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MONDAY 6 SEPTEMBER 2021 MaxM Verstappen thrills home crowd wwith dominant Dutch GP win

Obviously,O the expectations were very high going into the weekend anda it’s never easy to fulfil that, but I’m of course so happy to win here,h to take the lead as well in the championship as well.

Max Verstappen Sport | 19

F1 DRIVER STANDINGS: 1. L Hamilton (Mercedes) 202.5 points, 2. M Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) 199.5, 3. L Norris (McLaren) 113.

Qatar Stars League's (QSL) Executive Director of Sales, Marketing and Communication, Hassan Rabia Al Kuwari exchanges documents with Executive Director Business at Ooredoo, Thani Al Malki, during a sponsorship signing ceremony held in . QSL and Ooredoo group announced the renewal of their sponsorship for the Ooredoo Cup, for the third season in a row. CENTRE: Hani Taleb Ballan, CEO of QSL, with Hamad Mubarak Al Hajri, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Snoonu after signing a sponsorship agreement. RIGHT: Al Kuwari and Brigadier General Dr. Ali Khajim Al Athbi, Director of the Establishments and Authorities Department at the Ministry of Interior, exchange documents after signing a corporation agreement. QSL signs partnership deals as new season kicks off

QNA – DOHA In the same context, Executive aimed at enhancing community Athbi, Director of the Establishments common goals and provide the Director Business at Ooredoo Thani Al awareness of stadium security and and Authorities Department at the Min- required support to meet the aspira- The Stars League (QSL) and Malki said, “Were delighted to have strengthening the security partnership istry of Interior, said, “This initiative tions and ambitions of both parties. Ooredoo group announced the renewal renewed our support for the hugely- between society and security services targets an important segment of the Commenting on the agreement, of their partnership, in order to sponsor popular Ooredoo Cup and are proud in order to provide a role model in public and we thank all people for their Hani Taleb Ballan, CEO of QSL, said, the 2021-2022 Ooredoo Cup, for the to be supporting Qatar's talented organizing major sports events leading support. We hope that this cooperation “We are pleased to have Snoonu in the third season in a row. players as they compete in such an up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in will serve the purpose of this initiatives list of sponsors of QSL. Were also proud Commenting on the renewal of the exciting tournament. Supporting events Qatar. vision and message.” of this new partnership and we wish partnership, Executive Director of Sales, that promote a healthy, active lifestyle Al Kuwari said the QSL has a dis- The QSL also signed a new spon- them continued success.” Marketing and Communication at the is a key priority for us at Ooredoo and tinguished and close partnership with sorship agreement with Snoonu, which Hamad Mubarak Al Hajri, Founder QSL, Hassan Rabia Al Kuwari said, “I we look forward to seeing some all sectors and departments of the Min- specializes in the field of e-commerce and Chairman of the Board of Directors would like to extend my sincere thanks inspiring games over the coming istry of Interior in general and Stadium and is the fastest-growing delivery of Snoonu, said, “Being attached to a and appreciation to the Ooredoo Board season.” Security department under Establish- service in Qatar through mobile appli- sports league like QSL is an excellent of Directors for the continued support The Qatar Stars League also signed ments and Authorities Department in cation, one of the first applications in move for Snoonu as Doha now is con- to football and the QSL in particular. I a cooperation agreement with the “You particular, as the relationships and Qatar that provides comprehensive sidered a sports city with all the sports also commend Ooredoo for sponsoring Are Important” initiative, implemented coordination are mutual and con- solutions to the daily needs, allowing events that the country hosted and will the tournament, which gave it an addi- by the Ministry of Interior (Stadium tinuous between us throughout the purchase or delivery of any product be hosting in the near future. Its a very tional distinction, and that was clearly Security department under Establish- season. anywhere you wish within Qatar. big event and itll surely give us good evident during the previous seasons.” ments and Authorities Department), Brigadier General Dr. Ali Khajim Al This agreement aims to achieve exposure in the market.” Ooredoo Cup: Qatar SC beat Al Thumama Stadium as Al Arabi, Al Sailiya share points

THE PENINSULA – DOHA Qatar SC's Sebastian Kings after a long time, Soria vies for the ball slammed the ball home Qatar SC defeated Al Khor against an Al Khor from close range following 2-1 as Al Arabi held player during their an assist by Ahmed Al Khu- reigning champions Al Ooredoo Cup Round walid. Al Khor continued Sailiya in a 2-2 draw on the 1 match played at to do their best, but the Al Thumama opening day of 2021-22 Stadium, maximum they could do Ooredoo Cup yesterday. yesterday. was score a goal towards In their Round 1 (Group the end. Brahimi was on Stadium to host B) opener at the Al Wakrah hand to convert a Rafael Stadium yesterday, Salmin Vaz cross from the left. Al Rumaihi (16th minute) Al Gharafa, Al Arabi Amir Cup final and Sebastian Soria (58th and Al Sailiya are the other minute) scored the goals teams in Group B of the for Qatar SC while Al Khor tournament. THE PENINSULA – DOHA managed to pull one back Earlier, at Al Khor through Syed Brahimi in Stadium, Al Arabi and The 49th Amir Cup Final will be played at Al the 88th minute. reigning champions Al Thumama Stadium on October 22, it was Qatar SC thus started Sailiya played out a 2-2 announced yesterday. their campaign in the new draw. This will also mark the completion of Qatar’s season on a strong note Mehrdad Mohammadi 6th FIFA World Cup 2022 ready venue after under new Brazilian coach (38th minute and 53rd- Khalifa International, Al Janoub, Education City, Ze Ricardo whom they minute penalty) scored Ahmad Bin Ali and Al Bayt stadiums. roped in recently for two both goals for Al Arabi, Al Sadd and will contest the final seasons. while new recruit Valentin at the newly completed 40,000-seat stadium. Al Khor had retained Adama Diomande (45+3 Details regarding ticket sales and stadium fan the services of German penalty) and Fahad capacity will be released in due course. Winfried Schafer in the Khalfan (63rd minute) Al Thumama Stadium was designed by new season. scored Al Sailiya’s goals. renowned Qatari architect Ibrahim M. Jaidah and Al Khor had to be at the The opening match of will host matches up to and including the quarter receiving end despite started strongly and took after trapping a cross from time of first half. Qatar SC the 2021-2022 season wit- final at Qatar 2022 World Cup. The stadium will having more ball pos- the lead as Salmin the left. Al Khor tried hard doubled their lead around nessed three penalties and also host matches up to and including the semi session in either session. unleashed a long-range to draw level, but Qatar SC the hour mark when striker two of them resulted in final at this year’s FIFA Arab Cup. However, Qatar SC volley into the Al Khor net held fort in the remaining Soria, who is back at The goals.

A player in action during the WTT Contender at Lusail Sports Hall in this file photo. Doha to stage WTT Star Contender this month THE PENINSULA – DOHA World Ranking points and safe for all involved, with history in Qatar, we are WTT Star Contender a $200,000 prize purse. all athletes, staff, officials, excited to welcome the events sit in the third tier World Table Tennis (WTT) Table tennis fans can and media required to return of the event and of the WTT Series, as part will make its return to once again look forward to undergo routine PCR bring together some of the of the revamped event Doha with a second WTT a whole new presentation testing, maintain social dis- best players in the world to structure that WTT, a com- Star Contender this month, of table tennis with the tancing and wear masks at compete at the highest level mercial and events sub- following its successful eight-sided court and cen- all times. again. sidiary of the ITTF, has debut there earlier this tralised TV production and President of Qatar Table “It is a good oppor- created. As part of WTT’s year with the WTT Middle some of the worlds best Tennis Association and tunity for Doha to again commitment to host events East Hub. players on show that cap- International Table Tennis host a WTT event, due to in the second half of 2021, To be held at the Lusail tivated a global audience in Federation (ITTF) Deputy the best Asian players WTT Contender Budapest Sports Arena from Sep- March. Amid the ongoing President, Khalil Al already committed to is set to become the first- tember 20-25, WTT Star COVID-19 pandemic, Mohanndi, said: “Following travel Qatar. Because of ever WTT Series event in Contender Doha will be stringent COVID-19 man- our success with the WTT the pandemic we need to Europe when it gets the third WTT event in agement measures will Middle East Hub in March maximise events when underway at the Budapest Qatar in 2021 and offers continue to be in place to where we played our part international travel is still Olympic Sports Hall on 600 ITTF Table Tennis ensure the events remain in making table tennis so difficult.” August 15. MONDAY 6 SEPTEMBER 2021 SPORT 19 Rally of : Al Attiyah, Baumel finish second Infantino visits elite referees camp in Doha

QNA – DOHA

FIFA President Gianni Infantino, yesterday visited the elite referees camp at the Qatar Football Association. Infantino inspected the elite referees’ refinement course, praising the events, participating referees and lecturers, and the great support provided by the Qatar Football Association (QFA) to develop refereeing. The course is organized by the Refereeing Department of the Qatar Football Association, with the participation of (65) elite referees, and with the participation of referees lecturers from the sister Arab federations (Syria - Palestine - Djibouti). Infantino was accompanied by Adviser to the Pres- ident of the Federation and Deputy Secretary-General of FIFA, Matthias Grafstrom, and the famous French coach Arsene Wenger. Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah and his co-driver Mathieu Baumel finished overall second in the Rally of Lebanon - 3rd round of Middle East Championship (MERC) which concluded yesterday. The 2021 edition of the rally saw competitors from 27 countries in action. In the MERC 2 category, Qatari navigator Nasser Saadon Alkuwari and Kuwaiti driver Meshari Al Thefiri achieved the 3rd position. The Championship which flagged off with the Qatar International Rally in January had its second stop at Jordan Rally in May and will now move on to the 2021 Kuwait International Rallly scheduled for November 4-6 before Oman Rally which will wrap up the championship in December (9-11). Verstappen thrills home crowd with dominant Dutch GP win

REUTERS – ZANDVOORT, Red Bull’s Max F1 DUTCH GRAND NETHERLANDS Verstappen PRIX RESULTS celebrates on (TOP 10) Max Verstappen won his the podium after home Dutch Grand Prix for winning the race. 1. Max Verstappen, Red Bull yesterday and took Netherlands, Red Bull Racing, England’s Jesse Lingard the Formula One champi- 72 laps, 1:30:05.395. celebrates after scoring onship lead in front of a 2. Lewis Hamilton, Great their first goal. roaring, dancing army of Britain, Mercedes, 72, +20.932 fans hailing their hero with seconds. orange flags and flares. 3. Valtteri Bottas, Finland, The 23-year-old dom- Mercedes, 72, +56.460. inated from pole position to 4. Pierre Gasly, France, Lingard double take the chequered flag, in the first Dutch Grand Prix Alphatauri, 71, +1 lap. for 36 years, 20.932 5. Charles Leclerc, Monaco, helps England seconds ahead of Mercedes’ Ferrari, 71, +1 lap. seven-times world 6. Fernando Alonso, Spain, champion Lewis Alpine, 71, +1 lap. ease past Andorra Hamilton. 7. Carlos Sainz Jr, Spain, Hamilton’s Finnish Ferrari, 71, +1 lap. REUTERS – LONDON team mate Valtteri Bottas 8. Sergio Perez, Mexico, Red completed the podium, Bull Racing, 71, +1 lap. Jesse Lingard returned to the scoresheet for England moving up to third in the 9. Esteban Ocon, France, for the first time in three years with two goals in his championship, with the rest Alpine, 71, +1 lap. side’s 4-0 win over Andorra in a one-sided World Cup of the field all lapped by 10. Lando Norris, Great qualifier yesterday. Verstappen. Britain, McLaren, 71, +1 lap. The Manchester United forward opened the scoring Hamilton took a bonus in the 18th minute and struck again late on after Harry point for the fastest lap but over the roar of the crowd. the 70,000-strong crowd fourth for AlphaTauri with Lando Norris completing Kane had finally doubled England’s lead with a 72nd- Verstappen overturned a “Obviously, the expec- for its passion and enthu- Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc the top 10. minute penalty. three-point deficit to go tations were very high siasm. “What a race, what fifth and Fernando Alonso Mercedes continued to Bukayo Saka gave a more realistic reflection to three points clear of Ham- going into the weekend and a crowd,” he said. sixth for Renault-owned lead the constructors’ England’s total domination against the Pyrenees prin- ilton, with 224.5 to the it’s never easy to fulfil that, “It’s been an amazing Alpine. championship with 344.5 cipality when he headed in a fourth goal on his 20th Briton’s 221.5. but I’m of course so happy weekend. Max did a great Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz points to Red Bull’s 332.5. birthday. The victory was Ver- to win here, to take the lead job, congratulations to was seventh with Red Bull’s AlphaTauri’s Japanese England’s victory in their first match at Wembley stappen’s seventh in 13 as well in the championship him. I gave it absolutely Mexican Sergio Perez rookie Yuki Tsunoda and since the heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat by races, with nine rounds as well. everything today, flat out. Driver of the Day after Haas’s Nikita Mazepin were Italy in the Euro 2020 final in July maintained their remaining, and set off a “It’s just an amazing I pushed as hard as I could racing back to eighth from the only retirements. 100% record in qualifying for next year’s World Cup gigantic beachside party. day. Just the whole crowd, but they were just too a pitlane start. Esteban The Italian Grand Prix in Qatar. “As you can hear, it’s It’s incredible.” quick for us.” French Ocon took two points for at Monza follows next They top Group I with 15 points, six ahead of incredible,” said the winner Hamilton also hailed driver Pierre Gasly was Alpine with McLaren’s weekend. Albania who beat Hungary 1-0.

Elina Svitolina in action. US Open: American Rogers upsets number one Barty

REUTERS – NEW YORK

Alexander American Shelby Rogers staged Zverev of a comeback for the ages shocking world number one Germany in Ash Barty 6-2, 1-6, 7-6(5) on action against Saturday in the third round of Jack Sock of the the US Open. USA. Svitolina The 43rd-ranked Rogers recovered from a 5-2 deficit in sees off the third set to push the affair Zverev advances to fourth into a tiebreak, securing the biggest upset of the tournament round after Sock retires Halep thus far in front of an electric New York crowd inside Arthur REUTERS – NEW YORK world number one Ashe Barty REUTERS – NEW YORK Ashe Stadium. as Sock got the party started “I just tried to fight for every Fourth seed Alexander Zverev again taking the opening set World number five Elina point. That’s so cliche, I’m sorry. advanced to the fourth round from a flat-footed Zverev with Svitolina produced a solid You guys were awesome. I of the US Open on Saturday, a barrage of big serves and performance to dispatch didn’t want to leave,” said when Jack Sock retired with a thundering forehands. Simona Halep 6-3 6-3 in the Rogers. thigh injury trailing 3-6, 6-2, But the atmosphere quickly fourth round of the US Open “I just said you know make 6-3, 2-1. turned serious after Zverev held yesterday. balls, try to stay in this match, Zverev had looked to be serve to open the second set and The 12th-seeded Romanian can’t get any worse, you lost to headed for a long night against Sock called for the trainer who Ashleigh Barty of Australia greets Shelby Rogers of the USA (right) won an epic 33-shot rally in the her every time. So, try some- the big-hitting Sock, who con- immediately went to work on after their US Open third round match played at USTA Billie Jean second game but a dozen thing different.” There were vincingly won the opening set, his right thigh and groin. unforced errors in the first set early signs of trouble for heavy King National Tennis Center yesterday. but instead outlasted the With Sock hobbling Zverev handed Svitolina the upper favorite Barty, who handed American who refused to wave stepped up his attack rolling hand. The Ukrainian fended off Rogers a break with four double Up two breaks in the final harder I hit the ball, the better the white flag until broken in the through the second set with little two break points to hold serve faults in the third game, and got set, Barty appeared poised to she hit,” said Rogers, the only fourth knowing there was not resistance. in the seventh game, prompting fewer than half of her first walk away with the win but American woman remaining in way back. Sock, however, would not a frustrated Halep to fling her serves in as she committed 17 couldn’t hang on as her stellar the tournament. “I would have been planning quit, continuing to the third and racquet to the ground. unforced errors during the first 2021 crashed to an end. It was the second major my holiday in the South of grimly holding the German at Svitolina kept up the set. An astonished Rogers held upset of the women’s tour- France if Jack continued the bay until he finally broke momentum in the second set, The Wimbledon champion her hands to her face as she nament at Flushing Meadows, way he played in the opening through with a break to get in producing three aces and found her form in the second clinched the match, defeating after 18-year-old Leylah Fern- set,” said Zverev. “It’s difficult front 5-3. winning more than 80% of her set, getting a critical break in Barty for the first time in six andez defeated four-time to sometimes play someone Determined to finish the first-serve points. She survived the fourth game with a meetings. Grand Slam winner Naomi who was not at 100%." contest, Sock pressed on into the a number of long rallies to forehand winner and again “I was just trying to stay in Osaka on Friday. The Arthur Ashe Stadium fourth but after being broken break the two-time Grand Slam converting on break point in the the point longer than Ash. She Rogers will face Britain’s crowd had barely had a chance 2-1 he lay on the court clutching winner’s serve in the seventh sixth as Rogers whacked the was handling my pace really teen Emma Raducanu in the to catch their breath after at his thigh, then got to his feet game on Arthur Ashe Stadium. ball into the net. well tonight. I felt like the fourth round. Shelby Rogers’s shock upset of and called it a match. Sport MONDAY 6 SEPTEMBER 2021 18 Openers give England strong start to daunting chase at Oval

REUTERS – LONDON stumps, while Burns was on 31 but the tourists recovered after losing three Woakes trapped Jadeja lbw for 17 Both batsmen, however, fell in suc- home side will need to pull off some- wickets, including captain Virat Kohli, and, in his next over, sent back Ajinkya cessive overs -- Thakur edging Root England made a strong start to their thing special today to accomplish a in the morning session. Rahane for a duck in a similar manner. to slip and Pant giving a return catch pursuit of a daunting 368-run victory record chase. Chris Woakes (3-83) was pick of With left-hander Pant at the crease, to Moeen soon after completing his target against India in the fourth Test, Earlier, India’s number eight the English bowlers again, claiming a Root introduced Moeen Ali, who got fifty. which appeared delicately poised batsman Shardul Thakur smashed his match haul of seven wickets to go with Kohli (44) caught at slip six runs shy of Yadav clobbered a couple of sixes, heading into the final day at the Oval second fifty of the match and Rishabh his breezy 50 in the first innings of what could have been the batsman’s while Bumrah smashed four bound- yesterday. Pant his first of the series to help India what is his first Test in 12 months. third fifty in as many innings. aries against a jaded English attack. Openers Haseeb Hameed and Rory post 466, the highest total of the series. After India resumed on 270-3, Thakur had smashed a 36-ball 57 ENGLAND: 290 and 77 for 0 Burns guided England to 77 for no loss The 100-run partnership between England captain Joe Root brought back in the first innings and he followed with (Hameed 43*, Burns 31*) need 291 more at stumps with the hosts needing 291 Thakur and Pant was followed by Woakes to end Kohli’s 59-run stand a relatively restrained 60, which runs to beat INDIA: 191 and 466 (Rohit runs to go 2-1 up in the five-Test series. cameos from tailenders Umesh Yadav with Ravindra Jadeja, and the seamer included a towering six off Ollie 127, Pujara 61, Thakur 60, Pant 50, Hameed was batting on 43 at (25) and Jasprit Bumrah (24) as the responded with two quick wickets. Robinson. Woakes 3-83)