FIRST FINAL TODAY SPORT CRICKET 62 INDIAN ACE PILLAI CHINA CLOSE IN ON SUNDAY, MARCH 2, 2008 SPEAKS HIS MIND WORLD TITLE ★★★ HOCKEY 58 TABLE TENNIS 67

ENDURANCE INSIDE Hamdan POWERBOAT Dementieva has the last laugh VICTORY TEAM leads UAE EMERGE OVERCOMES COMPATRIOT KUZNETSOVA’S CHALLENGE TO WIN TITLE ON DUBAI DEBUT WINNERS sweep in Doha Reigning Class 1 RESULTS Qatar ride World Powerboat Cham- Women’s singles final: Elena Demen- pion Arif Al Zafein of the tieva (RUS) beat Svetlana Kuznetsova BY M. SATYA NARAYAN Dubai Victory Team got (RUS) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. Senior Reporter Women’s doubles final: Cara Black the defence of his title BY ALARIC GOMES (ZIM) and Liezel Huber (US) beat Yan Zi under way in brilliant Senior Reporter and Zheng Jie (CHN) 7-5, 6-2. Abu Dhabi Shaikh Hamdan Bin style winning the Qatar Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Grand Prix, the opening Dubai The Barclays Dubai Maktoum, Crown Prince of round of the 2008 series. Tennis Championships had Dubai, led a 1-2-3 finish for Page 58 a new champion when 11th the UAE in the 120-km FEI seed Elena Dementieva up- CEI three-star Qatar Inter- SOCCER set second seed and tour- national Endurance Cup Al Ahli clinch nament favourite Svetlana held in Doha, Qatar yester- Kuznetsova before an ap- day. final berth preciative audience last Shaikh Hamdan, the re- Abu Dhabi The Khalil night. cent winner of the 160-km brothers led Al Ahli to the Making her Dubai debut, President’s Cup in Abu finals of the President’s Dementieva took firm con- Dhabi, finished first on Cup after combining to trol of the match despite Kishon Zeal with average beat Al Shabab, the lead- being down by a set to win speed of 23.41km for the five- ers of the league, 3-1 at Al 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. stage 120-km event, accord- Maktoum Stadium late on Shaikh Ahmad Bin Mo- ing to a Dubai Equestrian Friday night. Al Ahli, win- hammad Bin Rashid Al Club official. ners of the trophy six Maktoum was the chief engrossing one with De- Shaikh Hamdan was fol- times, will face Al Wasl, guest and presented the mentieva improving with lowed home by Salem the defending champions, trophies in the presence of each game to go clear 4-1. Rashed Bin Ghadayer on at Zayed Sports City on Shaikh Hasher Maktoum, But Kuznetsova bid her Wadhnan while the UAE’s April 14 in the final. Dubai Director of Informa- time and came up with a Ali Ghanim Al Marri was Page 58 tion. break, only to see Demen- third on Cutie. This was the ninth meet- tieva take the set 6-3. All three riders came in a ENDURANCE ing between the two Rus- In the third set, Demen- bunch to complete another Al Subose posts sians with Kuznetsova lead- tieva raced to an early 3-0 dominating display by the ing 5-3 going into last lead with a break in the sec- UAE. dramatic win night’s final. The last time ond. But Kuznetsova came Abu Dhabi Mohammad Ah- the two met was in the back with a break in the mad Ali Al Subose, one semifinal at New Haven last fifth only to lose her serve RESULTS of the most promising year which was also won by in the very next game for 5- Top finishers in the 120-km Qatar Inter- riders in the UAE, scored Kuznetsova when Demen- 2. Dementieve then broke national Endurance Cup: a dramatic win in the tieva retired in the third set. her fellow countrywoman 1. Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin 120-km Abu Dhabi Inter- Aiming for her 10th ca- one last time to win the bat- Rashid Al Maktoum (Kishon Zeal) 5hrs 07 mins 33 secs; national Cup. Ahmad fin- reer title, Kuznetsova start- tle of Russia 6-2 in two 2. Salem Rashed Bin Ghadayer ished third in yesterday’s ed off well as she took the hours and nine minutes. (Wadhnan) 5:07.34; 120-km ride, but the top first set 6-4 in 49 minutes. “I would like to thank all 3. 5:07.35; two riders were eliminat- The set took a lot from the people of Dubai for 4. Uma Mencia Uranga-Spain-(Little Joe Fox) 5:13.30; ed after their horses both the players with each coming out here and sup- KARL JEFFS/Gulf News 5. Shaikh Mayed Bin Mohammad Bin failed the final vet check. of them managing to hold porting me. I love Dubai,” Rashid Al Maktoum (Spendacrest Page 59 their serve once each. the new champion said. Charging in Kamoflage) 5:18.16 The second set was an See also Pages 60 and 61 Russian Elena Dementieva returns to compatriot Svetlana Kuznetsova during the singles final yesterday. Black-Huber tango stuns Chinese duo Win in straight sets against Yung-Jan and Chia-Jung to retain women’s doubles crown

BY ALARIC GOMES Senior Reporter

Dubai Cara Black of Zimbab- we teamed up with Ameri- can Leizel Huber to suc- cessfully defend the dou- bles title at the Barclays Dubai Tennis Champi- onships yesterday. Black and Huber defeat- ed the Chinese pairing of Yung-Jan Chan and Chia- Jung Chuang 7-5, 6-2 and keep the trophy they won here last year. Black and Huber took their time to get their rhythm, and once they got it there was no stopping them from powering to a straight sets win. But that win was not easy and they top seeded duo sent out a strong warning that the Chinese were gain- ing ground at a very fast pace. ‘Different proposition’ MEGAN HIRONS/Gulf News “It’s a completely differ- Teaming up ent proposition, playing Cara Black (left) of Zimbabwe and Liezel Huber of the US in action against Chinese against them compared to players Yung-Jan Chan and Chia-Jung Chuang in the doubles final yesterday. what they were a few years back,” Black warned. “The one thing that bene- Luzzi has become the fifth on Friday, according to a guilty of wagering on the fited us was that they were Italian player to be banned Reuters report from outcome of matches from let down by their first serves. for betting on tennis since Rome. May 2004 and April 2007. But don’t underestimate the a worldwide investigation In a statement, the men’s He has been banned for Chinese players,” she said. was instigated seven governing body said the 200 days and fined $50,000 Meanwhile, Federico months ago, the ATP said 28-year-old had been found (Dh180,000). Top England players on IPL wishlist Pietersen and Flintoff very appealing to our owners, says Twenty20 league chairman Modi

BY SIMON BRIGGS He said: “We would very just seven weeks’ work. carefully, and it said, ‘for much like the English play- Pietersen said he would not now’. But I wouldn’t like to he full scale of the threat ers to participate in our be joining the IPL. “I know get into a controversy and Tto English cricket posed league. All our owners are there is interest and, yes, say who has asked us, and by the billion-dollar Indian determined to have them. there have been offers,” he who hasn’t asked us.” Premier League was revealed “I know a lot of our own- said, “but it’s not something The IPL runs from April to The Daily Telegraph on Fri- ers are in touch with the I’m particularly interested 18 to June 1 this year, clash- day when the man behind it English players. I know in. I love playing for England ing with the first two home said “the majority of the Eng- that the players’ agents and there will be nothing Tests of the upcoming sea- land players have been in have been in touch with that will lure me away from son. Should high-profile contact with us”. me, and I’ve been telling England just yet.” English players find them- Lalit Modi, Chairman of them that we cannot do selves the targets for ag- IPL, has stood by a deal anything for the moment.” Patriotic stance gressive Indian bids, it with the England and Leading England players But Modi suggested could turn the national Wales Cricket Board in such as Kevin Pietersen Pietersen’s patriotic stance team into a battleground. which it was agreed that and Andrew Flintoff could might not be permanent. But Modi hopes to escape England players would not attract huge fees similar to “Both Pietersen and this scenario by finessing be used during its first sea- the £660,000 that the IPL’s Flintoff are very appealing the timetables. son. But he confirmed that Hyderabad franchise prom- to our owners,” he said. “I —The Daily Telegraph the agreement cannot hold. ised Andrew Symonds for read Pietersen’s statement See also Pages 62 and 63 30434988_1_3