RRUGBYUGBY | Page 6 CRICKET | Page 7 Wallabies Suryakumar more focused and Bumrah on kicking script Mumbai’s game: Toomua big win Wednesday, October 7, 2020 FOOTBALL Safar 20, 1442 AH Man United get GULF TIMES Cavani, Partey time for Arsenal SPORT Page 3 TENNIS / FRENCH OPEN Schwartzman shocks Thiem in fi ve-hour epic to reach semi ‘This win is very important for me. In the second and third sets, I was going a little crazy... But, come on, I deserved to win’ AFP Paris, France French prosecutors probe match-fi xing at Roland Garros rgentine 12th seed Diego Schwartzman defeated AFP L’Equipe reported that large US Open champion Paris, France sums of money were bet on and third seed Dominic the Romanians winning that AThiem in a fi ve-hour epic yester- game and that the wagers were day to reach the Roland Garros rench prosecutors said placed in several countries semi-fi nals, his fi rst ever Grand yesterday they had begun The Romanians went on to win Slam last-four appearance. Fan investigation into the match 7-6, 6-4. The 28-year-old Schwartzman suspected match-fixing at the Prosecutors said they were triumphed 7-6 (1), 5-7, 6-7 (6), French Open, reportedly involv- probing alleged “fraud in an or- 7-6 (5), 6-2 and will face either ing a women’s doubles match. ganised group” and “active and 12-time champion Rafael Nadal “It’s a first-round match featuring passive corruption in sport”. or Italian teenager Jannik Sinner players that are not well-known,” A source within the investiga- for a place in the fi nal. a source within France’s National tion said the bets placed on It was one marathon too many Gaming Authority (ANJ) told the match were “abnormally for Thiem, the runner-up in Paris AFP on condition of anonymity, large” and amounted to “tens of for the last two years, who had without specifying which match thousands of euros”. needed fi ve sets and three and a was targeted. The source within the ANJ said half hours to down world number French sports daily L’Equipe the authority had not detected 239 Hugo Gaston in the fourth and German newspaper Die any anomalies in the French round. Welt reported that the match gambling market. The 5ft 7in (1.70m) Schwartz- in question was the first-round “They must have been afraid man’s success came on the same encounter on September 30 be- to bet in France. They tried to day that compatriot Nadia Po- tween Romanian pair Andreea spread the bets around other doroska, the world 131, reached Mitu and Patricia Maria Tig and markets but the betting indus- the last-four of the women’s sin- opponents Yana Sizikova of try bodies know how to do their gles. Russia playing with US player sums,” the source said. “Dominic is one of the great Madison Brengle. The Tennis Integrity Unit, the players. He is my best friend and I Suspicion surrounds the fifth sport’s anti-corruption body, have a lot of respect for him,” said game of the second set which said it would not comment on Schwartzman. the Romanian duo won by the investigation “in line with “So this win is very important love after Sizikova served two our policy of operational confi- for me. In the second and third double faults. dentiality”. sets, I was going a little crazy and I was screaming at myself be- cause I had so many chances. By this stage, they had been 23 games in four rounds despite “But, come on, I deserved to on court for over four and a half his pre-tournament prediction win tonight,” added Schwartz- hours. that he was facing his toughest man, who defeated Nadal in the However, a weary Thiem was ever Roland Garros due to the Rome quarter-fi nals on the eve of broken in the sixth and fi nal game slow autumn conditions and the the French Open. of the decider as Schwartzman new, heavier balls. Thiem had been attempting celebrated becoming the 10th to reach a fi fth successive semi- Argentinian man to make the RESULTS fi nal in Paris. semi-fi nals of a major. Men (Quarter-finals) However, despite crunching 65 The epic match meant that 12-Diego Schwartzman (ARG) bt winners to his opponent’s 47, he Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman returns the ball to Austria’s Dominic Thiem (not pictured) during their French Open quarter-final at the Roland Nadal and Sinner were facing a 3-Dominic Thiem (AUT) 7-6 (1), 5-7, committed 81 unforced errors in Garros in Paris, France, yesterday. (AFP) late night in Paris as they had to 6-7 (6), 7-6 (5), 6-2 a match which featured 19 breaks wait for the day’s second wom- Women (Round 4) of serve and at fi ve hours and set to sweep through the tiebreaker. The Austrian broke through punctuated the third set. The Argentine blinked again en’s quarter-fi nal between Iga Danielle Collins (USA) bt 30-Ons eight minutes was the second But Thiem kept hammering for a 6-5 edge before wrapping Schwartzman even had a set in the 10th game of the fourth as Swiatek and Martina Trevisan to Jabeur (TUN) 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 longest of the tournament. away forcing the Argentine to up a 71-minute set. point but couldn’t convert and three more set points went beg- fi nish. Women (Quarter-finals) Schwartzman recovered from a save seven break points in the In a tie of dramatically fl uctu- Thiem pounced in the breaker to ging, but he clung on, snatching Nadal is in the quarter-fi nals Nadia Podoroska (ARG) bt 3-Elina break down in the 65-minute fi rst ninth game of the second. ating rallies, eight breaks of serve sneak ahead. the breaker after a 73-minute set. for the 14th time, dropping just Svitolina (UKR) 6-2, 6-4 FOOTBALL / OOREDOO CUP Al Duhail and Al Sadd suff er shock defeats By Sports Reporter ing QNB Stars League champions over the crossbar on the stroke of half-time and began asserting Doha Al Duhail, who have just parted half-time. themselves. ways with their Moroccan coach Al Duhail replaced goalkeeper They were rewarded with their Walid Regragui by mutual con- Gamal with Ahmed Sufi yan soon fi rst goal in the 52nd minute when l Sailiya rallied bril- sent, in the tournament as their after resumption of play, but Al Brazilian forward Kayke ran down liantly from a goal down fi xture against Al Sadd in Round Sailiya maintained the momen- the left fl ank unchallenged in a solo to beat Al Duhail 3-1 in 1 was postponed owing to both tum. move and shot between three de- Round 2 (Group A) of teams’ campaigns in the 2020 The Peregrines scored a second fenders from just outside the box. Athe 2020-21 Ooredoo Cup at the AFC Champions League. time when Tiago came up with a Kayke made it even in the 58th Qatar Sports Club yesterday. Al Duhail opened the scor- diving header off a corner kick. minute with another fi ne ef- Al Duhail’s main domestic ri- ing through Dudu in the third Tiago was at it again in the 67th fort, this time after intercepting vals Al Sadd also suff ered a shock minute, with Ali Afi f doing the minute, but this time he headed a a great pass by Nasir Baksh be- defeat, with Qatar Sports Club spadework along the left fl ank Belhadj free-kick against the left tween two defenders just outside overcoming a two-goal defi cit before crossing the ball for the post. the penalty area. before winning 3-2. Brazilian to shoot home. But the Brazilian, who Five minutes later, Abdulaziz Earlier, Ahmed Hamoudan’s Al Sailiya equalised through switched from Al Khor ahead of Adel got himself at the end of a 13th minute goal and a brace from Hammoudan in the 13th minute the start of this season, was not fi ne free-kick by Nasser Ibrahim Tiago Bezerra (52nd and 76th as he placed the ball in with an to be denied and was on target in to nod home the winner. minutes) ensured a crucial win opportunistic strike past goal- the 76th minute, capitalising on a In the third match of the day, for Al Sailiya. Hamoudan had keeper Ahmed Gamal and three defensive lapse at the rival goal. Al Wakrah beat Al Khor 2-1, with cancelled out Eduardo Rodrigu- defenders after latching on to a Meanwhile, Al Sadd struck Cristian Ceballos and Mohamed ez’s (Dudu) early advantage for Al through pass from Nadir Belhadj. twice in a span of three minutes Benyettou on target for the win- Duhail. Though Al Duhail controlled against Qatar Sports Club with ners. Al Sailiya, who had lost big- the game early, Al Sailiya gradu- Rami Suhail and Saoud al-Nasser Al Khor had taken the lead time (1-5) to Al Khor in the open- ally found their groove. Belhadj’s fi nding the net in the 26th and through Ahmed al-Mohannadi in ing round, had reinforced their beaming shot from far fl ew over 28th minutes. the 26th minute but missed a host squad ahead of the new season. the bar. But Qatar Sports Club re- of opportunities to allow Al Wak- Al Sailiya’s Tiago Bezerra (right) celebrates his goal during the Ooredoo Cup match against Al Duhail at It was the fi rst match of reign- Dudu then sent a free-kick turned with renewed vigour after rah to turn the tables on them.