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 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 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 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: of Switzerland stumbles against Alexander Zverev of during their eighth session men’s singles match on day founder Alexis Ohanian. Germany’s Julia Goerges, and Barbora four of the 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 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. In the end, two booming first serves first set and a subsequent poor tie-breaker. Watson, winning both singles matches and the from Zverev, the first teenager to make the top The veteran made a shaky start to the tie- mixed doubles. Mladenovic bounced back from 20 since in 2006, closed out the breaker with uncharacteristic successive double a disappointing loss to Petkovic in France’s first match in front of a record Perth tennis crowd of faults, and the teenager pounced on the oppor- tie to grind down Watson 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 in the : Serbia’s Novak Djokovic returns the ball to ’s Horacio Zeballos during 13,785. He took the match ultimately decided by tunity to claim the first set. women’s singles match. World number 18 the second round of the ATP Qatar Open tennis competition in Doha yesterday. — AFP three tie-breakers, 7-6 (7/1), 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/4) in The second set saw both players holding Gasquet was also too good for Evans, cruising two hours and 30 minutes. It was Zverev’s second serve easily, with Federer barely challenged on through their encounter 6-4, 6-2. Mladenovic straight win over the Swiss champ, having beat- serve until Zverev threatened in the 12th game, and Gasquet then completed the rout with a 4- Selfie surprise for en him in Germany last June, and the result also when leading 6-5. At 30-all, Zverev lobbed over 3 (5/4), 4-3 (5/2) win in the Fast Four mixed mirrored that of an unofficial match on the prac- Federer at the net and had the ball dropped in doubles rubber. —AFP Djokovic after win

DOHA: Novak Djokovic eased through to the Serb. “Horacio-well done, very original.” Kerber and Cibulkova the quarter-finals of the Qatar Open yester- Djokovic is the defending champion in day and was then shocked by opponent Doha and this year’s number two seed. survive Brisbane scares Horacio Zeballos who took a selfie of the Rival, and number one seed Andy pair on court. Murray, is due on court later. If the tourna- The world number two won his second ment goes to form, the pair will meet in BRISBANE: World number one Angelique before beating China’s Zhang Shuai 2-6, 6- round match 6-3, 6-4 in just 72 minutes in their first clash of the season on January 7. Kerber survived a big scare from Australian 4, 6-4. After losing the first set Cibulkova Doha, thanks to a break of the Argentinian’s Earlier yesterday, Belgian fourth seed wildcard Ashleigh Barty to progress to the seemed in control when she took the sec- serve in each set. But after the pair shook , who beat Murray in an exhi- quarter-finals of the ond and went 4-0 up in the third. hands, Djokovic was taken by surprise. bition match in Abu Dhabi last week, lost yesterday. The reigning Australian and US But Zhang fought back to 4-4 before the “Making a selfie, that’s the first time I 6-1, 7-6 (8/6) to Spain’s Fernando Open champion held on to beat the Slovakian claimed the last two games to have had this experience in my career,” said Verdasco. —AFP impressive Barty in three sets 6-3, 2-6, 6-3. move into the quarter-finals. “I knew it was Barty, the 2011 junior Wimbledon cham- not going to be easy. I didn’t expect to play pion, walked away from the sport at the my best tennis today, but, you know, I’m end of 2014 and only returned for four happy I managed to come back into the tournaments in 2016. However, the 20- match,” Cibulkova said. France moves to year-old from Brisbane is now back on the “She was playing really well, but then I tour full-time and she showed local fans started to use my weapons much more. I what they have been missing with a brave started to be much more aggressive on the 2-0 at Hopman Cup fight against Kerber. return with my forehands, and I didn’t let Showing no nerves, Barty opened an her in the game.” PERTH: France’s Kristina Mladenovic and put more intensity, but you have to be early lead, only for Kerber to claw her way Cibulkova enjoyed a breakthrough 2016, Richard Gasquet won their singles matches smart sometimes and maybe not run down back and claim the opening set. Barty winning the WTA Finals in October when yesterday to give France victory over Britain every single ball.” again skipped away to an early lead in the she beat Kerber in the decider. at the Hopman Cup mixed teams tourna- In another Group A match later, Roger second set but this time an error-prone She started the year at a career high five ment. Mladenovic beat Heather Watson 6- Federer - playing his second match for Kerber was unable to recover. in the world and said it was difficult adjust- 4, 5-7, 6-3 before Gasquet defeated Dan Switzerland after a six-month left knee However, the German cut out the mis- ing to the expectations that were now on Evans 6-4, 6-2 to give France its second win injury layoff - and Belinda Bencic were takes to break Barty early in the final set her. “You can feel the expectation and the after beating Germany on Monday. scheduled to play Alexander Zverev and and held on to win in one hour, 44 minutes pressure-this is what I’m trying to deal Gasquet and Mladenovic later defeated Andrea Petkovic of Germany. and set up a quarter-final against Ukraine’s with,” she said. Evans and Watson 4-3, 4-3 in mixed dou- Switzerland won its opening match Elina Svitolina. She now plays Frenchwoman Alize bles, played in the Fast4 format, to make against Britain and a victory over Germany “It’s always tough to play a match after Cornet in the quarter-finals, a player she the final score 3-0 for France. would leave France and Switzerland play- such a long break, and Ashleigh was play- lost to in their last two meetings. Two-time Temperatures during the opening ing for a spot in Saturday’s final when they ing very well from the first point,” Kerber Grand Slam singles winner Svetlana match rose to as high as 40 degrees Celsius conclude round-robin play on Friday. said. “It’s always different starting the year, Kuznetsova ended 16-year-old (104 Fahrenheit), forcing both players to The United States, represented by Coco and the first matches are always tough. Australian qualifier Destanee Aiava’s run conserve their energy. “It was definitely dif- Vandeweghe and Jack Sock, have already BRISBANE: Angelique Kerber of Germany celebrates “You have to get again into the rhythm with a comfortable 6-4, 6-3 win, while ficult,” said Mladenovic, who estimated she qualified for the final from Group B after her victory over Ashleigh Barty of Australia in the and play a lot of matches to feel your Italian eighth seed Roberta Vinci looked drank seven bottles of fluid during the beating defending champions Australia women’s second round at the Brisbane International game.” Second seeded Slovakian Dominika equally at ease as she downed Japan’s match. “Sometimes you would like to try to and Spain in its opening matches. — AP tennis tournament in Brisbane yesterday. — AFP Cibulkova was also forced to dig deep Misaki Doi 6-4, 6-2. — AFP