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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2015 SPORTS Nadal survives to reach Rio semis

RIO DE JANEIRO: Claycourt king Rafael Nadal battled into the early hours as he reached the semi-finals of the Rio Open after beating Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas yesterday. Nadal, who will bid this season for a tenth Roland Garros crown, came through 4-6, 7-5, 6-0 in two hours and six minutes, after Cuevas was fastest out of the blocks in a contest lasting until 3:20 am (0520 GMT). The late finish infuriated the world number three and defending champi- on, who complained of having to start a match at just after 1:00 am. “I know it is not the fault of the tournament. It is the fault of the ATP wanting to change a match over (to a different court). “If it were a Grand Slam where you get a day and a half (between matches), then okay,” Nadal said after- wards, reflecting that he would have to be back in action again Saturday evening. “I am going to go off to bed and we’ll see if I have recovered” for a meeting with Italian world number 28 Fabio Fognini. Fognini had kept Nadal waiting to enter the center court fray as he beat Argentine Federico Delbonis 6-4, 6-7 (10/12), 7-6 (11/9) in a three- hour marathon. Nadal had seen off fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta and Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci to set up his meeting with Cuevas, but the Mallorcan’s ring rustiness showed as he conceded the opening set in 44 minutes. After trading early breaks, Cuevas broke in the ninth game and although the challenger spurned a triple set point he closed out the fourth opportunity on 44 minutes. Cuevas sent down six aces but fourteen-time Grand Slam champion Nadal’s wiliness and sheer doggedness reeled him in. Having leveled the contest Nadal wrapped matters up in taking the decider in just 25 minutes. Also advancing was second seeded Spaniard David Ferrer who battled past Argentine Juan Monaco 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 in just over two hours on NEWARK: Michal Neuvirth No. 34 of the makes a save in this file court at the Jockey Club in hot sunshine. photo. —AFP With temperatures hitting 42 degrees C (108 degrees F), both men made errors before Ferrer finally managed to find top gear as he gradually Rangers see off Sabres wore Monaco down, moving him around the court. BUFFALO: Rick Nash had a goal and Versteeg scored for Chicago. The ninth-ranked Spaniard broke Monaco twice and pocketed the opening set with an ace assist, and Mackenzie Skapski stopped and the Argentine looked out for the count after 24 shots in his NHL debut in the New WILD 4, OILERS 0 dropping serve again at the outset in the sec- York Rangers’ 3-1 victory over the Buffalo Devan Dubnyk stopped all 15 shots ond. Sabres on Friday night. he faced for his sixth shutout of the sea- But the 30-year-old Monaco broke back in the Carl Hagelin, on a breakaway, and son, leading Minnesota past Edmonton. sixth game as he leveled the contest. Mats Zuccarello also scored for New York. The former Oilers goalie now has five That was as good as it got, however, for the The Rangers improved to 8-1-2 in their shutouts in 16 games for Minnesota South American veteran as Ferrer upped his past 11, beat Buffalo for the sixth straight since being acquired in a trade with game thereafter and finished his rival off with a time, and extended their road winning Arizona on Jan. 14. He improved to 5-0 huge serve. streak to a season-best five straight. this season against Edmonton. Ferrer will now face Andreas Haider-Maurer in Skapski gave up a goal on the first shot Justin Fontaine had two goals, and late yesterday’s semis after Haider-Maurer’s 7-6 BRAZIL: Rafael Nadal of Spain, serves to Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay at the quarter-finals of the he faced 14 seconds in, when Matt Nino Niederreiter and Jordan Schroeder (7/4) 1-6, 6-4 win over Brazil’s Joao Souza. —AFP Rio Open tennis tournament in Rio de Janeiro. —AP Moulson converted Torrey Mitchell’s pass also scored for the Wild. They are 10-1-1 into the slot off a faceoff to the right of in their last 12 games. the New York net. Skapski got the nod in place of , who has gone 5-1-2 DUCKS 6, FLAMES 3 in eight starts since was Ryan Getzlaf scored a fluke tiebreak- More delight for Halep in Dubai sidelined by a neck injury. ing goal midway through the third peri- od to key Anaheim’s five-goal outburst in DUBAI: Simona Halep, the top-seeded BLUES 5, BRUINS 1 the final 14 minutes. Romanian who looked in danger of a semi-final Vladimir Tarasenko became the Getzlaf’s slap shot from the blue line exit, prodiced a marvellous recovery to reach the youngest St. Louis player to score 30 went over the net and caromed back off final of the Dubai Open, coming from a set down goals in 23 years, getting the last two the end boards, deflecting in off the back to overcome Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki. Halep struck the ball with increasing flair and scores in the Blues’ victory over Bruins. leg of Calgary goalie Jonas Hiller at 8:53 vigour against an opponent who won the title Tarasenko’s 30th of the season capped of the third to put Anaheim up 3-2. and played five semi-finals here, and once she the four-goal second and he got his 31st Francois Beauchemin had tied the score had found her rhythm and timing she proved midway through the third. At 23 years, 65 less than 3 minutes earlier. unstoppable as she accelerated to an impressive days, he’s the team’s youngest 30-goal Andrew Cogliano got the Ducks on 2-6, 6-1, 6-1 win. scorer since Brendan Shanahan got his the scoreboard in the second period, and Former world number one Wozniacki, 30th at 23 years, 63 days in 1991-92. Kyle Palmieri, Jakob Silferberg and responded positively to the stream of fine Petteri Lindbohm, Alex Pietrangelo Hampus Lindholm also scored in the ground strokes which increasingly penetrated and T.J. Oshie scored on the Blues’ first third. John Gibson finished with 25 saves. her mobile defences, trying to take the attack to three shots of the second to chase rookie Matt Stajan, Lance Bouma and Sean her gifted opponent in the final set, and creating goalie Malcolm Subban and cancel Monahan scored for the Flames. some fine rallies. Tuukka Rask’s scheduled night off. But she only briefly seemed likely to stem the Brad Marchand scored for Boston, DEVILS 4, CANUCKS 2 flow against her, when she had Halep 15-40 which lost its sixth in a row and played Mike Cammalleri scored twice in New down in the fifth game. Once the favorite had most of the final two periods without Jersey’s victory over Vancouver. Jordin escaped from that, she hit the ball better, egged David Krejci (lower body). Tootoo and Patrik Elias also scored, on by a surprisingly large and noisy band of sup- defenseman Adam Larsson had three porters AVALANCHE 4, BLACKHAWKS 1 assists and Cory Schneider had 21 saves Wozniacki had struggled hard with a virus all Tyson Barrie had two goals and an against his former teammates to give New week, and probably exceeded expectations in assist, Gabriel Landeskog scored for Jersey points in 12 of its last 14 games (9- surviving so long, later explaining that the “air of the balloon just kind of went off.” the fifth straight game, and Colorado 2-3) at the Prudential Center. Zack Kassian Halep by contrast improved day by day, beat Chicago. Colorado used a pair of scored twice for the Canucks. something bolstered by another tenacious costly interference penalties on recovery, against Ekaterina Makarova, the Chicago to win for just the third time HURRICANES 2, MAPLE LEAFS 1 Russian who was serving for the match against in its last eight games. Brad Stuart Eric Staal had a goal and an assist and her yesterday. added his second goal of the season Carolina beat Toronto to sweep the “At the beginning of the tournament it was a when Corey Crawford bad- three-game season series. Jordan Staal little bit tough for me, because I came from Fed ly misplayed his dump in from center had the other goal for the Hurricanes. Cup, and there it was a bad week for me,” Halep ice, punctuating a frustrating per- Carolina goalie Cam Ward, playing in his said. formance for the Blackhawks. Semyon 499th NHL game - all for the Hurricanes - “But coming here I had two, three days relax- Varlamov had 27 saves for Colorado, had 23 saves. Brandon Kozun had his ing just and hitting the ball and I found my and Landeskog also had an assist. Kris first NHL goal for the Maple Leafs.—AP rhythm, found my game. Now I’m really happy that I play again a final this year,” she added, apparently a reference to her capture of last NHL results/standings year’s title in Doha, a little further west along the Gulf coast. NY Rangers 3, Buffalo 1; New Jersey 4, Vancouver 2; Carolina 2, Toronto 1; St. Louis 5, Boston 1; She will face a very different type of oppo- Colorado 4, Chicago 1; Anaheim 6, Calgary 3; Minnesota 4, Edmonton 0. nent in Saturday’s final. Instead of the athletic Wozniacki she plays Karolina Pliskova, the tall, Western Conference Tampa Bay 36 18 6 195 160 78 steep-serving 22-year-old from Prague who last Pacific Division Detroit 32 14 10 163 143 74 month became the youngest player currently in WLOTLGFGAPTS Boston 28 21 9 151 154 65 the top 20, and who reached the biggest final of Anaheim 36 16 7 176 167 79 Florida 26 19 12 141 157 64 Vancouver 33 22 3 165 155 69 her career so far with her third outstanding win. Ottawa 23 23 10 159 160 56 Calgary 32 23 4 171 156 68 Having already ousted two seeded players Toronto 23 31 5 163 180 51 San Jose 30 22 8 170 172 68 Pliskova followed it with a nerve-shredding 6-4, Los Angeles27 18 12 159 151 66 Buffalo 17 38 4 109 200 38 5-7, 7-5 victory over Garbine Muguruza, an ele- Arizona 20 31 7 131 194 47 Metropolitan Division gantly gifted 21-year-old from Barcelona, Edmonton 17 33 10 139 203 44 NY Islanders39 19 1 193 165 79 snatching a memorable victory just as her DUBAI: Simona Halep of Romania returns the ball to Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark during a Central Division NY Rangers 35 16 6 181 142 76 chances seemed to be fading. semi final match of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. —AP Nashville 39 13 6 177 137 84 Washington32 17 10 176 147 74 Pliskova always had the more dangerous the match out at 6-5. options in a tricky wind. But Pliskova has sur- St. Louis 38 16 4 184 142 80 Pittsburgh 32 17 9 163 146 73 serve, and her 13 aces extended her year’s total But Pliskova was prepared to gamble on hit- prised many people including herself. The Czech Chicago 35 19 5 175 138 75 Philadelphia24 23 11 155 170 59 Winnipeg 30 20 10 166 162 70 to 145, the most on the WTA Tour so far this year. ting flat and hard, something which paid off as had arrived so tired at the start of the week she Columbus 26 27 3 149 173 55 Minnesota 30 21 7 162 154 67 But there were phases near the end when it she clawed back four points in a row, and six out even wondered whether she might have to New Jersey 23 26 9 130 157 55 Dallas 27 23 8 181 185 62 seemed that might not be enough. She had to of seven, to close the match out. withdraw. Colorado 25 23 11 154 166 61 Carolina 21 29 7 129 155 49 save two break points at 3-4 in the final set, The outcome went against the trend in the “I was just thinking, okay, I will just go on the Eastern Conference Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point holding serve with the help of a video review second half of the final set when Muguruza, who court, try, and maybe I will lose, but I will not be Atlantic Division in the standings and are not included in the loss which showed she had landed another ace, and had beaten three seeds herself, possessed the mad at all,” she said. “But then I won - and I’m Montreal 37 16 5 154 130 79 column (L). slipped to love-40 when she was trying to close more supple and flexible game, giving her more still winning.”—AFP