NBA | Page 5 CRICKET | Page 7 Warriors sink ‘South Africa ice-cold must prepare Rockets, head for tricky back to fi nals transition’ Wednesday, May 30, 2018 TENNIS Ramadan 14, 1439 AH New mom GULF TIMES Serena back in the Grand Slam groove SPORT Page 2 SPOTLIGHT Qatari athletes gear up for Indonesia Asian Games The Asian Games will be held in Jakarta and Palembang this August with Qatar aiming to better their tally of 10 gold medals won at the 2014 edition in Incheon, South Korea By Sports Reporter fi ve athletes and came back home with Doha a bronze medal through Qatar’s Othman Boularas, who also recently won gold at the World Taekwondo Beach Champi- ive Qatari athletes bound for onships. Huda Mohammed will be Qa- this year’s Asian Games in In- tar’s fi rst-ever Taekwondo (Poomsae) donesia have spoken of their athlete to compete at an Asian Games Fhopes and aspirations during a this summer. panel discussion held under the aegis Speaking about her hopes to inspire of the Qatar Olympic Committee yes- more young female athletes to follow in terday. her footsteps through her performanc- The Asian Games will be held in Ja- es, Huda, said: “I started playing taek- karta and Palembang this August with wondo as a hobby when I was 13; I then Qatar aiming to better their tally of 10 gradually took up the sport profession- gold medals won at the 2014 edition in ally. Many might think that taekwondo Incheon, South Korea. is not a girls’ sport but I highly recom- Sixteen-year-old swimmer Ab- mend girls to try the poomsae because it dulaziz al-Obaidly, World Para-Ath- does not require the athlete to compete letics Champion and Paralympic silver against an opponent. In Poomsae, an medallist Abdelrahman Abdelqader, athlete performs a set of motions and female Taekwondo athlete, Huda Mo- therefore the possibility for injuries is hammed, indoor volleyball player very low.” Othman Abdelwahed and Youth Arab Team Qatar’s indoor volleyball team Champion hammer thrower Rania al- came third in the World Cup qualifi ca- Naji will be amongst a huge Qatari dele- tions 2018 beating the second ranked gation that will see over 250 Team Qatar team in Asia. Othman Abdelwahed is athletes participate across 30 diff erent one of the team members to compete at Rania al-Naji, the 2018 Youth Arab champion in hammer throw. sports. the Asian Games this summer. Speaking Aspiring young swimmer Abdulaziz ahead of the Games, Abdelwahed said: al-Obaidly recently set two new per- “We are heading to the Asian Games sonal bests in the 100m and 200m with a very well experienced team that backstroke during Qatar’s Swimming have competed on an international level Cup 2018. Al-Obaidly has been gaining and achieved a lot. My team and I are strong international experience in this very excited for this summer, hoping to year’s FINA Swimming World Series, come back home with a medal.” which has seen him compete in Sey- Team Qatar’s rising star hammer chelles. Speaking about his prepara- thrower Rania al-Naji recently won a tions and hopes for the Asian Games, gold medal at the youth Arab Champi- al-Obaidly said: onships in Jordan. With the 2019 IAAF “The team and I are getting ready to Promising swimmer Abdulaziz al-Obaidly. World Athletics Championships on the attend two training camps before head- horizon, it is a very exciting time for ing to Jakarta for the Asian Games. I will tinuing to grow in strength since Doha will see fi erce competition in the shot athletics in Qatar and Rania. be the youngest swimmer amongst my hosted the IPC Athletics World Cham- put event. I will be competing against “Hammer throw focuses on mixing teammates at the Games; this makes me pionships in 2015, with teammate Sara the best in Asia, but hopeful to set a new strength, power and the right tech- proud and excited to do my best.” Masoud taking silver at both London personal best. My training in Ramadan niques for a perfect throw. The sport Qatar’s fi rst-ever Para-Athletics 2017 and Rio 2016 and becoming Qa- is intense, I am always aiming for gold requires lots of intense training for an World Champion Abdelrahman Ab- tar’s fi rst-ever global female medallist and I’m looking to add a new medal to athlete to increase their speed in spin- delqader won gold in the T34 shot put in the process will be competing at my collection,” said Abdelqader. ning the hammer. I’m currently work- in London last year after his tremen- the Asian Para Games in Jakarta Octo- Team Qatar’s taekwondo athletes ing on setting the required qualifying dous silver medal, and Qatar’s fi rst-ever ber 2018, which follows the 2018 Asian raised Qatar’s fl ag high in this month’s distance for the Asian Games and that is Paralympic medal, at Rio 2016. Games to be held in August. Asian Championships, which took place through my upcoming training camps,” Huda Mohamed, Qatar’s first-ever Taekwondo (Poomsae) athlete to compete Para-sport in Qatar has been con- “The upcoming Asian Para Games in Vietnam. Team Qatar competed with said Raina. at an Asian Games. Qatar u-21 draw with China in France Qatari players celebrate their goal against China in the 2018 Toulon Tournament (under-21) in France yesterday. At right, a piece of action from the match. Qatar took a 20th minute lead through Ahmed Jenahi but Cong Zhen equalised in the 89th minute for China to clinch a last-gasp draw. Earlier in the tournament, Qatar were beaten 4-1 by Mexico. Qatar will next play England on June 1. Gulf Times 2 Wednesday, May 30, 2018 TENNIS ROUND-UP Serena back in business as Nadal, Sharapova advance ‘It’s been two years since I played here. It wasn’t easy but I have been training really hard. I feel good and just so happy to be back here’ Russia’s Maria Sharapova celebrates after her victory against Nether- land’s Richel Hogenkamp. SPOTLIGHT Sharapova ‘loving the challenge’ aft er French Open scare AFP “I thrive on that. I enjoy that Paris challenge, trying to see how I can bring that out of me.” The fi ve-time Grand Slam wo-time champion winner is only seeded at Roland Maria Sharapova said Garros courtesy of a semi-fi nal she “loves the chal- run in Rome earlier this month lenge” of playing Grand which dragged her back into the SlamT tennis, after surviving a top 30 for the fi rst time since her serious scare to claim a 6-1, 4-6, ban. 6-3 victory over Dutch qualifi er The 31-year-old took just 24 Serena Williams of the US celebrates winning her first round match against Czech Republic’s Kristyna Pliskova at the French Open yesterday. Richel Hogenkamp in her fi rst minutes to win the fi rst set, but French Open match since 2015 threw away a 3-1 lead in the sec- AFP RESULTS CHECK Nadal, bidding for an 11th title in Paris yesterday. ond as world number 133 Ho- Paris and his 17th major, next faces Argentina’s The Russian was refused a genkamp forced a decider. Men 1st rd: Rafael Nadal (ESP x1) bt Simone Zeballos (ARG) bt Yuichi Sugita (JPN) 6-4, 6-7 Guido Pella for a place in the last 32. wildcard by organisers for the “I feel like I got very impatient Bolelli (ITA) 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (11/9) Guido Pella (3/7), 6-4, 6-2 “I really suff ered today but it was a tournament last year, which in the second set for not many erena Williams made a win- (ARG) bt Joao Sousa (POR) 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 Denis Women 1st rd: Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) good test,” said Nadal who had been in took place shortly after her re- reasons,” Sharapova added. ning return to Grand Slam tennis Shapovalov (CAN x24) bt John Millman (AUS) bt Johanna Larsson (SWE) 6-4, 6-3 Daria Gavrilo- danger of dropping his fi rst set at Roland turn from a 15-month doping “She was becoming a lit- which was as memorable as her 7-5, 6-4, 6-2 Maximilian Marterer (GER) bt Ryan va (AUS x24) bt Sorana Cirstea (ROU) 4-6, 7-6 Garros since his 2015 quarter-fi nal loss to suspension. tle bit more consistent, and I body-hugging black catsuit when Harrison (USA) 6-1, 6-3, 7-5 Ruben Bemelmans (7/4), 6-3 Elise Mertens (BEL x16) bt Varvara Lep- Novak Djokovic. Sharapova, the 28th seed, will think I lost a little bit of pace on Sshe reached the Roland Garros second (BEL) bt Yuki Bhambri (IND) 6-4, 6-4, 6-1 chenko (USA) 6-7 (9/11), 7-6 (7/4), 6-0 Aliaksandra Sharapova also survived a serious scare face Croatia’s Donna Vekic in my ball, but I fi nished out six round yesterday. Thomas Fabbiano (ITA) bt Matthew Ebden Sasnovich (BLR) bt Denisa Allertova (CZE) 6-4, to claim a 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 victory over Ho- the second round. straight games. I think if there The 36-year-old downed Kristyna (AUS) 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 Mischa Zverev (GER) 6-3 Kiki Bertens (NED x18) bt Aryna Sabalenka genkamp, ranked 133. She was staring down the is any way to turn that match Pliskova of the Czech Republic 7-6 (7/4), bt Florian Mayer (GER) 6-2, 6-1, 7-6 (7/3) Pablo (BLR) 6-2, 6-1 Zhang Shuai (CHN x27) bt Kristína Sharapova, the 28th seed, will face barrel of falling at the fi rst hur- around, it’s that way.” 6-4 to register her fi rst victory at the Cuevas (URU) bt Aljaz Bedene (SLO) 6-4, 6-3, Kucova (SVK) 6-0, 7-5 Irina Camelia Begu (ROU) Croatia’s Donna Vekic in the second dle in a Grand Slam tournament Sharapova, champion in Par- majors since her 2017 Australian Open 6-2 Kevin Anderson (RSA x6) bt Paolo Lorenzi bt Anna Karolína Schmiedlova (SVK) 6-4, 5-7, round.