THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2020 13

Guardiola could build Manchester City around Messi Flustered Williams crashes out - Rivaldo Serena Williams was sent spinning out of the Western and Southern Open by Maria Sakkari

Djokovic cruises into• quarter-finals with win over Sandgren KNOW WHAT AFP | New York

It was the second Pep Guardiola watches Lionel Messi n out-of-gas Serena Wil- straight two-hour- of during a match (file photo) liams crashed out of the plus match for AWestern & Southern Williams who at 38 Reuters | London Open on Tuesday, losing in three sets to 13th seeded Maria Sakka- was trying to become ep Guardiola could re- ri 5-7, 7-6 (7/5), 6-1 in New York. the oldest winner of Pbuild his Manchester The 23-time Grand Slam win- Western & Southern City team around Lionel ner finished with a whimper at Open. She still holds Messi if the Argentine gets the end of the two-hour, 17-min- the record, having his wish and leaves Barcelo- ute match as Sakkari clinched won this event in 2015 na, according to former Nou the victory with a backhand Camp great Rivaldo. down the line that a dejected at age 33 Rivaldo hopes the two Williams just watched without parties can reach a compro- making an effort to move. said. mise but while he would At other points in the match, Also on the men’s side, be sad to see Messi leave Williams flung her racket into hard-serving Canadian Milos Barcelona after almost two the spectator-less stands and re- Raonic routed Brit Andy Murray decades, during which he buked the chair umpire for slap- 6-2, 6-2 and third seeded Daniil has helped them win 10 La ping her with a time violation. Medvedev, of Russia, swept past Liga titles and four Champi- Sakkari, of Greece, advanc- Serena Williams leaves the court after her match Aljaz Bedene 6-3, 6-3. ons Leagues, he thinks City es to the quarter-finals of the In other women’s action, would be a good choice. no-spectator event where she “It is hard to play the way I not fair,” said Williams. winner to take it in 88 minutes fourth seeded Naomi Osaka “Barcelona don’t want will face Johanna Konta who have been playing and stay pos- “You didn’t give me a warn- on Tuesday. rolled over Dayana Yastremska to lose their best player for cruised past Vera Zvonareva in itive,” Williams said. “To play ing. I am actually a really fast “All in all it was a great per- in straight sets 6-3, 6-1 to ad- nothing, so they’ll try to straight sets 6-4, 6-2. nine hours in a week is too player. Next time you warn me. formance,” said Djokovic. “I felt vance. convince the player to stay The joint WTA and ATP tour- much. I don’t usually play like I’m done.” better and played better than Osaka, who is the only top 10 or agree to let him leave if nament was moved from Cin- that. It is all new for me.” The ball people usually get the last night. I am going in a great player left in the women’s draw, they receive a good offer cinnati to New York where the Williams made seven double towels for the players but not in direction.” clinched the victory when Yas- from another club,” Rival- same quarantine bubble will faults and won just 66 percent the COVID-19 bubble. American Sandgren, who is tremska was called for a foot do said in an interview for house the US Open starting on of her first serve points against On the men’s side, world No. ranked 55th in the world, made fault while serving on match bookmakers Betfair. August 31. Sakkari. 1 Novak Djokovic won his 20th the Serb work for the victory as point. “It will be a sad ending It was the second straight After losing the second set in a straight match of 2020 with a he survived five match points in Japan’s Osaka blasted eight for Messi’s story with Bar- two-hour-plus match for Wil- tiebreaker she tossed her racket hard-fought 6-2, 6-4 victory over the ninth game of the second set. aces, won 83 percent of her first celona if the things remain liams who at 38 was trying to over her shoulder into the empty Tennys Sandgren. Djokovic advances to the serve points and broke Yastrem- this way, but this is football become the oldest winner of the stands behind her. Djokovic, who captured the quarters where he will play Ger- ska’s serve four times. and sometimes things don’t event. She still holds the record, Williams, who has lost her Australian Open in February, man Jan-Lennard Struff, who Osaka moves to the quarter-fi- run according to our expec- having won this event in 2015 cool at events in New York be- needed six match points to defeated seventh seed David nals where she will face Anett tations. at age 33. fore, also admonished chair um- tough out the straight sets vic- Goffin 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. Kontaveit, who defeated Marie “Manchester City could Williams survived a scare in pire, Aurelie Tourte of France, tory and reach the quarter-finals Djokovic had pulled out of Bouzkova 6-3, 6-3. be Messi’s best option as her opening match, prevailing during a changeover for calling of the hardcourt tournament. doubles on Sunday with pain in Yastremska, who at 20 was the his next club. He’s 33 but his in a two hour, 48-minute mara- a time violation for slow play. Djokovic breezed through his neck, but did not appear to youngest player left in the field, quality and talent are both thon over qualifier Arantxa Rus. “I am walking all the way to the final game by winning four be bothered by the injury against made six double faults and won unquestionable and I think It was her longest match since get my towels... I mean, I am straight points, closing it out Sandgren. just 38 percent of her second he still has a few more years 2012. getting my own towels. That’s with a cross-court forehand “The neck is doing well,” he serves. at the top.”

Vardy signs contract Pakistan captain Azhar proud despite series defeat extension at Leicester AFP | London AFP | London akistan captain Azhar Ali There were lots Pinsisted there were “lots of amie Vardy has signed a positives” for his side despite of positives in our Jone-year contract exten- their 1-0 series loss to England. team -- we played sion at Leicester City that A three-match contest in competitive cricket will take him beyond his 36th which both the second and throughout the series. birthday, the club announced third Tests at Southampton There is room for yesterday. were weather-affected draws improvement but as The Foxes have rewarded ultimately hinged on England’s the striker after he scored 23 three-wicket win in the series a team I am proud of goals to claim the Premier opener at Old Trafford. how we fought League’s Golden Boot last Pakistan who had not played AZHAR ALI season. international cricket for several The deal will take Vardy, months because of COVID-19, tough for me, I was under a 33, to the end of the 2022/23 were the better side for much lot of pressure, I tried to keep season. of the time in Manchester until, things simple and it worked,” Vardy said: “The journey that having reduced England to 117- Azhar told the BBC. “I was I’ve been on with this football Jamie Vardy 5 chasing a target of 277, they getting stuck with my front club is hard to describe, and al- were undone by a partnership foot a lot, committing too though we’ve accomplished so The forward was signed of 139 between Jos Buttler and Azhar Ali plays a shot during the match early, I worked on it with my much together already, I know from then non-league Fleet- Chris Woakes. coaches.” that I’ve got so much more to wood Town in 2012. But even though this was Pa- “There is great regret (at los- two Tests. Meanwhile Azhar was proud achieve with this team, so it’s He has scored 129 goals in kistan’s first series defeat by ing the first Test) but congratu- But the 35-year-old top-order of the way Pakistan, as the West a special feeling to be able to 309 appearances for Leicester England in a decade, the like of lations to England,” said Azhar batsman responded with an un- Indies had in a 2-1 defeat by Eng- commit my future to Leicester and is fourth on the club’s all- opening batsman Shan Masood, following the finish of the third beaten 141 in the first innings of land that marked international City once again.” time scoring charts. who made 156 in Manchester, Test on Tuesday. the third Test, keeping England cricket’s return from lockdown Leicester finished fifth in and the pace trio of Shaheen “There were lots of positives at bay during a century-part- last month, played their part in the Premier League and will Afridi, Mohammad Abbas and in our team -- we played com- nership with Rizwan after Pa- a behind closed doors campaign play in the Europa League next Naseem Shah all impressed at petitive cricket throughout the kistan had collapsed to 75-5 at that might have been scuppered season. different stages. series. There is room for im - the Ageas Bowl. completely by the coronavirus Midfielder James Maddi- It was wicketkeeper Moham- provement but as a team I am During his innings, Azhar pandemic. 129 son signed a new four-year mad Rizwan, however, who was proud of how we fought.” become just the fifth Pakistani “It’s been a fantastic series goals have been scored deal this week and Nampalys named Pakistan’s man of the after Younis Khan (the current under the circumstances, hats by Jamie Vardy in ‘Under pressure’ 309 appearances for Mendy also agreed a contract series following an outstanding squad’s batting coach), Javed off to the organisers who did it Leicester and is fourth extension. campaign behind the stumps Azhar, much criticised for Miandad, Inzamam-ul-Haq in such a short time, at least we on the club’s all-time But England left-back Ben that also saw him score 336 his tactics during Buttler and and Mohammad Yousuf to have got cricket going and people scoring charts Chilwell is expected to join runs, including two fifties, at Woakes’ decisive stand, man- scored 6,000 Test runs could at least watch on TV,” he Frank Lampard’s Chelsea. an average of over 40. aged just 38 runs in the first “The first two Tests were said.