Friday 45 Sports Friday, January 25, 2019 Timeless Nadal crushes another youth rebellion

MELBOURNE: No for four months, no course you know that you can come here and problem for Rafa Nadal. Only weeks after wor- anything can happen, no? “It’s not easy to be rying that his might be in jeop- back after four months, five months, and play ardy, the Spaniard charged into his fifth the way I am playing. final with a 6-2 6-4 6-0 demolition “Of course, I didn’t expect that at all.” Tsit- of 20-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas yesterday. sipas, Greece’s first semi-finalist Nadal has waged near-constant war with his and the man who toppled double defending body over the course of his career, winning and champion , was also surprised losing his share of battles with an injury count by the Spaniard, who will play either top seed that nearly dwarfs his 17 Grand Slam trophies. or Frenchman Lucas Pouille He played no matches after retiring from last for the title. year’s US Open semi-finals with a knee prob- The Greek was broken in the third game lem but the hurt continued with an abdominal and another five times for the match as a ma- strain and surgery on his ankle surgery which rauding Nadal bounded around the court like soured the end of his 2018 season. a hyperactive teenager, instead of a banged- A thigh issue then forced him to pull out of up 32-year-old with a history of health insur- the Brisbane International earlier this month, ance claims. leaving him doubtful and bereft of match fitness Eighteen years after turning professional, when he arrived at the first major of 2019. Nadal continues to add new tricks and he cred- However, after six matches in Melbourne, ited his remodelled serve for allowing him to be Nadal has not dropped a set, and is back to more aggressive against Tsitsipas and the other his free-wheeling, forehand-whipping best, as young pretenders he smashed in straight sets. Tsitsipas found in a harrowing one hour and “I can’t play like Roger (Federer) when I 46 minutes. don’t have the serve of Roger,” said Nadal, who “I was a little bit worried, of course, because crushed American 21-year-old Frances Tiafoe MELBOURNE: Spain’s hits a return against Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas during their men’s sin- there has been issue after issue,” 2009 cham- in the previous round. “But today I’m serving gles semi-final match on day 11 of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne yesterday. — AFP pion Nadal told reporters of his nervous tour- better. That’s why I’m able to create more win- nament lead-up. “I was worried about having ners on the first ball.” another issue. But in terms of tennis, I know I With a second Melbourne title on Sunday, debate about the greatest men’s player of all- to adapt my game to the new time and to my was playing well. Nadal can become just the third man to win all time, even with Federer on 20 Grand Slam titles. age, that’s all. “That’s the only reason why at “Then, of course, you have to compete. After the Grand Slams twice after Australians Rod “The results say during my career I did a lot this moment I am still here competing at a high four, five months without action at all, then of Laver and . It would re-open the of things very well,” said Nadal. “Today I have level.” — Reuters

Victory on Saturday would make her the first past he went on to win the title. But first he Osaka to battle woman since Williams in 2015 to win the US and Djokovic faces needs to get past Pouille. “I’m looking forward Australian Opens back to back, burnishing her for a battle. Obviously it’s his first semi-finals Grand Slam credentials and confirming her su- at a slam, but he has won against Nadal in Kvitova for Open perstar status. practice pal New York some years ago, and he’s made a The roof of Arena was closed amid couple advances at the big tournaments,” said title, top ranking sweltering temperatures approaching 40 degrees Pouille for Djokovic of the 24-year-old Frenchman. Celsius (104 Farenheit) and Pliskova believed it “He’s not afraid to play his best at the gave Osaka an edge. “The conditions with the place in final biggest stage in sports. So I expect him to MELBOURNE: Japanese star Naomi Osaka roof closed were perfect for her,” she said. “It come out, you know, be very confident as he stormed into the Australian Open final yesterday wasn’t bad for me but maybe she just loved it lit- always is.” Djokovic had an early night in his to set up a battle with Czech comeback queen tle bit more. “It was tough. Maybe a couple of MELBOURNE: Novak Djokovic says it will be quarter-final when eighth seed Kei Nishikori Petra Kvitova for the Melbourne Park crown and points there would have been different.” odd to face practice partner Lucas Pouille in quit with a thigh injury after 51 minutes on world number one ranking. Standing between Osaka and the Australian the Australian Open semi-final today, as the Wednesday. The 21-year-old outgunned seventh seed title is another Czech opponent Kvitova who is world number one continues his quest for a Pouille, who had never won a match at Karolina Pliskova 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 to reach her sec- on an even better winning run than Pliskova, with record seventh title. Melbourne Park before this year in five previ- ond successive Grand Slam decider after a 11 straight matches. The winner of the final will Top seed Djokovic will be stepping out on ous appearances, spent over three hours in breakthrough triumph over Serena Williams at become the new world number one, replacing Rod Laver Arena in his 34th Grand Slam semi- beating 16th seed Milos Raonic in four sets. last year’s US Open. Romania’s Simona Halep. final, while 28th seed Pouille has never expe- He credited coach Amelie Mauresmo for his Osaka took the first set then held off a barn- Two-time Wimbledon champion Kvitova, 28, rienced one before. The Serbian world number new-found confidence after a torrid start to storming comeback by Pliskova, who survived also has a wealth of experience to draw on and one said they know each other well but have the year when he lost four singles matches in four set points to eliminate Williams on Wednes- it proved telling as she raced past unheralded never played a competitive match. a row at the Hopman Cup and in Sydney. day but could not manage another miracle turn- American Danielle Collins in the other semi-final. around less than 24 hours later. “It’s funny that we’re going to play first “I think she’s bringing a lot of confidence Seeded eight, Kvitova defeated Collins, who had “I expected it, I expected a really hard bat- time against each other,” the 14-times Grand to my game, to my personality, to my state of a dream tournament debut to reach the final four, mind,” he said of the Frenchwoman, who won tle,” Osaka said of Pliskova’s attempted return Slam winner told reporters. “We’ve practised 7-6 (7/2), 6-0 after the closure of the centre the Australian Open in 2006. Pouille recruited from a set and a break down to extend a 10- many times. We’ve known each other obvi- court roof gave her a boost. double Grand Slam title winner Mauresmo to match winning streak. Fourth seed Osaka admit- ously for a long time. Here we go. We’ll see. Collins was matching Kvitova until play was It’s the semi-finals.” his team in the off-season after a splitting with ted the never-say-die Czech rattled her but she interrupted late in the first set to shut the roof Djokovic, 31, can claim the outright long-time coach Emmanuel Planque. drew on her experience winning a major at and the Czech said she was struggling until then record for Australian Open wins ahead of “As I said at the beginning, the goal is not Flushing Meadows to settle her nerves. six-time title holders Roger Federer and Roy to reach the final, the semi-final, the goal is “Somehow I made it. I just told myself to re- to find her best form. Reaching the final is the Emerson if he lifts the Norman Brookes tro- to improve my tennis, to put into a match group in the third set and try as hard as I could highlight of what Kvitova calls her “second ca- phy on Sunday against either Rafael Nadal what I work on during practice,” he said. no matter what, and I managed to win.” Osaka reer”, after she returned following a terrifying or Stefanos Tsitsipas. “That gives me less pressure. I’m just trying is seen as the leader of a new generation of stars attack in her home in the Czech Republic in late He has history on his side-every time he to focus on my game, not on the conse- but victory in her maiden Slam was overshad- 2016. A burglar slashed her racquet hand, has reached the Melbourne semi-finals in the quences and the results.” — AFP owed by Williams’ raging rows with the umpire sidelining her for almost six months and causing in the final at Flushing Meadows. permanent nerve damage. —AFP