THURSDAY, JANUARY 5, 2017 SPORTS Nishikori holds off Donaldson, reaches QFs in Brisbane BRISBANE: Kei Nishikori is putting his won the next six games to take the retired from their second-round match. will play an exhibition tournament next “Some confidence, maybe, in my preparation for the Australian Open opening set in less than an hour, break- Pouille had treatment for blisters on his week to continue preparations for her game and myself, knowing that I do above everything else at the start of the ing Nishikori three times. After jumping feet after winning the first game of the first Grand Slam event. She has a wild- belong here.” season, including his birthday celebra- to a 3-0 lead in the second, Nishikori second set, then lost three games card entry for the Australian Open, Kuznetsova will play French Open tions. Despite spending his 27th birth- dropped another service game but this before signaling to the umpire that he where she is set to be the first player champion and fourth-seeded Garbine day on Dec. 29 in transit in order to get time was able to limit the damge and could not go on. born this millennium to play a Grand Muguruza in the quarterfinals. in good preparation for the Brisbane used his experience in pressure situa- A day after becoming the first player Slam main draw match. Second-seeded Dominika Cibulkova International, Nishikori was still a little tions to calmly hold on and win the sec- born in the 2000s to win a main draw Aiava said it was a little daunting came from a set and a break down to rusty in his season-opening match ond and third sets. He will next play match at an elite WTA event, Destanee taking on a two-time major winner. beat Zhang Shuai 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 in her against Jared Donaldson before holding either eighth-seeded David Ferrer or Aiava lost to two-time Grand Slam win- “It’s pretty scary,” she said. “I learned a first competitive match since beating off the American qualifier 4-6, 6-4 6-3 on Jordan Thompson. ner Svetlana Kuznetsova in the women’s lot out of that match.” Aiava advanced No. 1 Angelique Kerber to clinch the Wednesday to reach the quarterfinals. Nishikori went almost immediately second round. through qualifying, and then beat 31- season-ending WTA Finals title. No. 8- The third-seeded Nishikori, a three- back out to join Dominic Thiem in a Fifth-seeded Kuznetsova beat the 16- year-old Bethanie Mattek-Sands in seeded Roberta Vinci beat Misaki Doi 6- time semifinalist in Brisbane, had a first- doubles quarterfinal match against year-old Australian high school student three sets in a first-round match that 4, 6-2 in another second-round match. round bye and started the second Gilles Muller and Sam Querrey. 6-4, 6-3, starting with a service break in spanned two rain-interrupted days to Kerber will open her 2017 later round confidently by racing to a 4-0 Sixth-seeded Lucas Pouille was trail- the opening game. Aiava will return to set her WTA milestone. The experience against Australian wild-card entry Ash lead. But Donaldson responded and ing Kyle Edmund 6-3, 3-1 when he her hometown Melbourne, where she has been valuable, she said, giving her Barty in a night match. —AP Serena follows sister Venus to Auckland exit AUCKLAND: Serena Williams suffered a offseason. “I can take solace from the fact shock second-round defeat at the Auckland conditions won’t be like this in Melbourne.” Classic yesterday following her sister Venus’s earlier withdrawal with an arm BLOWN AWAY injury. Top seeded Serena blamed the wind Brengle dropped her second service for a string of unforced errors in her first game but at 4-1 down reeled off five con- event after a four-month layoff as she was secutive games to take the first set. sent packing 6-4, 6-7 (7/3), 6-4 in a two- In the second set she saved five set hour, 14-minute arm wrestle with world points before losing the tie break to number 72 Madison Brengle. Williams and in the final set she held her “I’m trying to think of a word that’s not nerve as games went with serve until obscene but that’s pretty much how I Williams double faulted on match point. played,” Serena told reporters. “I just “Probably my least favourite conditions couldn’t get used to the wind. My oppo- I’ve ever played in,” said Serena. “I really nent played in the exact same conditions abhorred the conditions. It was way too so obviously she was used to it and her much for me. This is almost not a great game was more suited to it but it was just opportunity to assess your game. really annoying me for whatever reason.” “At this rate at least I can get out of Second-seed Venus decided to quit after these conditions and get to somewhere suffering a sore right arm during her strug- better, some warm weather.” gle to a 7-6 (7/2), 6-2 first-round victory Brengle goes through to meet seventh over 18-year-old New Zealander Jade Lewis seed Jelena Ostapenko in the quarter-finals playing in her first WTA tournament. while Venus’s withdrawal gifted Japanese Serena, playing in her first tournament teenager Naomi Osaka a berth in the final since losing in the semi-finals of the US eight where she will play eighth-seed Open in September, was looking for a bold Croatian Ana Konjuh. showing in Auckland, both to prepare for In the other two quarter-finals, third- the Australian Open and to celebrate her seed Caroline Wozniacki, now the top- New Year engagement to Reddit co- ranked player remaining, will meet PERTH: Roger Federer of Switzerland stumbles against Alexander Zverev of Germany during their eighth session men’s singles match on day founder Alexis Ohanian. Germany’s Julia Goerges, and Barbora four of the Hopman Cup tennis tournament in Perth yesterday.— AFP After blaming rust for her sluggish first- Strycova of Croatia, the fourth seed, plays round win over Pauline Parmentier on American Lauren Davis. Tuesday, she succumbed in abject fashion a The 36-year-old Venus Williams had day later with a double fault on match complained of “feeling old” after dropping point at 4-5 in the third set in the blustery her serve four times and serving eight conditions. double faults against Lewis who was half Federer loses to “I didn’t hit any returns in the vicinity of her age. “The first match of the year is nev- the court,” lamented Serena. “I’ve never er perfect,” she said after the match but returned like that in my life-a little frustrat- before deciding to pull out. “I’m just feel- ing especially since I worked so hard in the ing old.” — AFP teenager Zverev PERTH: Roger Federer’s comeback from injury tice court on New Year’s Eve. Federer was upbeat instead of just floating long it would have been struck its first hurdle yesterday when he was despite his defeat to a player he believes will be a match point. The pair went to another tie-break- beaten by teenager Alexander Zverev at the star for the next decade. “Who really cares ... it er and this time it was Federer that took the hon- mixed teams Hopman Cup in Perth, but the was good to play for two and a half hours,” he ours to level the match and set up a thrilling Swiss champion remained upbeat. said. “Sasha (Zverev) can serve big and showed final set. In one of the highest quality singles matches what he can do, but I was happy how I hung ever seen in the 29-year history of the event, around and I had some really good moments. “As SWELTERING CONDITIONS Federer showed plenty of the class which has long as I am injury free and feeling good.” Bencic then beat Petkovic 6-3, 6-4 to level the won him a record 17 Grand Slams, but couldn’t It was only the 35-year-old’s second match tie, before the Swiss won the Fast Four mixed quite hold off the bold 19-year-old German. since a six-month layoff due to knee and back doubles, 4-1, 4-2, to stay unbeaten after two ties. Despite the result, Switzerland kept their injuries following his win over England’s Dan Federer and Bencic will face the French pair- hopes of reaching Saturday’s final alive with a 2- Evans on Monday. But Federer-who is out of the ing of Richard Gasquet and Kristina Mladenovic 1 win over Germany-Belinda Bencic beating top 10 for the first time since late 2002 said he on Friday, with the winner advancing to the final. Andrea Petkovic in the women’s singles and was on the right track for the upcoming Earlier in the day, Gasquet and Mladenovic then teaming with Federer to win the deciding Australian Open. “I am very happy, I have played overcame extreme heat to sweep Great Britain mixed doubles. five good sets so far,” he said. “I am very pleased, 3-0 to also notch their second win for the week. The men’s singles was a classic battle practice has gone great, the matches have been In sweltering conditions with the tempera- between the old and the new, with Federer left a lot of fun and I am playing good tennis.” ture passing 40 degrees celcius, the duo were to rue his failure to serve out the first set when Federer lamented his inability to serve out the too good for Britain’s Evans and Heather leading 5-3.