FOOTBALL | Page 3 FOOTBALL | Page 7 Arsenal Belhadj, knocked out in Mudather on dying seconds target as Sailiya by Olympiakos beat Al Gharafa Saturday, February 29, 2020 CRICKET Rajab 5, 1441 AH India insist ‘no GULF TIMES panic’ ahead of must-win NZ Test SPORT Page 6 TENNIS / QATAR TOTAL OPEN Sabalenka sets up Kvitova title clash, Barty crashes out ‘I’m really happy to be in the final here, especially because I come here first time and made it until the final’ Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in action against Svetlana Kuznetsova (below, left) of Russia during the Qatar Total Open semi-final at Khalifa Inter- Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic celebrates her victory over Ashleigh Barty (below, right) of Australia during national Tennis and Squash Complex yesterday. PICTURES: Noushad Thekkayil their semi-final yesterday. By Anil John who has won fi ve titles so far was no diff erent. It was an excep- Doha and has now bested Kuznetsova tional match, obviously you look in three of the fi ve matches they at a match and you debrief it to have played against each other. the nth degree,” said Barty vetlana Kuznetsova’s “It was great match, I expect “But I think it was another re- dream of a fi rst Qatar really great level from her and ally great contest with Petra, I Total Open title was cut she played really well and it was love testing myself against her short by a fi erce young not easy. And, well, I’m happy and, yeah, a match in where she SBelarusian, who refers to herself with the level I showed today and played extremely well and took as “The Tiger” and whose all- that I could stay calm,” added the match away from me in key or-nothing attitude on court and Sabalenka. moments,” she added. cheery disposition off it have al- Kuznetsova, on the other Kvitova said her ploy to stay ready won her many admirers. hand, admitted she was simply deep in the court paid her divi- Aryna Sabalenka, the World not up to the task. dends. No 13, swept past Kuznetsova, “I was a little bit slower and I “Well, I pushed myself a lot to whose third semi-fi nal appear- didn’t serve so well. She played go more deeper to the court. So I ance in Doha ended somewhat unbelievable today and I was not tried that she couldn’t have put anticlimactically on a pleasant at my best, she was just better. me away from the baseline that evening at the Khalifa Tennis and And it’s a game but I just have to much. So I took time from her Squash Complex thereby robbing be more consistent in the game.” and she couldn’t do that much the tournament of its sentimen- The nearly six-foot tall and with her forehand,” said Kvitova. tal favourite. 80-kilo Sabalenka is known for “So that was kind of the key, to The Belarusian, who sports a her ability to hit winners at will, try near by the baseline and just tiger tattoo on her arm, will now but on the fl ip side she also con- play from there and still pushing meet Petra Kvitova in the fi nal cedes lots of points by way of un- to the court.” after the Czech two-times Wim- forced errors, making her some- Kvitova has an excellent record bledon champion upset World thing of a statistical delight. in fi nals, having won 27 of the 36 No 1 and top seed Ashleigh Barty When she beat Karolina Plisk- “Warrior Princess” and de- perience, Kuznetsova inexplica- nal of her young career. Carla Suaárez Navarro and Jelena she has been in so far. of Australia 6-4, 2-6, 6-4. ova in 2018 for her fi rst career scribed her game as “big babe bly succumbed to the pressure. The second semi-fi nal saw Ostapenko before ending the run “I think that I play better and “I’m really happy to be in the win over a top-10 player, she hit tennis personifi ed,” although Three unforced errors saw her Kvitova ending a run of four of Tunisian star Ons Jabeur in better when I’m deeper in the fi nal here, especially because I 40 winners, which were aptly since then Sabalenka has toned go 0-40 down and Sabalenka straight defeats against Barty to two tiebreaks. tournament, so that’s one of the come here fi rst time and made it matched by a whopping 39 un- down her aggression a wee bit fi nished it off with a blistering reach the 37th fi nal of her career. Barty, on the other hand, had a good things which I have. But until the fi nal. It’s really nice and forced errors. Her second top-10 and learned to select her shots down-the-line forehand to grab The left-handed Czech’s most fi rst-round bye and a walkover to I’m struggling sometimes in the I’m really happy with the level victory came against Caroline more wisely. a distinct upper hand. recent defeat to the World No 1 boot in the round of 16 when Ka- beginning of the tournament, so I’m playing right now and well, Wozniacki, during the course of That was the case yesterday The second set was a little less came at the quarter-fi nals of the zakhstan’s Elena Rybakina with- that’s how it is. we’ll see what’s going to hap- which blasted 64 winners, ac- as she put in a dominating per- dramatic with Sabalenka, af- Australian Open, although Barty drew with a leg injury. “But I don’t know, I always pen tomorrow, but for sure I will companied by a mindboggling 54 formance, although the fi rst set ter holding serve, securing the herself was knocked out in the She, however, made the bring something else in the fi nals bring everything I have,” said unforced errors. was still a tricky aff air with the only break in the second game as semis by eventual winner Sofi a semis with a three-set win over and I just love playing fi nal, that’s Sabalenka, 21, after her 6-4, 6-3 However, the power and nev- players trading breaks twice each Kuznetsova failed to take advan- Kenin of the US. Spain’s Garbine Muguruza in a why I’m playing tennis, for those victory in an hour and 17 min- er-say-attitude she brings into from games two to fi ve. tage of a 40-30 lead. The Russian Kvitova, the 2018 champion late match on Thursday, and al- trophies, and it’s, you know, utes. her game have earned her many There was everything to play blasted the ball into the net to in Qatar, produced seven aces though she appeared to be in her playing fi nal is something like She added that the relatively accolades, most notably from for as they were locked 4-all after help Sabalenka force deuce and against Barty’s one and used her zone in the second set against that you are very close to have the calmer conditions last evening former US player Mary Carillo, eight games, but the Belarusian then twice found her shots land- range and telling forehand to Kvitova, she surrendered her title, but it’s still very far. made her life easy on court. who won the mixed doubles title put pressure on her rival by hold- ing wide to go down two games good eff ect, converting all four momentum midway through the “And I don’t know, it’s some- “Yeah, last two days was crazy with John McEnroe at the French ing serve in the ninth game and down. of the break points she got to put decider to lose for the second thing bigger than I think, I think wind and today it still was some Open in 1977 but had her career putting the ball in the Russian’s The following games went herself in line for her 28th Tour time in the semis in a matter of it’s just very close there and I just wind, but it was much better. cut short by injury. court , as it were, to make a fi ght with serve and Sabalenka es- title. one month. put everything what I have left.” After yesterday it feels like it’s Carillo, now a well-respected of it. chewed the theatrics to serve out Kvitova had reached the semis “Yeah, it’s been a very positive The fi nal will be played at 6pm no wind at all, added Sabalenka, media pundit, called her the But despite her enormous ex- the match and make the 10th fi - after tiring three-setters against week, it really has, and tonight today. Gulf Times 2 Saturday, February 29, 2020 TENNIS FOCUS SPOTLIGHT Nadal breezes Hsieh and Strycova into semi-fi nals at Acapulco tennis AFP The 2014 champion Dimitrov Los Angeles, United States ended a fi ve-match losing streak against the Swiss Wawrinka. He win doubles title has now won fi ve of 12 career orld No 2 Rafael meetings between the two and Nadal remained on improved to 11-2 overall at this Top seeds win third title together this year with a win over Ostapenko and Dabrowski course for his third tournament. ATP Mexico Open Nadal boosted his record to Wtitle by breezing past South Ko- 18-2 overall at this event by win- By Syed Arhm Ahmad Doha rea’s Kwon Soon-woo 6-2, 6-1 ning in straight sets over Kwon, in their quarter-fi nal clash on who kept the games close but Thursday.