TENNIS | Page 5 CCRICKETRICKET | Page 7 Serbia, Pakistan’s France set Younis to up semi-fi nal retire aft er clash Windies series Sunday, April 9, 2017 FOOTBALL Rajab 12, 1438 AH Alonso supplies GULF TIMES art as Chelsea respond to Spurs SPORT Page 3 VOLLEYBALL FORMULA ONE Al Arabi prevail Hamilton blazes to over Rayyan to pole position win Qatar Cup in Shanghai ‘It is a very big won for us after a disappointing league and GCC Championship’ Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain reacts after setting pole position in qualifying at the Shanghai International Circuit yesterday. Al Arabi players pose with volleyball off icials after winning the Qatar Cup title yesterday. AFP QUALIFYING RESULTS Shanghai By Yash Mudgal Doha Qualifying Q3: ewis Hamilton roared to pole 1. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) 1:31.678 Al Rayyan’s Victor Caceres position in yesterday’s quali- 2. Sebastian Vettel (GER/Ferrari) 1:31.864 l Arabi completed a treble of and Al Sadd’s Hamza Sahnaji (bottom). fying for the Chinese Grand 3. Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Mercedes) 1:31.865 domestic titles as they won LPrix as Mercedes look to 4. Kimi Raikkonen (FIN/Ferrari) 1:32.140 the Qatar Cup yesterday. avenge a stunning defeat by Ferrari in 5. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS/Red Bull) 1:33.033 At the Qatar Women’s the Formula One season opener. 6. Felipe Massa (BRA/Williams) 1:33.507 ASports Committee Indoor Hall in The Briton, stung by Sebastian 7. Nico Hulkenberg (GER/Renault) 1:33.580 Aspire Zone, Al Arabi came on top Vettel in Melbourne two weeks ago, 8. Sergio Perez (MEX/Force India) 1:33.706 against arch-rivals Al Rayyan in the pipped his German rival by two tenths 9. Daniil Kvyat (RUS/Toro Rosso) 1:33.719 two-hour long battle for supremacy, of a second in Shanghai with Mercedes 10. Lance Stroll (CAN/Williams) 1:34.220 winning 25-21, 21-25, 25-17, 25-22 to teammate Valtteri Bottas and Ferrari’s pick their third title of the season. Al Kimi Raikkonen fi lling row two for to- Eliminated in Q2: Arabi had won the Federation Cup and day’s race. Hamilton jumped onto the 11. Carlos Sainz Jr (ESP/Toro Rosso) Super Cup at the start of the season. pit wall to soak up the adulation of the 12. Kevin Magnussen (DEN/Haas) “It is a very big won for us af- crowd after clocking the fastest lap 13. Fernando Alonso (ESP/McLaren) ter a disappointing league and GCC of one minute, 31.678 seconds to give 14. Marcus Ericsson (SWE/Sauber) Championship. We played well today the former world champion his fourth 15. Antonio Giovinazzi (ITA/Sauber) except in the second set where we Chinese pole in fi ve years. were no match for Al Rayyan,” said Al “We knew it was going to be close Eliminated in Q1: Arabi coach Patrick Dufl os. and we had to pull out all the stops,” 16. Stoff el Vandoorne (BEL/McLaren) This is Arabi’s 11th victory against Al Rayyan, the runners-up, pose after the final. said Hamilton, forced to play second 17. Romain Grosjean (FRA/Haas) Al Rayyan in the Qatar Cup fi nals and fi ddle to Vettel in the third practice 18. Jolyon Palmer (GBR/Renault) fi rst under Dufl os. tle which Al Rayyan won by an identi- No wonder, there was a big shake- ing an upper hand for a brief period session earlier in the day. 19. Max Verstappen (NED/Red Bull) “I am very happy. We needed some- cal score. However, Al Arabi bounced up within the team for the Qatar Cup only to surrender the initiative to their “The Ferraris have looked so fast but 20. Esteban Ocon (FRA/Force India) thing like that and I am sure this win is back to win the third and fourth to as they brought in two profession- rivals. In the end Al Rayyan pocketed I managed to just chip away. It’s excit- going act as a catalyst for this squad in pocket the title. For Arabi, it has been als — America’s outside hitter Taylor the second set at 25-21. In the third, ing for me because we really fi ght with But all eyes will be on the front two the Emir Cup,” the delighted French- a roller-coaster season so far. After Sander and Germany’s star spiker Gy- Al Arabi determined to fi nish off pro- these guys,” added Hamilton, who has rows after an absorbing tussle which man said. the highs of the twin titles, they suf- orgy Grozer. ceedings, took a fi ve point lead at 8-3. won the Shanghai race on four previ- suggested Vettel’s Melbourne was no Al Arabi took the keenly contested fered a loss in form and could only “It is a big victory for us, although Al Rayyan clawed back to narrow ous occasions. “That’s what racing is fl uke and that Ferrari are ready to end fi rst set at 25-21, while the second set fi nish third in the league and a dismal we did not play that well. The second the lead at 12-9. Al Arabi put up an all all about. It really pushes you to raise the stranglehold Mercedes have ex- again turned out to be a see saw bat- fi fth in the GCC Clubs Championship. set was a strange one, somehow noth- round display to increase their lead to the bar each time you go out there.” erted over the sport for the past three ing was going our way. I also played seven points at 23-16. Vettel was left shaking his head in years. bad in the set, but we bounced back in Arabi then took the next two points disbelief. “We will see tomorrow how impor- the subsequent ones to win the title,” to wrap the third at 25-17. Arabi con- “I don’t believe that, it was the per- tant being on front row is,” shrugged said Sander, who was member of the tinued where from they left off in the fect lap,” said the four-time world Vettel, whose only victory in China bronze medal winner US team of the fourth set, taking an early 5-3 lead in champion, who looked unstoppable in came in heavy rain in 2009. “Our car is Rio Olympics. the fi fth. yesterday’s practice run, continuing strong, no matter what.” In the fi rst, the initial proceedings The defending champions had oth- in the rich vein that saw him draw fi rst Ricciardo, whose home race ended saw both teams neck-and- neck un- er thoughts as they came back strong- blood in Australia. prematurely, will start alongside Felipe til Arabi broke free to take a two point ly to tie the score at eight-all. From “Maybe I chickened on the brakes Massa on the third row after the Bra- lead at 9-7. But Al Rayyan fought back that stage the both teams fought hard slightly on the last lap. But I think we zilian clocked the sixth fastest time for to tie the score at 11-all. for each point with the scores tied at can still improve, so let’s see what the Williams. Al Arabi, however, once took the 11-all, 14-all, until Al Arabi broke free race looks like tomorrow. Conditions Behind them, Renault’s Nico upper hand to take a 14-11 lead. to make it 15-13 and extended the lead will be diff erent.” Hulkenberg edged out Sergio Perez’s Thereafter, Dufl os’ side held the grip to three points at 17-14. The signs point to another furious Force India for seventh with Daniil over the rallies and maintained a con- Carlos Schwanke’s side tried to battle between Mercedes and Ferrari Kvyat’s Toro Rosso and Lance Stroll’s sistent two-point lead which they make a fi ght and took a timeout with but with rain forecast for race day, Red Williams rounding out the top 10 plac- carried to the end to win the fi rst set. score reading 20-18 to stop their ri- Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo could fancy his es on the grid. In the second set, Al Rayyan were vals in their tracks. However, Al Arabi chances after qualifying fi fth. Very much in the shop window determined to bounce back and took a were in no mood to allow any room to Teammate Max Verstappen gets an for 2018, Fernando Alonso appeared runaway lead at 8- 3. Al Arabi, how- heir rivals. In the end, Al Arabi won unwanted opportunity to test the the- pleased enough after steering his un- ever, made a splendid recovery to tie 25-22 to win the title for 16th time and ory that overtaking has become harder derperforming McLaren to 13th as the the score at 11-all. From thereon, for- set off wild celebrations among their in the new wider Formula One cars af- former world champion told his team A piece of action from the match. tunes fl uctuated with Al Rayyan hav- supporters. ter only qualifying in 19th. radio: “I pushed like an animal!” Gulf Times 2 Sunday, April 9, 2017 FOOTBALL LA LIGA SPOTLIGHT Zidane casts Griezmann halts Real doubt on future AFP boss Carlo Ancelotti was relieved Madrid of his duties at the Bernabeu in 2015 just a year after winning the Champions League and Copa del Madrid’s title charge eal Madrid coach Zin- Rey double.