WWINTERINTER OOLYMPICSLYMPICS | Page 4 FFOOTBALLOOTBALL | Page 7 Hirscher Zidane relaxed dominates as Real Madrid tough course get ready for for fi rst gold PSG clash Wednesday, February 14, 2018 CRICKET Jumada I 28, 1439 AH Rohit century helps GULF TIMES India secure series against South Africa SPORT Page 3 TENNIS / QATAR TOTAL OPEN Kvitova shines as seeds ease through to next round Wimbledon champion Muguruza picks up second-round victory; Konta, Georges post straight sets wins By Sahan Bidappa faces former World No. 2 Agnieszka Doha Radwanska of Poland. Results, Order of Play On her fi ve-month forced injury hiatus in 2017, Kvitova said: “It was RESULTS 6-3, 6-1 he seeds were hardly made my biggest motivation to be back SINGLES 14-Magdalena Ryba- to sweat as Garbine Mugu- playing on the tennis court, com- Second round rikova (SVK) bt (WC) ruza, Petra Kvitova, Julia peting against the best players. The 4-Garbine Muguruza Fatma al Nabhani Georges and Johanna Konta dream came true, so I’m happy to be (ESP) bt (Q) Ying-Ying (OMA) 6-3, 6-1 Tall won their matches convincingly in the draw again.” Duan (CHN) 6-3, 6-4 Samantha Stosur (AUS) at the Qatar Total Open yesterday. Fourth seed Muguruza too seemed First round bt Irina-Camelia Begu The stand out victory of the day to be taking Kvitova’s route until she 12-Madison Keys (USA) (ROU) 6-4, 6-2 at the Khalifa International Tennis was stretched by Duan Ying-Ying bt Qiang Wang (CHN) Carina Witthoeft (GER) and Squash Complex, though, came of China in the closing stages of the 6-1, 6-4 bt Tatjana Maria (GER) from Kvitova. The former World match. 11-Kristina Mladenevic 6-3, 6-0 No.1 has had a busy couple of weeks, Duan saved eight match points but (FRA) bt Chuai peng Serana Cirstea (ROU) winning her 21st title at the St. Pe- Muguruza was still too strong for the (CHN) 6-2, 6-4 bt Maria Sakkari (GRE) tersburg Ladies Trophy followed by Chinese as she cruised to a 6-3, 6-4 16-Petra Kvitova (CZE) 6-2, 6-3. two Fed Cup wins for Czech Repub- second-round victory. Muguruza was bt (WC) Carla Buyukak- lic in Prague over the weekend. playing her fi rst event since a surprise cay (TUR) 6-0, 6-3 DOUBLES (1st round) In fact, Kvitova arrived in Doha second round loss to Hsieh Su-Wei at 10-Johanna Konta 7-Hao-Ching Chan only on Monday night, but that the Australian Open. (GBR) bt (Q) Bernerda (TPE)/Zhaoxuan Yang hardly seemed to come in the way “It’s been a while since I am not Pera (USA) 7-6 (5), 6-1 (CHN) bt Oksana of two-time Wimbledon champion competing, and I played her actually Alize Cornet (FRA) bt Kalashnikova (GEO)/ cruising to the second round. recently in the US Open, and we had Anett Kontaveit (EST) Lidziya Marpzava If anything, she seemed to be in a tough match, and today was quite 6-2, 6-1 (BLR) 6-1, 4-6, 10-2 a rush to catch up on some sleep as similar, especially at the end,” Mu- 13-Anastasija Sevas- Gabriela Dabrowski she dispatched wildcard Cagla Buy- guruza said. “It was very interesting. tova (LAT) bt Donna (CAN)/Jelena Ostap- ukakcay of Turkey 6-0, 6-3 in less She was playing better, and took me Vekic (CRO) 6-3, 6-4 enko (LAT) bt Nicole than an hour. Kvitova is coming into a lot of match points, but it was just (Q) Marketa Von- Melichar (USA)/Kveta the season after a horrifi c knife at- an exciting end,” she added. drousova (CZE) bt Peschke (CZE) 4-6, 6-1, tack just over a year ago, where her No.10 seed Konta of Britain let Yulia Putinseva (KAZ) 10-8. left hand was injured badly. out a huge roar on Court No.1 after Kvitova is currently ranked 21st she knocked out American qualifi er Spain’s Garbine Muguruza in action against Duan Ying-Ying of China during their Qatar Total Open second round TODAY’S ORDER OF PLAY and is seeded 16th in Doha, but Bernarda Pera 7-6 (5), 6-1 in her fi rst match at Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex yesterday. PICTURES: Jayan Orma CENTRE COURT (Starts at 12:00 noon) she looks to be in fi ne form as the round match. Konta had suff ered a Elina Svitolina (UKR) vs Marketa Vondrousova (CZE) 27-year-old mounts a comeback to shock defeat to World No.113 Pera at Meanwhile, ninth seed Julia Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) vs Petra Kvitova (CZE) the top of the rankings. Yesterday’s the Australian Open second round Goerges played a near-fl awless fi rst Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) vs Simona Halep (ROU) victory was Kvitova’s eighth in a row last month and the Brit enjoyed set to storm past Lucie Safarova Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) vs Carina Witthoeft (GER) as she pummelled 34 winners on the avenging that loss yesterday. winning 6-1, 7-5 in just 66 minutes. Not Before 7pm centre court. “I’m very happy to have come In other results, 11th seed Madi- Karolina Pliskova (CZE) vs Alizé Cornet (FRA) Buyukakcay could only watch as through that,” she said. “I knew go- son Keys of the US defeated Wang Mihaela Buzarnescu (ROU) vs Jelena Ostapenko Kvitova lost just four points out of ing into the match that it was go- Qiang 6-1, 6-4 of China, while 13th (LAT) a total 28 played in the fi rst set that ing to be tough, and it was actually seed Anastasija Sevastova recorded lasted just 19 minutes. Buyukak- similar conditions as it was in Mel- a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Donna Vekic. COURT 1 (from 3:30pm) cay made a valiant comeback in the bourne, although it’s a lot windier Romanian Fed Cup teammates Anna Blinkova (RUS) vs Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) second set, twice exchanging breaks today than it was in Melbourne. It Irina-Camelia Begu and Sorana Cir- Julia Goerges (GER) vs B Strycova (CZE) with Kvitova, but the Czech star makes it quite tricky to play against stea had mixed fortunes, with Begu Samantha Stosur (AUS) vs Angelique Kerber proved too strong, converting six of her, so I’m very happy to have fought falling to Samantha Stosur, 6-4, 6-2 (GER) her seven break-point opportunities through that and dealt with the and Cirstea defeating Maria Sakkari, and hitting four aces to close out the quick turnaround coming here from 6-2, 6-3. COURT 2 match in 56 minutes. Fed Cup as well. That was a good Fourteenth seed Magdalena Ry- Catherine Bellis (USA) vs Madison Keys (USA) “I’ve gotten some sleep, just a lit- challenge for me, and I’m just excit- barikova saw off Omani wildcard Johanna Konta (GBR) vs Carla Suárez Navarro tle bit. I’m happy to be here; it was ed that I get to play again tomorrow,” Fatma al-Nabhani, 6-3, 6-1, and Monica Niculescu (ROU) vs Magdalena Rybarikova defi nitely a tough schedule for me, added Konta, who will take on Carla Carina Witthoeft won the all-Ger- (SVK) but getting an eighth win is some- Suarez Navarro today. man clash with Tatjana Maria, 6-3, thing really nice for me. It’s been su- The 2016 champion Suarez Nav- 6-0. Alize Cornet defeated Anett COURT 3 per, really long since I’ve had such a arro came back from a set down to Kontaveit, 6-2, 6-1, while qualifi er Anastasija Sevastova (LAT) vs Naomi Osaka (JPN) good run. I’m just trying to continue beat Ukraine’s Kateryna Bondarenko Marketa Vondrousova posted a 6-3, Elise Mertens (BEL) vs Sorana Cirstea (ROU) with that,” said Kvitova, who next 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. 6-1 win over Yulia Putintseva. Britain’s Johanna Konta in action against Bernarda Pera of the USA yesterday. BOTTOMLINE Taking positives from Australian Open, says Halep By Sahan Bidappa fore dropping the fi nal fi ve games. hope that nothing will come back and I will be cause if you pay attention to yourself, it’s much Doha The Australian Open loss was equally a hard able to play,” Halep said. “My mind is set on the better. You don’t get distracted by anything. Just pill to swallow for Halep. She had saved match health fi rst. I have to be very sure that the foot is do your job on court.” points in two matches — in the third round okay and I can push. I’m ready because I prac- At the Australian Open, Halep also made news he smile is back on Simona Halep’s against the unseeded American Lauren Davis tised a few days. I practised today. I will practice for playing without a clothing sponsor after her face. The Romanian shed a few tears and in the titanic semi-fi nal against former No. again today here. So I feel that I’m ready to play, Adidas contract had expired. The red dress she after the heart-breaking loss in the fi - 1 Angelique Kerber. but tomorrow I will see exactly how it is.” wore during the tournament was something she nal of the Australian Open to Caroline But an ankle injury and a determined Wozni- A champion here in Doha in 2014, Halep will designed in a hurry, which was then hand-sewn TWozniacki last month.