Nadal edges close to setting an ATP record as the first player to win the same event 12 times at the Barcelona Open

SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 2019 MERC leader Attiyah dominates with fastest time in Jordan Rally Abdulaziz al Kuwari and Abu Samra hold second and third overall; Kuwait’s Thefiri comfortably ahead in MERC 2

Qatar’s Nasser Saleh al Attiyah was in rampant form in Jordan for Dead Sea and Jordan Valley Rallies. TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK RESULT lieved at the same time. I am pain barrier with steering issues DEAD SEA (J2ORDAN) glad we made it to the service at after a puncture. He and expe- 2019 Jordan Rally – positions after SS11 (unofficial 14.8sec the end. I have a problem with rienced Italian co-driver Nicola NASSER Saleh al Attiyah and @17.30hrs): 7. Zakariya Al-Aufi (OMN)/Ammar Al-Balushi (OMN) the throttle sensor. At the end Arena held sixth overall in a Matthieu Baumel were in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX 1hr 48min of the day, I enjoyed it and the Motortune Ford Fiesta R5 until 1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Matthieu Baumel 56.5sec class of their own after 11 spe- (FRA) Volkswagen Pole GTI R5 1hr 26min 21.1sec 8. Henry Kahy (LEB)/Musa Djiyerian (JOR) Škoda Fabia gap is not that much between they retired after eight stages. cial stages of the 2019 Jordan 2. Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Marshall Clarke (GBR) 1hr 56min 57.6sec us,” Abu Samra said. Oman’s Zakariya al Aufi Rally in the Dead Sea and Jor- Škoda Fabia R5 1hr 30min Meshari al Thefiri found was classified in seventh and 42.3sec 2019 Jordan National Rally – positions after SS11 dan Valley areas on Friday. 3. Marouf Abu Samra (JOR)/Malek Hariri (JOR) Ford (unofficial @17.30hrs): himself out alone with a mas- Lebanon’s Henry Kahy guided The Qatari is bidding for a Fiesta R5 1hr 31min 1. Tareq Al-Taher (JOR)/Samer Issa (JOR) Mitsubishi sive MERC 2 advantage of his Škoda Fabia to eighth and record-breaking 13th victory 30.8sec Lancer Evo VI 1hr 50min 5min 13.9sec after fellow Ku- the MERC 3 advantage. at the second round of the FIA 4. Meshari Al-Thefiri (KWT)/Nasser Al-Kuwari (QAT) 28.3sec waiti Saleh Bin Eidan fell by the The Jordanian trio of Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X 1hr 35min 2. Salameh Al-Gammaz (JOR)/Ghaith Wreikat (JOR) Middle East Rally Champion- 28.8sec Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V 1hr 51min wayside with mechanical issues Khaled Juma, Ihab al Shorafa ship (MERC) and guided his 5. Said Al-Mouri (SAU)/Amr Refai (SAU) Mitsubishi 20.4sec after the fifth stage. and Shadi Shaban retired on Autotek-run Volkswagen Polo Lancer Evo X 1hr 40min 3. Ziad Miqdad (JOR)/Husam Jamzawi (JOR) Mitsubishi Saudi Arabia’s Said al Mouri the first loop of stages with GTI R5 to the fastest time on 42.7sec Lancer Evo VII 1hr 58min returned to Jordan for the first turbo, engine and clutch-relat- 6. Alex Feghali (LEB)/Joseph Matar (LEB) Mitsubishi 08.2sec each of the day’s gravel stag- Lancer Evo VIII 1hr 47min time in six years with navigator ed issues. They were joined by es until an alarm ruined his Amr Refai and held fifth over- MERC 3 entrant Asem Aref af- chance of completing a clean all and second in MERC 2 after ter the water splash on the Bap- sweep on the final super special quite happy. It is fantastic to He held second place, 48.5 sec- finding a competitive pace on tism Site stage. HRH Prince Feisal al Hussein of Jordan and Marouf Abu Samra. stage of the day. win all the stages except for the onds in front of the Jordanian the second loop of five stages. Jordanian drivers Salameh The outcome was a massive super special. We are learning a crew of Marouf Abu Samra and Lebanese rookie Alex al Gammaz, Tareq al Taher, reached the night halt 52.1 the Mahes (19.00km), Rawda lead of 4min 21.2sec for the 14- lot with this car,” Attiyah said. Malek Hariri in a Motortune Feghali gained in confidence as Ziad Miqdad, Amjad Anasweh seconds behind leader Taher. (12.68km), Amar (8.56km) and time regional champion and 21 Fellow countryman Ab- Ford Fiesta R5, after both driv- the day progressed, benefiting and Sami Fleifel and Oman’s Amri lost fifth place after stop- Nebo (9.52km) stages before consecutive stage wins in this dulaziz al Kuwari made a slow ers had lost time with flat tyres from navigator Joseph Matar’s Zakariya al Amri were entered ping in SS9. the midday regroup and service year’s rally series for the Polo. start on his return to the Hash- on the second loop. Kuwari also experience, to reach the night in the National Rally. Gham- On Saturday, teams will at the Dead Sea. “Last stage I saw a small emite Kingdom for the first sustained some car damage to- halt in a fine sixth place and mez led from the start before tackle two loops of five spe- All five specials are repeat- alarm. I saw fuel pressure, so time in three years at the wheel wards the end and his rival had third in MERC 2. dropping two minutes on the cial stages, starting with the ed from 1337hrs before the cer- I decide to just go easily. I am of a Škoda Fabia R5 with Brit- throttle issues. Qatar’s Nasser Khalifa al super special stage in the un- 11.74km of the Suwayma stage emonial finish at the Dead Sea happy we are here now. I am ish co-driver Marshall Clarke. “I am feeling good and re- Atya battled on through the official results. The local driver at 09.36hrs. Crews then tackle from 1800hrs. Al Rayyan bag Asian Club volleyball bronze medal

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK RESULTS & STANDINGS DOHA Results Final standings AL Rayyan Club added the Final Rank Panasonic Panthers (Japan) lost to Shahrdari Varamin 1. Shahrdari Varamin (Iran) Asian Men’s Club Volleyball (Iran) 25–20 25–16 22–25 20–25 14–16 2. Panasonic Panthers (Japan) Championship bronze medal to 3rd place 3. Al Rayyan Club (Qatar) their cupboards as they handed Al Rayyan (Qatar) beat Chennai Spartans (India) 25–23 4. Chennai Spartans (India) a 3-0 blowout to Chennai Spar- 25–19 25–16 5. Sri Lanka Ports Authority (Sri Lanka) 5th place 6. Taichung Bank (Chinese Taipei) tans of India in the third place Taichung Bank (Chinese Taipei) lost to Sri Lanka Ports 7. TP.HCM (Vietnam) playoff on Friday. Authority (Sri Lanka) 16–25 25–20 24–26 8. Queensland Pirates (Australia) At the University of Taipei 25–19 9–15 9. Polri Samator (Indonesia) (Tianmu) Gymnasium, the Qa- 7th place 10. Est Cola (Thailand) Queensland Pirates (Australia) lost to TP.HCM (Vietnam) 11. TNC Kazchrome (Kazakhstan) tari team faced a tricky situa- 25–22 22–25 24–26 25–21 11–15 12. Galkan (Turkmenistan) tion. They were a bit downcast 13. Dragon (Hong Kong) after having come so close to their third final but lost the five- and Raja Naveen. clinched the set 25-19 to forge set thriller to Japan’s Panasonic Both sides got off to a thrill- 2-0 ahead. Panthers. And their opponents ing start and were on the heels The third set turned out to in the hardline match were the of each other. GS Akhin and Je- be one-way traffic as Rychlicki same outfit who had stunned rome produced solid blocks to and Costa joined forces in pen- them in a pool round-robin help Chennai level 19-19, but af- etrating the Indian defence with match earlier. ter that the Qataris roared back their spectacular smashes for However, Al Rayyan Club, with sharp hits and powerful the team’s 23-14 lead. Al Rayy- the reigning double Arab club jump serves by Rychlicki to win an allowed the rivals two more winners and twice runners- Al Rayyan spikers in action against Chennai Spartans of India in the bronze medal match of the Asian Men’s Club Volleyball Championship. the hard-fought set 25-23. points before capturing the set up in successive appearances Chennai Spartans still 25-16, the match and the bronze (2013 & 2014), lifted both their 13th overall title and a fourth fifth set we needed to attack a mission - we try to do our best bronze medals. found the rivals a tough nut to medal. game and spirit and vented out consecutive final for an Iranian little more against the Japan every time. So, the best today is Al Rayyan remained of- crack in the second set. The Qa- Kamil Rychlicki led Al their anger with a 25–23 25–19 club. team. we took the victory and got the fensively strong with the likes taris took a narrow 17-15 lead Rayyan with 20 points, includ- 25–16 triumph. After the sweet revenge, “I think we need some more third place,” the Brazilian tacti- of the 206-cm tall and power- and stretched it to 24-19, cour- ing 17 kills and team-leading Shahrdari Varamin contin- Al Rayyan Club coach Carlos experience. We need these kind cian added. ful hitter Kamil Rychlicki from tesy of their consistent play and two blocks, while Vinith Jerome ued Iran’s domination, though Schwanke commented, “Every of championships to gain more For a Qatari club, this was Luxembourg, Brazilian Marcus exceptional tactics including was the lone Indian player who they staged a dramatic come- time we are on the court, we experience. I think the third the 10th medal in the champi- Costa and Birama Faye, while terrific jump serves and attacks scored in double digits - 10 back from 0-2 down to pull off want more, but in our loss to position in one big tournament onship. Earlier, Al Arabi Club the Indians were strengthened from Rychlicki. With scintillat- points - for Chennai Spartans. a gritty 20-25 16-25 25-22 25- Panthers in the semi-finals, we like this is not that bad. Actu- won the title in 2012, besides se- by Latvian Sorokins Ruslans, ing blocks by Youssef Oughlaf It included eight spikes from 18 20 16-14 triumph. This was the fought to the last points. In the ally, we came here with just one curing three silver and as many hard-attacking Vinith Jerome and Birama Faye, Al Rayyan attempts. Sports Saturday, April 27, 2019 13

Amir Cup Shooting & Archery

Ali al Yazidi won the gold medal in archery during the Amir Cup shooting & archery compeetition at the Losail Shooting Range on Friday. Ibrahim al Muhannadi came in second place while Abdul Aziz al Abbadi completed the podium. Mohammed Taher, Chairman of the Organising Committee, Ibrahim al Mohannadi and al Anoud al Nuaimi crowned the winners.

Sharma stars Salmeen showjumps to Big Tour as Mumbai hand Chennai wins in Hathab final round rare home loss AFP SCOREBOARD CHENNAI

Big Tour, Table A, Two rounds with jump off (1st Rnd), Money: QR 5,000 MUMBAI Indians captain Rohit Art. 273.3.4.1+ 4.4, 130/145 cm, Prize-Money: 1. Ghanim Nasser al Qadi. Horse: Henrico. Time: 52.94 Sharma hit his first IPL half cen- QR15,000 secs. Prize: QR1,250 tury of the season Friday as his 1. Salmeen Sultan al Suwaidi. Horse: Cantaro 32. Time: 2. Khalifa Abdulla al Khaldi. Dusty. 54.77 secs. 72.01secs. Prize: QR4,200 QR1,000 side inflicted a rare home defeat 2. Nasser al Ghazali. Aslan 69. 73.73 secs. QR3,375 3. Ghanim Nasser al Qadi. Fudine. 57.89 secs. QR 750 on champions Chennai Super 3. Faleh Suwead al Ajami. Carport. 75.17 secs. Kings. QR2,625 Future riders, Table A, One round against the clock, Without inspirational cap- Art. 238.2.1, 85/100 cm Medium Tour, Table A, Two rounds with jump off (1st 1. Mutlaq Ali al Hajri. Horse: Super Girl. Time: 48.14 tain M.S. Dhoni and key all Rnd), Art. 273.3.4.1+ 4.4, 120/130 cm, Prize-Money secs. rounder Ravindra Jadeja miss- QAR 10,000 2. Tamim Nasser al Qadi. Golden Grove Solitaire . 48.41 ing through illness, the Super 1. Mohammed Saeed Haidan. Horse: Apple Bee. Time: secs. 58.98 secs. Prize: QR2,500 3. Saoud Saqr al Hajri. Mickey Blue Eyes. 51.14 secs. Kings were never in the chase 2. Saeed Nasser al Qadi. Daydreamer EC. 62.45 secs. for Mumbai’s 155-4. QR2,000 Future riders, Table A, One round against the clock, Big-hitting Australian Shane 3. Mohammed Sultan al Suwaidi. Numero Uno T. 64.21 Art. 238.2.1, 70/85 cm Watson was out attempting a secs. QR1,500 1. Hamad Adel al Saegh. Horse: Joly’s Arno. Time: 29.62 secs. half-volley just five balls into the Small Tour, Table A, Two rounds with jump off (1st 2. Fahad Abdulkarim Abed. Kashmir. 30.42 secs. innings and Chennai crashed to Rnd), Art. 273.3.4.1+ 4.4, 100/115 cm, Prize- 3. Abdullah Khalid al Bukhari. Emma. 32.43 secs. 109 all out giving their foes a 46- run win. It was Chennai’s first Haidan and 14-year-old mare hurdles in 52.94 secs. Khalifa defeat at their Chepauk stadium Big Tour winner of Hathab-12, Apple Bee secured their sec- Abdulla al Khaldi and Dusty since May 2015 when Mumbai Salmeen Sultan al Suwaidi in ond successive victory. The finished second, ahead of also came out on top. action on his horse Cantaro 32 at duo finished the round fast- Ghanim Nasser al Qadi and Victory would have made Big Tour podium finishers with Badr al Darwish, Secretary-General of Qatar and Asian Equestrian Federa- the Al Shaqab equestrian arena est in 58.98 secs, well ahead Fudine. the three-time champions the tions. on Friday. of runner-up Saeed Nasser al The QR1.3mn equestrian first side to qualify for the play- Qadi astride Daydreamer EC, series, which was launched offs but Mumbai held up that TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK Al Shaqab on Friday. winners in various categories romped to victory in 72.01 who came home in 62.45 secs. last year, has received over- charge. Sharma hit 67 off 48 DOHA Suwaidi, who also won the will be declared on Saturday seconds, with the rider pick- Mohamed Sultan al Suwaidi whelming response and the balls to anchor his side’s in- Big Tour class on the opening with riders having collected ing up QR4,200 in prize- took third spot with Numero competition has gained im- nings, while veteran Sri Lanka SALMEEN Sultan al Su- day on Thursday, repeated the points from the last rounds. money. Nasser al Ghazali Uno T in 64.21 secs. mense popularity. bowler Lasith Malinga took 4-37 waidi underlined his status feat on Friday on his 19-year- Salmeen al Suwaidi in- was second astride Aslan 69, The Small Tour was won On Saturday, the com- off less than four overs. as showjumping rider with a old grey gelding Cantaro 32 to creased his chances of overall followed by Faleh Suwead al by Ghanim Nasser al Qadi petitions will be held in both “We had to scrap for every stellar show in the 12th and convincing win. Big Tour title with back-to- Ajami on Carport in third. astride his 12-year-old geld- showjumping and dressage, run and every wicket, you can’t final round of the National After six months of gruel- back wins. In the Medium Tour, ing Henrico. The duo was after which the overall win- ask for much more,” said Shar- equestrian series Hathab at ling competition, the overall Suwaidi and Cantaro 32 the pair of Mohamed Saeed in top form and cleared the ners will be crowned. ma after the game. Unfair for Ajax to rest while Spurs Al Arabi beat Umm Salal to clinch play on weekend, says Pochettino spot in Amir Cup quarter-final REUTERS Saturday is a derby, playing for LONDON big things, the concentration and effort is massive. You can QNA TOTTENHAM Hotspur man- have some problems. DOHA ager Mauricio Pochettino said “But it’s not a complaint. it was unfair their Champions The fact is I think it’s not fair. AL Arabi defeated Umm Salal League semi-final opponents If it was the opposite where we 3-1 to enter the quarter-final Ajax Amsterdam had the week- had one week to prepare for the of the Amir Cup on Friday at end off to prepare for the tie semi-final and Ajax play Sat- Grand Hamad Stadium. while the Premier League side urday, I would think the same, In the match played on plays a crucial derby game that it’s not fair for them.” their home turf, Arabi were by against West Ham United. Tottenham manager Mauricio Tottenham will look to pre- far the better side, and could Ajax were set to play De Pochettino. (REUTERS) serve their 100 percent record have won by a bigger margin Graafschap on April 28, two at their new stadium when had they been sharper in front days before the first leg in Lon- Premier League is completely West Ham visit on Saturday in of the goal, despite Umm don, leading the Dutch football different to the Dutch league,” the league and Pochettino said Salal putting up a much better association to reschedule all of Pochettino told reporters on their focus was now on bounc- show in the second half. this weekend’s top flight games Friday. ing back from their 1-0 loss at Arabi dominated the pos- to May 15 so league leaders “Football in Europe is com- Manchester City last weekend. session in the first half as Ajax had enough rest between pletely different to England. The The result nearly cost them Umm Salal opted to sit back games. reality is they are going to have third place before their top four and hit on the break, but that “I know the Premier League more time to prepare and avoid rivals failed to take advantage. was a dangerous ploy as the and FA helped us prepare for risk. When you play Saturday Tottenham are currently three likes of Bony, Diego Jardel the semi-final but it’s true, the and Tuesday, and the game on points ahead of Chelsea. and Victor Vazquez had too much quality in them. And their class prevailed in the 29th minute when Al Arabi players celebrate scoring against Umm Salal during their Amir Cup third-round game at the Al Vazquez crossed the ball Arabi Stadium on Friday. Osaka hits back at critics after comeback win into the box with the outside of his right boot, and Bony his opposite number Gregory der much more pressure in rivals some nervy moments AFP “I don’t know why people “I would be lying if I said it somehow managed to beat Gomis had a quiet open- the second period, but they and Omar Rabah made it 3-1 STUTTGART are saying I am having a bad didn’t bother me. You can tell Essa Shaaban Jaaferi with his ing period as Arabi defence, scored a second goal in the in the 79th. season,” she said. “I won the because I get antsy on court, header. manned by Ibrahim Majid 65th through captain Ahmed Arabi managed to hold WORLD number one Naomi Australian Open, right?” whereas before, if I made a mis- The cross had no power and Morteza Mohammed Ibrahim. on but Heimir Hallgrimsson Osaka has hit back at her crit- Despite securing her take, I would just act on it.” and Bony was so far out, and comfortably dealt with Umm Bony cushion headed would know that they have ics after fighting to a dramatic second Grand Slam title in “When I am at my best, I there was no chance of him Salals attacking threat that Vazquezs corner for Ibrahim much tougher quarterfinal comeback win over Donna Melbourne, Osaka had not wake up wanting a new chal- getting much punch but what mainly came in the form of who emphatically finished off opponents in Al Rayyan. Vekic to reach her first career reached a semi-final since lenge. In this phase, I felt like his header lacked in power Yannick Sagbo and Mahmoud with a left-footed volley. In the other game on Fri- clay court semi-final in Stutt- then before her thrilling fight- I was waking up just wanting it more than made up for in Almawas. Substitute Mohamed day, Al Gharafa thumped gart on Friday. back in Stuttgart, having suf- to win.” placement, depositing the ball Arabi continued to cre- Salah rounded the keeper and Al Khor 5-2 to ease into the The 21-year-old Japanese fered early exits in Dubai, In- Osaka said that she had tantalisingly out of the reach ate chances in the second placed the ball into an empty quarter-final. The Cheetahs battled back from 1-5 down in dian Wells and Miami. tried to “think logically” of Jaaferi, in the corner of the half, but worryingly for them, net in the 73rd after a flow- controlled the game and Ab- the final set to beat Vekic 6-3, She admitted that the de- when she found herself on Umm Salal net. Umm Salal was ready to take ing passing move to make it dulaziz Hatem got the first 4-6, 7-6 (7/4) but denied that feats, and the pressure of being the brink of defeat in Fri- The Umm Salal keeper the game to them. 3-0 for Arabi but Umm Salal goal of the game, opening the she was struggling this year. number one, had affected her. day’s quarter-final. had a busy first half while Arabi defence was un- still managed to give their floodgates.