Panel to review medical errors - Oman Daily Observer

Beckham enjoys
PSG debut as
Sirigu shines
Page 18
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2013
Al Shabab,
Kazma look
for first wins
Page 18
Kuchar downs Mahan to win Match Play crown
MATT Kuchar hits a shot during the final round of the WGC-Accenture Match Play on Sunday. INSET: Kuchar celebrates with the trophy. — AFP
Nadal to test troublesome knee
ACAPULCO, Mexico — Rafael
Nadal will test his troublesome
left knee again this
week at the Mexico Open,
then decide if he'll brave the
first Masters Series event of
the year on the hard courts
of Indian Wells.
Spain's 11-time Grand
Slam champion will conclude
a three-tournament
Latin American comeback
tour in Acapulco, playing
in his third ATP clay
court tournament in four
weeks.
He came back from an injury
layoff of seven months
to reach the final in Vina del
Mar, Chile, and followed up
by winning the title in Sao
Paulo on February 18.
In Brazil he needed just
78 minutes to beat Argentina's
David Nalbandian 6-2,
6-3 in the title match.
But the 26-year-old says
he still feels intermittent
pain in his left knee and
could yet opt out of the hard
court tournament at Indian
Wells, where men's main
draw play begins on March
7.
Nadal is a two-time champion
at the BNP Paribas
Open in the California
desert east of Los Angeles.
That tournament is immediately
followed by the
Masters Series event in
Miami where he has never
won.
"Let's see how my knee
responds in Acapulco. We
will discuss what has happened
during these three
tournaments and what I
thought about it," Nadal said
after his Brazil triumph.
"Then we will see if we
are ready to play in Indian
Wells or not."
Nadal said it wasn't
the thought of stepping up
against top competition like
Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer,
Andy Murray and compatriot
David Ferrer that
caused him to hesitate, nor
was it the possible stresses of
the hard court surface.
Instead it's just the simple
fact that his knee is still
not 100 per cent.
"It's better and I've been
able to compete, but it's still
bothering me," he said after
arriving in Mexico.
"It's better on some days
and worse on others, which
isn't ideal for someone like
me, because my idea of competing
is based on giving it
all at all times."
In Acapulco, Nadal is the
second seed behind Ferrer,
the world number four who
will arrive in Mexico fresh
from a successful title de-
fence in Buenos Aires.
Ferrer, 30, earned his
20th career title and his second
of 2013 on Sunday and
will be going for a fourth
straight Acapulco crown.
The men's field for this
combined ATP and WTA
event also includes 2008
champion Nicolas Almagro
and Swiss Stanislas
Wawrinka, a semi-finalist
last year who lost to Ferrer
in the Buenos Aires final on
Sunday.
The women's field is
headed by defending champion
Sara Errani.
Nadal may get a chance
to ease into the tournament,
drawing a qualifier in the
first round.
A massive security operation
has been mounted for
the event, prompted by a
gang rape earlier this month
as well as the brutal ongoing
turf war between drug gangs
that has seen the Pacific port
and longtime tourist destination
become Mexico's
deadliest city.
The 4,000-strong security
force is three times the size
of the city's own police force
and will feature army, navy,
federal, state and municipal
police, a senior Guerrero
state government official
said. — AFP
Blackhawks edge Blue Jackets
CHICAGO — The Chicago
Blackhawks extended their
record for the best start in
league history, shutting out
the Columbus Blue Jackets
1-0 Sunday behind a 28-save
performance by goaltender
Corey Crawford.
Chicago has now recorded
at least one point in 18 consecutive
games to begin the National
Hockey League regular
season.
Crawford posted his second
shutout of the season as
he made his first start since
February 12.
Andrew Shaw scored the
only goal for Chicago who improved
to 5-0-1 in their sevengame
home stand which continues
against the Edmonton
Oilers on Monday.
Steve Mason stopped 26of-27
shots for Columbus,
who have lost nine consecutive
games to Chicago.
Columbus dropped to 2-8-0
as the road team this season.
Bryan Bickell set up Shaw
from behind the net with 1:27
CALGARY Flames’ Jarome Iginla (left) celebrates his
goal with team-mate Matt Stajan during their NHL game
against the Phoenix Coyotes in Calgary on Sunday.
remaining in the second period
for the Blackhawks' only
goal on the game.
Crawford made 13 saves in
the second period for Chicago,
who are 7-0-1 at the United
Center arena this season.
The Blue Jackets had
chances to tie the game but
went zero-for-three on the
power play in the third period.
Columbus finished zerofor-five
with the man advantage.
— Reuters
DUBAI — Two-time finalist
Mikhail Youzhny made a
great escape to start his 12th
appearance at the Dubai Open
yesterday, staging a fighting
comeback to reach the second
round over Blaz Kavcic 1-6,
6-1, 6-3.
It was no secret that the
Russian got off slowly on a
court he knows well. "It was
a bad start for me, in the first
half hour, first set, I played so
many mistakes.
"He played like normal, but
I have too many mistakes. He
helped me a little bit actually
in the beginning of the second
set with two double faults in
the first game.
"After I broke I had even
better motivation to come
back to the court." Eighth seed
Youzhny, who lost title bids at
the Aviation club in 2007 and
2010 to Roger Federer and
Novak Djokovic respectively,
was joined as a winner on
opening day by seventh seed
Andreas Seppi.
Seppi had to be treated after
he cut his finger on the way
out of the locker room but said
the minor injury affected nothing.
The Italian who had lost
five times in the Dubai first
round finally broke his duck
at the expense of Paul-Henri
Mathieu 6-3, 7-5. The Frenchman
is still looking for his first
victory of 2013 after missing
more than a year of play with
a knee injury.
"I don't think it was such
a good match today," said
Seppi. "It was difficult conditions
with the wind changing a
lot. I just tried today to play a
little bit more solid or to keep
the ball a little bit more in the
centre, not to play so many
angles."I did well to win this
MARANA, Arizona — Matt
Kuchar denied Hunter Mahan
a World Golf Championships
Match Play Championship
title repeat, triumphing over
his fellow American 2 and 1 in
Sunday's final at Dove Mountain.
Kuchar, eliminated by Mahan
in the quarterfinals of the
elite 64-man event last year,
avenged that defeat as he prevented
Mahan from joining
Tiger Woods as the only backto-back
winners of the title.
"What an incredible feeling
to be standing on top after six
matches. I really have to give
Hunter a lot of credit," Kuchar
said.
"He got off to a slow start
and I got up pretty quickly,
4-up at the turn. I was thinking
I was going to try to do the
same that he did to me last year
and see if I could do 6 & 5. But
Hunter made a great battle,
played some great golf coming
in." Mahan was the first
defending champion to return
to the final since 2006 winner
Geoff Ogilvy of Australia was
runner-up in 2007.
"I didn't play well. You
know, making a couple silly
bogeys there. Kooch is a good
player, he's a solid player. You
saw today how he can get up
and down and hit good quality
shots. He didn't put himself in
the desert really at all," Mahan
said. "I put myself behind the
eight-ball.
"I hit really good putts on
seven and eight, and thought I
could get one on nine. I really
didn't do anything on those
holes. I gained some momentum
on 10, but it was too little
too late."
Kuchar never trailed in the
match... my first victory here,
so good for me.
"I don't know if it's relief or
not. I was telling myself I have
to come back until I win my
first match, and, it happened
today. For sure it's a good start
here. I felt also pretty comfortable."
Five-time winner Roger
Federer was opening as second
seed in a sold-out session
in the first round against Tunisian
wild card minnow Malek
championship match, and in
fact trailed for just three holes
the entire week. The victory
was his first in a WGC event
and his fifth on the US PGA
Tour.
Australian Jason Day was
third, defeating former champion
Ian Poulter of England in
the consolation final 1-up.
Mahan 2-putted for par
from the fringe at the 16th hole
to close within 1-down. Both
players then hit into the fairway
bunker with their tee shots
the 17th hole.
Mahan's second shot from
a poor lie in the sand came
up short. Kuchar landed his
second shot within three feet
of the cup. Mahan hacked his
ball a few feet, then pitched
his fourth shot to about seven
feet.
But that would be it. Mahan
then conceded Kuchar the
birdie putt and the match.
Kuchar's triumph capped
a wild week in the Arizona
desert, where a snowstorm
that halted first-round play on
Wednesday was just the first
surprise.
When the first round was
finally completed on Thursday,
the top two players in the
world, Rory McIlroy and Tiger
Woods, were on their way
home, and the second round
saw the next four seeds —
Luke Donald, Louis Oosthuizen
and Justin Rose — eliminated
as well.
The delays, which also included
some morning frost
delays, made for long days.
But after the third round and
quarter-finals were contested
on Saturday, Poulter was looking
a good bet to challenge for
the title. — AFP
Youzhny rallies to beat Kavcic
DALLAS — Kobe Bryant
fired back at Dallas owner
Mark Cuban with 38 points
as he lifted the Los Angeles
Lakers past the Mavericks
103-99 on Sunday.
After Cuban recently suggested
the Lakers should
consider waiving Bryant,
the five-time NBA champion
showed his worth with an artistic
display of clutch shooting
and all-around effort that
included 12 rebounds and
seven assists.
"It was a big win for us,"
Bryant said.
Dallas (25-30) led 90-87
midway through the fourth
quarter but visiting Los
Angeles nosed ahead with a
seven-nil run led by Bryant
and Steve Nash who finished
with 20 points.
The victory was the third
straight for Los Angeles
who moved within 2-1/2
games of a Western Conference
playoff spot that Bryant
has guaranteed the team will
secure. — Reuters
MIKHAIL Youzhny eyes the ball before hitting a return to Blaz Kavcic in Dubai.
Jaziri. The defending champion
Swiss stands second in the
field behind three-time champion
Novak Djokovic.
Results: Men’s singles first
round: 2-Roger Federer (Switzerland)
bt Malek Jaziri (Tunisia) 5-7
6-0 6-2; 8-Mikhail Youzhny (Russia)
bt Blaz Kavcic (Slovenia) 1-6
6-1 6-3; Lukas Rosol (Czech Republic)
bt Matteo Viola (Italy) 6-3 7-5;
Daniel Brands (Germany) bt Florent
Serra (France) 7-6(7) 6-4; Roberto
Bautista (Spain) beat David Goffin
(Belgium) 6-2 7-5. — dpa
Bryant lifts Lakers past Mavericks
DALLAS Mavericks’ Mark Cuban (right) reacts as Vince Carter (left) and Los Angeles
Lakers’ Kobe Bryant in action during their NBA game in Dallas on Sunday.
Cassiopeia on
top of ladies
bowling league
MUSCAT — Cassiopeia
overtook Pegasus to lead the
ladies bowling league, sponsored
by Risk Management
Services (RMS) and Mubarak
Juma Bahwan (MJB), at the
Al Khuwair Bowling Centre
on Saturday.
It was mixed fortunes
for Cassiopeia and Pegasus
as the former won against
Draco 3-1 while the latter
(Pegasus) whop wer on the
top of the team stading till
last week went down 0-4 to
Hercules.
It was mainly superb
bowling by Cassiopeia which
earned them victory. Cassiopeia’s
Katai Pathmanathan
bowled three brilliant games
of 201, 134 and 149 pins
with support from Catherine
Preece’s outstanding bowling
of 147 and 151 pins ultimately
ensuring three points
for the team. However, Draco’s
Arleen Edwards also
bowled three games of 128,
171 and 159 pins respectively
which helped their team to
score a point.
In the game bewteen
Hercules and Pegasus, Gina
Dobson of Hercules bowled
32 pins above their average
which secured them all four
points.
Samar Mukadam of
Pegasus also bowled two excellent
games of 135 and 148
pins though it was not enough
for them to gain a point.
The third game betwen
Lynx and Orion was a thrillier
and ended at 2-all.
Team standings: 1 Cassiopeia
(17), 2 Orion (16), 3
Pegasus (15), 4 Hercules (13), 5
Draco (12), 6 Lynx (11).
Japan’s
Nishikori
captures
Memphis title
MEMPHIS, Tennessee —
Japan's Kei Nishikori, who
did not drop a set all week,
easily defeated Feliciano
Lopez 6-2, 6-3 in the final of
the US Indoor Tennis Championships,
claiming his third
career ATP Tour title.
The 23-year-old Nishikori
needed just 67 minutes
to earn his second title in
four months as he managed
to break unseeded Lopez's
serve four times on Sunday.
"I'm very happy with the
way I played today," said
Nishikori.
"To win this title is an
amazing feeling. I tried to
concentrate on all the important
points. I served really
well this week. I was practising
a lot and it's getting
better. Hopefully I can win a
couple more titles. It's been a
good start to the year."
Meeting for the second
time on the Tour, Nishikori
started fast, breaking Lopez
to begin the match.
Nishikori, who is ranked
22nd in the world, clinched
the win when Lopez sent a
backhand wide on the second
championship point.
Nishikori appeared to injure
his elbow on the first championship
point but managed
to serve out the match.
"I love this place," said
fifth seeded Nishikori. "I
played an amazing player
but I played aggressive today.
"For sure I want to come
back next year."
He had three aces, one
double fault and won 80
percent of his second-serve
points.
Nishikori improved to
11-2 in 2013 and avenged
his third-round loss to Lopez
in Barcelona two years ago.
Nishikori also won in October
on his home soil in Tokyo.Spain's
Lopez finished
with eight aces, but he also
double faulted three times
against Nishikori.
Lopez dropped to 2-6 in
title matches with his last
win on the tour coming in
2010. "To be in a final without
playing for a few weeks
is great result for me," Lopez,
31, said.
Lopez was trying to
become the oldest winner
on the ATP Tour this season.
— AFP