SPORT - The Peninsula · 4/3/2018 · Mohamed Jamal and Mohamed Al Hashmi back from suspension,...

SPORTTuesday 3 April 2018

Aussies look to dominate on home soil at

Commonwealth Games

Isner earns biggest win, beating Zverevin Miami Open final

PAGE | 30 PAGE | 32-33 PAGE | 35 Morkel keeps South

Africa on coursefor big win

Stage set for Emir Cup extravaganzaTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: The Qatar Football Asso-ciation (QFA) is ready to stage the 46th edition of the Emir Cup.

The Emir Cup will commence from April 11 and ends with a spec-tacular final on May 19 at the Khalifa International Stadium.

The final preparations are in full swing, according to the organisers.

The draw ceremony of the

hugely popular event will be held on April 11 with the participation of all representatives of the clubs.

Various committees associated with the organisers are working round the clock to complete prep-arations for the draw ceremony that will be telecast live on all sports channels in the country.

The Emir Cup was first staged in 1972 and have been held every year since then in the months of

April and May. It is an event that sees record crowds every edition of the tournament.

The final of the tournament will be graced by the Emir along with Ministers and their Excel-lencies. A capacity crowd is expected to watch this year’s final as well.

Last year’s Emir Cup final was held at the iconic Khalifa Interna-tional Stadium which was offi-cially declared open by the Emir

H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and FIFA President Gianni Infantino following a massive facelift.

The khalifa International Stadium - which was first built in 1976 - is a 2022 FIFA World Cup venue.

This year’s Emir Cup will be held at five venues - Qatar Sports Club Stadium, Al Arabi Stadium, Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium and Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in

addition to the Khalifa Interna-tional Stadium.

The Emir Cup will also include Trophy Tour with organ-isers visiting schools and goverment organisations to build a festive like atmosphere for the fans.

The Emir Cup is only event that features teams from the Second Division also. The tour-nament runs for five weeks and lasts five rounds.

Al Gharafa look for revenge against Al JaziraTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatar’s Al Gharafa take on visiting Al Jazira in their AFC Cham-pions League encounter in Doha today.

The Group A fixture will be vital for the home team, having lost the previous clash against the Abu Dhabi club on Emirati soil.

Al Jazira claimed a 3-2 but they have not won since, while their Wesley Sneijder-led Al Gharafa are flying high, having stormed into the top four of the QNB Stars League before winning one match and drawing two in Asia’s top club football tournament.

Mehdi Taremi netted for Al Gharafa in their 1-1 draw with Group A leaders Al Ahli three weeks ago,

when Al Jazira also ended 1-1 with Tractorsazi Tabriz in a game that saw Brazilian Romarinho score his second of the campaign.

The hosts have won all five of their home games on the continent against Emirati opposition, while the visitors have not won in nine AFC Champions League matches on the road.

Al Jazira welcome Ali Mabkhout, Mohamed Jamal and Mohamed Al Hashmi back from suspension, but Khalfan Mubarak is serving a one-game ban.

Meanwhile, in Isfahan, Iran, Zobahan will be up for a challenge against the Qatari champions Al Duhail but will be looking to impress in front of home crowd at Foolad Shahr Stadium today.

When the sides met on Matchday

One in Doha, Zobahan took the lead but Al Duhail scored thrice in the last 20 minutes to get their campaign off to a winning start.

A lDuhail did not stop there and went onto cruise towards the knockout stage with back to back wins.

Youssef El Arabi scored two late goals – his third brace in a row – when the Qatari side clinched knockout stage qualification with a 2-1 victory at Lokomotiv in what was their fourth successive win.

Currently second in the standings behind Al Duhail, Zobahan have won two from two at home but have lost both their games on the road and go into the clash with the Qatari giants on the back of a 3-0 away defeat to Al Wahda.

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Al Sadd’s forward Baghdad Bounedjah (right) is congratulated by team-mate Akram Afif after scoring during the AFC Champions League football match against UAE’s Al Wasl at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha yesterday.

Al Gharafa’s coach Bulent Uygun speaks to his players and coaching staff during a training session on the eve of their AFC Champions League clash against UAE’s Al Jazira yesterday.

CHINTHANA WASALA THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Algerian forward Baghdad Bounedjah struck twice as Qatari football giants Al Sadd advanced to the last 16 stage of the 2018 AFC Champions League with a convincing 2-1 win over UAE’s Al Wasl.

At Al Sadd Stadium yesterday, the 26-year-old scored in the 9th and 53rd minutes to take his overall goal tally to seven in five matches.

Bounedjah pounced on Abdulrahman Ali’s underhit back-pass before calmly slotting past Yousif Abdulla to give Al Sadd an early breakthrough to open the scoring.

Al Sadd then extended their advantage in the 59th minute, when Bounedjah con-vered Akram Afif’s low cross with a back-heeled finish.

Bounedjah, already the top scorer of this year’s AFC Champions League, almost completed his hat-trick in the final minute after being set up by Afif once again, but the striker somehow miscued his shot with the goal at his mercy. Deep into added on time, Al Wasl pulled a goal back after Caio Canedo’s deft finish crept past Al Dosari.

In injury time, Al Wasl reduced the deficit when Caio scored in the 92nd minute.

Despite the late strike by the visitors, Al Sadd dominated the proceedings in both halves to complete their fourth win of this year’s AFC Champions League.

Meanwhile, in Tehran, Iran, Esteghlal beat Qatar’s Al Rayyan 2-0 to book their place in the knock-out stage.

At a fully packed Azadi Stadium yes-terday, the hosts got off to a flying start in the Group D fixture and needed just four minutes to open the scoring.

Server Djeparov converted a cross from Farshid Esmaeili past goalkeeper Oumar Barry.

Al Rayyan captain Rodrigo Tabata attempted his luck from long distance, but his strike went wide in the 20th minute as the Qatari side intensified the pressure in an effort to find an equaliser.

Esteghlal doubled their lead 13 minutes after the restart as Vouria Gha-fouri stepped up to drive home from the penalty spot to make it 2-0.

The result means Esteghlal are through to the Round of 16 while Al Rayyan will have to battle Al Ain for the second Group D ticket in two weeks’ time.

YESTERDAY’S RESULTS

Group C

FC Nasaf (UZB) 0-0 Persepolis FC (IRN)Group D

Esteghlal FC (IRN) 2-0 Al Rayyan SC (QAT)

Al Ain FC (UAE) 2-1 Al Hilal SFC (KSA)Group C

Al Sadd SC (QAT) 2-1 Al Wasl FC (UAE)

AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE:

Group Stage

Bounedjah brace powers Al Sadd to round of 16

30 TUESDAY 3 APRIL 2018SPORT

England sense chance despite safe start by New Zealand’s openersREUTERS

CHRISTCHURCH: England’s bid to win the second Test against New Zealand and level up the series was hindered by bad light yesterday when play was aban-doned early with the hosts 42 without loss chasing an unlikely 382 for victory.

The tourists, without a win in their last 12 overseas Tests and needing victory to save the two-match series after losing the opener in Auckland, declared their second innings closed on 352-9 earlier on day four at Hagley Oval.

New Zealand openers Tom Latham, who had made 25 not out, and Jeet Raval, unbeaten on 17, will resume on the final day today after weathering an early storm from the seamers and a period where declining light forced England to bowl spin.

England’s Jonny Bairstow, who backed up his first innings century with a bright 36 from 54 balls, said the tourists were con-fident they could take the 10 wickets to get the job done on the final today.

“We’ve seen that if you put the ball in the right areas, we’ve beaten the outside edge consist-ently,” he told reporters.

Problems in getting a full day’s play at a ground without floodlights might have been expected this far into the year, especially after the official end of New Zealand’s summer came with the changing of the clocks

at the weekend.England had still looked in a

strong position to get the win they required to stymie New Zealand’s hopes of a first series triumph against them since 1999 when bad light also brought an early end to day three on Sunday.

Having made 307 in their first innings before dismissing New Zealand for 278, they resumed on 202-3 and pushed cautiously towards a position where they might declare later

in the day. Joe Root and Dawid Malan both reached the half-century mark -- a 39th for the skipper, number six for his partner -- before a double strike in three balls saw them depart for 54 and 53 respectively to leave their side 278-5 at lunch.

England’s next four wickets went for only 70 runs, more than half of them coming from the bat of Bairstow with Root calling his players in once the wicketkeeper had departed.

After New Zealand’s pace spearhead of Tim Southee and Trent Boult had taken all of the England wickets on the first three days of the match, Colin de Grandhomme finally got the other home bowlers in on the act.

The all-rounder’s gentle medium pace accounted for Malan, Ben Stokes (12), Stuart Broad (12) and Mark Wood (9) and he finished with figures of 4-94.

New Zealand just need a

draw to take the series 1-0 and batting coach Craig McMillan said it would be quite an achievement if they managed to bat out the final day.

“Series wins have been few and far between for New Zealand Test sides, in terms of history it would be very special,” he said.

“But there’s a big day with a lot of cricket ahead tomorrow, so there’s a lot of work still to be done.”

New Zealand’s Tim Southee attempts to catch England’s Jonny Bairstow during day four of the second and final Test match at Hagley Oval in Christchurch yesterday.

Klaasen replaces banned Smith REUTERS

NEW DELHI: South Africa wick-etkeeper Heinrich Klaasen will replace banned Australian Steve Smith in the Rajasthan Royals team for this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL), organisers said yesterday.

Former Australia captain Smith and his deputy David Warner were handed 12-month bans by Cricket Australia for their roles in a ball-tampering scandal in South Africa.

Klaasen was bought for a modest Rs5m ($77,000) to replace Smith whom Rajasthan had retained for Rs120m. India middle-order batsman Ajinkya Rahane will captain the side.

England (I innings) ........................... 307New Zealand (I innings) ................... 278 England (II innings)A Cook c Watling b Boult ............................... 14

M Stoneman c Watling b Southee ................ 60

J Vince c Taylor b Boult ....................................76

J Root c Watling b Wagner .............................54

D Malan c Nicholls b de Grandhomme .......... 53

B Stokes c Raval b de Grandhomme ............. 12

J Bairstow c Nicholls b Wagner ......................36

S Broad c Sodhi b de Grandhomme ............... 12

M Wood b de Grandhomme .............................9

J Leach (not out) ............................................... 14

Extras: (B4, LB3, W2, NB3) .......................... 12

Total: (for 9 wkts Decl.) ....................352Fall of wickets: 1-24, 2-147, 3-165, 4-262, 5-262,

6-282, 7-300, 8-312, 9-352

Bowling: Boult 28-5-89-2, Southee 19-4-65-1

(1w), de Grandhomme 26-2-94-4 (1w, 2nb), Wagner

22.4-5-51-2 (1nb), Sodhi 11-0-46-0

New Zealand (II innings)T Latham (batting) ..........................................25

J Raval (batting) .............................................. 17

Total .................................................. 42Bowling: Anderson 9-5-9-0, Broad 8-3-16-0,

Wood 2-0-13-0, Leach 3-1-4-0, Root 1-1-0-

SCOREBOARD

South Africa (I innings) .................... 488Australia (I innings).......................... 221South Africa (II innings)A Markram c Handscomb b Cummins ........... 37

D Elgar c S Marsh b Lyon ................................ 81

H Amla c M Marsh b Lyon ............................... 16

A de Villiers c Paine b Cummins ......................6

F du Plessis c Handscomb b Cummins .......120

T Bavuma (batting) ..........................................35

Q de Kock lbw b Cummins ...............................4

V Philander (not out) ...................................... 33

Extras (B4, LB8) ............................................ 12

Total (6 wkts dec) ............................ 344Fall of wickets: 1-54, 2-79, 3-94, 4-264, 5-266,

6-273

Bowling: Hazlewood 21-6-41-0, Sayers 14-2-68-0,

Lyon 41-13-116-2, Cummins 18-5-58-4, M Marsh

8-0-40-0, Renshaw 3-0-9-0

Australia (II innings)M Renshaw lbw b Morkel ................................. 5

J Burns lbw b Morkel ...................................... 42

U Khawaja lbw b Maharaj ................................ 7

P Handscomb (batting) ..................................23

S Marsh (batting) ................................................ 7

Extras (LB1, NB3) .............................................4

Total (3 wkts) .................................... 88Fall of wickets: 1-21, 2-34, 3-68

Bowling: Rabada 5-2-9-0 (1nb), Philander 5-2-9-0

(1nb), Maharaj 10-1-45-1 (1nb), Morkel 8-4-18-2,

Markram 2-0-6-0

SCOREBOARD

South African bowler Morne Morkel (second from left) celebrates the dismissal of Australian batsman Joe Burns (not in picture) on the fourth day of the fourth Test at Wanderers Cricket Ground in Johannesburg yesterday.

Morkel keeps S Africa on course for big winREUTERS

JOHANNESBURG: Tall seamer Morne Morkel took two wickets to restrict struggling Australia to 88 for three at the close on the fourth day of the final Test as South Africa marched towards an emphatic victory yesterday.

Having set Australia a massive 612 for a win that would level the series, the home side removed the tourists’ top three batsmen, despite injury concerns over their pace trio which delayed South Africa’s declaration until the tea interval.

Peter Handscomb (23) and Shaun Marsh (seven) will set about saving the Test on the fifth day, but only a near impossible victory would ensure Australia avoid a first series defeat in South Africa for almost 50 years.

The home side have injury worries over all their fast bowlers, though, with Kagiso Rabada suffering from a stiff lower back, Morkel struggling with a side strain and Vernon Philander nursing a groin

problem.That meant they limited the

number of overs the trio would have to bowl as the hosts declared on 344 for six after a stylish century from captain Faf du Plessis.

The wilting Australian side have been rocked by the ball-tampering scandal in which former captain Steve Smith, his deputy David Warner and batsman Cameron Bancroft were sent home after the third test in Cape Town.

Having been dropped in the gully by Temba Bavuma off Phi-lander, Australia opener Matt Renshaw’s tortured stay at the crease was ended by Morkel, who is playing in his final test before international retirement, as he was trapped plumb lbw after a 42-ball innings that yielded five runs.

South Africa’s second wicket was more controversial as Usman Khawaja (seven) was given out lbw by umpire Nigel Llong off the bowling of spinner Keshav Maharaj.

The ball struck the

left-hander outside the line of off-stump, but Llong and third umpire Richard Illingworth agreed he had not been offering a shot, a decision the Australian clearly felt was wrong.

Opener Joe Burns (42) had looked in good touch until he became the third batsman trapped in front, this time from a rare Morkel yorker that was hitting middle stump.

A relieved Du Plessis (120) reached his eighth test century after passing 50 for the first time in 11 innings, seven of which have been single-figure scores.

He was out edging seamer Pat Cummins (4-58) to a diving Handscomb at second slip, ending a fourth-wicket part-nership of 170 with opener Dean Elgar (81).

Elgar’s 250-ball vigil ended shortly afterwards when he tried to attack spinner Nathan Lyon (2-116), but skied his shot to Shaun Marsh at mid-on.

Quinton de Kock (four) was trapped lbw by Cummins, who recorded the best test match figures of his career, 9-141.

Liverpool can make tie ‘unpleasant’ for City, says KloppREUTERS

MANCHESTER: Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp is not about to change his team’s trademark style against Champions League quarter-final opponents Manchester City and believes he can make things “unpleasant” for Pep Guardiola’s side.

City’s dominance in the Premier League has led many teams to try different methods to limit the effec-tiveness of Pep Guardiola’s tactics and the skill of his players.

Liverpool, though, are the only team to have beaten City in the league this season, with a thrilling 4-3 victory at Anfield in January, and Klopp suggests he will play in a similar style in the first leg tomorrow.

“The way we attack the opponent, the way we defend high is unpleasant (for our opponents). If we do that well they will have some difficulty coping with it,” the German told UEFA.com.

“It will be very exciting. There’s no guarantee this will work. In the end it’s the lads on the pitch who will decide the game,” he added.

Key to Liverpool’s approach is the attacking trio of in-form Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, who all scored in the January victory over City but who are also central to the pressing of Guardiola’s defence.

One approach Klopp won’t be taking is simply trying to shut up shop.

“It’ll be about doing more things right than the oppo-nents, because you can’t simply defend against City and hope that they won’t score on the day,” the German said. “They’re just too good.”

Klopp’s “gegenpressing” style, honed at Borussia Dortmund, involves a rapid swarming of opponents’ ter-ritory when they lose the ball, and a high defence to limit space and make good use of high-energy attacking full backs.

Guardiola’s teams, including his former clubs Barcelona and Bayern Munich, enjoy playing out from the back, working the ball swiftly through midfield and using space expertly. The pressing from Liverpool’s for-wards and midfielders tests the ability but Klopp says the two methods are more similar than many think.

“There’s no big difference, actually. It’s just that Pep has always had better teams than me. You can see that now with Manchester City - they have a lot more points than we do. However, that dif-ference has never been as small as it is now. When we coached at Bayern and Dortmund respectively, that difference was really big,” he said.

Klopp believes City, who are 16 points clear at the top of the Premier League and can clinch the title with a win over Manchester United on Saturday, also owe much of their success to the quality of their players.

“Positioning is important. When the players are in position they move every mil-lisecond in order to be available. And when they are, that’s when the individual quality of the player becomes important. So they’re already well-positioned on the pitch, they are very well orientated and they can pass the ball into the next area. That’s what makes them extraordinary,” Klopp added.

Pakistan beat WI by 82 runsPakistan’s Hussain Talat in action in the second T20 against the West Indies at the National Stadium in Karachi yesterday. Talat scored his maiden T20 fifty when he compiled 63 as Pakistan finished with a total of 205 for the loss of three wickets. West Indies were bowled out for 123.

31TUESDAY 3 APRIL 2018 SPORT

Park, Lindberg set to continue Inspiration play-off battleREUTERS

LOS ANGELES: The ANA Inspi-ration will be decided in a today finish after South Korean Park In-bee and Swede Pernilla Lindberg remained deadlocked through four extra holes in Cali-fornia.

With the first major of the season on the line, Park and Lindberg matched each other stroke-for-stroke after four attempts to find a winner on the par-five 18th before darkness descended on Mission Hills in Rancho Mirage.

The extra holes were needed when the pair finished regulation

locked in a three-way tie with American Jennifer Song at 15-under 273 after an exciting final round during which nearly a dozen players flirted with the lead.

Park and Lindberg birdied the third extra hole to eliminate Song, who has yet to win on the LPGA Tour.

Former US Amateur champion Song had a golden opportunity to claim a maiden triumph on the second extra hole but her six-foot birdie putt slipped below the cup.

After Song bowed out a hole later with a par, the survivors returned to the 18th one more

time and both managed nervy pars in almost total darkness, though floodlights surrounding the green provided some vision.

Looking to win an eighth major of her illustrious career, Park’s aggressive long-range birdie putt sped well past the cup but the Korean regrouped and sank a seven-foot par attempt in the gloom to send the tournament to a late finish.

“It was really dark on the last play-off hole. Putting in the dark, somehow I was able to make that,” Park said. “I think I was a little nervous because 18 is not my favourite hole. I made some good par saves there to just keep on

playing. Finally, we’re playing a different hole tomorrow so I’m excited about that.”

The play-off will resume on the par-four 10th when the 31-year-old Lindberg will con-tinue her quest for a first major triumph as well as a maiden LPGA Tour victory.

“I wasn’t nervous at all in the play-off,” said Lindberg, who carded a closing 71 after starting the fourth round with a three-shot lead.

Park and Song shot matching 67s to join Lindberg one shot ahead of Thai Ariya Jutanugarn (65) and American Jessica Korda (66).

LPGA ANA Inspiration scoresLOS ANGELES: Leading fourth-round scores on Sunday in the LPGA ANA Inspiration

at Rancho Mirage, California (x-Lindberg and Park will resume their playoff on Monday,

USA unless noted, par-72):

273 - x-Park In-bee (KOR) 70-69-67-67, x-Pernilla Lindberg (SWE) 65-67-70-71, Jen-

nifer Song 69-69-68-67

274 - Ariya Jutanugarn (THA) 72-69-68-65, Jessica Korda 67-68-73-66

275 - Moriya Jutanugarn (THA) 70-70-66-69, Charley Hull (ENG) 69-68-69-69

276 - Ayako Uehara (JPN) 66-71-70-69

277 - Caroline Masson (GER) 72-68-69-68, Jodi Ewart Shadoff (ENG) 70-67-69-71,

Park Sung-Hyun (KOR) 68-64-74, Amy Olson 69-68-68-72, Ryann O’Toole 72-69-70-

67

278 - Nelly Korda 71-69-71-67

279 - Pornanong Phatlum (THA) 70-73-69-67

Excitement builds over Tiger’s return to Masters field this weekAFP

AUGUSTA: Anticipation built around Augusta National for Tiger Woods returning to the Masters, ticket scalpers already offering prized passes to the unfolding drama at the year’s first major golf tournament.

Players travelled Magnolia Lane to the clubhouse on the eve of today’s first official pratice session for the 82nd Masters, where 14-time major winner Woods will try for a fifth green jacket after his fourth back operation.

“I’m just there to win,” Woods said in a posting on his website this week.

“I’ve been better with each week I’ve competed. A little more crisp. I’m starting to put the pieces together.”

Woods missed his third Masters in four years last year after spinal fusion surgery, but has contended in his past two starts, sharing fifth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and second at the Valspar Championship.

“It’s fantastic what we’re seeing of Tiger. He looks in control of his game,” said Brit-ain’s Justin Rose, last year’s Masters runner-up.

Woods, who at a low point doubted he would ever play competitive golf again, has seen interest in his comeback tale at age 42 send resale prices for Masters badges soaring several thousand dollars above face value.

“I got a second chance on life,” Woods said. “I am a walking miracle.”

Woods hasn’t won a major since the 2008 US Open, hasn’t won a tournament since the 2013

WGC Bridgestone Invitational, hasn’t played in a major since missing the cut at the 2015 PGA Championship and last won the Masters in 2005.

“I’m just really looking forward to playing,” Woods said. “It’s the best-run tournament in the world. The golf course, the patrons, the entire atmosphere -- it’s a golfers heaven.”

A streak of 12 rounds at par or better has shown Woods has regained his health. This week will tell if he has found the form that made him a global superstar.

“It’s a lot different than the first two comebacks. He wasn’t

ready,” said Australia’s Jason Day. “He came back too soon. Now he’s hitting it longer than before.”

That’s part of the reason some oddsmakers have made Woods the tournament favourite.

“That’s kind of funny,” Woods said. “Six months ago the odds were I wasn’t even going to play.”

Woods played two nine-hole practice rounds two weeks ago at Augusta National, his first at the course since the final round in 2015.

“They resurfaced a few of the greens but they still look they

have been there for 100 years,” Woods said. “My yardage book was basically the same.”

Woods, whose 79 career PGA wins are three shy of Sam Snead’s all-time record, faces a world-class field with several top rivals playing their best as well.

Multiple major winners Rory McIlroy, Bubba Watson and Phil Mickelson plus 2017 PGA Cham-pionship winner Justin Thomas have won Masters tuneup events and reigning British Open champion Jordan Spieth, the 2015 US Open and Masters winner who was third Sunday at Houston, is peaking at the

perfect time.“I’ve made some

big strides from my past couple of tournaments.

“I’m very excited for what next week holds,” Spieth said.

“I’ll try to nail it in the next few days and try a little speed control at Augusta and hopefully I’ll have a chance at the weekend.”

D e f e n d i n g champion Sergio Garcia will try to become the first repeat winner of the Masters since Woods in 2001-02, having become a husband and father since ending his major drought after 73 failures, daughter Azalea named for one of his favorite Augusta National holes.

“Azalea’s first flight and she did

amazingly well! We made it to Augusta for @TheMasters and are excited for a very special week,” Garcia’s wife Angela tweeted.

Adding to the specialness of the week for Garcia was an image tweeted Sunday by Augusta National of his new Champions Locker Room plate alongside that of Spanish coun-tryman Jose Maria Olazabal.

Last year, Olazabal sent Garcia a note for inspiration saying, “I’m not sharing my locker at the moment, and I hope that I get to do it with you.”

US golfer Tiger Woods celebrates after making a birdie on the 18th hole during the final round of the US Open at Torrey Pines in San Diego in this June 15, 2008, file photo.

Garcia says he is not taking superstitions into Masters title defenceREUTERS

AUGUSTA: After earning a long-awaited maiden major title at last year’s Masters, Sergio Garcia would be forgiven for allowing a few superstitions to creep in at Augusta National Golf Club next week.

Yet the Spaniard, who needed 74 attempts finally to claim a major, said he would not be trying to replicate last year’s off-course routines, nor staying in the same house or eating the same foods.

“I’m not that superstitious to try to do everything like I did last year,” said Garcia.

“I think that at the end of the day, you control things in your head...

“It’s just a matter of going back there, being confident again, enjoying what I’m doing and try to do it the best way possible so I can give myself a great chance at defending my title.”

For Garcia, slipping into a Green Jacket after last year’s playoff victory over European Ryder Cup team mate Justin Rose fulfilled a lifelong dream of matching his Spanish idols Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal as a Masters champion.

The 38-year-old Spaniard is now focused on becoming only the third golfer to successfully defend their Masters title and first since Tiger Woods accomplished the feat in 2002.

Garcia has enjoyed top-10 fin-ishes in each of his last three PGA Tour starts -- two of which came at World Golf Championships events in Mexico and Austin. He is happy with where his game is even if he is not considered a favourite to win the Masters.

“I’m excited to go back there and defend my title as well as I can be and as well as I can do,” Garcia said about returning to Augusta National for the April 5-8 Masters.

“You know, if I’m looked at as a favourite or not, it doesn’t really matter, because at the end of the day, it depends on myself and what I do and on what I believe. So, you know, those things, I don’t think really matter that much, anyway.”

Since winning the Masters, Garcia has got married, wore his Green Jacket to his wedding reception, was named the European Tour Player of the Year and named his baby girl Azalea, after Augusta National’s 13th hole where he scrambled for a miracle par in the final round to spark his victory charge.

Garcia, whose Green Jacket tour included stops at Wimbledon and the El Clasico match between soccer powerhouses Barcelona and Real Madrid, said: “Even though I thought it was massive, I realise how much bigger it is all over the world and how much people really look up to the Masters and the Green Jacket and everything. So, it’s been an amazing experience. It’s been awesome. It’s been a tremendous honour, and it’s probably, like I said, bigger than maybe I thought or expected. It’s been a fun ride.”

Pressure won’t decide whether McIlroy completes grand slamREUTERS

AUGUSTA: Whether or not Rory McIlroy (pictured tight) completes the career grand slam at the US Masters next Sunday, he will be impervious to the pressure of being the favourite, according to two former players who will call the action from Augusta National.

After four mediocre tourna-ments, McIlroy recaptured his old brilliance at the Arnold Palmer Invitational two weeks ago. He stormed to victory with five birdies in the final six holes as his previously cold putter caught fire and matched the rest of his game.

A lesson with Brad Faxon, probably the best putter on tour for most of his career, helped McIlroy to stop obsessing with mechanics, focusing on remaining loose and making a good stroke.

That performance helped

catapult McIlroy to outright favourite with at least one bookmaker.

“Rory won’t read too much into being the favourite this year (and) nor should we,” former PGA Tour winner Frank Nobilo, who will work at the Masters for CBS and Golf Channel, told Reuters.

“It (being favourite) won’t create any more pressure than his own personal quest to win the Rory slam.”

Ian Baker-Finch, who will call the action at the 17th hole for CBS, thinks McIlroy remains the best player in the world when he is on his game.

In other words, McIlroy’s best is better than anyone else’s, but that does not guarantee any-thing in one of the most fickle of all games.

“When he putts well and when he’s confident, he’s the best,” 1991 British Open champion Baker-Finch said.

“He’s won four majors and when he wins he can win by 10 shots. There is a lot of pressure, going for grand slam, one of the favourites, but I still believe he’s the man to beat.”

McIlroy knows what he is capable of when his putter co-operates.

Arguably the best driver in the game, he smashes the ball prodigious distances, combined with a reasonable degree of accuracy.

“I kept telling everyone, even when I was missing cuts and fin-ishing 60th, it wasn’t that far away,” the 28-year-old Northern Irishman said after winning at Bay Hill. “I’ve always believed in myself and I know that being 100 percent healthy is good enough to not just win on the PGA Tour but win a lot.

“So I never lost belief. I know that I’ve got a gift for this game and I know that if I put the time in I can make a lot of it.”

With a high ball-flight that allows him to play more aggres-sively than most with his iron shots, which land feathery soft on the greens, McIlroy plays a game his peers can only dream about.

It is so perfectly suited to Augusta National that he can hardly help playing well - as proven by four consecutive top-10 finishes in the past four years - but you have to make medium-distance putts to win majors. Which is where Faxon may have helped solved the missing piece of the puzzle.

“(He) freed up my head more than my stroke,” McIlroy said. “I was complicating things a bit and thinking a little bit too much about it and maybe a little bogged down by technical or mechanical thoughts.

“The objective is to get that ball in the hole and that’s it. I think I lost sight of that a little bit.”

32 TUESDAY 3 APRIL 2018SPORT 33TUESDAY 3 APRIL 2018 SPORT

India deny doping after needle found

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Aussies look to dominate on home soil at Commonwealth Games REUTERS

GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA: The Commonwealth Games has become a multi-sports party that struggles to pull high-profile guests but enthusiastic host Australia has promised a beach-side bash on the Gold Coast to reaffirm the event’s place in the global landscape.

More than 6,600 athletes and team officials from 71 Commonwealth nations and territories will flock to the glitzy resort strip and other cities in sun-drenched Queensland to compete in 18 sports ranging from athletics to lawn bowls. No other nation brings quite the same fervour to the quadrennial Games as Australia, and the hosts will have a full stable of stars in their record 473-athlete delegation when the event opens on Wednesday.

Outside the country, however, the Games lacks the same pulling power and recent editions have been almost as notable for their absentees as their confirmed starters.

Barring a token appearance for Jamaica in the relays at Glasgow, ath-letics’ most bankable drawcard Usain Bolt steered clear of the showpiece dur-ing his brilliant career.

A host of track and field’s biggest names will similarly dodge the Gold Coast, including Olympic 800 metres champion David Rudisha and fellow Kenyan Asbel Kiprop, the three-times world champion in the 1,500m.

Canadian triple Olympic sprint medallist Andre De Grasse withdrew to focus on the outdoor season, while South Africa’s Olympic and world 400m champion Wayde van Niekerk is side-lined with injury. There will still be

enough quality on show, however, to draw crowds to Carrara Stadium, where Jamaica’s latest sensation Elaine Thompson, the reigning Olympic 100 and 200m champion, will headline the women’s sprints.

Her team mate Yohan Blake, a former 100m world champion, will also highlight the men’s event and hope to step out of the shadow of his former training partner Bolt.

“Usain Bolt has left his legacy for us to carry on and that’s what we want to do,” Blake, runner-up behind Bolt in the 100 and 200m at the London Olym-pics, told local media after landing in Australia.

“That’s what I want, to start with the Commonwealths, to take over the dom-inance of the sprinting world.”

South Africa’s double Olympic champion Caster Semenya will run in the 800 and 1,500m, while the burden of home expectations will fall on Gold Coast local Sally Pearson, who will bid for a third consecutive gold in the 100m hurdles. The Games’ chief ambassador, Pearson won a new legion of fans last year when she claimed a second 100m hurdles world title in London, putting four injury-blighted years behind her.

Locals will also pack the terraces at the Optus Aquatic Centre where Aus-tralia’s formidable swim team will be expected to dominate.

A number of their top swimmers skipped last year’s world champion-ships in Hungary to focus on the Gold Coast and some will be hugely moti-vated for success after flopping at the Rio Olympics.

Former 100m world record holder Cate Campbell, who finished sixth at Rio after being the raging favourite for gold, has returned to form after a year-long sabbatical.

Men’s Olympic 100m champion Kyle Chalmers may face his stiffest test against another Australian in Cameron McEvoy, who owns the fastest time in a textile swimsuit (47.04 seconds).

The track cycling events promise to be hard-fought between strong English and Australian teams in a Games that also boasts complete gender parity across all events for the first time.

Still riding high from the London Olympics, England topped the table at Glasgow with 174 medals, including 58 golds, dislodging Australia for the first time since 1986.

Australia will be determined to restore their dynasty on home soil.

COMMONWEALTH GAMES FACTS AND FIGURES

WHENApril 4-15, 2018

WHERE* The majority of the events will be held in three clusters on

the Gold Coast, with the opening and closing ceremonies

and athletics at the Carrara Stadium.

* Track cycling and the shooting competitions will be held

in Brisbane.

* Preliminary round games in the basketball competition

will be held in Townsville and Cairns, in the far-North of

Queensland.

BY THE NUMBERS* 18 sports; seven para-sports

* 10 core sports -- athletics, badminton, boxing, hockey, lawn

bowls, netball, rugby sevens, squash, swimming, weightlifting.

* Eight optional sports -- basketball, beach volleyball, cycling,

gymnastics, shooting, table tennis, triathlon, wrestling.

* 275 gold medals

* 6,600-plus athletes

* 71 nations and territories

THE GOLD COAST GAMES* Bid was initiated by the Queensland state premier Anna

Bligh in 2008.

* Was the only bidder until Sri Lankan city Hambantota

entered the race in 2010.

* Awarded the 2018 event on Nov. 11, 2011, becoming the fifth

Ausralian city to host the Commonwealth Games (Sydney,

1938; Perth, 1962; Brisbane, 1982; Melbourne 2006)

* More than 80 percent of the venues had already been

built prior to the bid being awarded.

* State and local government invested more than A$1bn

($767.80m) in upgrading the public transport system, with

an extension to the light rail tram network connecting key

venues.

* The mascot Borobi is a blue koala with indigenous markings

on its body. Borobi is an Aboriginal term for koala.

* Beach volleyball and women’s sevens are making their

debut.

Eight stars to watch at Gold Coast CWGAFP

GOLD COAST: English swimmer Adam Peaty and Jamaican sprinter Yohan Blake will be among the world-class competitors in action

when the Commonwealth Games begin next week in Australia’s Gold Coast.

Ahead of the opening ceremony on Wednesday, AFP Sport picks out eight stars to watch during the April 4-15

showpiece.

VALERIE ADAMS (SHOT PUT, NZL)

Adams seems to have been around for ever and this will

be her fifth Common-wealths -- her haul so

far is three gold and one silver. Still only

33, the Kiwi

dominated women’s shot put for more than a decade. Her remarkable reign includes win-ning 107 major competitions in a row from 2006 to 2014 and two Olympic titles. But she had to settle for silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics, behind the Ameri-can Michelle Carter, and is on the comeback trail after having her first child in October.

YOHAN BLAKE (ATHLETICS, JAM)With fellow Jamaican Usain Bolt retired,

Blake has a prime opportunity to step out of the sprint legend’s shadow. The 28-year-old Blake is the second fastest man of all time in

the 100m and 200m -- behind Bolt -- but has never won a Commonwealth Games medal after skipping Glasgow 2014. Blake revealed that Bolt, who will attend the Games as an ambassador, is expecting him to win. “He said, ‘When I come to Australia, if you don’t win there is going to be problems’,” Blake told Bris-bane’s Courier-Mail.

LEE CHONG WEI (BADMINTON, MAS)Lee is a Malaysian with magic in his rac-

quet. The badminton star boasts a formidable trophy haul and is reaching the end of a great career. His triumphs include Commonwealth gold in 2006 and 2010 -- he missed 2014 injured. He would have been a multiple Olym-pic champion too, but lost the final to Lin Dan in 2008 and 2012, and fell to another Chinese player, Chen Long, in 2016. At least Lee, 35, won’t have to face Lin or Chen in Australia.

TOM DALEY (DIVING, ENG)The 23-year-old with the boy-band

looks leads England’s hopes in the diving and is also one of the biggest stars at the Games. He burst onto the scene as a fresh-faced teenager and is a double world champion in the 10m platform. In the same

discipline he also won gold at the 2010 and 2014 Commonwealth Games. At the Gold Coast Games, the double Olympic bronze-medallist will compete in the 10m platform and also the 3m synchronised event.

MACK HORTON (SWIMMING, AUS)The bespectacled Horton is the reigning

Olympic 400m freestyle champion and is also slated to go in the 200m and 1,500m events at the Commonwealths. The 21-year-old’s prep-arations hit a snag in the build-up when he was stung by a bee and suffered an allergic reaction, his arm ballooning in size. Horton, who cuts a scholarly-looking figure with his thick specs -- but has the daunting nickname “Mack the Knife -- faces stiff competition in the 200m from fellow Australian Kyle Chalm-ers, the Olympic title-holder in the 100m freestyle.

ADAM PEATY (SWIMMING, ENG)The Englishman is the 100m breaststroke

Olympic champion and world record-holder in the 50m and 100m. He will also be defend-ing his Commonwealth title in the 100m. And there is bad news for his rivals because he is in excellent form, winning the 100m at last month’s British championships with a season-best 58.78sec. Peaty, unbeaten for nearly four years, warned his rivals afterwards that he was gunning for a world record to go with Gold Coast gold.

CASTER SEMENYA (ATHLETICS, RSA)The 27-year-old South African runner is a

two-time Olympic gold medallist and three-time world champion over 800m. She will be strong favourite to pull off an 800m and 1,500m double in Australia and has even been tipped for a new world record over 800m if she hits top form. Semenya, South Africa’s flag-bearer, has been dogged by gender accusations since shooting to fame when she won the 800m crown as a teenager at the 2009 world championships.

ELAINE THOMPSON (ATHLETICS, JAM)Thompson is the 100m and 200m Olym-

pic champion and another hoping to grab the headlines following the retirement of fellow Jamaican track star Bolt. However, the 25-year-old does not enjoy the dominance that Bolt had and at the world championships in London in 2017 she finished a disappointing fifth. “Los-ing the world championships was just a big motivation for me and that gives me a big boost to work even harder for 2018,” Thompson wrote on Facebook in January.

Jamaican

sprinter

Yohan

Blake

Jamaica’s Elaine

Thompson

British swimmer

Adam Peaty

Malaysian badminton legend Lee Chong Wei

South Africa’s Caster

Semenya

AFP

GOLD COAST: India’s men’s boxing coach denied any doping had taken place yesterday after syringes were found in the Commonwealth Games athletes’ village, saying one of his fight-ers was given a vitamin injection because he was unwell.

Santiago Nieva was speaking to Australia’s 7 News after Games bosses said officials from an unnamed team had been summoned over a breach of the event’s “no-needle” policy.

“I’m confident that our boxers haven’t taken anything,” Nieva said, two days ahead of the opening ceremony.

“We had one boxer that wasn’t very feeling well and the doctor has given him an injection.”

Asked if it had been a performance-enhanc-ing drug, Nieva replied: “No, that was a vitamin substance.”

A cleaner at the athletes’ village initially tipped off organisers about the syringes, offi-cials said.

However, Nieva’s explanation contradicts India team manager Ajay Narang, who on Sat-urday told AFP that the needles were nothing to do with them. They were found inside a water bottle on a path outside their accommoda-tion, Narang said.

Games chiefs, who are still analysing the syringes, have repeatedly warned against teams or athletes breaking the “no-needle” edict. Any penalties would be at the discre-tion of the Commonwealth Games Federation court.

David Grevemberg, the federation’s chief executive, declined earlier Monday to iden-tify which country was under suspicion, but said officials had been summoned to a meet-ing with the organisation’s medical commission.

A 50-50 prospect: CWG offers medal equalityAP

GOLD COAST: For Commonwealth Games (CWG) organisers, the Gold Coast presents a case for all things being equal.

Gold Coast 2018 chairman Peter Beattie pre-viewed the games which start tomorrow by promoting the 50-50 gender balance for the med-als on offer at the 21st edition of the Commonwealth Games.

“This is the first multisport event ever where there will be the same number of medals for women as for men - it has not happened at the Commonwealth Games before or the Olympic Games,” Beattie said. “So we are going to make history. There are 133 women’s and 133 men’s events, and nine mixed open events, for exam-ple, in shooting and lawn bowls. That is why we are very proud of this.”

At Glasgow four years ago, women were com-peting for 48.5 percent of the medals. With the addition of three additional events in cycle, three in boxing and one in weightlifting, organizers say parity has been achieved.

Anna Meares, a multiple Olympic and world champion cyclist, won gold medals at the 2006, 2010 and 2014 Commonwealth Games after kick-ing off her career with a bronze at the 2002 edition in Manchester.

“From an athlete’s perspective, what I have achieved over 16 years at four Commonwealth Games, women today can do in two,” Meares said. “That speaks volumes for the opportunity being given to our female athletes.

“It is wonderful to be part of this generation and to be part of the change and inclusion.”

Kaye Scott, the only member of Australia’s boxing team for 2018 who competed at Glasgow four years ago, said the increase from three to six weight divisions for women was “a wonder-ful move in the right direction for equality in female sport.

“Eventually I’d love to see the full 10 weight divisions offered.”

As well as the extra events in cycling and boxing, another big boost to women’s partici-pation was the inclusion of of women’s rugby sevens. The condensed version of the sport made its Olympic debut in Rio de Janeiro, where Aus-tralia beat New Zealand for the first women’s gold medal and Fiji won the inaugural men’s title. The Australian women’s team remains a medal favorite now on home soil.

Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive David Grevemberg said gender equal-ity has been at the forefront of the organization’s work.

“This is just the beginning of a major shift,” he said. “We have come a long way. In the Hamilton 1930 Empire Games (in Canada) we had seven events for women and only 12 percent of the total medals.

“We have also moved the dial on opportunities for women to offi-ciate. In Gold Coast 2018, for the first time we have some of our federations reaching 50-50 for the number of men and women technical officials.

“We have made enormous jumps.”

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Campbell eyes redemption after ‘greatest choke’AFP

GOLD COAST: A defiant Cate Campbell has promised a return to her best form at the Commonwealth Games as the Aussie swimmer looks to exorcise the demons of her Olym-pic flop two years ago.

The 25-year-old is blazing the comeback trail after tak-ing a year out from the sport, prompted by what Campbell described as the “greatest choke in Olympic history” in Rio -- her sixth-place finish in the 100 metres freestyle final.

Campbell, who is limbering up for the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast this week, rediscovered her mojo at the national trials, where she dominated the 100m free-style and broke Australian records in the 50m free and 50m butterfly.

Campbell was the red-hot favourite to win the Olym-pic 100m title in 2016 and led at the turn before fading badly, allowing Canada’s Penny Oleksiak and American Simone Manuel to come through and tie for gold.

But Campbell, who helped the Australian women win the 4x100m freestyle title in Rio, brushed off questions about her mental strength before the Commonwealth Games swim-ming competition, which begins Thursday.

“It’s not so much the pressure of expectation, because people want you to swim well,” she said.

“They’re not rooting for you to swim badly. They want to see you swim well so they will support you and not put pressure on you. I’ve never had a home crowd advantage,” added Campbell, whose 100m time at trials was three-tenths of a second quicker than the effort Oleksiak and Manuel clocked to win gold in Rio.

“We saw in Glasgow in 2014 that the Scots just lifted. There was something in the air that got them ready to swim fast and I’m really hoping we feel that same energy here.”

Campbell, who is looking to retain the 100m title she won in Glasgow, will get her shot at redemption when she lines up against teenager Oleksiak in Gold Coast, where Campbell’s sister Bronte will be a medal threat.

Australia, meanwhile, has finished top of the medals table in swimming since the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, and Cate Campbell backed the host nation to continue that dominance.

“We do set the standard of the meet,” she said. “I’m incredibly proud of this team.”

A young boy runs around a statue of ‘Borobi’, the official mascot of the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games

near the Broadbeach Bowls Club venue in Gold Coast on Sunday.

34 TUESDAY 3 APRIL 2018SPORT

NBA round-up: Gutsy Spurs snap Rockets’ 11-game win streakAP

CHICAGO: LaMarcus Aldridge posted a double-double and received complementary scoring from Rudy Gay in the San Antonio Spurs’ 100-83 win over the visiting Houston Rockets on Sunday.

The Spurs averted a season series sweep and snapped the Rockets’ 11-game winning streak in the process, holding Houston to 33.8 percent shooting.

Aldridge finished with 23 points and 14 rebounds for San Antonio, which desperately needed the victory to maintain pace in the hotly contested Western Conference postseason picture. The Spurs are fourth in the West, a half-game up on Oklahoma City.

Gay scored 21 off the San Antonio bench while the starting backcourt of Dejounte Murray and Danny Green combined for 25 points and 13 rebounds. James Harden led the Rockets with 25 points and eight assists.

Jazz 121, Timberwolves 97Ricky Rubio poured in 23

points on 5-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc to lead five team-mates in double-figure scoring as visiting Utah romped past Minnesota in a game with major postseason implications for both teams.

Utah led by 11 at halftime and poured it on in the second half, forging as much as a 29-point lead in the fourth quarter to run away with the contest.

The victory allowed the Jazz to leapfrog Minnesota into sixth place in the Western Conference standings. Both teams are part of a group of seven squads sep-arated by four games for the No. 4-10 spots in the West, and just five of those teams will earn places in the postseason.

Thunder 109, Pelicans 104Russell Westbrook had a

triple-double as Oklahoma City held on against host New Orleans, which is clinging on to the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Westbrook finished with 26 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists as the Thunder ended a three-game losing streak. Paul George added a game-high 27 points, and Carmelo Anthony had 16 points.

Anthony Davis had 25 points and 11 rebounds, and Ian Clark scored 16 for the Pelicans, who lost their fourth straight.

Cavaliers 98, Mavericks 87LeBron James racked up his

17th triple-double of the season

with 16 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists as Cleveland came from behind at home to beat Dallas.

The Cavaliers were down by four points entering the fourth quarter but used a 13-0 run over a four-minute timeframe in the middle of the period to take charge.

With the win, Cleveland remains in third place in the Eastern Conference standings with five games to play.

The Cavaliers can finish no better than third, but they are just a half-game up on Phila-delphia and a game ahead of Indiana as those three teams battle for the Nos. 3-5 spots in the East.

Warriors 117, Suns 107Kevin Durant, Draymond

Green and Quinn Cook hit 3-pointers during a 17-2, third-quarter flurry that helped host Golden State break open a close game in a victory over Phoenix.

Durant finished with 29 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists for the Warriors, who snapped a three-game home losing streak, their longest since January 2014.

The Suns lost their 15th straight despite 22-point efforts from Marquese Chriss and Josh Jackson.

Nuggets 128, Bucks 125 (OT)

Nikola Jokic had 35 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots to help host Denver recover from an 18-point, fourth-quarter deficit and post a crucial victory over Milwaukee.

Jamal Murray recorded 27 points and seven assists, and Paul Millsap contributed 26 points, 13 rebounds and five assists for Denver.

76ers 119, Hornets 102Ben Simmons put on a clinic

with 20 points, 15 assists, eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks to lift Philadelphia past host Charlotte for a 10th straight win.

Marco Belinelli added a team-best 22 points on 9-of-10 shooting off the bench for the Sixers, who completed a four-game sweep of the season series with Charlotte.

The Sixers have their first 10-game win streak since they started the season 10-0 in 2000-01, when they went to the NBA Finals.

Trail Blazers 113, Grizzlies 98

Portland outscored visiting Memphis 43-24 in the third quarter, breaking open a tight game and then cruising to victory.

Damian Lillard scored 27 points and CJ McCollum added

20 points for the Trail Blazers, who won for the 17th time in 20 outings.

Rookie Dillon Brooks scored 28 points for the Grizzlies.

Pacers 111, Clippers 104Victor Oladipo scored 30

points and delivered a season-high 12 assists to lead visiting Indiana past Los Angeles.

Oladipo hit 11 of 17 shots. Myles Turner scored 24 points and grabbed eight rebounds for the Pacers, who won their fifth consecutive game, including three in a row on the road.

Tobias Harris scored 21 and Lou Williams was right behind with 20 for the Clippers.

Pistons 108, Nets 96Reggie Jackson scored 12 of

his season-high 29 points in the fourth quarter as Detroit with-stood Andre Drummond’s ejection and beat host Brooklyn.

Drummond posted his 59th double-double of the season with 13 points and 14 rebounds. He missed a chance for a league-leading eighth 20-20 game after getting ejected for an incident with Quincy Acy.

Bulls 113, Wizards 94Lauri Markkanen scored 23

points, and Chicago won its second game in a row, topping Washington, which was without John Wall.

Wall returned from a

two-month absence Saturday and helped the Wizards clinch a playoff berth with a win over the Hornets. Washington’s All-Star guard missed 27 games recov-ering from a knee injury. He had 15 points and 14 assists against the Hornets but was given Sunday off.

Kings 84, Lakers 83Buddy Hield scored 19

points, and his tiebreaking dunk with 37 seconds left led Sacra-mento past host Los Angeles.

Bogdan Bogdanovic added 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting for the Kings, who halted a four-game slide. De’Aaron Fox had 14 points and six assists and Willie Cauley-Stein contributed 11 points and seven rebounds for Sacramento.

Hawks 94, Magic 88Dewayne Dedmon, Mike

Muscala and John Collins each had double-doubles as Atlanta held off visiting Orlando in a battle between the two teams with the worst records in the Eastern Conference.

Dedmon finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Collins had 10 points and 11 rebounds, and Muscala came off the bench to score 13 points and grab 10 rebounds for the Hawks, who snapped a five-game losing streak. Tyler Dorsey scored a team-high 19 points.

Dee Gordon homers as Mariners beat Indians 5-4AP

SEATTLE: Dee Gordon and Mitch Haniger homered, Mike Leake pitched seven strong innings and the Seattle Mariners beat the Cleveland Indians 5-4 on Sunday.

Edwin Encarnacion went deep twice for the Indians, his 29th career multihomer game.

Gordon and Haniger con-nected in the seventh, when the Mariners broke a 2-all tie on the way to winning the series.

Leake (1-0) gave up two runs and five hits.

He has allowed three runs or fewer in all six starts since joining the Mariners late last season.

Gordon led off the seventh with a tiebreaking shot to right field off Dan Otero (0-1).

Gordon clearly knew he’d hit it well - after making contact he watched the ball and walked out of the batter’s box.

A few batters later, Haniger added a two-run drive off reliever Tyler Olson to give Seattle a 5-2 lead.

They were the first runs Olson has allowed with Cleveland - last year he threw 20 scoreless innings in 30 appearances for the Indians.

Encarnacion cut the lead to one with his second homer in the eighth, a two-run shot.

Edwin Diaz struck out all three batters in the ninth for his second save.

Cleveland starter Trevor Bauer allowed two runs and five hits in five innings, striking out seven and walking three.

Cleveland opened the scoring with Bradley Zim-mer’s RBI single in the second. The Indians took a 2-0 lead on Encarnacion’s leadoff homer in the fourth, which hit the hand-operated score-board in left field.

Bauer got out of a two-out jam in the third. He gave up a single and back-to-back walks to load the bases before striking out Kyle Seager.

The Mariners tied the game in the fifth on run-scoring doubles by Jean Segura and Seager. It was Seager’s first hit of the season after starting 0 for 8.

TRAINER’S ROOMMariners: Nelson Cruz

twisted his right ankle Sat-urday slipping on the dugout steps after a home run. Cruz had an MRI on Sunday morning.

“We’ll have to wait and see what the results are,” manager Scott Servais said.

“If it’s going to be longer than three or four days, we’ll have to make a roster decision. Right now we’ll keep our fingers crossed he’ll bounce back.”... OF Ben Gamel, on the disabled list with a strained right oblique, will join Triple-A Tacoma for some simulated games this week and begin a rehab assignment with Tacoma when the team’s season starts Thursday.... RHP Erasmo Ramirez is expected to throw in a simulated game with Tacoma as he recovers from a strained lat muscle, and C Mike Zunino (left oblique strain) might also play in a simulated game this week.

UP NEXTIndians: Cleveland starts

a three-game series at the Los Angeles Angels on Monday. RHP Mike Clevinger will make his first start of the season.

Clevinger is 2-0 with a 3.94 ERA in four career starts against the Angels.

Mariners: LHP Marco Gonzales opens a two-game series at San Francisco today.

Golden State Warriors’ guard Klay Thompson (11) shoots against Phoenix Suns’ forward Dragan Bender (35) during the first half of

their NBA game at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Suns 117-107.

Caps top Penguins, clinch division titleAP

CHICAGO: The Washington Capitals clinched the top spot in the Metropolitan Division for the third consecutive season, scoring a single goal in each period en route to a 3-1 victory over the Penguins on Sunday night in Pittsburgh.

Capitals goalie Philipp Grubauer stopped 36 shots for the win, but Alex Ovechkin was held off the scoresheet in his 1,000th NHL game. Washington won for the sixth time in seven games.

The second-place Penguins are trying to hold off the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Philadelphia Flyers and the New Jersey Devils in the Metropolitan. Pittsburgh holds a two-point lead on Columbus and Philadelphia, and a three-point lead on New Jersey.

However, the Blue Jackets, Flyers and Devils all have three games remaining, one more than the Penguins.

Ducks 4, Avalanche 3 (OT)Ondrej Kase scored 1:34 into overtime

after the Ducks rallied from a two-goal deficit in the third period, and Anaheim defeated visiting Colorado to move past the Los Angeles Kings into third place in the Pacific Division.

Andrew Cogliano had a goal and an assist, and Ryan Kesler and Adam Hen-rique also scored for Anaheim.

John Gibson stopped nine of 10 shots for the Ducks but was replaced by Ryan Miller to start the second period after being involved in a collision with Gabriel Landeskog near the end of the first period. Miller made 19 saves. Tyson Jost scored two goals and Alexander Kerfoot had a goal and an assist for Colorado, which gained a point to move into the second wild card spot ahead of the St. Louis Blues.

Devils 2, Canadiens 1Taylor Hall’s short-handed breakaway

goal at 15:31 of the third period gave New Jersey a victory over host Montreal.

Hall scored as he came out of the penalty box after serving a bench minor for too many men on the ice. He netted the first short-handed goal of his NHL career, beating Canadiens goaltender Carey Price with a quick shot to the stick side. The goal extended his points streak to eight games.

The Devils moved closer to qualifying for the play-offs for the first time since

2011-12. They now have eight wins in their past 11 games. New Jersey is in contention for either third place in the Metropolitan Division, which guarantees postseason participation, or an Eastern Conference wild-card spot.

Predators 4, Lightning 1Filip Forsberg scored two goals while

Juuse Saros made 29 saves and also added an assist as Nashville moved to the brink of the Central Division title with a win over host Tampa Bay.

Ryan Johansen and Craig Smith also scored for Nashville, which bounced back from a stunning 7-4 loss Saturday night to Buffalo.

The Predators have 113 points, seven ahead of Winnipeg in the division, and need just one more point from their final three games or a Jets loss to clinch the division.

Flyers 4, Bruins 3 (OT)Claude Giroux scored two goals,

including the winner with 1:21 left in overtime, to help host Philadelphia edge Boston.

Travis Konecny and Nolan Patrick each scored a goal and Ivan Provorov had a pair of assists for the Flyers, who won for the first time in three tries against the Bruins this season.

Philadelphia goaltender Petr Mrazek made 36 saves.

Washington Capitals’ centre Lars Eller (20) chases the puck against Pittsburgh Penguins during the first period of their NHL game. The Capitals won 3-1.

35TUESDAY 3 APRIL 2018 SPORT

Isner beats Zverev in Miami Open final for biggest ATP Tour title winAP

KEY BISCAYNE: John Isner punctuated his unexpected run to the Miami Open title with a surprising display of agility, dancing across the court while basking in a breakthrough.

The 6-foot-10 Isner looked twice as tall skipping about with a grin brighter than the Florida sunshine.

He had just won the biggest title of his 14-year career, holding every service game and rallying past Alexander Zverev 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-4 on Sunday.

Isner, who turns 33 this month, previously had been 0-3 in ATP Masters 1000 finals.

“You can’t replicate moments like this,” Isner said during the trophy ceremony. “I’m toward the latter part of my career; this is the best moment of my career.”

Isner’s win came in the last singles match on Key Biscayne before the Miami Open moves next year to the NFL Dolphins’ stadium.

Seeded 14th, Isner became the first American man to win the tournament since Andy Roddick in 2010.

Isner joined Sloane Stephens, who won the women’s title Sat-urday, for the first US sweep in the event since 2004, when the champions were Roddick and Serena Williams.

The start of the last game was delayed by the crowd’s chants of “U-S-A!” Isner then held at love, and on the final three points he smacked aces, giving him 18 for the match and 79 for the tournament.

“I was just ready for this moment,” he said. “I’ve been here three other times, and I’ve lost three times on this stage. I was just ready for it.”

Isner is best known as tennis’ marathon man thanks to his 70-68 fifth-set victory over Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledon in 2010.

He possesses perhaps the game’s biggest serve but has never reached a Grand Slam

s e m i - f i n a l , largely because a lack of mobility makes it difficult for him to stay in rallies.

The string of victories on Key Biscayne surprised even him because he arrived with a record of 1-6

this year, including losses to players with rankings of 60, 62, 78 and 91.

“I couldn’t have scripted this,” Isner said.

“I was playing very poorly,” he added.

“But that’s the way tennis goes. You gain a little confidence, and things start to roll your way,” he said.

He played an almost flawless semifinal to beat Juan Martin del Potro, and was just good enough against the fourth-seeded Zverev, a precocious

20-year-old German who was bidding for his third Masters 1000 title in the past 12 months.

The Key Biscayne finale drew a near-capacity crowd, and the atmosphere was electrifying at times.

When Isner hit a forehand winner during a tense final game of the second set, he whirled his index finger as he looked around at the roaring crowd, coaxing the decibel level still higher.

Two points later, when Zverev won a wild exchange with both players at the net, he

waved both arms toward the stands, inspiring another cre-scendo from the fans.

Isner’s serve allowed him to overcome inconsistent returning, a succession of botched volleys and shaky play at crunch time.

He converted only two of 12 break-point chances and lost his final three service points in the tiebreaker.

But he gave Zverev only three break-point chances, and Isner’s serve was at its best down the stretch.

He made 83 percent of his first serves in the final set.

Meanwhile, baseline errors by Zverev mounted.

“I think I missed more shots today than I did in the whole tournament,” the young German said.

“I played bad from the baseline, but it’s not easy against John.

“You always feel the pressure that if you get broken, you might lose the set.”

Mindful of that small margin for error when he lost serve to fall behind 5-4 in the final set, Zverev let his frustration boil over.

He slammed his racket to the concrete, picked it up and slammed it again, and then tossed it gently to the stands as a mangled souvenir.

When Isner sealed the victory four points later, he also tossed his racket - but in celebration.

Then it was time to dance.

John Isner of the US holds the Butch Bucholz trophy on Crandon Park Beach after his three-set victory against Alexander Zverev of Germany in the final of the Miami Open in Key Biscayne, Florida.

Nadal reclaims ATP top spot as Federer slipsAFP

PARIS: Rafael Nadal reclaimed top spot in the men’s ATP rankings yesterday a day after Swiss rival Roger Federer crashed out in Miami to American John Isner.

Nadal, who hasn’t hit a ball in anger since pulling out of the Aus-tralian Open quarter-finals in January, saw Federer take over top spot on February 18.

The Swiss veteran, however, slipped 10 points behind his Spanish rival and into second place after a second round defeat to Isner that saw the towering American leap eight places to ninth thanks to his eventual victory Sunday in the Masters 1000 event.

Isner thus equals his previous best ranking of ninth, reached in April 2012, while beaten finalist Alexander Zverev of Germany moved up one place to fourth.

South Korea’s Hyeon Chung meanwhile continued to chip away at the rankings, the 21-year-old breaking into the top 20, to 19th, for the first time in his fledgling career thanks to his quarter-final appearance in Miami.

Miami winner Stephens breaks into WTA top 10AFP

PARIS: American Sloane Stephens’ victory in Miami saw the 25-year-old break into the top 10 of the WTA rankings, to ninth, for the first time in her career yesterday.

Romania’s Simona Halep (8,140 points) remains top of the pile with Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki trailing far behind in second (6,790).

Stephens’ move up three places to ninth pushed Petra Kvitova (10th), Angelique Kerber (11th) and Daria Kasatkina (12th) down one place respectively.

Jelena Ostapenko, the beaten finalist in Miami, retained her top five spot.

ATP RankingsATP rankings released yesterday (change in ranking in brackets):

1. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 8.770 pts (+1)

2. Roger Federer (SUI) 8.670 (-1)

3. Marin Cilic (CRO) 4.985

4. Alexander Zverev (GER) 4.925 (+1)

5. Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) 4.635 (-1)

6. Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG) 4.470

7. Dominic Thiem (AUT) 3.665

8. Kevin Anderson (RSA) 3.390

9. John Isner (USA) 3.125 (+8)

10. David Goffin (BEL) 3.110 (-1)

11. Lucas Pouille (FRA) 2.410 (-1)

12. Pablo Carreno (ESP) 2.395 (+7)

13. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 2.310 (-1)

14. Sam Querrey (USA) 2.265

15. Diego Schwartzman (ARG) 2.220 (+1)

16. Jack Sock (USA) 2.200 (-5)

17. Roberto Bautista (ESP) 2.175 (-2)

18. Tomas Berdych (CZE) 2.140 (-5)

19. Hyeon Chung (KOR) 1.897 (+4)

20. Fabio Fognini (ITA) 1.840 (-2)

WTA Rankings WTA rankings released yesterday (change in ranking in brackets):

1. Simona Halep (ROU) 8,140 pts

2. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) 6,790

3. Garbine Muguruza (ESP) 5,970

4. Elina Svitolina (UKR) 5,630

5. Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) 5,611

6. Karolina Pliskova (CZE) 4,730

7. Caroline Garcia (FRA) 4,625

8. Venus Williams (USA) 4,277

9. Sloane Stephens (USA) 3,938 (+3)

10. Petra Kvitova (CZE) 3,271 (-1)

11. Angelique Kerber (GER) 3,150 (-1)

12. Daria Kasatkina (RUS) 2,940 (-1)

13. Julia Görges (GER) 2,855

14. Madison Keys (USA) 2,538 (+1)

15. Coco Vandeweghe (USA) 2,488 (+1)

16. Anastasija Sevastova (LAT) 2,460 (+1)

17. Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) 2,350 (+1)

18. Ashleigh Barty (AUS) 2,283 (+2)

19. Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) 2,280

20. Elise Mertens (BEL) 2,200 (+1)

‘I’m happy he won his first Masters title’WWW.ATPTOUR.COM

MIAMI: Rarely does the 6’6” Alexander Zverev find himself overmatched in height, but that’s exactly what John Isner did in the final of the Miami Open presented by Itau. At a whopping 6’10”, the American struck 18 aces and was unbroken throughout the match, finally earning victory in a tightly contested 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4 decision over Zverev.

The win was his first over the German in four tries – although the two go back even farther than their ATP World Tour meetings.

The two have been frequent practice partners at Saddlebrook Resort for years and have shared a friendship for years.

“The first practice that we ever played I think I was 15, and it was the last day of the off-season and he went to Australia, and he lost to me,” said the 20-year-old, who is 12 years younger than Isner, himself now the oldest first-time ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titlist.

“He was quite disappointed, I remember. But he’s a great guy,” Zverev said. “He was always kind of pushing the younger guys. I’m happy that, I’m never happy to lose, but if I lose, I’m happy that he won first Masters title.”

“I played bad from the baseline,” said Zverev in a critical assessment of his own per-formance. “But it’s not easy against John, because you always feel the pressure that if you get broken you’re not going to win the set.”

David Beckham with Marcelo Claure, CEO of Sprint, watch the final of the Miami Open.

John Isner

Age: 32

Turned Pro: 2007

Weight: 108kg

Height: 6’10”

Birthplace: Greensboro, NC, USA

Residence: Tampa, FL, US

Career titles: 13

Career prize money: $14,256,562

THE PENINSULA

DOHA: The ticket sales of Qatar Cup, which features top four clubs in the QNB Stars League (QSL), will begin on April 15.

The sales will start simultaneously at four venues, namely the Qatar SC Stadium (Gate 5), Al Sadd Stadium (Gates 4 and 5), Al Gharafa Stadium (Gates 7 and 8) and Al Duhail Stadium (Gate 5).

Ticket sales at the Gulf Mall will open on April 23. Sales at all five venues will go on till April 26.

The Qatar Stars League Management supervises, manages and organises the Qatar Cup as part of its mission to develop professional football in the country. The tournament has immensely contributed to the game’s growth in Qatar.

The tournament was earlier known as the Heir Apparent’s Cup before it was renamed as Qatar Cup in 2013-14 season.

This season’s semi-finals will be played on April 21 and 22, and the final on April 27. All matches will kick off at the Al Sadd Stadium at 7.00pm.

Al Duhail, defending champions Al Sadd and Al Rayyan have been assured of the first, second and third places respectively in this sea-son’s QSL.

Al Gharafa and Umm Salal, on same number of points (32) with the former having better goal difference, are battling for the fourth position that has gone right down to the wire.

SPORT 36TUESDAY 3 APRIL 2018

I’m just there to win. I’ve been better with each week I’ve competed. A little more crisp. I’m starting to put the

pieces together.

US golf star Tiger Woods

Group B

Zobahan FC vs Al Duhail SC

Foolad Shahr Stadium,

Isfahan: 17:15

Group A

Al Gharafa vs Al Jazira FSC

Thani bin Jassim Stadium,

Doha: 18:30

AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: GROUP STAGE

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THE PENINSULA

DOHA: A delegation from the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) had a two-day tour of the Aspire Dome, which will host the 48th FIG Artistic World Championships in October.

The FIG officials were in the city to oversee the preparation for the Worlds, which will be hosted in the region for the first time.

The delegates were taken on a guided tour by the Qatar Gym-nastics Federation’s (QGF) top brass including President Ali Ahmed Al Hitmi, who is also the Chairman of the 2018 World Championships Tournament Committee.

The officials inspected the competitions halls, training

areas, changing rooms besides other important locations inside the venue, which recently hosted the 11th FIG Artistic Indi-vidual Apparatus World Cup as a test event.

“It was a general inspection tour that is mandatory before any top international tourna-ments. Doha is ready to host the Worlds and look forward to receiving the world and Olympic champions,” said Al Hitmi. The QGF head also added the visiting delegates heaped praise on Qatar’s passion for sports and excellent infrastructure.

In fact, the annual event’s success coupled with excellent facilities and organisational experience in hosting interna-tional sports competition helped Doha bagged the tour-

nament rights five years ago. The delegates later had a

discussion with the QGF and Organising Committee members

Abeer Al Buainain, Mohammed Al Maraghi, Mohammed Al Missned, Maryam Al Mahmoud and Anis Saoud.

FIG delegation inspects preparations for Artistic Worlds

Qatar Gymnastics Federation’s (QGF) President Ali Ahmed Al Hitmi and other officials having discussions with the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) delegation during their visit to the Aspire Dome yesterday. Aspire Dome will host the 48th FIG Artistic World Championships in October.

CHINTHANA WASALA THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Al Gharafa will be looking to finish off within the top four as the curtains come down on the 2017-18 season QNB Stars League (QSL) this weekend.

The 22nd and final week of the action-filled QSL season sees Dutch superstar Wesley Sneidjer-led Al Gharafa taking on Qatar SC on their home turf on Sunday, April 8.

Al Gharafa and Umm Salal are on same number of points (32) but the former is on top thanks to the goal difference.

Umm Salal take on Al Markhiya at Al Ahli Stadium in search of a big win on Sunday.

The fourth placed team will seal a spot in the Qatar Cup Tournament.

In other matches on Sunday, third placed Al Rayyan lock horns with Al Ahli (Al Sadd Stadium) and Al Khor meet Al Arabi (Al Khor Stadium).

On Saturday, April 7, Al Sadd, with no pressure on their minds, having secured

the second position, meet Al Kharaitiyat (Al Sadd Stadium). Al Kharaitiyat have earned play-off with Second Division runners-up Al Wakrah fol-lowing their last-gasp win over Qatar SC in Week 21.

The winners of the play-off, to be held on April 14, will get a berth in the top flight.

This season’s champions Al Duhail will take on Al Sailiya (Al Duhail Stadium).

Al Duhail have dominated the season so far and have managed to stay unbeaten to secure the prestigious Falcon Shield.

Coach Djamel Belmadi’s men sealed the 2017-18 title with a 5-0 victory over Al Kharaitiyat in Week 20, having taken an unassailable lead against nearest chal-lengers Al Sadd.

Then, they went on to defeat Al Markhiya 4-2 in Week 21 to increase their points to 57 ahead of the final round of matches.

Al Duhail won 18 matches and drew three during the course of the QSL season.

Despite their awesome form, Al Duhail will be in no mood for let-up but Al Sailiya

will be looking to finish off with a win.

Second Division cham-pions Al Shahania have earned promotion to next sea-son’s QNB Stars League.

Al Ahli, Qatar SC and Al Khor will all look to better their standings, while Al Sailiya have already been assured of the sixth position.

Al Markhia were relegated following their defeat to Al Duhail in the last round.

Al Arabi take on Al Khor as they seek to register their fifth victory in a row, with the latter also on a high following their win over Al Sadd in Week 21.

The QSL Management revised fixtures for the final-week action and the games will be played over two days, instead of one.

All matches will kick off at 6.15pm, giving teams equal advantage.

The changes were made because most positions had been decided ahead of Week 22 and also to allow the host broadcaster to cover as many matches as possible.

The league action is resuming after a gap of three weeks.

QSL: Al Gharafa eye top four finish

Al Gharafa’s Wesley Sneijder (left) is congratulated by a team-mate during a QNB Stars League (QSL) match in this file photo.

QSL: FINAL ROUND FIXTURES(All matches kick off at 6.15pm)

April 7 Al Sadd vs Al Kharaitiyat at Al Sadd

StadiumAl Duhail vs Al Sailiya at

Al Duhail StadiumApril 8

Al Rayyan vs Al Ahli at Al Sadd Stadium

Al Khor vs Al Arabi at Al Khor StadiumUmm Salal vs Al Markhiya

at Al Ahli StadiumAl Gharafa vs Qatar SC at Al Gharafa

Stadium

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