Sports FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017 Nadal blitzes Baghdatis

MELBOURNE: set up an enticing third-round showdown with rising German star after powering past Marcos Baghdatis at the yes- terday. Ninth-seeded Nadal, hoping to improve on an injury- hit 2016, was too strong and accurate for the 36th-ranked Baghdatis winning 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 in 2hr 13min. Nadal, who beat in the 2009 Australian final, will step up his challenge for a second title against the 19-year-old German in a draw now missing six-time winner . The bottom half has opened up significantly with the stun- ning defeat of world number two Djokovic by Uzbekistan’s earlier yesterday. “It will be a high-quality match against a potential winner and a future world number one,” Nadal said of his match with Zverev.”I have no injuries and I can’t ask for more right now,” he added. In his 10th meeting with Baghdatis, Nadal dominated pro- ceedings against the 2006 finalist, cracking 16 forehand win- ners and only dropping his serve once. Nadal broke Baghdatis’s serve twice and gave one break back in taking the opening set in 48 minutes. But the 14-time Grand Slam champion got down to work in the second set with three service breaks to race to a two-love sets lead. Nadal broke in the sixth game of the final set when Baghdatis dou- : Uzbekistan’s Denis Istomin celebrates his win against Serbia’s Novak Djokovic during their men’s singles ble-faulted to close in on victory. “When you have been away, second round match on day four of the Australian Open tournament. — AFP off the tour for a while, you need to come back. The thing that you need is to win,” Nadal said. “I know I have been working great. I know I have been Djokovic suffers huge working a lot and very well. I have been practising at high lev- el. So every time that I have the chance to go on court, I am able to have more confidence on what I’m doing.” Nadal is bidding to win his second Australian title and become the first shock, Serena serene man in the Open era-and only the third man in history-to win each of the four Grand Slam titles twice. Roy Emerson and Rod Laver are the only players to have won each Grand Slam on MELBOURNE: Novak Djokovic suffered . It also raises fresh questions The 6ft 11ins (2.11m) Karlovic, who fired two or more occasions. Nadal is looking to win his 15th Grand arguably the biggest defeat of his career for the world number two, who has been 75 aces as he beat Zeballos 22-20 in the Slam title and close the gap on Roger Federer’s 17 in the list of when he crashed out of the Australian in a funk since completing a career Grand fifth set on Tuesday, won 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to Open to 117th-ranked Uzbek Denis Istomin Slam and winning his 12th major title at set up an encounter with Belgium’s David all-time Grand Slam title holders. — AFP yesterday, extending his mystifying slump last year’s . “It’s one of these Goffin. , a winner this in form. With Istomin inspired, the defend- days when you don’t feel that great on the month in Sydney, beat South Korea’s ing champion sent down 72 unforced court, don’t have much rhythm, and the Chung Hye-On in four sets to go into a errors as he lost 7-6 (10/8), 5-7, 2-6, 7-6 (7/5), player you’re playing against is feeling the testing clash with Frenchman Richard 6-4 in the second round to end his bid for a ball very well,” he shrugged. “That’s sport.” Gasquet. Nadal, attempting to improve record seventh title at Melbourne Park. on an injury-riddled 2016, swamped for- Later, Rafael Nadal beat Marcos Mother’s love mer finalist Baghdatis 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 and Baghdatis and in the women’s draw, While Djokovic was rocked by the next plays top-rated German teen Serena Williams ousted Lucie Safarova 6- defeat, there was joy for Istomin, who is Alexander Zverev. Radwanska was the 3, 6-4. But third seed Agnieszka coached by his mother and has never got strong favorite against Lucic-Baroni, 34, Radwanska was a major casualty when beyond the third round in 11 visits to but the Pole’s famous shot-making she lost 6-3, 6-2 to Croatian veteran Melbourne Park. “I feel sorry for Novak, I deserted her as she succumbed to her Mirjana Lucic-Baroni. It is more than a was playing so good today,” he said. “I earliest exit since 2009. decade since Djokovic made such an early surprised myself also.” One beneficiary of Britain’s Johanna Konta kept up her exit from the Australian Open, and he has- Istomin’s win could be world number hot run of form as she beat Japan’s Naomi n’t lost in the second round of any Grand three , who was seeded to Osaka 6-4, 6-2 to set up a meeting with Slam since Wimbledon in 2008. meet Djokovic in the semi-finals. former world number one Caroline Djokovic had only been defeated by a Despite suffering from ‘flu, the Wozniacki. US Open finalist Karolina player outside the top 100 once in the Canadian strode into the third round with Pliskova ousted Russian qualifier Anna past seven years, when he went down to 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) demolition of Gilles Blinkova to stay unbeaten this year, and 145-ranked Juan Martin del Potro at the Muller and will next play France’s Gilles WTA Finals winner Dominika Cibulkova Rio Olympics. The stunning result blows Simon. Croatia’s Ivo Karlovic made a saw off Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-Wei. Second- the men’s competition wide open as the miraculous recovery from his record- seeded Williams, seeking a record 23rd six-time champion was widely expected breaking 84-game win over Horacio major title, will face fellow American to reach the January 29 final, where he Zeballos two days earlier to beat Nicole Gibbs in the third round after her was seeded to meet five-time runner-up Australian wildcard Andrew Whittington. high-level victory over Safarova. — AFP Federer to face Berdych early

MELBOURNE: The last time Roger Federer met Tomas son’s opening grand slam in Melbourne. The 35-year-old Berdych before the fourth round of a tournament, the Czech Swiss has won the last five matches against the Czech- was 22 years old and the pair was at the Beijing Olympics. including last year’s Melbourne Park quarter-final and Since that third-round encounter, which Federer won, they holds a 16-6 record overall, though he was wary of placing have met 13 times in knockout matches, 11 of which have too much emphasis on that. “I know I’ve got to lift my been in quarter-finals or later. game a little bit,” Federer said. “The court plays fast and Today, they headline the men’s top half of third round he’s caused difficulties for me in the past on faster courts; action at the Australian Open in the final match on Rod Cincinnati, New York, Wimbledon, Olympics in Athens. “I Laver Arena after a quirk of the draw due to the 17-times know what he’s got.” grand slam champion’s knee injury last year. Federer, who Federer and Berdych will no doubt also be keeping an tore the meniscus in his knee at the Australian Open, was eye on the match between fifth seed and Lukas MELBOURNE: Spain’s Rafael Nadal reacts after winning a forced to have surgery after Wimbledon. He did not play Lacko, with the winner of that earlier clash on Margaret game against Marcos Baghdatis of during their again and dropped to 17th in the world entering this sea- Court Arena their fourth round opponent. — Reuters second round match at the Australian Open tennis cham- pionships. — AP