SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2020 10

Roglic strengthens Tour lead as Bernal struggles Azarenka stuns Serena to set up final against Osaka Victoria Azarenka stuns old foe Serena Williams to reach US Open final

2018 champion Osaka beats• Jennifer Brady I think when you’re coming up from kind AFP | New York of nothing, then you become a number one ictoria Azarenka came player in the world, from a set down to stun sometimes you can record-chasing Serena Primoz Roglic rides during stage 13 V start to think you’re Williams on Thursday and set up a US Open final against Ja- invincible and that Reuters | Paris seconds ahead of a grimacing pan’s Naomi Osaka. you’re better than Bernal, who slipped to third in Azarenka recovered from a everybody, and it’s rimoz Roglic tightened his the general classification, 59 6-1 hammering in the first set not true Pgrip on the Tour de France seconds off the pace. to win the next two 6-3, 6-3 and VICTORIA AZARENKA overall lead as he dropped de- The 21-year-old Pogacar, the schedule her first Grand Slam fending champion Egan Bernal most aggressive of the main final appearance in seven years. meditating during breaks. in the final ascent of a gruel- contenders who was already The former world number Victoria Azarenka (R) of talks with Serena Williams (L) after the match She says she’s enjoying her ling 13th stage in the Massif the best man in the Pyrenees one is enjoying a remarkable bring the intensity up,” Azaren- hr 56min-match “really strong.” tennis more than ever and cred- Central yesterday. last weekend, is now second, renaissance in New York that ka explained. “(But) then she just kept its it to a new-found maturity. Colombian Dani Martinez 44 seconds behind Roglic. the Belarusian credits to finding Two-time Grand Slam win- fighting. She just changed and “I started taking more respon- prevailed from the breakaway Yesterday’s stage signalled humility, following several years ner had never beaten Williams started playing better and bet- sibility for what I do, for what at the end of a punishing 191.5- the end of French hopes as disrupted by injury and a custo- before in a Grand Slam. ter. Maybe I took a little too happens to me, and responsi- km trek from Chatel-Guyon Romain Bardet, who started dy battle over her son. Her last appearance in a much off the gas pedal at some bility of how I’m going to react before the big guns battled it the day in fourth place overall “I think when you’re coming Grand Slam final came in the point,” the American added. to situations. out in the finale of the short, 30 seconds off the pace, ended up from kind of nothing, then US Open in 2013 when Williams The defeat ended Wil - Azarenka, who had a son in yet bru-tal climb up to the Puy up 2:30 behind Roglic after the you become a number one play- beat her. liams’ hopes of winning a re- December 2016, will bid to be- de Mary, where the average 2016 runner-up took a heavy er in the world, sometimes you Azarenka also suffered a cord-equalling 24th singles come only the fourth woman to gradient rose above 11%. tumble earlier. can start to think you’re invin- heartbreaking loss to Williams Grand Slam at Flushing Mead- win a singles Grand Slam in the Ineos-Grenadiers Colom- Guillaume Martin, third cible and that you’re better than in the 2012 US Open final, when ows. Open era after having children. bian leader Bernal, who fares overall at the start, cracked everybody, and it’s not true,” she served for the match at 5-3 It has been more than three She faces a formidable oppo- better on longer ascents, could in the penultimate climb and Azarenka said. in the third set only to lose 7-5. years since Williams won her nent in two-time Grand Slam not sustain the pace when Ta- crossed the line 2:46 after Ro- “So the ego starts to grow. It’s Azarenka was determined 23rd singles tennis major title at winner and fourth seed Naomi dej Pogacar accelerated, with glic. very hurtful when it gets dam- that history would not repeat the 2017 Australian Open. Osaka, who defeated 28th seed fellow Slovenian Roglic the Bardet and Martin are now aged. Instead of getting the ego itself. Azarenka’s last Slam title Jennifer Brady 7-6 (7/1), 3-6, 6-3. only rid-er able to follow. just outside the top 10, 3:00 damaged, I tried to remove that Serving for the match, she hit came at the 2013 Australian Osaka, of Haitian and Jap - The duo crossed the line 38 and 3:14 behind Roglic, respec- and learn from my mistakes,” a double fault before smashing Open, when she retained the anese heritage, walked onto tive-ly. she added. her fastest serve of the night at crown she had won a year ear- the court wearing a facemask Martinez, who featured After a first set plagued by 109 mph. lier. emblazoned with the name of among the dark horses before double faults and unforced er- The 31-year-old’s march to Philando Castile, a black man the start in Nice after winning rors, Azarenka turned the tide in ‘Responsibility’ the US Open final comes after who was shot dead by a police the Criterium du Dauphine but the second, upping her service When Williams then chal- she claimed last month’s West- officer during a traffic stop in 44 lost all hopes in the first week, game and getting more returns lenged and lost an ace that was ern and Southern Open tune-up Minnesota in 2016. seconds is the lead held by outsprinted Lennard Kamna in play as she began to dictate called in on the next point, it event in New York. The 2019 Australian Open yellow jersy holder Jumbo- for the stage win. lengthy rallies. was Azarenka’s match. Her recent rejuvenation has champion says she is getting Visma’s Primoz Roglic has Kamna’s Bora-Hansgrohe “I knew I needed to step up “I’ve been there before. Today seen her rise to 27th in the strength from wearing different over team mate and fellow German with my aggressivity, play a lit- was gonna be different,” Aza- world rankings. masks honoring victims of racial Maximilian Schachmann took tle smarter, play with a little bit renka said. Azarenka has been smiling injustice and police brutality third place. more width of the court and Williams said she started the 1 and dancing on court, and even throughout the tournament.

Bottas leads the way in Tuscan Grand Prix practice Mourinho confident of landing new Spurs striker for ‘non-human’ schedule

Bottas leads BETTER Hamilton• and Verstappen, as Norris is first into KNOW Mugello barriers

Reuters | Monza Tuscan Grand Prix is a celebration of Fer- rari’s 1,000th cham- altteri Bottas put dominant pionship race with Vchampions Mercedes on Tottenham’s coach Jose Mourinho (C) speaks to his players during a match top of the timesheets in Friday their cars carrying Reuters | London practice for the Tuscan Grand a retro burgundy we had from the EFL (Eng- Prix, the first Formula One livery harking back lish Football League) and championship race held at Fer- to their Formula One ose Mourinho is confident UEFA. rari’s Mugello circuit. championship debut JTottenham will have a new “We had an amazing gift Team mate Lewis Hamilton, in 1950 striker before the end of the that gives me after 20 years who leads the Finn by 47 points transfer window as he aims to of football a unique experi - in the championship after eight build a squad capable of deal- ence of playing Sunday-Tues- races, completed the one-two on Valtteri Bottas steers his car during second practice fastest respectively in the ses- ing with a brutal early-season day-Thursday-Sunday for two a sunny and eventful afternoon sions. schedule. consecutive weeks.” in Italy with a time 0.207 slower. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc had harking back to their Formula Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Raikkonen Spurs face having to play Mourinho has already added Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, been an encouraging third in the One championship debut in and Racing Point’s Sergio Perez two midweek matches for two Joe Hart, Matt Doherty and who had been second before morning, after his team’s dismal 1950. collided late in the second ses- consecutive weeks later this Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to his lunch, was third and 0.246 off showing in Belgium and at their Bottas lapped with a best time sion as the latter was exiting the month should they progress in squad but does not believe the the pace. home Italian Grand Prix, but of one minute 16.989 on the soft pits, bringing out red flags again. the Europa League qualifying presence of Harry Kane should The top six went in pairs, with was 10th in the second session. tyre in the afternoon, after a Most of the drivers were ex- rounds and the League Cup. discourage other strikers from Red Bull’s Alexander Albon Team mate Sebastian Vettel 1:17.879 seconds in session one. periencing the fast, sweeping “Yes I want, I need a striker join-ing Tottenham. fourth fastest and the Renault was 12th and parked up by the It was the fifth time in a row 5.2 km track -- more associated but I want to make it clear, the “I know we have one of the pairing of Daniel Ricciardo and side of the track before the ses- that Bottas, who has so far won with MotoGP racing -- for the club knows that I need a strik- best strikers in the world, I Esteban Ocon fifth and sixth. sion ended with an apparent only the opening race in Austria first time. er and they also want a striker,” know we have the best in Eng- McLaren’s Lando Norris be- engine problem after a spin. in July, had been fastest in first Yesterday was the first time Mourinho said. land but I don’t like the word came the first crasher of the day The race is also a celebration practice. paying spectators had been “Are we going to get one? ‘back-up’,” he added, speaking in the second session, which of Ferrari’s 1,000th champion- Pierre Gasly, surprise winner allowed to attend a race in a I believe so. For the balance about problems in attracting a was twice stopped as drivers ship race with their cars car- at Monza for Red Bull-owned COVID-19-hit season, with some of the squad, the team needs striker willing to be a reserve tested the limits. rying a retro burgundy livery AlphaTauri, was fifth and eighth 2,800 a day allowed in. it. Es-pecially after the gift to the English captain.