FRIDAY 2 MARCH 2018 SPORT 21 I went in there, I outboxed him, I went on the ropes, I made him miss, I TODAY’S FIXTURES controlled the centre of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez 6.00pm Al Ahli vs Al Kharaitiyat At Al Ahli Stadium the ring Mexican boxer 8.10pm Al Sailiya vs Al Khor At Al Ahli Stadium IBSF makes Qatar Snooker Team Cup an annual event QNA sidelines of the IBSF general assembly to the Qatar Open Snooker Team Cup. staging the event on time. Snooker’s The IBSF general assembly also meeting that was held Wednesday in Doha. The tournament will take place in U21 world championship will be staged addressed the issue of the parallel fed- DOHA: International Billiards and The federation said in a statement the last week of February and the first in Egypt instead of India, IBSF added. eration, which calls itself the World Snooker Federation (IBSF), chaired by that Qatar was behind the idea of World week of March with IBSF sponsoring The federation noted that the gen- Professional Billiards and Snooker Mubarak Al Khayarin, has decided to Snooker Team Cup at the level of the event. eral assembly agreed that the Asian and Association. The meeting proposed a stage the World Snooker Team Cup on national teams. Hence, the statement IBSF said the general assembly international ranking championships number of steps to take in the coming an annual basis in Qatar as the host and added, the federation decided that decided to replace China with Qatar as be held over three stages in Qatar, India period in order to limit the ambitions proposing country. Doha would host the tournament on host of the men’s world championship and China between September and of that body that seeks to control the The decision was made on the an annual basis and to change its name in the event the former withdraws from October. activities of IBSF. QACT: Seven-star Thiem sets Del Potro Malik sets up showdown in Mexico big win for HBK THE PENINSULA AFP In women’s action, top seed Sloane Stephens saved a match point DOHA: Malik claimed ACAPULCO: Third-seeded Austrian on the way to a 5-7, 7-6 (8/6), 6-0 seven for 50 to set up a Dominic Thiem powered into the victory over Dutch qualifier Arantxa 67-run victory for HBK quarter-finals of the Mexican Open Rus. over Tusker Club in a in Acapulco on Wednesday with a Rus had her chance at 6-5 in the Division A match in the 6-2, 6-3 triumph over rising Cana- second-set tiebreaker, but Stephens, Qatar Airways Cricket dian star Denis Shapovalov. the reigning US Open champion, Tournament. Thiem, the 2016 champion in belted a forehand winner to make it At the West Bay Acapulco, didn’t face a break point 6-6, won the next point on her own Grounds, Malik shat- in his 75 minutes on court against the serve then took the set when Rus tered the Tusker Club 18-year-old Canadian as he set up a dumped a forehand into the net. battling line-up when last-eight clash with former US Open “I am happy,” Stephens said. “I they were chasing a champion Juan Martin del Potro. was match point down, and I was stiff 275-run target. His “I’m very happy because every- able to come back and fight. big haul secured in 9.1 body knows how good he can play overs sent Tusker Club and how dangerous he is,” Thiem ATP/WTA MEXICAN OPEN MEN’S SINGLES crashing to 208 all out said of Shapovalov. “I was really on RESULTS in 40.1 overs despite a from the first point. Today was strong resistance by almost perfect.” 2nd round Deepu who scored 75 Argentina’s del Potro, the sixth Feliciano Lopez (ESP) bt Thanasi Kokkinakis not out. seed, needed three sets to get past Batting first, HBK Spain’s David Ferrer 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. (AUS) 6-3, 6-4 were lifted to 274 in 45 Second-seeded German Alexandr Jared Donaldson (USA) bt Matthew Ebden (AUS) overs by Imal, who Zverev had to battle through the first 6-3, 6-1 cracked a six and nine set en route to a 7-6 (8/6), 6-3 vic- Chung Hyeon (KOR) bt Ernesto Escobedo (USA) fours in his 106-ball tory over compatriot Peter 6-3, 6-1 99. Ushantha contrib- Gojowczyk. Kevin Anderson (RSA x5) bt Adrian Mannarino uted with 40 in 30 South Korean Chung Hyeon, a balls and hit with two HBK’s bowler Malik poses for a photograph surprise semi-finalist at the Aus- (FRA) 6-3, 6-4 sixes and three fours Juan Martin del Potro (ARG x6) bt David Ferrer after his match-winning performance tralian Open, didn’t face a break was useful. of 7 for 50. point in his 6-3, 6-1 victory over (ESP) 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 In a Premier Divi- 21-year-old American Ernesto Dominic Thiem (AUT x3) bt Denis Shapovalov sion match, Omran Escobedo. (CAN) 6-2, 6-3 (five for 18) and Mirza grabbed Stars by 34 runs. Rifan (67 not Chung reached his fourth Ryan Harrison (USA) bt Diego Schwartzman nine scalps between them and out with three sixes and five Austria’s Dominic Thiem returns the ball to Canada’s quarter-final of the season and will sparked Qatari Diar to a dom- fours in 34 balls), Ahanaf (59 (ARG) 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 Denis Shapovalov during their Mexico ATP 500 Open next face fifth-seeded South African inant six-wicket triumph in 38 balls with nine fours) and men’s singles tennis match in Acapulco, Guerrero Kevin Anderson, a 6-3, 6-4 winner Alexander Zverev (GER x2) bt Peter Gojowczyk against Royal Stars. Niksy (46 in 26 balls with two State, Mexico on Wednesday. over France’s Adrian Mannarino. (GER) 7-6 (8/6), 6-3 Omran dismissed five sixes and seven fours) powered players in his 7.4 overs with United Challengers to a total one maiden and Mirza gave of 189 for two. away 18 runs to pick four Qatar Stars’ chase was wickets nine overs, out of derailed by Sathish, who col- which four were maiden. lected an impressive five for Future goalkeepers receive GEPP certificates zTheir combined efforts 34. shot Royal Stars out for a mere Rizwan slammed three THE PENINSULA 83 in 25.4 overs. Mudassar (22) sixes and five fours to compile was the only player to put up 61 off 41 deliveries. Jasim Khan DOHA: The Aspire Academy-run some fight. took 17 balls to make 35, Goalkeeper External Potential Qatari Diar darted to the including three sixes and a Programme (GEPP) held an victory in 11.3 overs with Amir four, and Umar Farookh’s 20 awards ceremony on Wednesday hitting 31 with seven bounda- contained two fours. evening to celebrate the young ries in 20 balls and Raheel The tournament is pow- goalkeepers who took part in this making 24 off 14 balls, ered by Qatar Airways who has year’s programme and mark the including five hits to the rope. been a long-time sponsor of conclusion of Programme’s activ- United Challengers con- the cricket tournaments in ities this year with the distribu- tinued their winning run in the Qatar and supporting the QCA tion of congratulatory gradua- Division A Twenty20 tourna- to develop the sport in the tion certificates. ment as they outclassed Qatar country. Running since 2014, The GEPP is an annual programme organ- BRIEF SCORES ised by the Aspire Academy Foot- ball Department in collaboration Division A with the Qatar Football Associa- HBK beat Tusker Club by 67 runs tion and the country’s top 18 HBK: 274 all out in 45 overs (Imal 99, Ushantha 40, Prem 3/53, Aneesh sports clubs. 4/61) Fifteen goalkeepers from Students and Aspire Academy officials pose for a photograph during the awards ceremony of the Tusker Club: 208 all out in 40.1 overs (Deepu 75 not out, Malik 7/50) various sports clubs were Goalkeeper External Potential Programme. Man of the Match: Malik of HBK (seven for 50 in 9.1 overs) awarded certificates for taking part in this year’s programme, Premier Division including: Yousef El Sherif, Saleh programme’s main objective is this programme, because they terms of detection and selection Qatari Diar beat Royal Stars by six wickets Hamad, Abdullah Haidar, Abdul- to nurture and develop goal- motivate their children to attend of talent as well as training, com- Royal Stars: 83 all out in 25.4 overs (Mudassar 22, Omran 5/18, Mirza majeed N K, Yousef Ahmed keepers in Qatar so they can rep- the sessions.” petition and evaluation of ado- 4/18) Mohammed, Hamad Majed, Ali resent their clubs and country He added: “The programme lescent players. Qatari Diar: 86 for four in 11.3 overs (Amir 31, Raheel 24, Tanveer 1/28) Asghar Abadai, Abdulrahman proudly in major tournaments. mainly invests its time and The training philosophy of Man of the Match: Omran of Qatari Diar (five for 18 in 7.4 overs) Nasser Haidar, Adnan Ali, Abdul- This programme offers these energy on improving the per- the Academy is tailored to the rahman Atef, Farid Ibrahim, young goalkeepers a platform to formance of goalkeepers still in capabilities, talents and goals of Division A - T20 Saeed Essa, Ghanem Mohammed grow, thanks to the joint efforts the developmental phase.