Nadal Faces 'Better Than Ever' Tsitsipas in Final
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CCYCLINGYCLING | Page 5 GGOLFOLF | Page 6 Alaphilippe Korda clings to keen to settle one-shot lead accounts in in Los Angeles fi nal classic Open Sunday, April 25, 2021 FOOTBALL Ramadan 13, 1442 AH Mbappe double GULF TIMES at Metz sends PSG top of Ligue 1 SPORT Page 2 HORSE RACING Sheikh Mohamed’s Coeffi ciente wins Prix De La Croix Saint-Ouen Agencies Trained by French maestro smart acceleration to quickly time out for her first run on Compiegne, France Andre Fabre, Coeffi ciente was take the lead, winning by 1¾ a straight track. She has im- steered to success by champion lengths in front of the more ex- proved. She made up for fact jockey Pierre-Charles Boudot. perienced Phaidra, who is trained that the race didn’t really go her oeffi ciente opened her Drawn on the outside of the by Markus Munch and was rid- way through sheer class. She is scorecard for her owner nine-runner fi eld, the bay fi lly den by Mickael Barzalona. The still immature and will improve and breeder His High- dropped in behind the leaders on Carlos Laff on Parias-trained He- with racing.” ness Sheikh Mohamed the outside. roic Star was further 1½ lengths Coeffi ciente is the fi rst runner Cbin Khalifa al-Thani in Comp- Boudot tracked the leaders, behind in third under Arthur and fi rst winner for her dam, Al iegne, France, on Friday. She won keeping his fi lly under cover, Mosse. Reem, who also ran in the colours the Prix De La Croix Saint-Ouen, and Coeffi ciente travelled very “We came here expecting to of Sheikh Mohamed. Al Reem is a a maiden for three-year-old fi l- strongly throughout the race. win,” said Boudot. daughter of the high-class race- Pierre-Charles Boudot (right) rides Coeff iciente to victory in the Prix De La Croix Saint-Ouen in Compiegne, lies over 1,400m, in impressive He unleashed her in the fi nal “The filly did it easily and mare Très Rapide, who was mul- France, on Friday. (Scoopdyga) style. 200m and she showed a very showed class. She ran well last tiple Group placed. TENNIS / BARCELONA OPEN FOOTBALL / AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Coach Xavi ecstatic as Nadal faces Al Sadd stay on course AFC ‘better than ever’ Riyadh l Sadd head coach Xavi was thrilled after his side beat Al Wehdat 2-0 to stay in sight of Athe 2021 AFC Champions League Round of 16. Tsitsipas in fi nal Goals by Santi Cazorla and Ali Asad powered Al Sadd to their second win in Group D, placing ‘It feels great to be back in the final. I will try to redeem myself’ them second with seven points, one behind leaders Al Nassr of Saudi Arabia. Al Sadd will now set their sights on Foolad Khouzestan FC of Iran tomorrow, where anoth- er three points will set them up nicely for the group fi nale against Al Nassr three days later. “I am happy because we got the three points, against a very good team,” said Xavi. “I have to congratulate them ‘cause they played really well, aggressive and Al Sadd coach Xavi Hernandez. organised in defence. “We dominated many parts of young and talented players like attacked together.” the game, and when you score Yusuf. He didn’t only help in the The defeat means Al Wehdat fi rst, it’s much easier to win. We second goal but how he played have no chance of advancing but suff ered a little bit in the second defensively and for the team. I’m head coach Abdullah Abu Zema is half with their corners and cross- happy for the team.” satisfi ed with how his charges have es but I’m happy because we won Nam Tae-hee, named Player performed and will use their fi nal a diffi cult game. of the Match, said team eff ort led two matches to gain experience. “The three points are very the team to the convincing win. “Al Sadd deserved the victory,” important for us, and now that “It was a very tough game but said Zema. “If we had 10 more we’re second in the group, we are I’m happy with the three points. minutes, we could have at least in the race. I’m happy with the The next game will be another fi - secured a draw. performance of the team to win nal and we have to be ready and “I am very satisfi ed as a coach, two games in a row against the work hard together. especially with the team’s grad- same team.” “I just tried to do my best to ual improvement. We are hoping The legendary Spaniard also help the team, and today I think to change this negative result into praised his budding players Yu- our whole team deserved to be a positive thing, as the Jordanian suf Abdurisag and Ali Asad, for the best player. We had a dif- season has yet to begin, we are their exceptional performance. ficult game but we played to- taking this as a preparation stage “We have a good squad with gether, defended together and for the future.” Spain’s Rafael Nadal makes a return during the Barcelona Open semi-final against compatriot Pablo Carreno Busta (not pictured) at the Real Club de Tennis Barcelona yesterday. (Reuters) AFP the Madrid semi-fi nals in 2019. Barcelona, Spain The 22-year-old Greek then recovered from two sets to love down to defeat Nadal in the last afael Nadal trounced eight at the Australian Open in compatriot Pablo Car- February. reno Busta to reach Tsitsipas, winner of his fi rst his 12th Barcelona fi - Masters 1000 event in Monte Rnal where he will face Stefanos Carlo last week, booked his Tsitsipas, the Greek star who place in a second successive fi - stunned the great Spaniard nal when he beat Italian teenag- from two sets down in this year’s er Jannik Sinner 6-3, 6-3 in his Australian Open. semi-fi nal yesterday. Top seed Nadal, an 11-time “It feels great to be back in the champion in Barcelona, eased fi nal. I will try to redeem myself to a 6-3, 6-2 win over world from last time,” said Tsitsipas. number 13 Carreno Busta in 90 Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas in action during his semi-final against Tsitsipas could only convert minutes. Italy’s Jannik Sinner (not pictured) yesterday. (Reuters) one of six break points in the It was Nadal’s eighth win fi rst set but it was enough for in eight meetings against his ners in the semi-fi nal. to be back in a fi nal here at an him to take it in 41 minutes. 29-year-old Davis Cup team- “Not one set lost in Monte historic event, a home event, an He had to save two break mate and his 65th in Barcelona. Carlo and here, so it will be the important one for me.” points at 1-2 in the second be- “Tomorrow will be a very toughest opponent possible. I Nadal defeated Tsitsipas in fore going on to break Sinner tough one. Stefanos is playing hope to be ready. It is going to be the 2018 Barcelona fi nal for the twice to seal the match. probably better than ever,” said a tough one, but I need to be ready loss of just three games. Tsitsipas has now won nine Nadal, who broke serve four to increase my level and let’s see.” However, world number fi ve straight matches without drop- times and hit 13 forehand win- He added: “I’m very happy Tsitsipas beat Nadal on clay in ping a single set. Al Sadd players celebrate a goal during the AFC Champions League match against Al Wehdat on Friday. Gulf Times 2 Sunday, April 25, 2021 FOOTBALL SPOTLIGHT FOCUS Juventus don’t fear European ban aft er Mbappe double sends Super League collapse: Pirlo Reuters Turin, Italy PSG top of Ligue 1 uventus coach Andrea Pirlo says there is a posi- tive atmosphere at the Defending champions are now two points clear of Lille, who visit fourth-placed Lyon today club despite the quick Jcollapse of the planned Super AFP League and insists he has no Paris concerns about the threat of a Champions League ban. The Italian champions were ylian Mbappe scored twice one of 12 clubs to join the break- for the second game in a row away league last Sunday, but it but picked up a thigh injury as fell apart within three days as Paris Saint-Germain climbed eight clubs withdrew follow- Ktop of Ligue 1 yesterday with a 3-1 vic- ing a fi erce public backlash. Juve tory at Metz. The France striker was chairman Andrea Agnelli was rested for the midweek cup rout of An- one of the masterminds behind gers and returned to bolster PSG’s title the project and has since faced hopes as he netted either side of Fabien calls to resign, but Pirlo insists Centonze’s equaliser to send the cham- the mood in the camp is good. pions above Lille. “Agnelli is calm, it is normal However, Mbappe was substituted that he has been talked about a in the closing minutes with a heav- lot during this period. He brings ily strapped thigh, a worrying sign for great enthusiasm every day PSG ahead of Wednesday’s Champions when he comes to the pitch and League semi-fi nal fi rst leg at home to we are relaxed,” Pirlo told a news Manchester City.