Handball: Reigning Champions Qatar Kick-Start Asian Games Preparations
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SPORT Tuesday 29 May 2018 PAGE | 21 PAGE | 22 LeBron carries We aren’t the best Cavs back nor the favourites, to Finals warns Messi Handball: Reigning champions Qatar kick-start Asian Games preparations ARMSTRONG VAS 33-31 in a keenly-contested final in a keenly contested semi-final, Qatar, which ended as sur- QATAR SQUAD: THE PENINSULA in Suwon, South Korea. having earlier outplayed the UAE prise runners-up three years ago Ahmed Nader Salah, Rachid Youssef, Zine El Din Boumenjel Qatar’s advancement to 34-20, Bahrain 29-21 and in Qatar at the Worlds, (Al Sadd), Rafael De Costa Capote, Amin Noureddine Qheis, DOHA: Asian Games semi-final stage of the Asian Japan 40-23 in the looked on track in hunt Daniel Serche, Ahmed Mohamed Meddi, Wagdy Ibrahim Sinan, defending cham- Handball Championship also Group stage. for their maiden title Fress Mustapha Al Shayeb, Bilal Lebinka, Alaeddin Balrachid, pions in handball, secured them a berth in Riveira’s side after they stunned Al Zawawi (Arabi), Abdul Razzaq Ahmed Murad (Al Gharafa), Qatar have kick next year’s IHF Handball were unlucky in the European champions Amin Muwafaq Zukar (Rayyan), Petrand Rooney, Mustapha -started their World Cup which will at the 2017 IHF Germany 21-20 in a Amir Hiba and Abdul Aziz Buhandi Hilal preparations take place in Men’s Handball nail-biting battle in the for this year’s Denmark and World Champi- last-16 stage but failed multi-sport Germany. onship as they were in the next round. runners-up title at the World The final programme event by In Suwon, knocked out in the Rivera, who guided Championships in Doha, con- includes all 33 sports that will be announcing a quarter-finals fol- Qatar to the tinues to be in charge of the team staged at the 2020 Olympics in strong 18-member lowing a 32-30 loss to and will kick start the training Tokyo, as well as others that are squad yesterday. Slovenia. programme from June 2. popular in Asia such as additional The event will be held in The list of players called up martial arts, sepak takraw, Indonesia from August 18 to Sep- for the training are drawn from kabaddi, jet ski, paragliding and tember 2. Al Sadd, Al Arabi, Al Gharafa and the card game bridge. Qatar, which won the Asian Qatar were on Al Rayyan. In 2014, Indonesia stepped in Games title four years back by a high and fin- Indonesia will host a total of to host the Games after the defeating South Korea in the final, ished as the only 40 events at this year’s Asian original hosts, Vietnam, pulled will be looking to carry forward unbeaten team in the Games in Jakarta and out to financial reasons. the same form which helped them tournament, a fact which Palembang. The only previous time Indo- clinch the Asian Handball Cham- will help them score some The Games - larger than nesia hosted the Asian Games pionship at the start of this year. brownie points over their Asian the Olympics both in terms of was in 1962, when there were In January, Qatar clinched opponents at the Games in the number of sports and fewer than 1,500 athletes and 13 their Asian Handball title for a third Indonesia. competitors - will incor- sports, making next year’s edition consecutive year when they fought Spanish coach Valero Rivera’s Qatar's Rafael Capote prepares to shoot against Germany porate 40 sports and 462 by far the biggest sports event back to overcome rivals Bahrain side defeated South Korea 32-21 during the 2017 Handball World Championship in this file photo. gold medal events. ever held in the archipelago. Serbia’s Novak Djokovic hits a return to Brazil’s Rogerio Dutra Silva during their men’s singles first round match on day two of the Roland Garros 2018 French Open in Paris yesterday. Djokovic won 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. Former champ Wawrinka crashes as Djokovic makes it to round two AFP plagued by a knee injury and Former world sets as the Belarusian slumped to arrived at Roland Garros having number one Novak a 7-5, 7-5 loss to Katerina PARIS: Former French Open won just one match on clay in Djokovic launches Siniakova. champion Stan Wawrinka was Geneva last week, his first event Azarenka, who missed much dumped out in the first round by in three months. French Open campaign of last season after being Guillermo Garcia-Lopez yesterday, The defeat means that the with a comfortable win. embroiled in a custody battle over a defeat which will send his world three-time Grand Slam champion her son, was broken to love in the ranking plummeting, while late will slip from 30th in the world to 12th games of each set to be evening rain halted Rafael Nadal’s outside the top 250 after the tour- World number two dumped out by the Czech world first match in his pursuit of an 11th nament, having failed to defend Caroline Wozniacki in number 57. Roland Garros title. the ranking points he gained in solid form early in Paris. It was Azarenka’s first Grand When play was called off just 2017. Slam match since losing to Simona before 20:00 (1800GMT), world There were worrying signs for Halep in the Wimbledon fourth number one Nadal was 6-4, 6-3, 0-3 his fans when he pulled up and Rafael Nadal leads round last July, but she still ahead of Italian lucky loser Simone called for a medical timeout after against Italian Simone believes she can return to the top Bolelli. just six games, but he played down Bolelli in rain-hit first of the game. The downpours also prevented fears he had caused further round tie. Petra Kvitova also found life two-time champion Maria damage to his already trou- hard, but the two-time Wimbledon Sharapova from starting her blesome left knee. champion dropped serve three champion fought back from a set opener against Richel Hogenkamp “My knee is good. I blocked times and will have to markedly down to beat Paraguay’s Veronica of the Netherlands. something else at the beginning improve to challenge Nadal in the Cepede Royg 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 on Court But there were no such of the first set, and that’s why I had latter stages of the tournament, but Philippe Chatrier. problems for 2016 champion to ask,” he said. he was still far too good for Dutra “I’ve won 12 matches straight Novak Djokovic or Australian Open The 23rd seed found his Silva on Court Philippe Chatrier. on clay, but I’m still a long way winner Caroline Wozniacki who rhythm from nowhere after a poor “It was good to start this year from Rafa,” she said in reference both cruised through to the second first set, crunching two massive with a win. I wasn’t at my best, he to Nadal’s upcoming bid for an 11th round before the rains came. forehands to break for a 3-1 lead played with a lot of spin. I didn’t men’s singles crown. Wawrinka, who lost to Nadal in the second. play very well, but I won in three Wozniacki held off the chal- in last year’s final and won the 2015 Serbian star Djokovic had little sets,” said the 20th seed, who will lenge of American Danielle Collins title, was beaten in a five-set thriller trouble in reaching round two, next face Spanish qualifier Jaume to ease through their match 7-6 6-2, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 by the though, seeing off Brazilian world Munar. (7/2) 6-1, while men’s seventh seed Spanish world number 67 on Court number 134 Rogerio Dutra Silva Former world number one Dominic Thiem, a semi-finalist in Suzanne Lenglen. 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. Victoria Azarenka’s return to each of the last two years, brushed The 33-year-old has been The 12-time Grand Slam Grand Slam tennis lasted just two aside Ilya Ivashka in three sets. 22 SPORT TUESDAY 29 MAY 2018 Maclaren called into We aren’t the best nor the Socceroos squad REUTERS favourites, warns Messi SYDNEY: Hibernian striker Jamie Maclaren has received a World Cup lifeline after being AFP “The other day I was dreams not only of playing for Argentina but in called back into Australia’s squad for their final talking to a friend and he Argentina, preferably for his boyhood club New- training camp as concerns grow over the BUENOS AIRES: Argentina captain Lionel Messi said to me: ‘Look, if you ell’s Old Boys. fitness of FC Luzern forward Tomi Juric. has urged his compatriots to be realistic in their had stayed with Spain, “I am more and more clear that, in Europe, Bar- Maclaren was culled by coach Bert van World Cup expectations, warning that other teams you would be world celona is going to be my only home,” he said. “I’ve Marwijk earlier this month as he reduced the heading to Russia are better. champion’,” Messi said. always said that I want to play someday in squad from 32 to 26 players for their training In an interview with Argentine Canal 13, Messi “But it wouldn’t Argentina.” camp in Antalya in Turkey. also discussed why he did not take the chance to have been the same. “It would be Newell’s, no one else. I’d like to do The 24-year-old, who is on loan at the play for Spain and said that Barcelona will be his Obviously, it never that for at least six months, but you never know Scottish Premier League side from German only European club.