GOLF | Page 5 NBA | Page 6 Fleetwood Wade’s late scorches heroics To Advertise here back 9 to help Bulls Call: 444 11 300, 444 66 621 win title survive Kings Monday, January 23, 2017 CRICKET Rabia Il 25, 1438 AH England GULF TIMES win Eden thriller by fi ve runs SPORT Page 4 Qatar stun European champs Germany, enter quarters Qatar’s Rafael Capote Agencies Qatar’s Bassel al-Rayes shoots a free throw. The Paris (left) and left wing left-back scored nine Hassan Mabrouk goals to be adjudged celebrate the win. (AFP) lympic gold medallists Denmark and MVP of the match. (AFP) European champions Germany crashed out of the World Handball Champion- ships at the last-16 stage yesterday. ODenmark were stunned 25-27 by Hungary while Germany lost 20-22 to Qatar, who were runners- up to France at the last tournament in 2015. It’s the fi rst time since 2005 that Denmark — three-time fi nalists but never world champions — have been dumped out of the competition before the quarter-fi nals. 2015 World Championship silver medallists Qatar defeat the Olympic bronze medallists and EURO champions by one to claim a place in the quarter-fi nals. Qatar opened with a 5-1 defensive system with Rafael Capote pushing high in an attempt to disrupt Germany’s back court, but the ‘Bad German goalkeeper Andreas Wolff 's 19 saves Boys’ still netted the fi rst goal of the match in- wwewerere nnotot enoughenouggh to ssaveave hihiss teteamam ffromrom dedefeat.feat. side the opening minute with a rocket from Kai Hafner. At the other end of the court, Andreas openedd theth secondd periodi d withith WolffW lff ’s’ thirdthi d pen- Wolff stopped Qatar’s fi rst attack and went on alty save out of Qatar’s four attempts. The Rio to make three saves at 50% within the fi rst eight Olympic bronze medallists could not shake their minutes, hinting that a diffi cult task lay ahead opponents as the clock ticked on, however, and for Qatar’s shooters. missed some easy chances due to Saric’s saves. When Wolff made his fi fth save just before Wolff also made things diffi cult for Qatar, the 10-minute mark, the European champions maintaining an incredible 60% after 40 min- led 5-2, and the goalkeeper was proving his val- utes when Paul Drux broke through to open a ue with a 71% rate. At that point, Qatar ’keeper two-goal gap at 13-11. Germany pulled ahead Danijel Saric had saved only one. by three thanks to Kai Hafner in the 43rd, but But Germany’s hold on the game began to Qatar slowly reduced the gap. lessen after the fi rst 10 minutes, as Saric’s save Germany reclaimed a two-goal advantage rate picked up. Midway through the half, when with six minutes remaining, but Qatar roared coach Dagur Sigurdsson called his fi rst time- back again — and this time they did not let the out, it was a one-goal lead at 6-5 for Germany, opportunity slip. When the fi nal three minutes and fi ve minutes later Qatar levelled the score at began, the game was level at 20-20, before Ca- 7-7 off a goal from Roine Bertrand. pote took Qatar in front. It stayed a low-scoring match with only one Hungary will face Norway tomorrow for a goal in fi ve minutes, and when Wolff made his place in the semi-fi nals while Qatar will take on second penalty save, his team held only a nar- Slovenia. Qatar’s Cuban winger Capote scored row lead at 8-7. nine goals to be named MVP (Most Valuable Germany just held the edge at half-time, and Player) of the match. TENNIS It’s carnage Down Under WorldW ld numberb ones AndyA dy MurrayM y andd AngeliqueA g liq KerberK b bbothth crashh outt on a dayd y off majorj upsetsp t att AustralianA t li OpenOp Reuters for his 18th grand slam title, as will his Melbourne compatriot and 2014 champion Stan Wawrinka, who is in the same half of the draw and fended off Andreas Seppi he whiff of sporting upset 7-6(2), 7-6(4), 7-6(4). hung around Melbourne Park Wawrinka next faces France’s 2008 yesterday after top seeds Andy fi nalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who ended Murray and Angelique Kerber the fairytale run of Britain’s Dan Evans Twere handed stunning defeats in the by coming from a set down to win Australian Open fourth round. 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-4, 6-4. Britain’s Murray was bamboozled Murray and Evans had hoped to be- by the serve-volley game of Mischa come the fi rst British pair to reach the Zverev to exit after 3-1/2 hours on men’s quarter-fi nals at Melbourne Rod Laver Arena, while fellow world Park in 40 years and the fi rst at a grand number one Kerber’s title defence was slam since Tim Henman and Greg ended in little more than an hour by Rusedski at Wimbledon in 1997. Coco Vandeweghe. Venus Williams, at 36 the oldest Murray was the fi rst top seed to woman in the singles draw, also pro- depart before the quarter-fi nals gressed to the last eight with a 6-3, since Lleyton Hewitt in 2003, while 7-5 victory over Mona Barthel, moving Germany’s reigning women’s cham- closer to a potential blockbuster fi nal pion was last sent packing before the against sister Serena. second week a decade ago when The younger Williams sister contin- Amelie Mauresmo went out in the ues her quest for a 23rd grand slam title fourth round. against Barbora Strycova today, when Murray and Kerber were playing men’s 2009 champion Rafa Nadal is their fi rst grand slams as top seeds and also in fourth round action. both looked all but powerless to deal with the style of game they were con- fronted with from across the net. Germany’s Mischa Zverev celebrates Results (Round 4) Zverev, the world number 50, rushed his shock upset of Britain’s Andy Men: Mischa Zverev (GER) bt Andy Mur- the net 118 times to keep one of the best Murray (inset) in the 4th round of ray (GBR x1) 7-5, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4; Stan Wawrin- defensive players in the game on the Australian Open yesterday. (Reuters) ka (SUI x4) bt Andreas Seppi (ITA) 7-6 (7/2), backfoot for much of the contest be- 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/4); Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) fore holding his nerve to close out the bt Daniel Evans (GBR) 6-7 (4/7), 6-2, 6-4, contest 7-5, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4. 6-4; Roger Federer (SUI) bt Kei Nishikori “Credit to him,” said Murray. “He (JPN) 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 came up with great, great shots and two years ago, will face Roger Federer ing with Spanish seventh seed Garbine “But I was not feeling the ball at all ray’s main rival Novak Djokovic made Women: Venus Williams (USA x13) bt played a really, really good match. You in his maiden grand slam quarter-fi nal Muguruza in her fi rst trip to the last tonight. I was not playing good from an even earlier exit in the second round. Mona Barthel (GER) 6-3, 7-5; Anastasia know, you always fi nish matches you after the Swiss master outlasted Kei eight in Melbourne. the fi rst point. I was trying tonight but, With Murray and the Serbian reigning Pavlyuchenkova (RUS x24) bt Svetlana lose with things you maybe could have Nishikori 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3. Kerber made 15 unforced errors in a yeah I missed a lot. So this was not my champion having already departed, Mel- Kuznetsova (RUS x8) 6-3, 6-3; Garbine done a bit better, but he played some New Yorker Vandeweghe later ham- contest lasting little more than an hour game like I play normally.” bourne Park will next week witness the Muguruza (ESP x7) bt Sorana Cirstea really good stuff .” mered down 30 winners to Kerber’s and admitted it was simply not her day. While Kerber could yet lose the fi rst grand slam since the 2004 French (ROM) 6-2, 6-3; Coco Vandeweghe (US) The German, ranked outside the top seven, overpowering the US Open “It was a tough match and, of course, number one ranking to Serena Williams Open without its top two men’s seeds. bt Angelique Kerber (GER) 6-2, 6-3 1,000 in the world after wrist surgery champion 6-2, 6-3 to set up a meet- I’m disappointed,” she said. after the year’s fi rst grand slam, Mur- Federer will hope to profi t as he bids (x denotes seeding) Gulf Times 2 Monday, January 23, 2017 TENNIS FOCUS Kerber’s rocky title defence fi nally collapses Reuters shock defeat to Dominika Cibulkova about everything what’s happened like Melbourne in the WTA Finals decider and a poor the last few weeks, what I can take to preparation at lead-up tournaments in the next tournaments with all the ex- Australia. perience from the tournaments I played fourth-round elimina- Heavy lies the crown, and the world here in Australia,” she said. “I will try tion by an unfancied player number one ranking appeared to weigh my best to, yeah, of course, come back was a disappointing end to on Kerber as she battled nerves and stronger.” Angelique Kerber’s defence meltdowns in her opening matches at Kerber was bidding to be the fi rst Aof her Australian Open title yesterday Melbourne Park.