ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JULY 2-3, 2021 SPORTS 14

Canada rout China 109-79 to reach semi-finals Doncic, Slovenia roll to easy Olympic qualifying win KAUNAS, Lithuania, July 1, (AP): Luka Doncic barely had to play in Slovenia’s Olympic qualifying tour- nament debut. Zoran Dragic scored 16 points, Barty ‘avoids’ upset trend Doncic and Vlatko Cancar each added 13 and Slovenia rolled past Angola 118-68 during qualifying play. Doncic only played 17 min- utes, checking out for good midway through the third quarter. “We had a great start,” Doncic to advance at Wimbledon said. The qualifying tournaments going on this week - taking place in Lithu- Svitolina overpowered as Zverev cruises into 3rd round ania, Croatia, Serbia and Canada - will determine the fi nal four teams Canada’s RJ Barrett looks to shoot in the men’s fi eld for the Tokyo past China’s Zijie Shen during the Olympics. Group play runs through first half of a FIBA men’s Olympic WIMBLEDON, England, Thursday, followed by semifi nals on basketball qualifying game, on July 1, (AP): Top-ranked Saturday at all four sites and fi nals a June 30, in Victoria, British Colum- Ash Barty advanced to the day later. bia. (AP) third round of a Wimble- The winners of those four games on Sunday, one team from each site, Venezuela 94, South Korea 80 don women’s draw deplet- will be the fi nal additions to the Venezuela had a 21-point lead ed of other top contenders Olympic tournament. in the third quarter trimmed to one before hanging on to defeat South by beating Anna Blinkova Korea. 6-4, 6-3 Thursday. BASKETBALL Venezuela led 59-38 early in the No. 3-seeded Elina Svitolina be- third before South Korea went on a came the latest upset victim, and Yanick Moreira scored 15 points 26-6 run, drawing within 65-64 on a eight of the top 11 players in the for Angola, which was eliminated 3-pointer from Byeon Junhyeong late WTA rankings are out of the tour- from Olympic contention with the in the quarter. But Venezuela never loss. lost the lead, and outscored the South nament due to defeat, withdrawal Koreans 29-16 in the fi nal 11 minutes. or injury. Canada 109, China 79 Heissler Guillent led Venezuela Barty avoided an exit by overcom- Andrew Wiggins scored 20 points ing an uncharacteristically unreliable with 17 points, while Pedro Chourlo and Canada saw seven players reach and Michael Carrera each had 16. serve. She committed nine double- double fi gures on the way to an easy faults, including three in the fi rst game, win over China and a berth in this Mexico 72, Russia 64 and was broken three times. But she weekend’s semifi nals of the qualifi er Mexico outscored Russia 19-7 also hit 33 winners to 12 for Blinkova. at Victoria. in the third quarter, the decisive 10 “Not my best serving day,” Barty minutes in what became an eight- said. “I was just out of rhythm a little Canada had a huge 55-37 edge in rebounds. RJ Barrett scored 16 point win. bit. Some days you feel like you’re 8 Francisco Cruz scored 21 points feet tall and you can’t miss the box. points and Andrew Nicholson scored 14 for the winners, who will play a for Mexico. Semen Antonov led Other days, like today, you feel like Russia with 13 points. you’re 3-foot-nothing. It’s certainly semifi nal game on Saturday and are now two wins away from making the Mexico trailed 38-31 early in the nothing that will concern me over a third quarter, then fi nished on a 41- longer period.” Tokyo Games. Hu Mingxuan scored 24 points 26 run. Australia’s Ashleigh Barty plays a return to Russia’s Anna Blinkova during the women’s singles second round for China, which is seeking a 10th Brazil 94, Croatia 67 TENNIS match on day four of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, on July 1. (AP) consecutive Olympic berth - and Rafael Hettsheimer scored 20 now needs to win three consecu- points and Brazil rolled into a semi- Barty, the 2019 French Open cham- tive games to make the Tokyo fi nal spot. Bruno Caboclo added 17 pion, needs two more wins to become Games. points for Brazil, which is now off a Wimbledon quarterfi nalist for the Japan still unsure about spectators until Saturday. fi rst time. Turkey 87, Czech Republic 70 Furkan Korkmaz scored 20 points Bojan Bogdanovic scored 16 for Svitolina lost to Magda Linette of TOKYO, July 1, (AP): Japan Prime Min- the infections that may require another Dr. Mitsuo Kaku, a medical advisor Croatia. Poland, who earned the biggest victory and Turkey moved into the semifi - ister Yoshihide Suga was still uncertain state of emergency even during the for the Tokyo metropolitan government, Serbia 83, Philippines 76 of her career, 6-3, 6-4. Linette, ranked whether fans can be allowed at the Tokyo games starting on July 23. told a weekly meeting on Thursday that nals, closing the game on a 19-9 run 44th, had never before beaten a top-15 Olympics because of growing concern “I have made clear that having no Tokyo is turning into a “critical situa- over the fi nal 6:25. Boban Marjanovic had 25 points player in a completed match. Linette had about rising COVID-19 cases on Thurs- spectators is a possibility,” Suga said tion” as the upsurge is triggered by the Melih Mahmutoglu scored 13 and 10 rebounds as Serbia moved 28 winners to just eight for Svitolina, a day only three weeks before the games. as he noted Tokyo’s rising caseloads. delta variant. A two-month-long state of points, Ersan Ilyasova had 12 and into the semifi nals with a hard- semifi nalist at Wimbledon two years ago. Cases in Tokyo have been steadily on “We will take steps as we prioritize emergency in Tokyo and other metro ar- Cedi Osman added 11 for Tur- fought win. Svitolina said such upsets refl ect the the rise, triggering fears the games would safety and security of the people.” eas was downgraded by Suga on June 21 key. Tomas Satoransky scored Ognjen Dobric added 16 for the state of the women’s game. accelerate the spread of the coronavirus. Tokyo on Wednesday confirmed to less-stringent measures that focus on 15 points and Jan Vasely had a winners. Kakou Ange Franck Wil- Back on Centre Court, Coco Gauff Experts warn the highly contagious delta 673 new cases, the 12th straight day of shortened hours for bars and restaurants 13-point, 11-rebound night for the liams Kouame led the Philippines beat an opponent twice her age to strain could trigger rapid resurgence of a week-on-week increase. until July 11. Czech Republic. with 17 points. reach the third round at Wimbledon. The 17-year-old American defeated Krejcikova extended her winning 34-year-old Russian veteran Elena streak to 14 matches by beating Andrea Nigeria will try and end a winless drought for African teams Vesnina 6-4, 6-3 to keep her on track Petkovic 7-5, 6-4. Krejcikova seeks to for making another run into the second become the fi rst woman since Serena week at the All England Club. Williams in 2015 to win Roland Gar- US women’s hoops looks for seventh consecutive gold medal French Open champion Barbora ros and Wimbledon back to back. A former Wimbledon doubles TOKYO, July 1, (AP): Diana Taurasi fi ed Team. Only host Japan has beaten the bronze medal game on Aug. 7 and the champion, Krejcikova is making her and Sue Bird will try and become the the U.S. in an Olympics, topping the gold medal contest the next day to close tournament debut in the singles draw. fi rst players ever to win fi ve Olympic Americans in 1976, the inaugural ap- out the Olympics. In men’s play, fourth-seeded Alexan- gold medals in basketball when the pearance of women’s basketball. Some other things to watch for at the der Zverev hit 13 aces, lost only 12 points United States women’s team begins If the women can capture another gold Olympics in women’s basketball: on his serve and advanced to the third play at the Tokyo Games. The pair has medal in Tokyo, they would match the Besides the U.S. team, many of the round by beating Tennys Sandgren 7-5, been an integral part of the U.S. run of U.S. men’s team that won seven con- other countries are led by WNBA stars. 6-2, 6-3. Zverev was the U.S. Open run- six consecutive golds at the Olympics. secutive golds from 1936-68. Half of the Australian roster, led by Liz ner-up in 2020 and a semifi nalist at last Taurasi and Bird both played with Cambage, is currently in the WNBA. month’s French Open, but he has never Dawn Staley on the 2004 Olympic The Opals are led by Phoenix Mer- been past the round of 16 at Wimbledon. team. Staley helped start this unprec- BASKETBALL cury coach Sandy Brondello. Some Britain advanced three men to the edented run with the 1996 squad and of the other WNBA players in the third round for the fi rst time in 22 now is the fi rst Black head coach of the While there are no guarantees, it Olympics include Emma Meesseman years. Cameron Norrie received a women’s national team after being an would take a monumental upset for the (Belgium), Kia Nurse (Canada), Ma- standing ovation on Court 1 when he assistant for the last two Olympics. team not to come home with gold. rine Johannès (France), Astou Ndour won to join Andy Murray and Dan It’s been 25 years of dominance for The competition for the other two (Spain), The WNBA will be on an Evans in the round of 32 by sweeping the Americans in the Olympics. They’ve medals is wide open with Australia, Olympic break from July 15-Aug. 11. won 49 consecutive games on the biggest Belgium, France, Canada, Serbia and Nigeria will try and end a winless wild card Alex Bolt 6-3, 6-1, 6-2. In this Aug. 11, 2012 file photo, No. 7 Matteo Berrettini beat Botic international stage. No team has come Spain all having a shot at reaching the United States’ Diana Taurasi drought for African teams at the Olym- van de Zandschulp 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (4). within single digits of the U.S. since podium. Serbia just beat France to win pics since the 2004 Athens Games. The Germany’s Alexander Zverev cele- bites her gold medal after beating No. 13 Gael Monfi ls lost to Pedro Mar- Russia lost in the semifi nals of the 2004 the Eurobasket championship. France in the women’s gold medal African nation went 1-5 that year and brates winning a point against Ten- Athens Games - the fi rst Olympics that The Olympics switched to three pools no team from that continent has won a nys Sandgren of the US during the tinez 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (5). basketball game at the 2012 Sum- men’s singles second round match American Shelby Rogers matched Taurasi and Bird played in - 66-62. of four teams for the Tokyo Games. mer Olympics, in London. (AP) game since. There are hopes for that to on day four of the Wimbledon Ten- her best Wimbledon result by reaching The Americans haven’t dropped an South Korea, Serbia, Canada and Spain potentially change: Nigeria went 3-4 at nis Championships in London, on the third round when she beat No. 15 Olympic contest since 1992 when they are in Group A. Joining the U.S. in Group lia, Puerto Rico, China and Belgium are the World Champions in 2018, falling July 1. (AP) Maria Sakkari 7-5, 6-4. were beaten in the semis by the Uni- B are France, Nigeria and Japan. Austra- in Group C. Games begin on July 26 with to the U.S. in the quarterfi nals.