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FOOTBALL | Page 2 NNBABA | Page 4 Monaco Celtics beat deliver City Wolves for knockout 11th straight blow time at home Friday, March 17, 2017 FOOTBALL Jumada II 18, 1438 AH Smith hits GULF TIMES ton as India struggle in Ranchi SPORT Page 6 TENNIS Kyrgios stuns Djokovic again, Federer aces Nadal Kyrgios, 21, couldn’t match the 25 aces he rained on Djokovic in a shock win in Acapulco this month. AFP It was the fi rst time since Roger Federer of Switzerland Indian Wells their fi rst meeting in 2004 that celebrates after his straight Federer and Nadal had met before sets victory over Rafael Nadal the quarter-fi nals of a tournament of Spain in their fourth round ick Kyrgios overpowered Novak match at the BNP Paribas Djokovic for the second time in der pressure,” he said. “That’s my game style. Open at Indian Wells Tennis as many weeks to book an Indian If I miss, I miss, but I know I went down play- Garden in Indian Wells, NWells quarter-fi nal against Roger ing my game.” California. Federer, who swatted aside old foe Rafael Kyrgios, already the youngest player to Nadal. record victories over Djokovic, Federer, Nad- Kyrgios put on another stellar serving dis- al, Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka, now play in a 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) triumph that ended gets another crack at Federer, who needed three-time defending champion Djokovic’s just 68 minutes to dispatch Nadal. 19-match winning streak in the fi rst Masters Federer broke Nadal to open the match, tournament of the year. and seized a second break and 4-1 with a blis- Federer, who added another chapter to a tering backhand service return winner. storied rivalry with Nadal with an epic Aus- A forehand volley sealed the set, and an- tralian Open triumph in January, dismantled other forehand winner put Federer up a break the Spaniard 6-2, 6-3. at 2-1 in the second. It was the fi rst time since their fi rst meet- Federer was fi rmly in control as Nadal ing in 2004 that Federer and Nadal had met served to save the match at 5-3. An unlucky before the quarter-fi nals of a tournament. An netcord bounce, when Nadal’s forehand oddity of the rankings had them and Djokovic clipped the net and rolled back, gave Federer — with 44 Grand Slam titles among the three a double match point, and with a backhand of them — all grouped in the same quarter of return down the line the 36th meeting be- the draw. tween the two was his. Djokovic was the fi rst to fall, in the face of The win marks the fi rst time in the rivalry relentless aggression from world number 16 that Federer has strung together three wins Kyrgios. over Nadal. “The run was amazing,” said Djokovic, “In Australia was a very close match,” who also won in Indian Wells in 2008 and Nadal said. “I had good chances to win. To- 2011 before going on his roll from 2014-2016. day, not. Today he played better than me. “I am very proud of it. It had to end at some These kind of matches, when you’re not stage. Unfortunately, it was today.” playing your match, it’s impossible to win.” Kyrgios, 21, couldn’t match the 25 aces he World number three Stan Wawrinka, the rained on Djokovic in a shock win in Acapul- highest-ranked player remaining after the Nick Kyrgios of Australia shakes hands with Novak Djokovic co this month. But 14 aces were plenty as he departures of Djokovic and world number after his win in Indian Wells. At bottom, Rafael Nadal reacts kept Djokovic off -balance with a welter of one Andy Murray, laboured past lucky loser during his match against Roger Federer. 100mph-plus serves. Yoshihito Nishioka 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) to “That felt good to kind of prove it wasn’t a reach the quarters. one-off thing,” Kyrgios said. “It felt good to Nishioka, ranked 70th in the world, twice back it up again.” served for the match in the third set but was A break in the fi rst game of the match was broken both times before Wawrinka subdued enough to give Kyrgios the opening set. him in the tiebreaker. Djokovic saved two break points late in the “I’m really happy to get through for sure,” second set as they battled to the tiebreaker said Wawrinka. “You have to be a little bit which Kyrgios dominated, sealing the win, lucky when he served twice for the match.” fi ttingly, with a fi nal monster serve. Wawrinka will face eighth-seeded Domin- “It’s a gamble,” Djokovic said of trying to ic Thiem for a place in the semi-fi nals. The anticipate Kyrgios’s fi rst serve. “His second Austrian beat France’s Gael Monfi ls 6-3, 6-2. serve, if you think you’re going to have a look Fourth-seeded Kei Nishikori of Japan qui- at it, you don’t, because he goes for it as well.” etly reached the last eight with a 6-2, 6-4 Kyrgios said that aggressive second serve victory over American Donald Young. is a cornerstone of his game. He’ll face American Jack Sock, who beat “It’s a high percentage for me to go big un- Tunisia’s Malek Jaziri 4-6, 7-6 (7/1), 7-5. BOTTOMLINE Ahmad ousts Hayatou as Africa football boss AFP CAF to avoid the involvement of poli- “It’s a new dawn, all should be happy. On the eve of the vote, it was an- Addis Ababa tics in the organisation.” “We’re Africans and Africans never nounced that Hayatou and CAF secre- Cameroonian Hayatou headed CAF forget their elders. An elder has been tary-general Hicham El-Amrani could since 1988 and is a senior vice president defeated today, but he’s still an elder. face criminal charges in Egypt over adagascan Ahmad Ah- of FIFA. He was credited with increas- “The world has moved on, we really deals secured for African football mar- mad was elected presi- ing the number of African teams at the need energy. And the truth is Issa Hay- keting and media rights between 2008 dent of the Confedera- World Cup and bringing in extra fi - atou is almost 70. There’s only so much and 2028. Mtion of African Football nance for the continent’s competitions. really that he can do. Ahmad has also been implicated in yesterday, ousting veteran leader Issa “His excellency Issa Hayatou has “The world, technologically and in the 2022 World Cup bribe-taking. The Hayatou after 29 years in offi ce to ush- done a lot for African football (but) it is terms of the way you see things, has Sunday Times said he received between er in a “new dawn” for the sport on the time for him to step back,” said George changed. Speaking with Ahmad, I $30,000 and $100,000 for his vote. The continent. Afriyie, vice president of the Ghana found that he understood those things.” Madagascar soccer chief has called the Ahmad, head of Madagascar’s foot- Football Association. Hayatou’s reign at the head of CAF allegations unfounded. ball federation, won the election in the Hayatou was led from the audito- was often controversial. Before the vote Hayatou called for Ethiopian capital by 34 votes to Haya- rium by aides who brushed off requests He was accused by Britain’s The Sun- delegates to vote for “unity”. tou’s 20, offi cial results showed. for comment from journalists while day Times of receiving $1.5mn to vote Laying out some of the priorities for Delegates cheered and pumped their Ahmad was picked up and carried by for Qatar when it was awarded the 2022 CAF in the future, he mentioned lobby- fi sts in the plenary hall after the an- cheering supporters. World Cup seven years ago. ing for 10 places for African nations in nouncement of the result which her- “Africa has made an emphatic deci- In 2011, Hayatou was reprimanded by the enlarged World Cup fi eld. alded the departure of the last of the old sion that we are ready for change,” said the International Olympic Committee He also called for the African Nations generation of leaders in world football. Liberian Football Association President over money he received from the scan- Cup to be maintained at the beginning Ahmad, a 57-year-old father of two, His rare and determined bid for mean that you can do it,” Ahmad told Musa Bility. dal-tainted sports marketing company of the year, when the climate is cooler, had a discreet playing and coach- “change” at the head of the CAF this reporters after the vote. “If I can’t do it, Seyi Akinwunmi, vice president of the ISL in 1995. amid calls for it to be rescheduled to ac- ing career before he took the reins of year took many by surprise, and the in- I never stand.” Nigeria Football Federation, called Hay- He has always insisted the money commodate European clubs who don’t the Madagascar football federation in cumbent was seen as the favourite. He earlier said his programme was atou a “colossus who has bestrode Afri- went to CAF and has always strongly want to lose their African players dur- 2003. “When you try to do something, you the “reform of the administration of can football for decades” before adding: denied any wrongdoing.

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