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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2018

Mikaela Shiffrin dominant, Osaka India axe openers, Australia Guardiola in new territory 25breakthrough: Women’s sport in 2018 26 recall Marsh for third Test 27 with English title fight

OAKLAND: Doug Martin #28 of the Oakland Raiders is tackled by Justin Simmons #31 and Josey Jewell #47 of the Denver Broncos during their NFL game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on Monday, in Oakland, California. — AFP Raiders rip Broncos in NFL farewell 174th Raiders win in their 303rd game at

SAN FRANCISCO: Dwayne Harris returned a punt 99 A federal anti-trust lawsuit filed by the city of Nation is the most loyal fan base in the world. We few weeks on the team’s home for next season. yards for a touchdown and the Oakland Raiders beat Oakland to recover damages related to the Raiders’ don’t know if we’re going to be here next year so I Harris opened the scoring 4:50 into the game, match- the Denver Broncos 27-14 on Monday in what might planned move to Las Vegas in 2020 prompted the team wanted to say thank you to all of them, thanks for hav- ing the second-longest runback in NFL history. Martin have been the hosts’ final NFL game in Oakland. to retract a one-year lease offer for the 2019 campaign ing our back.” added a 24-yard touchdown run and Dan Carlson Doug Martin and Jalen Richard added touchdown earlier this month, leaving the team’s home venue uncer- Gruden added: “Our fans fueled us. To share the added a 43-yard field goal for a 17-0 Oakland half-time runs for Oakland in a game between teams already elim- tain for next season. victory with them is always special.” Options men- edge, their biggest lead this season. inated from playoff contention. The Raiders improved to Quarterback Derek Carr and coach were tioned for Raiders 2019 home games include sharing Denver answered on Case Keenum’s 7-yard touch- 4-11 but will miss the playoffs for the 15th time in 16 among the Raiders who after the game went to the the NFL 49ers stadium in nearby Santa down pass to DaeSean Hamilton but the Raiders years while Denver fell to 6-9, ensuring back-to-back “Black Hole”-an area where devoted Raiders fans dress Clara, playing at the home of baseball’s San Francisco responded on Richard’s 3-yard touchdown run. losing seasons for the first time since 1971-72. in monster-themed Silver and Black outfits-and Giants, striking a deal with Oakland or playing home Keenum flipped a 19-yard touchdown pass to It was the 174th Raiders win in their 303rd game at exchanged high-five hand slaps with supporters for games in London, England. Courtland Sutton with 7:31 remaining, but Carlson the Oakland Coliseum, which opened in 1966 and what might be the last time. The NFL has staged games in London since 2007, added a 45-yard field goal to create the final margin of remains the only NFL stadium shared with a Major “Raider Nation is tough, gritty and loyal. We’ve had playing three contests at Wembley Stadium this year. the Raiders’ first Monday night win since 2002 after League Baseball club, the Oakland A’s. a lot of good times in that stadium,” Carr said. “Raider Raiders owner Mark Davis says he hopes to decide in a seven losses in a row. — AFP

receiving coaching from her box, and subse- Resurgent Djokovic leads the quently called chair umpire Carlos Ramos a “liar and a thief” after she incurred a one- point penalty for racquet abuse. way as old guard stays on top The American later described the decision to then hit her with a game penalty following PARIS: Next Gen poster boy Alexander Australian Open title and then eclipsed Andre her tear-filled tirade as “sexist”. Zverev’s season-ending Tour Finals triumph Agassi as the oldest top-ranked player in An astonishingly poised Osaka held her served up a glimpse into the future of men’s ATP history, at the age of 36. nerve to seal victory and become the first tennis although 2018 remained a year domi- Rafael Nadal dominated in typical fashion Japanese woman to win a Grand Slam singles nated once more by the usual, yet aging, sus- on clay, swaggering to an 11th Roland Garros title, but the 20-year-old was reduced to pects as a revitalised Novak Djokovic title, but the injury-plagued Spaniard limped tears when a pro-Williams crowd booed the returned to the peak of his powers. out of two other Grand Slams before further trophy ceremony announcers. The Serb tumbled out of the top 10 for the fitness problems curtailed his season. Fortunately, Williams gracefully intervened first time in a decade and was ranked as low- He played in just nine tournaments, his and called for them to show the young cham- ly as 22nd in June, slumping to a string of fewest since 2002, yet still won five titles and pion respect. In a season of firsts, Simona uncharacteristic defeats-including an embar- compiled a commanding 45-4 record. Halep eased the pain of three previous major rassing loss to Italian journeyman Marco Serena Williams returned to the court finals defeats, to follow in the footsteps of her Cecchinato at the French Open-following after her 14-month maternity leave, battling manager Virginia Ruzici, 40 years on, by elbow surgery to fix a lingering injury. back from life-saving surgery, but twice fell claiming the French Open championship. Over the next few months though agonisingly short of landing a record- Caroline Wozniacki’s patience yielded her Djokovic surged back to his all-conquering equalling 24th Grand Slam crown. maiden Grand Slam triumph too, the Dane best, sweeping to Wimbledon and US Open She required a series of operations to free taking the Australian Open title to briefly Novak Djokovic crowns and completing a historic Masters her from the risk of blood clots in the wake of return to world number one. sweep with an elusive victory in Cincinnati. giving birth to her daughter in September However, she later revealed her battle with “There was always part of me that 2017, a scare that prompted her to sport an rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease 118-year Davis Cup in its traditional format, break to settle matches that reach 12-all in believed I could make it back and I never eye-catching black catsuit at Roland Garros. which causes swelling of the joints and with a revamped version of the competition the decider. thought it was impossible,” Djokovic said of She finished runner-up at both fatigue, following her diagnosis ahead of the next November bringing together 18 nations “It is bucking tradition but I think a lot of his climb back to world number one. Wimbledon and the US Open, but it was the US Open. Angelique Kerber completed the in one place for a week. people believe that is not a bad thing,” Isner “It turned to out to be a perfect five nature of her defeat in New York that will third leg of a career Grand Slam by battering Kevin Anderson’s 26-24 defeat of John said in the wake of the rule change. Similarly, months of the year, with two Grand Slam stick in the memory after a meltdown in the past Williams to become the first German Isner in the fifth set of this year’s Wimbledon a 10-point tie-break will be used in the final titles.” Roger Federer continued to defy his final against Japan’s Naomi Osaka. woman to win Wimbledon since Steffi Graf in semi-finals prompted another rethink, lead- set at the Australian Open, where Federer will advancing years as he defended his Williams erupted after a code violation for 1996. The season also marked the end of the ing the All England Club to introduce a tie- eye his 100th career title. — AFP