CRICKET | Page 4 BOXING | Page 8 Kiwis Olympic To Advertise here sweep champion Call: 444 11 300, 444 66 621 B’desh Adams turns series professional Tuesday, January 24, 2017 TENNIS Rabia Il 26, 1438 AH Nadal thrilled GULF TIMES by return to Grand Slam quarter-fi nals SPORT Page 2 Qatar fancy title chances aft er ousting Germany By Our Correspondent enthused by the prospect of his team going Paris all the way. Qatar goalkeeper Danijel Saric celebrates with “It’s a big day for sport in Qatar,” the teammates after Sunday's stunning victory Spaniard gushed after plotting Germany’s over European champions Germany in the atar are fancying their chances of downfall on Sunday. World Handball Championship in Paris. (AFP) making amends for their heart- “I am very happy. We played an excellent breaking second-place fi nish in match. We were down by one at half-time, 2015 after sensationally upsetting but we gave our best in the second half and QEuropean champions Germany in the last 16 fi nally we won,” he said. of this year’s 25th IHF Men’s World Cham- Rivera said Qatar worked hard for the win pionship in France. and the victory proved the players gelled as a Displaying dazzling skills and supreme team, perhaps reacting to the negative criti- athleticism, Valero Rivera’s men upstaged cism in certain quarters over the presence of the mighty Germans 22-20 in Paris on Sun- several naturalised players in the squad. day to render the tournament wide open “We showed that we are a team. We after being written off as only worth a last- showed that Qatar deserve respect. We eight fi nish when the event began. worked hard for this, so this win represents They have a relatively easy quarter-fi nal a lot for us,” added the 63-year-old. outing against Slovenia today, and a vic- Qatar, the Asian and Asian Games cham- tory will pit them against either Sweden or pions, had beaten Slovenia 31-29 in the 2015 France in the last four phase from where it tournament in Doha, with Rafael Capote could be anybody’s game as far as the title scoring a whopping 12 goals in the match. is concerned. Capote was the MVP against Germany Qatar’s win over Germany evoked mem- with nine goals on Sunday and Qatar will ories of the 2015 tournament when it was be expecting another dazzling performance held in Doha where Qatar stormed into the from him today against Slovenia. fi nal before capitulating to France. Qatar goalkeeper Danijel Saric has also Coach Rivera had underplayed Qatar’s served Qatar well bringing off several key hopes this time round by insisting he was saves in the tournament and will have to be only targeting a quarter-fi nal spot, but fol- in top form to stop the Slovenians. lowing Sunday’s thrilling win against In other quarter-fi nal matches today, Germany and Olympic champions Den- Sweden meet France, Spain face Croatia and mark’s upset loss to Hungary, even he was Norway take on Hungary. COMMERCIAL BANK QATAR MASTERS Dutch teen Pierre Verlaar can’t wait McDowell, Noren, for action to begin By Sports Reporter I’m aware of some of the previous Doha champions like Branden Grace, Ser- gio Garcia, Adam Scott and Henrik Stenson,” he added. fter winning the biggest title With the winner of the Qatar of his career at this month’s Open earning a place at the Kaymer headline AQatar Open Amateur Golf Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, Championship, Dutch teenager Verlaar looked set to book his Pierre Verlaar Jr is now preparing place against the European Tour for the biggest tournament of his stars one year ago when he held a life at this week’s Commercial Bank two-shot lead with the finishing line Qatar Masters. in sight, but eventually lost out to Runner-up at last year’s Qatar Rayhan Thomas, the Dubai-based Open Amateur, the 18-year-old Indian teenager. 20th CBQM line-up made amends earlier this month “I was two shots clear on 17 and by shooting three straight rounds then made a double bogey. I only of 70 at Doha Golf Club for a had to play par, par to win, but I ‘The more top-class players you have, the better it is for the whole field and six-under-par total of 210 and a didn’t, and then Rayhan made a three-stroke victory over local star birdie in the playoff to win,” said for the spectators to come and watch. That’s what it’s all about. It gives it a lift’ Saleh al-Kaabi. Verlaar, who’s attached to The Verlaar—born in 1998, the year Dutch golf club. “It felt like a stupid of the first Qatar Masters—is now way to finish. However, it was a well By Sports Reporter excited to return to the famed run tournament and I was thinking Doha course for Qatar’s long-standing I had to come back this year to try European Tour showdown, which again. It was like unfinished busi- features the likes of Martin Kaymer, ness so it felt great to win.” ajor winners Martin Kaymer Graeme McDowell and Ernie Els as Verlaar, who idolises Tiger Woods and Graeme McDowell, World it celebrates its 20th edition. and Rory McIlroy, said he was Number 10 Alex Noren and “I’ve never played a European especially pleased to better his new Race to Dubai Rankings Tour event. I’ve never even played 2016 score by nine strokes as he Mleader Tommy Fleetwood are among the on the European Challenge Tour. continues to build on his dream of favourites at the 20th Commercial Bank I’ve played in some pro events becoming a European Tour player. Qatar Masters, which tees off on Thursday. like on the MENA Golf Tour, but “I was happy with my scores at Ryder Cup rookies Rafa Cabrera Bello, it’s nothing like this,” said Verlaar, the Qatar Open as they were really Chris Wood and Andy Sullivan, in-form a Dutch national team player who consistent,” said Verlaar, whose Bernd Wiesberger and 2016 European has played golf full time since best friend Dario Antonisse will be Tour Rookie of the Year Wang Jeunghun— finishing school. caddying for him this week. “I was the youngest player in last year’s Olympic “I like the courses out here, in two behind after the first day, led Men’s Golf Tournament—also feature in a Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Dubai. I’ve after the second round and then strong fi eld at the Doha Golf Club. played a lot in this region, but I’m made little mistakes on the last day, Eight-time European Tour winner not sure what to expect at the but I made a lot of birdies. I hope I Thongchai Jaidee, competing for a 15th Commercial Bank Qatar Masters. can keep playing well this week.” time, and Thorbjørn Olesen are tied with Rory McIlroy and Jason Day for the most consecutive winning years on the Euro- pean Tour (2014-2016), so both will be looking to extend that sequence in Doha. Major winner Martin Kaymer has 11 Wood, who won in 2013, is among sev- European Tour titles to his name. en returning champions along with two- time winner Paul Lawrie (1999, 2012), 2018 European Ryder Cup Captain Tho- the spectators to come and watch. That’s because it’s just too strong. I think that’s ranked player after winning four times mas Bjørn (2011), Robert Karlsson (2010), what it’s all about. When the best players a big part of what this place is. on the 2016 European Tour. Fleetwood Alvaro Quiros (2009), four-time Major come to play in your tournament, it gives “It’s always bouncy and quite diffi cult moved to 53rd in the Offi cial World Golf winner Ernie Els (2005) and Darren Fi- it a lift,” said Lawrie, who would be play- to keep the ball pin high, so you have to Ranking after his victory in Abu Dhabi on chardt (2003). ing in his 18th Qatar Masters, having only hole out very well from fi ve and six feet all Sunday, where Kaymer tied for fourth. Lawrie believes the tournament’s 20th missed the 2000 and 2003 editions. the time because it’s hard to get the ball Wiesberger, one of the European Tour’s edition has been boosted by the return of “I love playing here. My record’s pret- dead when you’re putting from long dis- most in-form players, also tied for fourth his 2012 Ryder Cup teammates McDowell ty good and I always feel like I’ve got a tance. To win around here, you’ve got to to secure his third straight top-four fi nish and Kaymer, who are competing in the chance if I play half-decent. be deadly from fi ve to six feet.” on the European Tour. Commercial Bank Qatar Masters for the “You have to control your ball fl ight Kaymer and McDowell, with 11 and 10 The Austrian has now fi nished in the fi rst time since 2012 and 2014 respectively. around here. If you’re not in control, then European Tour titles respectively, are two top seven in seven of his last events on the “The more top-class players you have, you’re in trouble because of the wind. You of the fi eld’s most high-profi le players, circuit, which include runner-up fi nishes the better it is for the whole fi eld and for have to ride the wind.