OOLYMPICSLYMPICS | Page 6 TTABLEABLE TTENNISENNIS | Page 7 Re-elected Jorgic knocks Bach promises out Calderano ‘safe, secure’ to seal quarters Tokyo Games berth Thursday, March 11, 2021 FOOTBALL Rajab 27, 1442 AH Juventus’ Ronaldo GULF TIMES experiment fl ops with more CL heartache SPORT Page 3 COMMERCIAL BANK QATAR MASTERS Campillo all set for fi rst title defence at Qatar Masters Former champs Fichardt, Harding and Pepperell will also tee up this week, as will 2016 Ryder Cup players Pieters, Sullivan By Yash Mudgal 2021 includes a brace of top-20s, Doha having claimed his maiden Euro- pean Tour title in Dubai late last year. He played well in all three orge Campillo is ready to tournaments staged in the UAE defend a European Tour or Saudi Arabia, which kicked off title for the fi rst time in his the Tour season, and the French- career at the Commercial man bases his game on accuracy JBank Qatar Masters. from tee-to-green. Coetzee, The Spaniard recorded his sec- meanwhile, tied-10th at Royal ond European Tour win when he Greens in Saudi Arabia during defeated Scotland’s David Drys- February and was seventh at Ed- dale in a thrilling fi ve-hole play- ucation City in 2020. off at Education City Golf Club Rising star Rasmus Hojgaard last season — holing three putts arrives in Qatar on the back of from more than 20 feet on the top ten fi nishes at the Omega extra holes. Dubai Desert Classic and Saudi “It’s diff erent (being defend- International and from making ing champion), I’ve never been in his debut in a World Golf Cham- this position before because the pionships event last month. other tournament I won (Trophée “I struggled at the WGC, I Hassan II) I couldn’t defend it. It’s think I got caught up in think- new for me. I have had most of the ing about the result there. It’s a attention this week, but I’m fi ne big event, you want to play well. with it. It’s nice to be the defending I was thinking more about that champion,” Campillo said. instead of producing good golf “I’ve had a long time to think shots. That will be my focus this about the win. I was playing good week,” Hojgaard said. and was ready to go to India to India’s top-ranked golfer try and win another golf tour- Shubhankar Sharma, who fi n- nament, but that was stopped ished T-22 in Dubai, is also back because of the pandemic. It was Jorge Campillo poses with the Mother of Pearl Trophy after winning the 2020 Commercial Bank Qatar in Doha and hoping for an im- hard to come back after the break. Masters at Education City Golf Club. India’s Shubhankar Sharma at the Education City Golf Club yesterday. proved performance. “The play-off stands out the “I think my game is heading most. It was such a great play- ger over Christmas so I felt like in the right direction. Recently, off . Besides all the putts I made, I wasn’t ready at all for the start I played three events, two were I hit some good shots too. David of the season. I still haven’t prac- great one was decent. I went played great and I was glad I tised much with a little baby at back home and worked with my made those putts to keep up in home, and I haven’t found the coaches. Everything looks solid the play-off .” time yet but I’m sure that’ll get and it’s just about going there The 34-year-old was unable to better,” Pieters said. and applying myself tomorrow,” defend the Trophee Hassan II tro- Last year’s new course also Sharma said. phy he won in 2019 after the tour- saw Pieters record his best Qa- The other Indians in the tour- nament was cancelled last year tar fi nish – a tie for 21st – in four nament are Gaganjeet Bhullar due to the global coronavirus pan- tournament starts, and it was a and SSP Chowrasia. demic, with the 2020 Commercial result that could have been better The 144-strong fi eld also in- Bank Qatar Masters proving to be if not for losing strokes around cludes three Qatari amateurs. the fi nal European Tour event be- the green. As it stands in 2021, Ali al-Shahrani qualifi ed as 2021 fore the enforced hiatus. Pieters ranks inside the top 20 on Qatar Open winner while Saleh Former champions Darren Fi- Tour for stroke average. al-Kaabi and Jeham al-Kuwari chardt, Justin Harding and Eddie Two golfers who enjoyed strong got wild cards. Pepperell will also tee up in Doha Golfers practise at the driving range at the ECGC yesterday. PICTURES: Jayaram / Jayan Orma performances during this season’s Meanwhile, the European Tour this week, as will 2016 Ryder Cup Middle East Swing — in January has withdrawn Lorenzo Scalise players Thomas Pieters and Andy made encouraging starts to the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship has also missed just two cuts in week. I’ve actually played some and February — are Antoine Ro- from the 2021 Commercial Bank Sullivan. 2021 Race to Dubai, with Sullivan while Pieters fi nished tenth at the his last 28 European Tour starts. golf these last few weeks which zner and George Coetzee. Qatar Masters after the Italian Both Pieters and Sullivan have fi nishing in a share of 25th at the Saudi International. The Belgian “I’m looking forward to the has been nice. I broke my fi n- Rozner’s confi dent start to tested positive for Covid-19. Commercial Bank Qatar and Education City GC teams triumph in Pro-Am By Sports Reporter bination included professional Doha Oliver Fisher while the other members of the team were Mar- tin Harvey, Abul Rashid Mordiffi ommercial Bank Qatar and Mohamed al-Mansour. and Education City GC In second place was the Com- won the Commercial mercial Bank Qatar team, led by Bank Qatar Masters Pro- professional Dean Burmester, CAm event held yesterday ahead of also comprising former Dutch the European Tour event today. footballer Nigel de Jong, Tarik Al In the evening session at al-Aloosy and Nasser al-Kaabi. the Education City Golf Club The third-placed Qatar Golf (ECGC), Commercial Bank Qa- Association (QGA) team com- tar team, comprising profes- prised Indian professional sional John Catlin, Euan Harvey, Shubhankar Sharma, Nada Mir, Benjamin Coleman and Ali Ba- Uzma Mir and Gregory Gomis. shir, emerged as winners. Commercial Bank’s Execu- The next two spots in the tive General Manager – Govern- evening session were taken by Winners of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters Pro-Am competition pose with their trophies at Education City Golf Club yesterday. ment; Public Sector and Deputy two ECGC teams. The second- Head of Wholesale Banking placed outfi t included pro- amateurs Paul Kelly, John Mills third-placed team was led by and the other members were wena and Johnny Brand. sion, the ECGC team emerged Khalifa Nasser al-Rayes distrib- fessional Antoine Rozner and and Theo Scheepers, while the professional Pablo Larrazabal, Wedge Louison, Edmore Ching- Earlier, in the morning ses- victorious. The winning com- uted the prizes to the winners. Gulf Times 2 Thursday, March 11, 2021 SPORT HORSE RACING SPOTLIGHT T7 gets Aaley Al Magam down to the wins feature to business of cap Ghazali treble evolution – JP Guillambert had his mount track leaders for the bulk of the 2,000m run ATP chief before making a move on the home straight and taking to a gap on the rails By Sports Reporter Doha rainer Jassim Ghazali celebrated a treble at the Al Uqda Equestrian Complex yesterday with MeshaalT bin Ali al-Attiyah’s Aa- ley Al Magam winning for the second straight outing to land the Rodat Al Maida Cup. In the local Arabian condi- tions feature on dirt, veteran rider JP Guillambert had his mount track leaders for the bulk of the 2,000m run before mak- ing a move on the home straight Reuters “I’ve worked both in a large and taking to a gap on the rails. Mumbai organisation and in a startup. Eventually Aaley Al Magam, The advantage of a startup is winner of the Al Zubara Trophy you move fast. When you move last month, won by a neck in ennis could be set for fast you can react quickly to the front of Soufi ane Saadi-ridden a radical overhaul as change in the market, the dy- Sealine. the game’s main stake- namics of innovation and trends In the penultimate race, Tholders come together which change very quickly these Ghazali had celebrated the in an unprecedented eff ort to days. win of Mohamed bin Ahmed chart a roadmap for streamlin- “What you do today is prob- bin Mohamed al-Attiyah’s At- ing the governance of the sport, ably no longer valid in two years. eej, who capped a hat-trick of ATP chief Andrea Gaudenzi And if you want to be up to speed his own winning for the third has told Reuters. in four years you need to start straight start. In the 1,100m A “T7 working group”, which working today.” Purebred Arabian Conditions, involves the ATP, WTA, the four Gaudenzi said the process Anas al-Seyabi guided the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club Acting CEO Bader bin Mohamed al-Darwish (centre) with the winners of Rodat Al Maida Cup after Aaley Al Grand Slams and the Interna- could take six to nine months eight-year-old to a comfortable Magam won the 2,000m feature at Al Uqda Equestrian Complex yesterday.