GGOLFOLF | Page 3 NNBABA | Page 5 Hot back nine Rockets lands title topple Warriors, for England’s Thunder Fleetwood thrash Cavs Monday, January 22, 2018 CRICKET Jumada I 5, 1439 AH Buttler serves GULF TIMES up ODI series success for England SPORT Page 2 TENNIS PODIUM FINISH Nadal survives test as Dimitrov ousts Kyrgios Spain’s Rafael Nadal reacts during his singles fourth round match against Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne yesterday. AFP Results Melbourne Men’s singles 4th round: Marin Cilic (CRO x6) bt Pablo Carreno- afael Nadal battled Busta (ESP x10) 6-7 (2/7), 6-3, 7-6 through a huge test to (7/0), 7-6 (7/3) make his 10th Austral- Grigor Dimitrov (BUL x3) bt Nick Rian Open quarter-fi nal Kyrgios (AUS x17) 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 yesterday as Grigor Dimitrov (7/4), 4-6, 7-6 (7/4) ousted Nick Kyrgios to join him Rafael Nadal (ESP x1) bt Diego Qatar’s Nasser al-Attiyah (R) and co-driver Matthieu Baumel celebrate their second place finish in the Dakar Rally on Saturday night in Cordoba, Argentina. Driving a and Caroline Wozniacki kicked Schwartzman (ARG x24) 6-3, 6-7 Toyota Hilux, they stayed in the hunt for the title throughout the gruelling event in South America before finishing second to Spanish great Carlos Sainz of Peugeot. into top gear. (4/7), 6-3, 6-3 On an overcast and muggy day Kyle Edmund (GBR) bt Andreas at Melbourne Park, the Span- Seppi (ITA) 6-7 (4/7), 7-5, 6-2, 6-3 ish world number one was up Women’s singles 4th round: against his most dangerous op- Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP) bt FOOTBALL/ ASIAN U23 CHAMPIONSHIP ponent yet in pocket-rocket Anett Kontaveit (EST x32) 4-6, Diego Schwartzman, one of the 6-4, 8-6 smallest men on tour. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN x2) bt The Argentine 24th seed en- Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK x19) deared with his astonishingly 6-3, 6-0 powerful groundstrokes before Elise Mertens (BEL) bt Petra Nadal prevailed 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), Martic (CRO) 7-6 (7/5), 7-5 6-3, 6-3 in almost four hours on Elina Svitolina (UKR x4) bt Denisa Rod Laver Arena. Allertova (CZE) 6-3, 6-0 Confi dent Qatar It kept alive his push for a 17th Grand Slam title and also en- sured he will remain number one in the majors, annihilated 19th- when the new rankings come out seeded Magdalena Rybarikova after the tournament. 6-3, 6-0 in her most impressive “It was a great battle,” said performance to date. Nadal, who is chasing his second “She really mixes up the pace, Melbourne title after beating I just tried to calm down, get my ready for Vietnam Roger Federer in the 2009 fi nal. returns in and wait for the op- “Of course, I feel little bit portunities to attack,” she said tired, but I was able to keep after crushing the Slovak, who fi ghting until the end.” made the semi-fi nals at Wim- He will play sixth seed Marin bledon last year. Cilic for a place in the semi-fi - “I think you can tell my confi - nals after the Croat beat Spanish dence is pretty good at the mo- 10th seed Pablo Correna Busta ment.” semi-fi nal clash 6-7 (2/7), 6-3, 7-6 (7/0), 7-6 Her easy passage sets up a (7/3). last-eight clash with gritty Playing fearless football Qatar have won all their four matches in the event so far The win was Cilic’s 100th at a Spaniard Suarez Navarro, who Grand Slam. battled back from a set and 4-1 “I have played great ten- down to shatter the hopes of By Our Correspondent goals against us,” he added. nis from the fi rst round against 32nd seed Anett Kontaviet. Changzhou, China Moein said there was complete har- tough opponents and now I am The Estonian had been bub- mony among the players and this factor really looking to the next match, bling with confi dence after des- would see them through to the fi nal. it will be defi nitely be a big chal- patching French Open champion atari players are upbeat about “God willing, we will play with a high lenge,” he said of the Nadal clash. Jelena Ostapenko in the third their chances of qualifying level of concentration against Viet- Ordinarily Nadal, as the top round, but nerves got the better for the fi nal of the AFC U23 nam and will follow the coach’s (Felix seed, would have top billing on of her. QChampionship ahead of their Sanchez) instructions hundred per- Rod Laver in the evening, but not The Spaniard, who has made semi-fi nal encounter against giant- cent.” with local star Kyrgios in action. the quarter-fi nals in Melbourne killers Vietnam tomorrow. Meanwhile, Vietnam coach Park The maturing Austral- twice before, most recently in All players took part in a training Hang-Seo insists his players have prov- ian 22-year-old pushed world 2016, credited her fi ghtback with session yesterday, many of them with en their ability against Asia’s elite after number three Dimitrov close in a conscious decision to be more their faces covered, in bitterly cold reaching the semi-fi nals. a hugely entertaining four set- aggressive. and windy conditions prevailing in the Vietnam defeated former champions ter before succumbing 7-6 (7/3), “My team all the time they prefecture-level city of Changzhou in Iraq 5-3 on penalties after an extraor- 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 7-6 (7/4). say (to) me, play aggressive, play China’s southern Jiangsu province. dinary 120 minutes of action ended in a “Playing Nick is always aggressive. That’s I think what Playing fearless football Qatar have 3-3 draw that saw the lead change three tricky,” said the Bulgarian, as he I did,” said Suarez Navarro, one won all their matches in the tournament times before Park’s players advanced targets bettering the semi-fi nals of the few who still uses a one- so far, raising the expectations of fans via the shootout. he made last year. handed backhand. who are hoping for a title, especially af- The win highlighted the progress be- “It was one of those matches Looking ahead to Wozniacki, ter the disappointment of the Gulf Cup Qatari players warm up for Vietnam in cold Changzhou yesterday. ing made by the Vietnamese, who saw you had to take any opportu- she added: “I know how she where the senior team were eliminated off Australia in the group phase before nity that you got.” His reward plays. I know how tough she ahead of the semi-fi nal stage. quarter-fi nals, but the Al Duhail player Ahmed Moein, another rising Qatari, defeating a nation that won the fi rst is a showdown with Briton Kyle is. It will be a really interesting Almoez Ali, who has been the star said nothing less than a title would sat- added that Vietnam showed their class edition of the competition and who Edmund, who reached his fi rst match.” The 37th-ranked Elise performer of the tournament with goals isfy him. by beating Australia and Iraq and there- went on to fi nish third – and qualify for Grand Slam quarter-fi nal with a Mertens also made the last eight, against three of the four teams Qatar “It is amazing that I was able to score fore should not be taking lightly. the Olympic Games – in 2016. 6-7 (4/7), 7-5, 6-2, 6-3 win over becoming the fi rst Belgian since have faced so far, has urged his team- two goals (against Palestine) but we “Vietnam played very well against “I have total confi dence in my play- Italy’s Andreas Seppi. Kim Clijsters in 2012 to get so far mates to focus on tomorrow’s match. must continue working hard if we are to teams such as Iraq, Australia and Syria ers, and they proved their capabilities World number two Wozniacki in Australia. “It’s important that we are in the win the title. and they will be a challenge for us, sure- today,” he said. “Even on the physical turned on the style in her match She posted a straight-sets semi-fi nals but all our eff orts will go to “I hope I can continue to keep scoring ly,” said Moein. side they were equal to our opponents to take another step towards a win over Croat Petra Martic and waste if we don’t beat Vietnam in the and get more goals, and that my team “But we should be careful and not (Iraq). maiden Grand Slam title. will now play fourth seed Elina semis,” the striker said. keeps on winning until the end of the make the kind of defensive mistakes “In attack, we played very well with The assured Wozniacki, a Svitolina who swept past Czech Almoez has scored fi ve goals so far, tournament. I hope we can win the ti- we made against Palestine in the semi- two strikers and maybe I will use the semi-fi nalist in 2011 who has qualifi er Denisa Allertova in two including two against Palestine in the tle,” he added. fi nals which allowed them to score two same strategy in the next match.” never quite lived up to the hype easy sets.