CCRICKETRICKET | Page 4 FOOTBALL | Page 11 Williamson Juventus lose To Advertise here fi res New as Kalinic Call: 444 11 300, 444 66 621 Zealand to paves way stunning win for Viola Tuesday, January 17, 2017 FORMULA 1 Rabia II 19, 1438 AH Champs Mercedes GULF TIMES sign Bottas, Massa returns to Williams SPORT Page 9 GOLF Olesen looks to emulate Bjorn at Qatar Masters By Sports Reporter ond Dane to lift the Mother of Pearl Tro- second at the BMW International Open Doha phy and follow the 2011 victory by Tho- in Germany in June so was delighted to mas Bjorn, the European Captain for The fi nish the season on a high in Turkey and 2018 Ryder Cup. Australia. horbjorn Olesen will be looking “I feel like I’m getting closer and closer “It was a good time for me at the end to go one better than his runner- to winning the Commercial Bank Qatar of the year with the victory in Turkey up fi nish in last year’s Commer- Masters so it would be nice to go one step and winning the World Cup with Soren,” cial Bank Qatar Masters when he further and win this time,” said Olesen, said Olesen, who was playing in his third Tcompetes in the tournament’s landmark who shared second with Rafa Cabrera World Cup but fi rst with Kjeldsen. 20th edition from January 26-29. Bello in last year’s tournament, having “I really hope I can now build on that Olesen, 27, is in fi ne form, having lifted tied for third with the Spaniard in 2014. fi nish and start 2017 strongly. Qatar has two trophies in November. The Dane won “I’ve had two really good results in Qa- become a fi xture on my schedule and I the Turkish Airlines Open for his fourth tar in the last three years and it would be play well there, so I’m really looking for- European Tour title in fi ve years and nice to secure a victory.” ward to the event.” three weeks later teamed up with Soren Olesen – who turned pro when he was Qatar Golf Association president Has- Kjeldsen in Australia to secure Den- 18 – has long shown star pedigree and san al-Naimi said, “Denmark were de- mark’s fi rst-ever win at the ISPS HANDA has had two top ten fi nishes in Major serving champions of the World Cup of World Cup of Golf in Melbourne. Championships, tying for ninth at The Golf and it’s great for our fans that Thor- Olesen, who fi nished a career-high Open Championship in 2012 and sixth bjorn Olesen will compete at Doha Golf 12th on the 2016 Race to Dubai Rankings at the following year’s Masters Tourna- Club again. We all look forward to this presented by Rolex, is now sizing up his ment. great young player challenging for the seventh successive appearance in Doha As well as his runner-up fi nish in title again after coming close in recent as he again bids to become only the sec- Qatar last January, Olesen also tied for years.” TENNIS Heat is on as stars struggle Murray comes through two hours, 47 minutes test at Aussie Open against Ukraine’s Marchenko 7-5, 7-6 (5), 6-2 Switzerland’s Roger Federer hits a return against Austria’s Jurgen Melzer during their Australian Open first round singles Romania’s Simona Halep reacts after losing a point against Shelby Rogers of the US during their Australian Open first round match in Melbourne yesterday. (AFP) singles match in Melbourne yesterday. (AFP) AFP route to a diffi cult 4-6, 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, both of her warm-up tournaments who pointed out that Williams turned Melbourne 6-4 win. and she took time to settle against professional in 1994, the year that Ko- “I stopped playing. He could play Tsurenko. But she also started slowly zlova was born. anywhere, the whole court,” a per- last year, when she had to save a match “I know how to play tennis. I like to orld number one Andy plexed Klizan said. “He could play point against Misaki Doi in the fi rst think I’m good at this. She hasn’t had Murray was tested and anywhere on the court and he hit me.” round. the years that I’ve had yet, the grey Stan Wawrinka lost his As afternoon temperatures topped hairs and I’m dying, I guess. The wrin- cool as stars struggled on 32 Celsius (90 Fahrenheit), Murray ‘I’M DYING, I GUESS’ kles that I’m hiding... you’re trying to Wa hot fi rst day at the Australian Open came through a two hours, 47 minutes “The fi rst round is always tough. I’m make me feel old!” yesterday. test against Ukraine’s Illya Marchenko just trying to enjoy it and I’m so so Japan’s Nishikori, who says he is Roger Federer and Angelique Ker- 7-5, 7-6 (5), 6-2. happy to be in the second round,” Ker- primed to win his fi rst major title this ber, the defending women’s champi- He fared better than Kei Nishikori ber said. year, came through a fi ve-set battle on, both dropped sets on a day which and Marin Cilic, who were both taken Halep is rated as one of the fastest with Russia’s Andrey Kuznetsov 5-7, threatened a host of upsets at Mel- to fi ve sets, while Federer was extended players on the circuit but her usual zip 6-1, 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-2. bourne Park. 7-5, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 by Austria’s Jurgen was glaringly absent as she went down Cilic, the 2014 US Open winner, also In the event, fourth seed Simona Melzer. 6-3, 6-1 to American rising star Shelby needed fi ve as he came from two sets Halep was the only major casualty as “Any match is a good match,” said Rogers. down to dispatch Jerzy Janowicz 4-6, soaring afternoon temperatures gave the 35-year-old Federer, who missed Afterwards she said a knee injury 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, 6-3. way to a cool evening at Melbourne the second half of 2016 with a knee had slowed her down as she suc- China’s Zhang Shuai, who made Park. injury. cumbed in the fi rst round for the sec- a surprise run to last year’s quarter- Australia’s often hot-headed Nick “Even if I would have lost today, it ond consecutive year. fi nals, had an easier time with a 6-0, Kyrgios was uncharacteristically calm would have been good because I’m Venus Williams, the oldest player 6-3 win over Aliaksandra Sasnovich of as he thumped Gastao Elias 6-1, 6-2, back on the court.” in the women’s draw at 36, also found Belarus. 6-2, despite a nosebleed which halted Kerber, defending a Grand Slam herself with a fi ght on her hands but Olympic champion Monica Puig him mid-match. title for the fi rst time, laboured past she came through 7-6 (5), 7-5 against stormed through 6-0, 6-1 against Pa- But Wawrinka drew gasps as he Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 22-year-old Kateryna Kozlova. tricia Tig before Canada’s Eugenie Bou- smashed a volley straight at a static in an unconvincing performance. “Girl, I don’t know,” she told on- chard continued her recent resurgence Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka (left) goes to check on Slovakia’s Martin Klizan after Martin Klizan deep in the fi fth set, en The German was an early loser at court interviewer Samantha Smith, with a 6-0, 6-4 win over Louisa Chirico. hitting him with the ball in the first round match yesterday. (Reuters) Gulf Times 2 Tuesday, January 17, 2017 TENNIS FOCUS SPOTLIGHT Murray, Nishikori call Djokovic aware of for Davis Cup revamp AFP Sunday. Melbourne “We chatted about a lot of diff er- ent changes. The one thing that we all agreed upon was that the neutral venue ndy Murray and Kei is not right,” Murray said. Nishikori said the Davis Cup Ties for the Davis Cup, billed as the Verdasco threat as badly needed an overhaul ‘World Cup of tennis’, are spread across yesterday as concerns grow the year and teams that reach the fi nal Aover its ability to attract top players. will have played four weekends at ven- Top-ranked Murray said talks were ues around the world. underway in the ATP Player Council to “I hope they can make some chang- make the event more attractive, with es. Yeah, right now I think it’s way too its format and scheduling both in the much to play three times or even if you fi ring line. play fi nal, maybe four times,” Nishikori 7th title bid begins Nishikori said he was skipping Ja- said. pan’s upcoming Davis Cup tie, even “I think that has to change, for sure, though it is in Tokyo, because he al- to make it shorter. I think all the players ‘I hope I will not get to the stage where I have to defend match points’ ready has a packed playing schedule. — I don’t know if all, but I think most of “Everyone seems to be in agreement them are hoping to change.” Reuters that the format needs to change,” said Nishikori has pulled out of Japan’s Melbourne Murray, who led Britain to the Davis Davis Cup tie against France in Tokyo Cup title in 2015.