SPORT Monday 12 February 2018 PAGE | 26 PAGE | 27 PAGE | 30 Kohli rues missed Ronaldo hat-trick as Johnson in huntnt fforor chances as South Madrid warm up for another win AAfricafr keep series alive PSG with big win at Pebble Wozniacki, Halep lead quality field as Qatar Total Open begins AFP Only world number eight QATAR TOTAL OPEN: QUICK FACTS Simona Halep Venus Williams is missing in Main draw dates: February 12-18, 2018 DOHA: Little more than a fort- Doha from the top 10. Singles final: Sunday, February 18 night since they met in a But there are also players Doubles final: Saturday, February 17 scintillating Australian Open just outside those rankings Venue: Khalifa Tennis & Squash Complex final, Caroline Wozniacki and who will make the field extra Status: Premier 5 event Simona Halep are on course competitive, including Brit- Staging: Tournament’s 16th year to meet again, this time in the ain’s Johanna Konta, world Draw sizes: 56 singles / 28 doubles teams / Qatar Total Open which number 11, France’s Kristina 32 singles qualifying begins today. Mladenovic, ranked 13th and Surface: Plexicushion Prestige Hardcourt / The two best ranked play- Belgium’s Elise Mertens who Outdoors ers in the world lead a made it to the semi-finals in Total prize money: $3,198,000 high-quality field in Doha, Melbourne. where nine of the top 10 On the back of that run, women players will Mertens is up to 20th in the compete. world. As well as the Dane and And unseeded is contro- the Romanian, the draw con- versial Russian Maria tains world number three Sharapova. Elina Svitolina from Ukraine The five-time Grand Slam and Spain’s Garbine Mugu- winner has been granted a ruza, ranked four. wildcard and could meet Last year’s champion in Wozniacki in the last 16. Doha Karolina Pliskova of the The world number one Czech Republic -- who beat shrugged off a potentially Wozniacki in straight sets in hard week ahead, claiming to play much faster than last fail to get past the fourth the final -- will defend her not to have looked at the year’s rain-affected tourna- round in any major, said she title. draw beyond the first round, ment where the weather was is back to the form of 2016, Former Australian Open where she plays either Tat- so bad. No rain is forecast and which saw her claim two champion and ex-top ranked jana Maria or Carrina winter temperatures are Grand Slams. player in the world Germany’s Witthoeft, both Germans. expected to reach 29 degrees “I’m able to play my game Angelique Kerber, is also in “I’m excited for the chal- celsius (84 degrees fahren- again, that I can fight,” she Qatar and could meet Woz- lenge, and at the end of the heit) during the week. told reporters on Sunday. niacki in the quarter-finals. day I think I’m just going to That will provide a con- “And yeah, having my ten- go out there, have fun and trast for Svitolina who said nis back, my motivation and see what happens,” Wozni- she had spent time between everything what I had like two acki told reporters on the Australian Open and Qatar years ago.” Sunday. in London and Paris. The tournament has been Wozniacki is likely to play In France she tried to train extended this year, with the her first match on outside but was thwarted by final falling on Sunday rather Wednesday. snow. Kerber, after a disap- than the traditional Caroline The courts are expected pointing 2017 which saw her Saturday. Wozniacki Qatar’s top teams battle for Asian supremacy ARMSTRONG VAS we know that we will face a and I hope the best for the QSL TEAMS AT AFC CHAMPIONSHIP LEAGUE THE PENINSULA fierce opponent like all the team and to qualify to the sec- other Iranian teams and we ond round, and also to be AL GHARAFA DOHA: QNB Stars League have to be ready in the ready to participate with the Round 1: Vs Al Jazira (Today, Abu Dhabi) sides Al Duhail, Al Sadd, Al required way,” said the Alge- national team in the upcom- Round 2: Vs Tractor Sazi (February 19, Doha) Rayyan and Al Gharafa are rian tactician. ing period especially that we Round 3: Vs Al Ahli (March 5, Doha) embarking on their 2018 AFC “We are not a complete will participate in the World Round 4: Vs Al Ahli (Tomorrow, Jeddah) Champions League (ACL) team and every team have Cup,” added the Tunisian. Round 5: Vs Al Jazira (April 3, Doha) campaign with great hope. problems and have weakness Elsewhere, Al Sadd will Al Duhail and Al Gharafa points and also the Iranian take on the UAE’s Al Wasl at Round 6: Vs Tractor Sazi (April 7, Tabriz) will play today, while Al Sadd team has weakness points, the Zabeel stadium in Dubai. and Al Rayyan will be in action and the good team is the one Al Gharafa’s outing is against AL DUHAIL tomorrow. All four teams have which know how to deal with Abu Dhabi side Al Jazira. They Round 1: Vs Zob Ahan (Today, Doha) it in them to give their group all the negative things and will face off at the Mohammed Round 2: Vs Al Wahda (February 19, Abu Dhabi) rivals a good run for their transform it to positive inside bin Zayed Stadium in the UAE Round 3: Vs Lokomotiv (March 6, Doha) money. the stadium, and we have to capital. Round 4: Vs Lokomotiv (March 12, Tashkent) Al Duhail and Al Rayyan score and take advantage of Al Duhail, Al Sadd and Al Round 5: Vs Zob Ahan (April 3, Isfahan) will play in Doha, whereas Al all the chances we have,” he Rayyan qualified directly Sadd and Al Gharafa start the added. even as Al Gharafa reached Round 6: Vs Al Wahda (April 17, Doha) tournament with away Team captain Youssef the tournament proper by matches. Msakni expressed his trust in defeating Uzbekistan’s AL SADD Al Duhail are up against his teammates and their abil- Pakhtakor in play-off in Doha Al Duhail players celebrate after scoring a goal in this file photo. Round 1: Vs Al Wasl (Tomorrow, Dubai) Iran’s Zob Ahan and Al Rayyan ity to achieve good results in on January 30. The Cheetahs Round 2: Vs Persepolis (February 20, Doha) play host to Esteghlal, also of the competition. will miss injured defender Round 3: Vs Nasaf (March 5, Karshi) Iran. “In our match against the Almahdi Ali. - with nine defeats and three away victories over Al Jazira Round 4: Vs Nasaf (March 13, Doha) Al Duhail coach Djamel Iranian team we are targeting Al Gharafa will look to draws a poor return from 12 in the group stage. Round 5: Vs Al Wasl (April 2, Doha) Belmadi asserted that his full points, and I think the make a strong start and cap- games. Their last victory in The Doha side have players are ready for the chal- players are ready for this con- italise on it to qualify for the the competition, back in 2014, attracted plenty headlines Round 6: Vs Persepolis (April 16, Tehran) lenge in the AFC champions frontation, and like Belmadi next round and on to the was against Qatari opposition ahead of this season’s com- League against Zob Ahan. said we have many experi- quarterfinals where they last in the form of Al Rayyan. petition with the arrival of Al Rayyan “This is our first match in ences in this confrontation reached in 2010. Al Ahli and Al Gharafa’s last appear- Dutchman Wesley Sneijder, Round 1: Vs Esteghlal (Tomorrow, Doha) the champions League with a and we will achieve the Tractor Sazi are the other ance in the tournament came while the acquisition of Ira- Round 2: Vs Al Ain (February 20, Al Ain) team that we faced before two required result,” Msakni said teams in Group A. in 2013 when they reached nian frontman Mehdi Taremi Round 3: Vs Al Hilal (March 6, Riyadh) years ago and we lost, but now at the press conference. The Abu Dhabi club have the last 16, while their best could prove a masterstroke Round 4: Vs Al Hilal (March 12, Doha) we have experience in this “The team’s results until failed to win a game in their performance was a quarter- after his superb perform- competition where we partic- now are good and reflects the past two continental cam- final showing in 2010 in a ance’s in Persepolis’s march Round 5: Vs Esteghlal (April 2, Tehran) ipate for the 7th time in it and big effort everyone is doing, paigns - in 2016 and 2017 campaign that saw home and to the semi-finals last year. Round 6: Vs Al Ain (April 16, Doha) 26 SPORT MONDAY 12 FEBRUARY 2018 Pakistan gears Kohli rues missed chances as up to host PSL South Africa keep series alive final in Karachi AFP AFP KARACHI: Foreign experts yesterday inspected security arrangements in Kara- JOHANNESBURG: Indian captain chi, which is scheduled to stage the final Virat Kohli lamented two crucial errors of Pakistan’s Twenty20 league next month which effectively cost his team a -- the city’s first international match in chance of wrapping up the series in nine years. the fourth one-day international The third season of the Pakistan Super against South Africa at the Wanderers League starts in the United Arab Emir- Stadium on Saturday. ates on February 22.