AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: TODAY'S FIXTURES Beijing FC vs Melbourne Victory - 13:00, FC Tokyo vs Shanghai Shenhua FC - 13:00

TUESDAY 24 NOVEMBER 2020

Al Sadd coach Xavi thrilled to seeteam show fight against Al ArabiEvery player is important to us, and everyone was up to their responsibility and gave a wonderful level. We got three important points against a team that defended in a good way, and we also missed many chances.

Sport |11

AteEvanth

Xavi Hernandez

Sport

England to allow 4,000 fans at elite events in lowest-risk areasREUTERS – LONDON

Up to 4,000 spectators will be allowed to attend outdoor elite sports events in lowest-risk tier one areas of England when a month-long national lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19 is lifted on Dec. 2, the British government said yesterday.

As part of new COVID-19 restrictions, 2,000 fans or 50% of a stadium’s capacity - whichever is lower - can attend sporting events in tier two areas

but none can do so in tier three areas, Britain’s Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said in a statement.

English Premier League matches have continued behind closed doors during the lockdown announced on Nov. 1. Supporters have not been allowed into sporting venues since the first lockdown was announced in March, barring a few exceptions.

“I can confirm the national restric-tions will end on Dec. 2 ... People can leave their home, subject to the rule of

six,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a statement to the House of Commons.

Members of Parliament are set to cast a vote on plans before they are con-firmed and the government will announce on Thursday which areas will go into which tier.

Indoor sport and physical activity will also resume but with some restric-tions on activities due to the higher transmission risk of the novel coronavirus.

The Football League (EFL) which organises football in the Championship and lower two divisions welcomed the decision.

“Whilst today’s news is subject to regional restrictions, it is an important step in achieving a return to normal, alongside it being crucial to addressing the significant revenue gap left by a lack of spectators and other revenue streams as a result of the pandemic,” the Football League said in a statement.

QMMF gets set to host Qatar International RallyTHE PENINSULA – DOHA

The Qatar International Rally 2021 will be held from Jan 28 to 30, it was confirmed yesterday.

“Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Fed-eration is proud to announce the hosting of the First Round of FIA Middle East Rally Championship 2021 which will take place on 28th – 30th January 2021,” hosts QMMF said in a statement released yesterday.

The three-day event will kick start the FIA Middle East Rally Champi-onship (MERC) for the year 2021.

“QMMF are now starting to prepare for the Qatar International Rally 2021 and we are constantly looking for new and exciting ways to improve our com-petitors and spectators value and sat-isfaction amidst the pandemic issues we are currently facing,” the QMMF added in the statement.

Held since 1984, MERC opens up an exceptional playground for rally drivers and teams on a varied terrain featuring sand deserts and overheated tarmac.

Rallying icon Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah of Qatar has featured in the FIA Middle East Rally Championship since 2003 and equalled Mohammed bin Sulayem’s record of 14 title wins

in 2018 when he placed his Ford Fiesta R5 on the top spot of the leaderboard.

In 2019 he grabbed a record-extending sixth victory, sealing his 15th title win in a Volkswagen Polo GTI R5.

The Qatari and his French co-driver Mathieu Baumel have shown indisputable domination in recent years winning titles around the world.

The 2020 season was a start-stop affair with rallies - in Oman and Cyprus - getting completed whereas races in Qatar and Jordan were can-celled because of the COVID-19 pan-demic sweeping the globe since mid-February this year.

Al Attiyah and Baumel won races in Oman (Feb 6-8) and Cyprus (Oct

16-18) and when the Lebanon event got cancelled in November, the two rallying stars were declared winners of the MERC 2020 edition.

The MERC titles which will be awarded are: (FIA Middle East Rally Championship for Drivers and Co-Drivers) FIA MERC 2 for Drivers and

Co-Drivers, FIA MERC 3 for Drivers and Co-Drivers and FIA MERC Junior Championship for Drivers under 26.

Time for Neymar and Mbappeto step up for injury-hit PSGREUTERS – PARIS

Kylian Mbappe and Neymar will need to rediscover their Champions League scoring touch when an injury-hit Paris Saint-Germain take on RB Leipzig in Group H on today.

Both strikers have just resumed playing after injury layoffs but Neymar has not scored in his last five Cham-pions League matches while Mbappe has not found the back of the net in the competition in his last seven outings.

"We're affected if Kylian Mbappe and Neymar don't score. They have a big impact, they're key players and I hope they can score tomorrow," coach Thomas Tuchel told a news conference yesterday.

The German has to make do with the absence of

defenders Thilo Kehrer and Juan Bernat, midfielders Marco Verratti and Julian Draxler as well as striker Mauro Icardi.

Presnel Kimpembe is sus-pended, meaning that Mar-quinhos will start in central defence.

Naturally, PSG will need to rely on their attack against the team they knocked out in the semi-finals last season.

"Our will to score will need to be stronger than our fear of messing up at the back," said Tuchel.

At the halfway mark, PSG are third in the group on three points, three behind Leipzig and leaders Manchester United.

Neymar played half an hour in a 3-2 defeat by Monaco on Friday in his comeback from injury, while Mbappe scored

two as he returned after picking up a thigh injury against Nantes on Oct. 31.

Mbappe, whose last goal in the Champions League dates back to last December, also played with France during the international window.

"We need a big per-formance from Kylian. He did everything to be ready for that game, playing on Friday and with France before that," said Tuchel.

"Neymar has the capacity and the self-confidence to score," he added when asked about the Brazilian, who last scored in the Champions League last March.

"Is he in the best possible shape? No, but he can manage a game like this, and we have to be here for him so that he's not alone."

Paris Saint-Germain players taking part in a training session yesterday. PICTURES: TWITTER/@PSG_ENGLISH

Liverpool will not have 11 fit players without changes: KloppAFP – LONDON

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said the Premier League’s top six could be left without 11 fit players unless changes are made to protect the welfare of stretched squads.

Already depleted by an injury crisis, the Reds will play three games in six-and-a-half days this week.

Klopp’s men saw off Leicester City 3-0 in Sunday’s late Premier League kick-off and will welcome Atalanta to Anfield in the Champions League tomorrow before trav-elling to Brighton for Satur-day’s 1230 GMT kick-off.

“If we keep playing Wednesday night and Sat-urday 12.30, I am not sure we finish the season with 11 players, all the top six or seven,” said Klopp in an impassioned interview with Sky Sports, the largest domestic rights holder of Premier League games.

Under the terms of a £4.5bn ($6bn) deal for three seasons, Sky have the first pick from each round of games with BT Sport choosing their headline match second.

But Klopp said broad-casters should adapt to the cir-cumstances of a season like no other, with matches crammed into the calendar to make up for the lost time of a three-month postponement to last season due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Everybody tells me it is difficult, but it is difficult for the players. That’s what is dif-ficult. The rest is just a decision on a desk in an office,” added Klopp.

“If someone tells me again about contracts I go really nuts because the contracts were not made for a Covid season.

“We all have to adapt. You stand here with a facemask, would you have thought a year ago you would go somewhere with a facemask and we cannot be close? That’s the sit-uation. Everything changed, but the contract with the broadcasters is still ‘we said this so we keep this’.”

PSG's President Nasser Al Khelaïfi and Sporting director Leonardo Araújo at the club's Ooredoo Training Centre in Paris.

Fourteen-time Qatar international Rally winner Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah in

action during an earlier edition of the event in this

file photo.

11TUESDAY 24 NOVEMBER 2020 SPORT

Al Sadd coach Xavi thrilled to see team's gritty fight against Al ArabiTHE PENINSULA – DOHA

Al Sadd coach Xavi Hernandez has expressed delight after watching his team demolish Al Arabi in a Round 6 match of the Qatar Stars League on Sunday.

The five-goal thriller helped Al Sadd go top of the points table after Baghdad Bounedjah (12th minute), Santiago Cazorla (30th), Abdelkarim Hassan (61st) and Rodrigo Tabata (81st) scored the goals for the Wolves.

Icelandic star Aron Gun-narsson scored the only goal for Al Arabi off a deflected free-kick in the 74th minute.

“We played a special game in the Doha Derby. It was an excellent performance and it was possible to score more goals. We must continue in this way; we’re in a great moment,” Xavi, who ended his career with Al Sadd, said after the Round 6 clash at Grand Hamad Stadium.

“Every player is important to us in the team and everyone was up to their responsibility and gave a wonderful level. We got three important points against a team that defended in a good way and we also missed many chances,” the Barcelona legend added.

“I am very happy to win this game and return to the top of the league,” Xavi said with a smile.

Key Al Sadd defender Abdul Karim Hassan said beating Al Arabi was ‘not that difficult’.

The 2018 Asian Player of the Year scored a goal in Al Sadd’s 4-1 victory.

“We won with the least effort and this is a good thing for us, especially since many of the players were coming from international duty with their

national team,” Hassan said. When asked about the upcoming confrontation with Al Arabi in the final of the Amir’s Cup, Hassan said: “The situation is different and the Amir Cup matches are completely dif-ferent. We we must make efforts to avoid surprises.”

In a response to a question about Al Duhail who lost in the

same round with a defeat on Sunday against Al Gharafa, Hassan said: “Al Duhail is a big club, regardless of the fact that the team is going through a difficult period now, but Al Duhail provide “spice” to the league.”

In Round 7, Al Sadd take on Umm Salal at Al Gharafa Stadium on November 27.

FC Tokyo’s Hasegawa wary of Shanghai Shenhua’s local talentAFC – DOHA

FC Tokyo head coach Kenta Hasegawa has brushed off suggestions his side are favourites against an under-manned Shanghai Shenhua FC, saying the Chinese club’s local players will mount a genuine challenge in today's 2020 AFC Champions League clash.

With star imports Giovanni Moreno and Kim Shin-wook unlikely to feature, Shenhua will require strong perform-ances from their domestic players in the crucial Group F Matchday Three tie, but Hasegawa refuses to take Choi Kang-hee’s injury-hit squad lightly.

Speaking ahead of his team’s first AFC Champions League outing in nine months, the Tokyo boss said his side would need to be at their best to retain the unbeaten start to

the competition they began in February.

“Of course, without the ability of these foreign players, maybe (Shanghai) have reduced factors in the team,” said the f o r m e r J a p a n e s e international.

“We pay lots of attention in the AFC Champions League, where especially Chinese teams have very good foreigners, and famous foreign players, but we also pay attention to the domestic players of the Chinese.

“They are very strong and skillful players in their own right, so I don’t see there is a big factor of change for the game tomorrow.”

Despite the respect he holds for his next opponents, Hasegawa was clearly the more optimistic boss ahead of today’s clash at Education City Stadium.

With four points from two matches – one more than Shenhua – two games in the

next four days against the Shanghai club will go a long way towards determining the 2020 AFC Champions League destiny of both clubs, and the FC Tokyo boss appeared quietly confident of a successful return.

While FC Tokyo are set to sample their first ever taste of club football in West Asia, Choi Kang-hee’s men will embark on their third match in Doha in the space of a week when they take the field today.

A two-time AFC Champions League-winning boss with Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, Choi confirmed he will make signif-icant personnel changes from Saturday’s disappointing 3-1 loss to Ulsan Hyundai, calling on his charges to push through any fatigue.

“For this game we still rotate some players, but as the head coach and as players, we still have to try our best to win the game,” said Choi.

Strength in depth keyfor Beijing FC’s GenesioAFC – DOHA

Beijing FC head coach Bruno Genesio is keen for all members of his squad to contribute to a successful 2020 AFC Champions League campaign ahead of their clash against Melbourne Victory in Group E today.

The Chinese Super League side have a 100% record so far, winning two from two and a third win in a row could put them at arm’s length from their chasers at the halfway point of the group stage.

“It is always hard to predict how opponents will play with the current circumstances,” said Genesio.

“It was important for us that we started with a victory, and now against another strong team, we need to focus on trying to win. We need to try to win every game and aim to qualify to the next stage.”

“I will make some changes, not all the same XI will play all the time. We have to worry about the risk of fatigue and injury.

“The schedule is tight, and we have to be cautious. It is important for us to have eve-ryone on board because of the

heavy fixture schedule. We are fortunate to have everyone available for selection.”

On the other side, Mel-bourne Victory assistant coach Steve Kean’s positive outlook was amplified by his hope that the Australian side can play well and progress to the next round.

“It is early for us in the season, so we are just coming together but we are looking forward to doing well in this competition,” said Kean.

“We have psychologically turned the bubble situation into an opportunity to gel and get to know each other at a more human level. And a cen-tralised tournament helps us prepare and focus on every game without having to worry about more travel before each game and hopefully we can continue and progress in the competition.

“Beijing FC are a strong club coming off the back of a strong season. We are at a slightly dif-ferent stage of our preparation, but we have a good feeling that we are assembling a good squad with players who have stayed here from last season and are building something strong together.”

STANDINGSRk. Club M Pts1 Al Sadd 6 16

2 Al Ahli 6 15

3 Al Gharafa 6 12

4 Al Rayyan 6 10

5 Al Duhail 6 9

6 Al Sailiya 6 8

7 Al Wakrah 6 7

8 Qatar SC 6 6

9 Al Kharaitiyat 6 6

10 Al Arabi 6 5

11 Al Khor 6 4

12 Umm Salal 6 4

ROUND 6 RESULTS

Umm Salal 0 - 2 Al Ahli

Qatar SC 1 - 0 Al Wakrah

Al Khor 0 - 0 Al Sailiya

Al Duhail 0 - 3 Al Gharafa

Al Arabi 1 - 4 Al Sadd

Al Rayyan 2 - 0 Al Kharaitiyat

I am happy with the performance of the players: Al Gharafa coach

THE PENINSULA – DOHA

Al Gharafa coach Slavisa Jukanovic couldn’t have wished for a better result and that too against a top side like Al Duhail.

On Sunday, former cham-pions Al Gharafa delivered a thoroughly enjoyable per-formance, crushing Al Duhail 3-0 in Round 6 of the Qatar Stars League at Grand Hamad Stadium.

“I have to say this was a very important win for us and a good step towards as we get ready for our next match,” a delighted Jukanovic said as Al Gharafa picked up three points.

The Cheetahs, with a tally of 13 points, are in third place behind Al Sadd (16) and Al Ahli (15).

“The victory over Al Duhail is very important for us, especially after losing in the last round against Al Sailiya,” Jukanovic said after the match.

“We had a good game and a good result and therefore I am happy with the performance of the players,” the former Serbian national team midfielder said.

“Winning is an important step and will have a positive effect in the upcoming matches, but we should not go over board with our celebration as we should focus on the next meeting against Al Khor in a few days (on Nov 27) because it will

be another important match for us,” the 52-year-old said.

Regarding the effect of victory, Jukanovic said: “We are always looking for stability when it comes to results. Therefore, we must seek victory in the next match against Al Khor by pre-paring for it properly. In the pre-vious match against Al Sailiya, we were not bad, but we paid the price for making mistakes and lack of focus.”

He added: “I think today (on Sunday), we were more focused and despite some mistakes, we

got the win and bagged the three points. And this is important, of course.”

Al Duhail defender Sultan Al Brake was quick to congratulate the winners, saying they ‘deserved to win’.

“Our team did not show the desired level in the match against Al Gharafa. I congratulate them on their performance and the deserved victory,” Al Brake said after the match.

“Al Gharafa performed well over the two halves and deserved to win the three points. We hope to show better and achieve a better result in the next round.

“We made mistakes and we will try to correct these mistakes in the next matches and the ones after that,” the 24-year-old added.

FC Tokyo players during a practice session ahead of their AFC Champions League match against Shanghai Shenhua FC.

Rules panel wants more clarity on handball lawAP – ZURICH

More clarification of the handball law in football was requested yesterday by experts advising the sport’s rule-making panel.

Acknowledging that “inter-pretation of handball incidents has not always been con-sistent,” the International Football Association Board (IFAB) said its two specialist advisory groups asked for more clarity.

Also, longstanding plans to let teams use an extra sub-stitute to replace a player with a suspected head injury made progress.

Trials of concussion sub-stitutes in the FA Cup third round in January have now been targeted by the English Football Association which took part in the IFAB meetings.

Amendments to judging handball in the past two years have seen a sharp rise in the number of penalty kicks awarded, often for offenses that seemed unavoidable and provoked confusion among fans.

UEFA called on FIFA this month for a better definition of handball after “many unfair decisions which have been met with growing frustration and discomfort.” The spike in handball offenses has coin-cided with wider use of video review to give match officials more evidence to make decisions.

IFAB said after yesterday's meetings that referees must have the final decision, and noted “not every touch of a player’s hand/arm with the ball” should be punished.

The rules panel, which comprises officials from FIFA and the four British associa-tions, sent its concussion expert group’s proposal last month to a Dec. 16 meeting of IFAB.

An extra permanent sub-stitute for concussion cases could see teams make six replacements in the regulation 90 minutes.

Al Gharafa coach Slavisa Jukanovic

Beijing FC head coach Bruno Genesio

Coach Xavi Hernandez

applauds after Al Sadd won

their QNB Stars League match

against Al Arabi on Sunday.

AFP – PARIS

DJOKOVIC’S ROLLERCOASTERNovak Djokovic started the year

with an eighth Australian Open and 17th Grand Slam title and finished it by equalling Pete Sampras’s record as a year-end world number one for a sixth time.

In between, however, the darker side of the 33-year-old emerged.

While the sport went into coro-navirus lockdown, the Serb launched his ill-fated Adria Tour in June.

With no social distancing and with players pictured dancing shirtless at a packed nightclub, Djokovic became one of a number of players to test positive for coronavirus.

Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki also became ill and the project was abandoned.

Djokovic then saw his hopes of an 18th Slam end with a disqualifi-cation from the US Open after inad-vertently hitting a line judge with a ball.

His hopes of becoming the first man in half a century to win all four Slams twice ended in a straight sets defeat to Rafael Nadal in the French Open final.

NADAL’S 13TH ROLAND GARROSRafael Nadal had skipped the US

Open, where he was defending champion, due to fears over the esca-lating health crisis in New York.

The decision paid off as he swept to a 13th Roland Garros and 20th career Grand Slam title in Paris in October.

The French Open had been pushed back four months due to the pandemic and Nadal had entered the tournament fearing the heavier balls

and autumn con-ditions would

c o n s p i r e a g a i n s t him.

H e need not h a v e

worried as he reached

t h e

100-win mark at the tournament without dropping a set, making light of the 1,000 fans a day limit.

GAME, SET, MATCH TO CORONAVIRUS

The global pandemic closed down tennis from March until August.

Wimbledon was cancelled for the first time since World War II while Roland Garros was moved from its traditional May/June slot to Sep-tember/October.

The Davis Cup and Fed Cup finals were binned as were the ATP and WTA end-of-season Asian swings. Most events were played behind closed doors. Players racquet-tapped instead of shaking hands and were told to fetch their own towels.

KENIN AND SWIATEK GIVE SLAMS

NEW LOOKSerena Williams’ quest for a

record-equalling 24th Slam goes on after another season of frustration at the Slams.

The 39-year-old lost in the third round in Australia, semi-finals of the US Open and pulled out injured after the first round of the French Open.

With number one Ashleigh Barty not playing at all after the resumption, something of a power vacuum emerged.

Sofia Kenin had already claimed a maiden Slam at the Australian Open while Naomi Osaka claimed a second US Open and third career major in New York.

Kenin’s hopes of a second Slam in 2020 were undone by charismatic Iga Swiatek of Poland who won a shock French Open.

FREEZE - YOU’RE NUMBER ONEThe chaos caused to tennis by the

pandemic saw the governing bodies freeze world rankings from March, allowing points to extend beyond the traditional 52-week window.

Barty remained world number one despite playing just three events -- winning the Adelaide tournament followed by semi-final runs at the Australian Open and Qatar Open.

Former US Open winner Bianca Andreescu didn’t play a single match in 2020 after injuring her knee at the WTA Finals in Shenzhen in October last year.

The Canadian will still finish at seven in the rankings.

Roger Federer will end 2020 ranked at five following a season where he only played the Australian Open before undergoing knee surgery.

ATP TOUR RANKINGS

1 Novak Djokovic (SRB) 11,830 2 Rafael Nadal (ESP) 9,8503 Dominic Thiem (AUT) 9,125 4 Daniil Medvedev (RUS) 6,970 5 Roger Federer (SUI) 6,630 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 5,9257 Alexander Zverev (GER) 5,5258 Andrey Rublev (RUS) 3,919 9 Diego Schwartzman (ARG) 3,45510 Matteo Berrettini (ITA) 3,075 11 Gael Monfils (FRA) 2,860 12 Denis Shapovalov (CAN) 2,83013 Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) 2,710 14 Milos Raonic (CAN) 2,580 15 David Goffin (BEL) 2,555

10 TUESDAY 24 NOVEMBER 2020SPORT

Is the Big-Three era drawing to a close?AFP – LONDON

Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have been absent from the title match at the ATP Finals for the past two years, replaced by younger rivals seeking to smash their monopoly.

Instead of the “Big Three” it was Dominic Thiem and Daniil Medvedev who took centre stage at London’s O2 Arena on Sunday, with Russia’s Medvedev coming out on top.

But do the results at the season-ending tournament signal the end of an era for men’s tennis or another false dawn for the chasing pack? Poor predictor The demise of Djokovic and Nadal at the hands of younger rivals on a dramatic Saturday in London felt significant, and not just for the results themselves.

Austria’s Thiem, 27, pro-duced an astonishing comeback from 4-0 down in the deciding tie-break to beat world number one Djokovic -- after squan-dering four match points in the second-set tie-break.

Fourth-seed Medvedev did not let the loss of the first set to Nadal faze him, roaring back to end the Spaniard’s record of 71

consecutive wins after winning the opening set.

But recent history shows the season-ending ATP Finals do not provide a reliable indicator of what is to come the following season.

Medvedev, 24, is the sixth different winner of the event in six years.

Since Andy Murray lifted the trophy in 2016, the champions

have been Grigor Dimitrov, Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas, who can boast just one Grand Slam final appearance between them.

Indoor hard courts are Nadal’s weakest surface while Djokovic has not played his best in London since a run of four titles in a row from 2012 to 2015.

Federer, absent this year with an injury, lifted the last of

his six titles at the event in 2011. Grand Slam dominance The

Grand Slams remain the ultimate prizes in tennis and the period of unprecedented dominance for the Big Three is far from over.

They have won an aston-ishing 56 of the past 67 majors between them, including 14 of the last 15.

Thiem finally broke the stranglehold by winning this

year’s US Open but Nadal and Federer did not take part and Djokovic was the clear favourite until his disqualification.

Nadal has just won a 13th French Open title without dropping a set and he and Djokovic especially will still be the strong favourites going into 2021.

The Spanish veteran issued a chilling warning to the young pretenders after his defeat to Medvedev in London.

“My motivation has been always the same,” he said.

“Next year is going be an important year. I hope to be ready to fight for the things that I want to fight (for).” Changing of the guard? Pundits have pre-dicted a changing of the guard many times over the past few years but such predictions have always proved premature.

It is impossible to delay the inevitable of course -- Federer will be 40 next year and has missed almost the whole 2020 season following two knee operations.

Nadal is 34 and Djokovic 33 and both can be shakier in the big moments than they once were.

Thiem, Medvedev, Zverev and Tsitsipas have had more

success against the Big Three than the generations before them, and an even younger gen-eration is making waves.

But, with Federer and Nadal tied on 20 Slams and Djokovic three behind, the three dominant players of the past 15 years are playing for history and hugely motivated to achieve more.

Medvedev, who reached the 2019 US Open final, where he lost to Nadal, welcomed the rise of the young guns.

“I think it’s super for tennis,” he said. “We are starting to get to take our marks. Dominic won his first Slam, playing unbe-lievable tennis right now.” But ATP Finals runner-up Thiem believes it is too soon to discount the old guard, predicting “exciting times” ahead.

“We proved that we can play with the legends, that we can also beat them, that we can also win the biggest tournaments,” he said.

“I think in the next few years the Big Three still will play for every big title, but I guess there’s still going to be a time when those guys retire, I don’t know, in three, four, five years. And then I guess we will be the favourites for all the big titles.”

2020 SEASON: TALKING POINTSMedvedev excited to be part of new men’s rivalriesREUTERS – LONDON

Russian Daniil Medvedev said he wants to be part of a new series of long-running rivalries in men’s tennis after beating Dominic Thiem to win the ATP Finals title on Sunday.

The 24-year-old completed a remarkable week with a 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-4 victory to land the biggest title of his career to date.

His victory over third-ranked Thiem, following a semi-final win over world number two Rafa Nadal and a group stage win over world number one Novak Djokovic, means he is only the fourth player ever to beat the top-three ranked men in a single event.

It also means Medvedev heads into 2021 tipped as the most likely of the so-called next generation to win a Grand Slam tournament.

With Roger Federer now 39 and his fellow 20-time Grand Slam champion Nadal 34 and 17-time major winner Djokovic 33, their incredible career-long rivalries have a limited time to run.

The hope is that Medvedev, U.S. Open champion Thiem, 27, and the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev and Denis Shapovalov, will soon provide the same blockbuster rivalries.

“Hopefully,” Medevedev told reporters when asked if his series with Thiem, which is 3-2 in the Austrian’s favour, could develop into something special.

Thiem said “exciting times” are ahead for the men’s game and Medvedev said the young guns would keep pushing each other.

“Hopefully we can be there for a long time, maybe let’s say pushing the other generations back,” he said.

“The top three, they probably went through two, three gener-ations without dropping their level, which is not easy.

“But what is definitely good from us, from Dominic, from me, if we talk about this tournament, we managed both to beat Rafa and Novak, which is an amazing accomplishment.”

Medvedev ends the year on a 10-match winning streak and with wins against Djokovic, Nadal and Thiem in London, he said he will head into the new season brimming with confidence.

“To beat Dominic the way he played today and to manage to beat him is probably my best victory of my life.”

The top three, they probably went through two, three generations without dropping their level, which is not easy. But what is definitely good from us, from Dominic, from me, if we talk about this tournament, we managed both to beat Rafa and Novak, which is an amazing accomplishment. To beat Dominic the way he played today and to manage to beat him is probably my best victory of my life: Medvedev

Daniil MedvedevSingles Ranking: 4Age: 24 (1996.02.11) Turned Pro: 2014 Birthplace: Moscow, Russia

Residence: Monte Carlo, Monaco Plays: Right-Handed, Two-Handed Backhand Coach: Gilles Cervara

Career High: 4 (Sep 09, 2019) 159-86 W-L 9 titles Prize Money: $14,130,584 (Singles & Doubles Combined)

CAREER SINGLES TITLESYear Titles Tournament 2020 2 Nitto ATP Finals (Indoor/Hard) ATP Masters 1000 Paris (Indoor/Hard)2019 4 ATP Masters 1000 Shanghai (Outdoor/Hard) St. Petersburg (Indoor/Hard) ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati (Outdoor/Hard) Sofia (Indoor/Hard)2018 3 Tokyo (Indoor/Hard) Winston-Salem (Outdoor/Hard) Sydney (Outdoor/Hard)

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with Thiem, which is 3-2 in the Austrian’s favour, could developinto something special.

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accomplishment.” Medvedev ends the year on a

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Singles Ranking: 4Age: 24 (1996.02.11)Turned Pro: 2014Birthplace: Moscow, Russia

Residence: Monte Carlo, MonacoPlays: Right-Handed, Two-HandedBackhandCoach: Gilles Cervara

Career High: 4 (Sep 09, 2019) 159-86 W-L 9 titlesPrize Money: $14,130,584 (Singles & Doubles Combined)

CAREER SINGLES TITLESYear Titles Tournament 2020 2 Nitto ATP Finals (Indoor/Hard)

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Russia’s Daniil Medvedev embraces Austria’s Dominic Thiem after winning the final of the ATP Finals at The O2 in London, Britain, on Sunday.

09TUESDAY 24 NOVEMBER 2020 SPORT

Handball: Asian giants Qatar continue training for GamesTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Qatar beach handball team is busy preparing for the sixth edition of the Asian Beach Games, which will be held in the Chinese city of Sanya from April 2 to April 10, 2021.

The team’s training con-tinues daily at the Al Gharafa beach stadiums, with the par-ticipation of 11 players including Ibrahim Shebel Obaid, Mirza Kabitch, Syed Ali Kenawy, Mirans Kriecho, Muhammad Ahmad Zaki, Rashid Youssef, Hani Marawan Kakhi, Ahmed Rajab Morgan, Ali Ahmad Muhammad, Omar Jalul

Dhiab, and Muhammad Hassan Saleh.

The 6th Asian Beach Games were scheduled to be held from November 28 to December 6, but was post-poned due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Games programme

includes competitions in 16 sports spread over 82 competitions.

The Qatar beach handball team is hoping for top prepa-ration as it targets a gold medal Asian Beach Games for the fourth time in a row. Qatar clinched top spots in the past

three editions - Huang 2012 (China), Phuket 2014 (Thailand), and Danang 2016 (Vietnam).

The Qatari national team had also won the Asian Men’s Beach Handball Champi-onship in the last five editions in 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019.

Team Qatar also secured third place twice in the 2014 World Championships in Brazil and the 2016 World Championships in Hungary, and also ranked third in the World Games (held every four years and one year after the Summer Olympics) that was held in Wroclaw, Poland, in 2017.

Qatar will target a gold medal at Asian Beach Games for the fourth time in a row. Qatar clinched top spots in the past three editions - Huang 2012 (China), Phuket 2014 (Thailand), and Danang 2016 (Vietnam).

The 6th Asian Beach Games were scheduled to be held from November 28 to December 6, but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The multi- sporting event will now be held from April 2 to April 10, 2021.

Qatar's beach handball team players during a training session at Al Gharafa Beach Stadium yesterday.

ACL: Qatar fulfilling security requirements with confidence, says Jassim Al KaabiTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Jassim Al Kaabi, Director of Security for the Local Organ-ising Committee of the AFC Champions League (ACL), East Zone matches, has affirmed that all security matters related to the tournament are proceeding following the inter-national standards approved by the AFC and FIFA.

In an interview to the Qatar Football Association (QFA) website, Al Kaabi pointed out that security work teams were formed before the start of the competitions, as coordination took place at the highest levels to get the tour-nament in the best organisa-tional form.

Al Kaabi said: “We have previously worked in the AFC Champions League matches of the West Zone and we had great success. We are following the same formula for success. Of course, we are careful about the trying circumstances we find ourselves in because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This rep-resents a challenge, but we are dealing with everything appropriately.”

The Director of the Security

confirmed that the champi-onship operations had been merged with the security authorities in the state in coor-dination with the security com-mittee, which includes all the security authorities in the State of Qatar headed by H E the Prime Minister and the Minister of Interior, in order to provide the highest levels of security for delegations and teams from participating clubs and media professionals from the moment of their arrival.

The security detail involves looking after players, officials and delegations from the moment they land at the Hamad International Airport and then when they are taken to the hotels, the match venues and training facilities.

Al Kaabi said the event’s security apparatus is working on a template approved by the AFC and FIFA.

Al Kaabi said: “Qatari security officials along with the presence of overseas experts are working in coordination at all places where security is needed 24×7. Our standards are high. All of this is helping us prepare for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.”

Jassim Al Kaabi, Director of Security for the Local Organising Committee of the AFC Champions League (ACL), East Zone matches, has affirmed that all security matters related to the tournament are proceeding following the international standards approved by the AFC and FIFA.

Second Division: Stage set for thrilling Round 5 actionTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Stage is set for the Round Five of the Second Division, which will see three interesting clashes tomorrow: Al Shahaniya vs Mesaimeer at Al Khor Stadium; Al Shamal vs Al Waab at Al Wakrah Stadium and Al Markhiya vs Muaither.

The Round Five match between Al Bidda and Lusail has been postponed and will be held on January 9, 2021.

QFA has confirmed the postponed match between Al Shamal and Al Bidda from the fourth week will be held on December 19 at Al Khor Stadium.

Meanwhile, the results of the fourth round resulted in a change in the points table after Al Shahaniya beat Al Markhiya 3-1, Muaither edged Mesaimeer 3-2 and Al Waab drew with Lusail in a goalless match.

Al Shahaniya are ranked first with 10 points whereas Al Shamal (7points), Al Markhiya and Muaither are in second, third and fourth respectively (all with 7 points but are placed on goal difference).

Lusail are in fifth place with

4 points while Mesaimeer and Al Bidda are in sixth and seventh places respectively. Al Waab are last with one point.

Muaither and Mesaimeer played a hardfought match at Al Wakrah Stadium. Mesaimeer was the first to score through Mamadou Dewara (17th minute) with a beautiful header. Muaither equalised through Elson Konsi but Mesaimeer grabbed the lead through Dioura (71st minute).

Muaither turned things upside down when they scored two goals through Kofi Cordzi (91st minute), and Islon Konsi (93rd minute) to get a precious win.

In the clash between Al Shahaniya and Al Markhiya at Al Wakrah Stadium, Al Markhiya opened the scoring through Omani Jamil Al Yahmadi with a beautiful shot from the edge of the Al Sha-haniya box (20th minute).

Al Shahaniya equalised through Ibrahima Jay (34th minute). In the second half, Al Shahaniya took the lead through Talal Al Mutairi (57th minute) while Nday scored the third in injury time (90 + 6).

The Round Five of Second Division will feature three matches tomorrow.

Senior Men’s League: Al Sadd, Al Ahli clinch wins

An Al Sadd player scores a point against Al Shamal during a Senior Men’s League volleyball match at QVA Hall in Doha yesterday. Al Sadd won the match 3-0 with a 25-23, 25-11, 26-24 score-line. RIGHT: Action during yesterday's other match between Al Ahli and Al Gharafa. Al Ahli secured an emphatic 3-0 (25-16, 25-18, 25-21) victory.

Australia’s Warner says he won’t respond to India tauntsAFP — SYDNEY

Australian opener David Warner (pictured) vowed yesterday to keep his temper in check during the upcoming series against India, predicting Virat Kohli’s men will try to wind him up with verbal taunts.

Warner once revelled in his reputation as Australia’s attack dog during on-field confrontations but said he had toned down his antics as he matured.

The 34-year-old expected some barbs to be thrown his way during the upcoming India tour, which begins with a one-day interna-tional in Sydney on Friday, but said he would let his bat do the talking.

“The last time we toured in India they really engaged us like that,” he told a conference call.

“We’re learning

over time, especially myself, that if you look not to engage in that you’re almost reversing the effect by ignoring it, trying to take it in, and using your bat.”

Warner said he planned to use any taunts as moti-vation, while refusing to retaliate in kind and main-taining a positive attitude.

“You don’t know the effect (losing your temper) will have on your team-mates, so you

have to be a bit more humble and be

m o r e respectful to the oppo-sition,” he

said.W a r n e r ’ s

m i l d e r

approach appears

to coincide with his

return from

a

ban over the 2018 ball-tam-pering scandal, although the batsman attributed the laid-back demeanour to fatherhood.

“You have to be patient, not get too aggressive, not get angry when the kids aren’t lis-tening,” he said.

“So I’m getting tested on and off the field.”

Warner also backed his out-of-form Test partner Joe Burns, who faces a stiff chal-lenge from rising star Will Pucovski for a spot at the top of the batting order against India. “I’ve spent a lot of time with Joe Burns in the middle, I know exactly what we’re about when we’re out there,” he said.

“Obviously, we won a lot of games last year. So for me, you don’t break something that’s actually working.”

Test greats such as Michael Clarke, Ian Chappell and Mark Waugh have been clamouring for Pucovski’s inclusion after the 22-year-old plundered back-to-back double centuries for Victoria.

4-year-olde barbs to his way pcoming whichh a erna-ey on id hebat

stedey d us old al.

earning

humble and be m o r e

respectful to the oppo-sition,” he

said.W a r n e r ’ s

m i l d e r

approach appears

to coincide with his

return from

a

MotoGP: Aprilia to pick Smith or Savadori for 2021 season

AFP — PARIS

Aprilia will choose between Bradley Smith and Lorenzo Savadori as the replacement for banned MotoGP rider Andrea Iannone next season, the team said yesterday.

Briton Smith and Italy’s Savadori filled in for Iannone this year after he was suspended for testing positive for an anabolic steroid in November 2019. His ban was recently extended from 18 months to four years.

Aleix Espargaro is the team’s only confirmed rider so far while Smith, 29, and the 27-year-old Savadori will compete for the other racing spot.

“Aleix will obviously be our top rider. The roles of second rider and test rider will be decided at the end of the winter test schedule,” said Aprilia chief executive Massimo Rivola.

Smith competed in 11 of 14 races for Aprilia this season but finished no higher than 12th. Savadori took part in the final three without reg-istering a point.

08TUESDAY 24 NOVEMBER 2020SportRobert Streb of the United States celebrates with the trophy.

Streb beats Kisner in play-off to win RSM ClassicREUTERS — GEORGIA

Robert Streb birdied the second play-off hole to beat Kevin Kisner and win the RSM Classic in a battle of past champions at Georgia’s Sea Island Golf Club.

Streb, who claimed his only PGA Tour title at the RSM Classic in 2014, returned to the winner’s circle in spectacular style as his approach on 18 left him with a tap-in birdie for the victory as Kisner, the 2015 champion, settled for par.

On both occasions Streb needed extra holes to get the job done, having seen off Brendon de Jonge and Will Mackenzie in a play-off in 2014.

“Obviously it (the approach

shot) came out perfect. I knew I was going to need a little fortune to get close and I got (close),” said Streb.

“It is nice to get another one knocked off, Kis (Kisner) played a great round today.”

Streb began the final round with a three-shot lead but started with six pars as several players mounted charges behind him, including Kisner who had four birdies on his outward nine and three more

after the turn for a bogey free seven-under 63.

After Streb took only his second bogey of the tour-nament at the par four 13th, the 33-year-old found himself in a tie atop the leaderboard and then quickly trailing by one after a Kisner birdie at 15.

With fellow American Kisner in the clubhouse on 19-under 263 and a one-shot lead, Streb rolled in a pressure packed 11-foot birdie putt at 17 to move into a tie and then parred the last with his two-under 68 good enough to force a play-off.

Cameron Tringale closed with a bogey-free eight-under 62 to finish one back at

18-under while Austria’s Bernd Wies-berger (63) a n d American A n d r e w L a n d r y (64) fin-ished two off the pace.

“Trying to run in front all day to me is sometimes a little hard because you’re not nec-essarily pedal to the metal,” said Streb.

“Maybe I should have been, but just trying to kill the but-terflies there the first couple of holes and get into it.”

263 - Robert Streb 65-63-67-68, Kevin Kisner 68-66-66-63264 - Cameron Tringale 67-68-67-62265 - Bernd Wiesberger (AUT) 66-68-68-63, Andrew Landry 68-68-65-64266 - Harris English 66-66-72-62, Camilo Villegas (COL) 64-66-70-66, Kyle Stanley 67-65-68-66, Zach Johnson 66-67-65-68267 - Corey Conners (CAN) 67-70-66-64, Patton Kizzire 65-66-70-66268 - Jason Day (AUS) 69-67-67-65, John Huh 69-68-66-65, Rory Sabbatini (SVK) 65-72-66-65269 - Keegan Bradley 67-68-67-67, Matthew NeSmith 72-63-66-68, Bronson Burgoon 68-63-67-71

RSM CLASSIC SCORES

NFL: Mahomes stars as Chiefs avenge loss to Raiders; Titans topple Ravens

AFP — LOS ANGELES

Patrick Mahomes connected with Travis Kelce on a touchdown pass with 28 seconds left as the Kansas City Chiefs avenged an earlier loss to the Las Vegas Raiders with a thrilling 35-31 victory.

Mahomes engineered two brilliant scoring drives in the final quarter and Kelce grabbed eight passes for 127 yards for the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs, who improved to 9-1 on the season.

“The guys stepped up and made crucial plays at crucial times. That is a great football team and we wanted to show them that everything goes through Kansas City,” Mahomes said.

Super Bowl MVP Mahomes started slowly before finishing with 348 passing yards, including the 22-yard winning toss to Kelce.

The Raiders celebrated their win in Kansas City last month with a victory lap around Arrowhead Stadium in their team buses, a bold statement that angered the Chiefs and their coach Andy Reid.

“You never want to lose to the same team twice,” said Mahomes.

“They beat us in Kansas City so we had to find a way to beat this team.”

The Raiders led 24-21 on Darren Waller’s touchdown catch on the first play of the fourth quarter, but Mahomes led a 91-yard scoring drive midway through the period for a touchdown.

Quarterback Derek Carr answered with a strong drive

which ended on Jason Wit-ten’s one-yard touchdown catch with just under two minutes left in the fourth quarter. But Mahomes needed just 75 seconds to go 75 yards for another score as Kelce got open across the middle then scored easily.

Carr made a desperation long pass but the Chiefs’ Daniel Sorensen picked off the attempt with 19 seconds to go.

Also, Derrick Henry delivered another stellar per-formance, rushing for the winning touchdown in overtime as the Tennessee Titans rallied to beat the Bal-timore Ravens 30-24 in a testy affair between the AFC division rivals.

Henry capped the scoring

with a 29-yard touchdown romp with 5:21 left in the extra session as the Titans stormed back from a 21-10 third quarter deficit in front of a pandemic-limited crowd of 21,000 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. “I try

to do anything I can when the ball’s in my hand to help our team win,” Henry said.

Henry carried the ball 28 times for 133 yards to record his sixth 100-yard game of the season. He also surpassed 1,000 total rushing yards for the third straight year.

In January, Henry ran roughshod over the top-seeded Ravens, finishing with 195 yards in the AFC Divi-sional playoff game.

There was a heated exchange before the game which was sparked by Ten-nessee’s apparent invasion of the Ravens’ space during the warmup.

Baltimore coach John Harbaugh took exception to the Titans’ players congre-gating on the Ravens’ logo at

midfield and Harbaugh and Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel ended up exchanging words.

“We kind of knew there was going to be some extra stuff coming into this game because of last year,” Titans wide receiver Corey Davis said.

“We tried to keep our poise and go out there and handle business.” - Steelers unbeaten.

Elsewhere, Ben Roethlis-berger threw for two touch-downs and 267 yards as the Pittsburgh Steelers continued their best start in franchise history with a 27-3 thrashing of the Jacksonville Jaguars in Florida.

The Steelers remained the NFL’s lone unbeaten team by winning their 10th straight to sit atop the AFC North.

Also, Taysom Hill rushed for two touchdowns and passed for 233 yards in his first NFL start at quarterback, and New Orleans defeated visiting Atlanta 24-9 for its seventh straight victory.

Hill was given the start after the 41-year-old starting quarterback Drew Brees was sidelined with 11 fractured ribs and a collapsed lung.

In Landover, Maryland, Cincinnati Bengals rookie quarterback Joe Burrow was carted off the field early in the third quarter after suf-fering an apparent season-ending left knee injury in a 20-9 loss to Washington.

Burrow suffered a torn ACL “based on the initial diagnosis”, the NFL Network reported. He tweeted an hour after the injury, “See ya next year.”

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (left) runs with the ball in the first half against the Las Vegas Raiders.

New England 20 Houston 27Detroit 0 Carolina 20Philadelphia 17 Cleveland 22Pittsburgh 27 Jacksonville 3Tennessee 30 Baltimore 24 (OT)Cincinnati 9 Washington 20Atlanta 9 New Orleans 24N.Y. Jets 28 LA Chargers 34Miami 13 Denver 20Dallas 31 Minnesota 28Green Bay 31 Indianapolis 34 (OT)Kansas City 35 Las Vegas KC 31

NFL RESULTS

Hamilton a fantastic ambassador, deserves a knighthood: Damon HillREUTERS — LONDON

Lewis Hamilton (pictured) has been breaking down barriers since he arrived in Formula One and deserves a knighthood for his achievements on and off the track, former world champion Damon Hill has said.

Hamilton, the most successful Grand Prix racer of all time and the only Black driver in F1, sealed a record-equalling seventh world title with his victory in Turkey this month, fuelling expectations of a knighthood.

The 35-year-old Briton, who comes from an under-privileged, multi-racial background, has used his platform to campaign for racial equality, diversity and sustainability.

“Lewis has always been breaking down barriers, the moment he arrived in F1 or even in karting he was breaking barriers and challenging the status quo,” the Guardian quoted Hill as saying.

“The knighthood will be seen as rec-ognition of not just his driving but also as a Black driver that has bust another door open for anyone who is not white.

“He has destroyed the preconception that it can’t be done, that there is an area where you cannot achieve something because of the colour of your skin. He has totally destroyed that notion.” Stirling Moss, Jack Brabham and Jackie Stewart are the other Formula One racers to have been knighted. Hamilton was awarded an MBE in 2008.

“It is a very rare thing in our sport to get a knighthood,” said Hill, who won the world championship in 1996.

“It is then also a recognition of his stance on equality, anti-racism and envi-ronmental issues."

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Lewis has always been breaking down barriers, the moment he arrived in F1 or even in karting he was breaking barriers and challenging the status quo. The knighthood will be seen as recognition of not just his driving but also as a Black driver that has bust another door open for anyone who is not white.

Damon Hill Former World Champion

Celtics’ Tatum, Jazz’s Mitchell land rich extensions: ReportsAFP — LOS ANGELES

Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Utah’s Donovan Mitchell landed lucrative extensions to their NBA rookie deals, US media reported on the second day of the league’s free agency negotiating period.

The Salt Lake City-based Deseret News was among the outlets reporting that all-star guard Mitchell had agreed a five-year contract extension worth a guar-anteed $163m with the Jazz.

The deal has escalators that could bring Mitchell’s five-year total to $195.6m. The extra money would come if Mitchell earns all-NBA honours in the 2020-21 season, the last year of his rookie-scale con-tract in which he is due to be paid $5.2m.

It’s an investment in the future for the Jazz. Mitchell, the 13th overall selection in the 2017 draft was runner-up for Rookie of the Year honors in his first season and has been Utah’s leading scorer since he entered the league.

The 24-year-old fin-ished the pandemic-dis-rupted 2019-20 season averaging 24 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.

Tatum, 22, also emerged as a star last season, setting career highs in scoring with 23.4 points per game, rebounding (7.0 per game) and assists (3.0 per game).

ESPN reported Tatum’s extension will be worth $195m over five years, with a player option in the fifth

year. Another rising star, Sacramento’s De’Aaron Fox, has also been locked up by his club with a maximum five-year extension.

But according to reports the Kings could be bidding farewell to free agent Bogdan Bogdanovic, who has signed a four-year offer sheet worth $72m with the Atlanta Hawks.

Since Bogdanovic is a restricted free agent, the Kings had 48 hours to match Atlanta’s offer.

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum dunks the ball in this file photo.

Lakers sign Montrezl Harrell from Clippers

REUTERS — NEW YORK

NBA champions Los Angeles Lakers have signed ‘Sixth Man of the Year’ Montrezl Harrell from the Clippers, the league said.

The switch comes after a stellar season from Harrell, who averaged career-highs of 18.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.

The 26-year-old led the league with 11 double-doubles off the bench as he helped the Clippers earn the second seed in the Western Conference before they were knocked out

by the Denver Nuggets in the conference semi-finals.

“The Los Angeles Lakers have signed center Montrezl Harrell, it was announced by Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Rob Pelinka,” a statement on the NBA’s website said.

“Per team policy, terms of the deal were not released.” Harrell, who provides the Lakers with an option at both power forward and center, arrives after eight-times NBA All Star Dwight Howard moved east to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Montrezl Harrell (left) in action against Russell Westbrook in this file photo.