, Miami, so there’s going to be more chances to see her in the next few weeks.   Caroline Garcia chose to not play the Fed Cup this year but you played. What do you think about her choice? It’s tough always to decide if to play or not. We played at home this time, which was much easier for me, so we didn’t have to travel anywhere far. But still I came here pretty late. I don’t think it’s a bad idea that Caroline didn’t play. Sometimes it can help you, but sometimes, it’s difficult to put it in the schedule because there’re lot of tournaments. The Fed Cup week is not easy as you have lot of tough matches, and it can really take away some power from your game. I think both decisions are fine. There is always something positive about it. But I think this week I’ve played good, I had two wins. But maybe it’s also good to prepare for the tournament like Caroline did.   Are you surprised by the weather here in Doha, with persistent rain interrupting matches? It doesn’t look it’s going to be better during the week. Obviously the weather can change so fast. In Czech it is minus 10, so with me this weather is fine. Just the rain is not good for tennis, so hopefully it can get better and we can finish all the matches in time.

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in action against Jelena Jankovic during their first round match at the Qatar Total Open yesterday. PICTURE: Noushad Thekkayil
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Pavlyuchenkova makes short work of Jankovic

The holiday crowd, which expected to enjoy the National Sport Day at the Qatar Total Open yesterday, was left frustrated after persistent rain played a dampener to their plans. The Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex was drenched as relentless rain disrupted the proceedings, and officials were forced to cancel 11 first round matches. Today, the action will begin at 11am, with the tournament running way behind schedule and the organisers facing a huge task to complete a chunk of matches. Only one match could be completed yesterday, before heavens opened up again. After a lengthy delay, Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova registered an easy win over Jelena Jankovic of Serbia 6-1, 6-4 to book her place in the second round. Jankovic, who made it to the main draw after winning three matches in the qualifiers, ran out of energy against Pavlyuchenkova. Having slipped to 50th in the world, Jankovic is making a comeback into the Tour after serious shoulder injuries she sustained last year. Despite the loss, the former World No.1 should be happy with the workout she had in Doha, considering the troubles she had the previous year. Against Pavlyuchenkova, ranked 23rd, Jankovic struggled from the beginning, failing to match the power of her younger opponent. The 25-year-old, who had a 5-2 advantage over the Serb coming into the match, broke thrice in the first set before closing it out easily. She took a 3-2 lead in the second set, before rain halted the proceedings. After the break, the Russian closed out the match with ease. Even though she faced two break points in the 10th game, Pavlyuchenkova served out the match with a fierce forehand. She will play third seed Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia in the second round. Pavlyuchenkova came in hot after a run to the Australian Open quarter-finals, completing a career set of last eight appearances at major tournaments. But stormy weather threatened to cool off the big-hitting Russian. Even with multiple rain delays, Jankovic ultimately had few answers against Pavlyuchenkova, who hit 23 winners to just 14 unforced errors while Jankovic went 0/5 on break point opportunities. “It was quite a long day, but I’ll take it,” Pavlyuchenkova said after the match. “I’m happy to be one of the first ones done today, and it’s a nice present for myself, as well.” “I didn’t do much,” Pavlyuchenkova said of how she spent the time between play. “I was just talking with my coach, and some players as well. But I tried not to expend too much energy so I could keep as much as I could for the court. I don’t know how I managed, so I’m happy to finish this match.” Apart from the top four seeds – Angelique Kerber, Karolina Pliskova, Cibulkova and Radwanska – who received a first round bye, only Pavlyuchenkova and Samantha Stosur have reached the second round. Late Sunday night, a two-hour rain stoppage did not unduly delay Stosur as she beat Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia 7-5, 6-4. The match was suspended by rain with Stosur 7-5, 4-3 up. But the Australian needed just 11 more minutes of action once the rain stopped. The World No.21 will play either eighth seed Barbora Strycova of Czech Republic or wild card Fatma al-Nabhani of Oman in the second round.

Serbiau2019s Jelena Jankovic in action against Bulgariau2019s Tsvetana Pironkova during their qualifying singles match at Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha yesterday.  PICTURE: Noushad Thekkayil
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Jankovic targets top-10 finish in 2017

Having plummeted to 50th in the world rankings, it almost feels unreal that Jelena Jankovic was once ranked No.1. The Serbian was a major force in 2008, when she reached the summit of women’s tennis. Jankovic was once touted as the challenger to Serena Williams; in fact she then led the rivalry with the American 3-2. That year, Jankovic became the first player to top the world rankings without reaching a Grand Slam final. However, later that year, she made a maiden appearance in the US Open final, but went down against Williams. At 22, the world was at her feet. But in the next nine years, Jankovic’s fortunes nosedived as she neither made it to another major final, nor back to No.1. Last year was even more frustrating for Jankovic, as she battled poor form and two ruptures in her shoulder muscles. Now 31, the Serbian is keen to mount back in the circuit as she targets a top-10 finish in 2017. And she will be hoping her fortune changes in Doha. Playing in the qualifiers for the first time since 2004, Jankovic sealed her place in the main draw of the Qatar Total Open, which began yesterday. The Serbian rolled back years at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in chilly conditions as she beat Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova 6-1, 6-7, 6-4 in a match lasting over two and a half hours. As rain threatened to interrupt the proceedings and extreme wind made it uncomfortable for the players and spectators alike, Jankovic held her nerve to get past a plucky Pironkova, who saved two match points in the second set. Jankovic came into the match boasting an impressive 6-0 head-to-head record against Pironkova, and she began the match in a dominating fashion. She wrapped up the first set in quick time, breaking three times while Pironkova, with 13 unforced errors, struggled to find her range and timing. But Pironkova broke first in the second set to jump into a 4-1 lead, before Jankovic regained her focus. The Serb got back on level terms and forced a tiebreak and looked to be firmly on course for the main draw. But she squandered two match points at 5-4, to lose the next four points and with it the set. Jankovic, however, come out on top of a topsy-turvy final set and notch a seventh win over Pironkova. In her first round match today, Jankovic will take on Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who has a 5-2 advantage over the Serb, having also won their last two matches. “I am glad I was even able to play in the qualifiers because I was not even in the draw as I got a wild card. I am thankful for that opportunity and luckily I was able to win the three rounds and here I am in the main draw again,” said Jankovic, who lost in the second round in Doha last year. “It’s been a long time (2004) since I have played in the qualifiers. I had a tough last year with lot of injuries. Now, I need to make a comeback and get my ranking up,” she added. Three other qualifiers were decided yesterday, with Americans Christina McHale, Madison Brengle and Lauren Davis sealing their spots in the main draw. McHale beat Sweden’s Johanna Larsson 7-6, 6-4 in the final round of qualifying. In her opening round today, the American will play sixth seed Elena Vesnina of Russia, who is ranked No. 15 in the world. Brengle brushed aside Chinese Zheng Saisai 6-2, 6-1 to make it into the main draw. She will take on Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia next. Davis had an easy passage as her opponent Camila Giorgi of Italy was forced into retirement with the score at 7-5, 2-5. Davis is set to face veteran Roberta Vinci of Italy. The top four seeds — Angelique Kerber, Karolina Pliskova, Dominika Cibulkova and Agnieszka Radwanska — will not in been in action today, having received a first round bye. Order of Play Centre Court (Starting at 2pm) * Q-Jelena Jankovic (SRB) vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) * Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) vs Kiki Bertens (NED) * 5-Garbine Muguruza (ESP) vs WC-Cagla Buyukakcay (TUR) * 8-Barbora Strycova (CZE) vs WC-Fatma al-Nabhani (OMA) Not before 8pm * Laura Siegemund (GER) vs Monica Puig (PUR) Court 1 (Starting at 2pm) * Roberta Vinci (ITA) vs Q-Lauren Davis (USA) * Q-Madison Brengle (USA) vs Caroline Garcia (FRA) * Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) vs 7-Timea Bacsinszky (SUI) Court 2 (Starting at 2pm) * Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU) vs Daria Kasatkina (RUS) * Q-Christina McHale (USA) vs 6-Elena Vesnina (RUS) Not before 5pm (TBA after suitable rest) * Katerina Bondarenko (UKR)/Elena Vesnina (RUS) vs Gabriela Dabrowski (CAN)/Darija Jurak (CRO)

Angelique Kerber poses after her press conference yesterday.
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Kerber aims for Doha bounce

A star-studded field is in attendance at the Qatar Total Open which begins today at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha. The line-up boasts five of the top-seven players, and each one of them will be eager to bounce back from the agony of their failure at the Australian Open. It was a disappointing start to the year for the likes of Angelique Kerber, Karolina Pliskova, Dominika Cibulkova, Agnieszka Radwanska and Garbine Muguruza – as Serena Williams swept to her 23rd Grand Slam title in Melbourne. At 35, Serena showed how it’s done as she marched on to the history books as her title challengers fell by the wayside, failing to even make it to the semi-finals. Now after a well-earned break, the stars of the Doha field will be hoping to recapture their form in the Middle East swing. No one more than Kerber will be keen to reassert herself as the one to beat. The German, top seed in Doha, endured a double disappointment last month. The 29-year-old was knocked out in the fourth round at the Australian Open by American Coco Vandeweghe and then saw Serena dethrone her from the World No.1 ranking. Kerber will get back to top spot if she reaches the final in Doha and Dubai in the next two weeks, or if she wins in Dubai. But the German is eager to get back to winning ways, than worry about the number one ranking. “For me it’s really important to play good tennis, to try to improving my tennis. This is actually my goal always,” Kerber said yesterday. “I will do my best in the next few weeks, few months. If you play good tennis, then you have results. This is actually for me the most important thing, to win matches again, getting the confidence back, and then we will see what’s happen in the next few months,” she added. Kerber, who arrived in Qatar last week to acclimatise to the conditions here, has been given a first round bye. The top seed awaits the winner of the match between Russian teen Daria Kasatkina and Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania’s. If Kasatkina does prevail through, it will set up an interesting duel with Kerber. The talented Kasatkina, ranked 28th, shocked Kerber in Sydney last month and could be a major threat again. Last year Kerber lost in the second round in Doha in straight sets to China’s Zheng Saisai. And also playing this week in Doha are the world numbers three, five, six and seven – Pliskova, Cibulkova, Radwanska and Muguruza. Out of the four, Radwanska is handed a tough draw. The Polish No. 6 will be playing her first match since her shock Australian Open second round exit and the road to the final will not be easy for her. Radwanska will either face former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki or Dutchwoman Kiki Bertens in the second round. “Of course, is not easy draw. We’ll see after that match who’s going to win. Caroline is playing good tennis at the moment. She’s definitely starting to be more confident. Playing really better than before. I guess it’s going to be her. Yes, we played couple times the end of the last year. That was really three good, long matches. So we’ll see,” said Radwanska. One player to watch out is Elena Vesnina. The Russian was ranked outside the top 100 just over a year ago, but is currently career-high 15. The 30-year-old will play a qualifier today and could possibly face Radwanska in the quarters.