THE PENINSULA – DOHA

Qatar's Lusail bounced back from an early hiccup to secure a berth in the quarter-finals of the 2020 FIBA 3X3 World Tour Doha Masters at the Al Gharafa Sports Complex yesterday.

The home team, outlasted Manila Chooks TM 19-14 after losing their first game 8-21 to World's Number One 3x3 side Liman of Serbia in Pool A, to enter the last eight stage in the final regular season event before next month’s Jeddah Final.

Lusail utilised their 6-foot-10 tall star Souley Ndour to build an early 5-2 lead.

Santi Santillan provided the spark for Manila, adding a few points.

Alvin Pasaol also sup-ported the visiting team by joining the party to give them some relief, but that’s when Lusail broke away.

Behind the dominance of Ndour and Greek Kostas Vasileiadis, the home team raced to a 10-16 lead.

Though Joshua Munzon tried to turn things around for the Manila side, it was too late for them as Lusail thwarted their efforts to make it to the quarter-finals.

Ndour had 10 points and seven rebounds while Vasileiadis scored seven points for Lusail.

Munzon led Manila with eight points and five boards while Santillan and Pasaol had three and two markers, respectively.

Liman, with a perfect record, will join Lusail in the quarter-finals along with teams from Group C - Utena Uniclub and Lausanne Katapult.

Lusail and Utena will meet in their last-eight clash at

5.45pm. Utena beat NY Harlem 21-8 before outplaying Lausanne 21-18.

Meanwhile, Princeton won both of their games in Pool D and will play their quarter-final against Jeddah at 4.55pm today. They beat Bielefeld 21-16 and Ub 21-20. Despite the loss to Princeton, Bielefeld

advanced with a 22-10 win over Ub.

In Group B, the best 3x3 basketball team in Latvia, Riga, beat Japanese team Yoyogi with a 21-15 margin before outplaying Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah 22-15 to march into the quarter-finals.

In the last-eight stage clash

today, they will face Group D’s second placed team, Bielefeld of Germany.

Liman meet Lausanne in the first quarter-final at 4:15pm while Riga and Bielefeld face-off later at 5:20pm.

AFC – DOHA

Beijing FC are fresh, match-fit and ready to win when they resume their 2020 AFC Cham-pions League (ACL) campaign against FC Seoul today , according to head coach Bruno Génésio.

Out of action on the conti-nental stage since February, but with a full Chinese Super League campaign under their belt, the Chinese outfit are con-fident of mounting a challenge in a competition where they have been regular participants, but rarely serious contenders.

With three points in the bank from their earlier hit out against Chiangrai United, Génésio’s charges will have the

opportunity to rise to the top of Group E with a win at Edu-cation City Stadium, and the Frenchman declared there was a sense of optimism around the club, despite what has been a challenging 2020.

“When you start a compe-tition, you must have ambition to win, no matter what com-petition it is,” said the former Olympique Lyonnais boss.

“We have come here, and the first objective, of course, is to qualify from the group. We will try to win the games with all the ambition, and I think our advantage is that we just fin-ished our Chinese Super League. Our team has a good rhythm compared to the other teams (in the group), and we’ll

try to do as well as possible here.”

While Beijing are keen to capitalise on a sense of conti-nuity, FC Seoul arrived at the tournament having appointed Lee Won-jun as caretaker coach just seven days ago, making him the fourth man to

take charge of the club in 2020.After finishing third in the

K League in 2019, this year has been an exceptionally difficult one for Seoul, who finished a disappointing ninth in their domestic competition and more recently suffered the tragic loss of defender Kim Nam-chun, who passed away last month.

In the day's second match, Ulsan Hyundai and Shanghai Shenhua will meet in Group F at the same venue.

The Korea Republic side picked up a point from a 1-1 draw against FC Tokyo back in February, needing a late own goal from the opposition to secure the draw.

Shanghai Shenhua, mean-while, have three points to their name having got off to a 2-1 winning start against Perth Glory on Wednesday.

Ulsan Hyundai are without the services of goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo who tested pos-itive for COVID-19 while on international duty, while his fellow club and country team-mates Kim Tae-hwan, Jung Seung-hyun and Won Du-jae remain in precautionary iso-lation, having tested negative after arriving to Qatar from the Korea Republic training camp in Austria.

SportSATURDAY 21 NOVEMBER 2020

Al Ahli look to bounce back as QSL resumesWe are ready to face Umm Salal. The long break between our last match and this match in the league was enough for me to prepare the players in a good way and correct our mistakes in order to be back on the winning path.

Sport | 15Al Ahli coach Nebosha Jovovic

AWlpi

AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: TODAY'S FIXTURES FC Seoul (KOR) vs Beijing FC (CHN), Ulsan Hyundai FC (KOR) vs Sanghai Shenhua FC (CHN)

Amir Cup: Rashid shoots to win Double Trap goldTHE PENINSULA – DOHA

Prominent Qatari shooter Rashid Hamad Al Athba yesterday clinched the gold medal in the Men's double trap at the Amir Cup 2020 Archery and Shooting competition at the Lusail Complex.

The former Asian Shooting Championships silver winner yes-terday showed his class by winning the event with a score of 136 despite a close battle with Masoud Al Atba who finished with a total of 134 shots from five rounds. Al Atba won the silver medal while Rashid Al Athbi booked the remaining spot on the podium with a total of 129.

Yesterday's competitions wit-nessed a wide presence of shooting enthuciasts. Saud Hamad

Al Qahtani, Chairman of the Championship Referees Com-mittee, and Mohammed Ahmed Taher, Director of the Tournament were present at the prize distri-bution ceremony.

Victorious Al Athba said that winning the gold in the double trap was his main aim since the moment he signed up for the tour-nament. He also said that he was hoping to better his previous numbers during the event, espe-cially since all the big names of the game were present and strong contest was on the cards. Al Athba also said that winning the Amir Cup gold was his biggest achivement this season and his dedication and experience helped him in wining the event.

The action in the Amir Cup will continue till November 28.

Action during the opening day of the 2020 FIBA 3X3 World Tour Doha Masters at the Al Gharafa Sports Complex yesterday.

We’re in Qatar to win, says Beijing’s Génésio ahead FC Seoul encounter

FC Seoul players taking part in a training session in Doha, yesterday.PICTURE: INSTAGRAM/@FCSEOUL

Rashid Hamad Al Athba

ATP Finals: Djokovic beats Zverev to make semisAP – LONDON

Novak Djokovic reached the semi-finals at the ATP Finals and eliminated Alexander Zverev yesterday by beating the German 6-3, 7-6 (4), ensuring the top four players in the world advanced at the season-ending event for the first time since 2004.

The top-ranked Djokovic set up a match against Dominic Thiem today as he goes for a record-tying sixth title at the tournament, and a first since 2015.

Rafael Nadal will take on Daniil Medvedev in the other semifinal match.

Djokovic pulled out some big serves in the important moments in an empty O2 Arena to reach the semi-finals for the ninth time, notably in the tiebreaker when he recovered from a 2-0 deficit.

Djokovic broke Zverev to take a 2-0 lead in the first set when his opponent double-faulted on the second break point.

He then saved two break points at 4-2 before clinching the set with a backhand down the line as he closed in on the net fol-lowing a serve out wide.

Zverev’s groundstrokes and powerful serve posed more problems for Djokovic in the second set, and the German gained an early advantage in the tiebreaker by reaching a drop shot before hitting an unre-turnable smash to lead 2-0.

Djokovic then won five of the next six points and, on his first match point, found the baseline with a penetrating forehand which Zverev could only slice into the net on the stretch.

YESTERDAY'S RESULTSKamakura 12-21 Bielefeld (Qualifying

Draw A)

Riyadh 18-21 Bielefeld (Qualifying

Draw A)

Kamakura 15-18 Riyadh (Qualifying

Draw A)

Liman 21-8 Lusail (Pool A)

Riga 21-15 Yoyogi (Pool B)

NY Harlem 8-21 Utena (Pool C)

Princeton 21-16 Bielefeld (Pool D)

Liman 22-15 Manila (Pool A)

Riga 22-15 Jeddah (Pool B)

NY Harlem 7-22 Lausanne (Pool C)

Princeton 21-20 Ub (Pool D)

Manila 14-19 Lusail (Pool A)

Jeddah 18-16 Yoyogi (Pool B)

Lausanne 18-21 Utena (Pool C)

Ub 10-22 Bielefeld (Pool D)

TODAY'S QUARTER-FINALSLiman vs Lausanne, 4:15pm

Princeton vs Jeddah, 4:55pm

Riga vs Bielefeld, 5:20pm

Utena vs Lusail, 5:45pm

3x3 World Tour: Lusail fight back to enter last 8 in Doha

15SATURDAY 21 NOVEMBER 2020Sport

Australia will host the tourists in three Twenty20 matches and three one-day internationals in Sydney and Canberra before the Test series and fewer than 2,000 tickets for one of those matches remained available after two days of sales.

Al Ahli look to bounce back as QSL resumesFAWAD HUSSAIN THE PENINSULA

Al Ahli had a dream start to the QNB 2020-21 season, winning four matches on the trot before a 1-7 drubbing by giants Al Sadd at home jolted their campaign in Round 5. But, coach Nebosha Jovovic believes a break in the league helped Al Ahli recover from the heavy defeat and his team is now aiming to bounce back in the game against Umm Salal, today.

The QSL is resuming after a break of over three weeks, with six Round 6 matches to be played over two days from today.

After their defeat to Al Sadd, Al Ahli slipped to second spot with 12 points while the ‘Wolves’ took the top spot with a one point edge.

Today, the Jovovic-coached side are facing a relatively easier opponents in Umm Salal, who are struggling on 10th

position with just four points. However, Al Ahli coach said

Umm Salal have improved a lot and his team will have to play well in their match at Qatar SC Stadium, which will kick off at 5:30pm.

“We are ready to face Umm Salal. The long break between our last match and this match in the league was enough for me to prepare the players in a good

way and correct our mistakes in order to be back on the winning path,” Jovovic said in a pre-event press conference.

The coach said his team has learned from mistakes com-mitted during Al Sadd game and hoped for an improved per-formance from his ranks in the coming matches.

“We have not forgotten the heavy loss (1-7) we suffered at the hands of Al Sadd and we have learnt a lot from it. Big defeat is not good. I borrow the saying repeated by coaches in Italy and erstwhile Yugoslavia that “it is better to lose by seven goals at one time than losing seven times by one goal,” he said.

Meanwhile, Umm Salal coach Aziz Ben Askar said at the press conference that his team is also well prepared for the match.

“Al Ahli are a good team and they began the season in a good way through the work done by

their coach and players, so we expect a strong match. We are preparing ourselves and we have a good way of playing,” Askar said yesterday.

“We work seriously every day, not for this match only, but for all upcoming games this

season that I previously described as difficult because it started 10 days after the end of last season."

"We need to be at the top of our focus because we will play against top teams in the coming weeks, a period that will be

difficult for us. Once we finish that, we will know what is our situation,” said Ben Askar.

Today’s other matches will see Qatar SC taking on Al Wakrah on their home turf, and Al Khor hosting Al Sailiya in their Round 6 match.

Today5:30pm: Umm Salal vs Al Ahli at

Qatar SC Stadium7:45pm: Qatar SC vs Al Wakrah

at Qatar SC Stadium7:45pm: Al Khor vs Al Sailiya

at Al Khor Stadium Tomorrow

5:30pm: Al Duhail vs Al Gharafa at Al Arabi Stadium

7:45pm: Al Arabi vs Al Sadd at Al Arabi Stadium

7:45pm: Al Rayyan vs Al Kharaitiyat at Al Khor Stadium

QSL: ROUND 6 FIXTURES

Al Ahli coach Nebosha Jovovic (left) and Umm Salal coach Aziz Ben Askar during pre-match press conferences ahead of Round 6 of the QNB Stars League, which begins today.

Al Mohannadi’s Honey Cake wins Prix Ceres in FranceTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

A filly in full bloom, Honey Cake (Siyouni) emerged victo-rious in the Prix Ceres (Listed) at Fontainebleau, France yesterday.

Khalid Rashid Al Mohan-nadi’s representative was soon at the head of affairs before drawing clear in mid-stretch for an easy 1¾-length win.

The win also ushered in first Listed success of rider Augustin Madamet.

Bred by William McAlpin,

Honey Cake twice graced the Arqana sales ring. As a yearling, she was part of the Écurie des Monceaux draft and was acquired by Hubert Guy.

On a return trip to the Deauville sales, that time for a breeze up sale, and with Mocklershill as the consignor, she was acquired by the agent Paul Nataf on behalf on one of his own clients.

She is a daughter of Siyouni (Pivotal), the Aga Khan Studs sire, and Pink Anémone (Dansili).

The latter is a sister of the stallion Doha Dream (Shamardal), the Qatar Prix Chaudenay winner and the Grand Prix de Deauville (Grs2) second, who is currently in residence at the Haras du Hoguenet.

The great grandam is Coraline (Sadler’s Wells), the source of three excellent stayers; namely, the late and much lamented top jumping sire Martaline (Linamix), plus the Coastal Path (Halling) and the Reefscape (Linamix).

Honey Cake in action during Prix Cérès in Fontainebleau, yesterday.

A Qatar SC player attempts to take a point against Al Gharafa during their Senior Men’s League match at QVA Hall yesterday. Qatar SC win 3-2 (25-20, 21-25, 25-22, 22-25, 15-10). In other match, Al Arabi beat Al Ahli 3-2 (25-21, 25-22, 24-26, 20-25, 15-10).

Qatar SC, Al Arabi claim full points

Zarco quickest in practice ahead of MotoGP finaleAFP — PORTIMAO, PORTUGAL

France’s Johann Zarco claimed the fastest time in practice yesterday ahead of tomorrow’s final MotoGP race of the season in Portugal.

Zarco on the Avintia Ducati was pushed hard by Spaniard Maverick Vinales at Portimao but was just slightly quicker with a total time of 1min 39.417sec.

Vinales will happy with an

encouraging showing though as he looks to win a six-way battle for second place in the standings, after his compatriot Joan Mir secured the World Championship last weekend in Valencia.

Mir posted the sixth fastest practice time as the Suzuki rider looks to add a final flourish to his maiden title, which made him the first new MotoGP champion since Marc Marquez in 2013.

Australia sells out India matches, positive news on first Test

REUTERS — SYDNEY

Tickets for six short-format matches between Australia and India in November and December were all but exhausted yesterday, Cricket Australia said, while there was also some good news about the opening match in the Test series.

Fears that the first of four Tests would have to be moved from Adelaide Oval were heightened when South Aus-tralia went into a strict lockdown on Wednesday after a cluster of COVID-19 cases in the state.

State officials said yes-terday that they had based the decision to go into lockdown on misleading information, however, and announced that measures would be eased at midnight today.

Cricket Australia said on Tuesday that it was com-mitted to holding the first test at Adelaide Oval from December 17 but did take the precaution of moving some international players out of South Australia ahead of the lockdown.

Australia will host the tourists in three Twenty20 matches and three one-day internationals in Sydney and Canberra before the Test series and fewer than 2,000 tickets for one of those matches remained available after two days of sales.

The capacities of Sydney Cricket Ground and Manuka Oval have been reduced by 50% because of rules on social distancing, although they may yet be loosened as New South Wales approaches two weeks since the last reported community case of COVID-19.

Australia’s large com-munity of people with South Asian heritage has always meant bumper crowds whenever India tour and the rapid sales will be a boon to the finances of Cricket Aus-tralia, which were strained by the global health crisis.

“The rivalry between the Australian and Indian men’s cricket teams is one of the greatest in international sport and this series is shaping up as an epic,” Cricket Australia’s Anthony Everard said in a statement.

Albaker corners Medium Tour glory with VeronaCHINTHANA WASALA THE PENINSULA

Mohammed Khalifa Albaker, astride Verona, completed a flawless ride to clinch major honours on the opening day of the fourth round of Longines Hathab Qatar Equestrian Tour yesterday.

At the Qatar Equestrian Federation's Arena, Albaker and his 13-year-old mare completed a jump off in 33.05 secs to win the top individual prize of the day, worth QR7,500.

Zorro Z, with Salman Mohammed Al Emadi in the saddle, completed the task in 33.74 secs to clinch the second spot as he got richer by QR6,000.

Brennus Villelongue, ridden by popular French rider Cyrine Cherif, completed the podium with a round that lasted for 34.74 secs as she won QR 4,500.

Hamad Ali Al Attiyah (Calgary VD Haterbeek Z, 36.95 secs) and Shk. Khalifa Al Thani (Serendipity, 38.46 secs) rounded up the top five in the Medium Tour event which offered a total of QR30,000 in prize money.

Albaker's heroics also played a major role in the victory of his team, Limited Edition Cars, in the team event yesterday.

Limited Edition Cars, which had the services of Albaker and Alqaqa Adel Nassar (Carport, 72.25 secs) topped the standings

to win the Medium Tour team event as the Qatari duo bagged QR15,000 in prize money.

Team QAF, supported by Al Emadi, Mohammed Abdulla Juma (Lucratief) and Hamad Ali Al Attiyah (Calgary VD Hat-erbeek Z), finished second.

Team ExxonMobil, with Cyrine Cherif (Brennus Ville-longue) and Khalid Mohammed Al Emadi (Fiji), finished third.

Earlier, in the Small Tour, Khalifa Abdulla Al Khaldi topped a field of 51 entries astride his 17-year-old mare Dusty to collect 65 points after a ride which was completed in 49.89 secs. The victory made Al Khaldi richer by QR5,000.

Saad Ahmed Al Saad and Fito R finished second after completing the same task in 52.85 secs. He won QR4,000.

Arselina, with Harir Alhaies

in the saddle, clocked the third fastest time of 55.09 secs as all the podium winners completed their rounds without conceding any errors.

LONGINES HATHAB QATAR EQUESTRIAN TOUR

ROUND 4 - DAY 1 RESULTS

Comp. (1) Small Tour, 100/110cm, Prize Money QR20,0001: DUSTY, Khalifa Abdulla Al Khaldi 65 pts,

49.89 (QR5,000)

2: FITO R, Saad Ahmed Al Saad 65 pts, 52.85

(QR4,000)

3: ARSELINA, Harir Alhaies 65 pts, 55.09

(QR3,000)

Comp. (2) Medium Tour, 120/130cm, Prize Money QR30,0001: VERONA/Mohammed Khalifa Albaker 68.87,

33.05 QAR 7,500

2: ZORRO Z/Salman Mohammed Al Emadi

67.77, 33.74, QR6,000

3: BRENNUS VILLELONGUE/Cyrine Cherif 66.72,

34.74, QR4,500

Medium Tour: Teams, Prize Money QR30,0001: Limited Edition Cars - 141.12 secs, 33.05

secs (jump off) Prize Money: QR15,000

VERONA/Mohammed Khalifa Albaker 68.87,

33.05 (J.o.)

CARPORT/Alqaqa Adel Nassar 72.25

2: QAF - 136.14, 33.74 (Jump off) Prize

Money: QR9,000 ZORRO Z/Salman Mohammed Al Emadi 67.77,

33.74 (J.o)

LUCRATIEF/Mohammed Abdulla Juma 68.37

CALGARY VD HATERBEEK Z/Hamad Ali Al

Attiyah 71.63

3: ExxonMobil - 134.74, 34.74 (Jump off)

Prize Money: QR6,000

BRENNUS VILLELONGUE/Cyrine Cherif 66.72,

34.74 (J.o)

FIJI/Khalid Mohammed Al Emadi 68.02

Mohammed Khalifa Albaker guiding Verona towards victory in the Medium Tour Team

Event yesterday.

A members of Limited Edition Cars, winners of the Medium Tour Team

Event, receiving their award.