Messi Ends Trophy Drought, Argentina Win Copa America
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ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, JULY 12, 2021 16 Dustin Poirier is declared the winner after Conor McGregor was injured during a UFC 264 lightweight mixed martial arts bout in Las Vegas. (AP) Sports Latest sports scores at — http://sports.arabtimesonline.com Serbian outlasts Berrettini for record-equaling Slams with Federer and Nadal Djokovic wins Wimbledon for 20th Grand Slam title WIMBLEDON, England, July 11, night. bined unforced errors, compared with (AP): Novak Djokovic tied Roger Fe- With Marija Cicak offi ciating, the zero winners for either. He faced a derer and Rafael Nadal by claiming his fi rst female chair umpire for a men’s fi - break point but steadied himself and 20th Grand Slam title Sunday, coming nal at a tournament that began in 1877, held there and, as was the case with ev- back to beat Matteo Berrettini 6-7 (4), play began at Centre Court as the sun ery set, it was Djokovic who took the 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 in the Wimbledon fi nal. made a rare appearance during the lead by getting through on Berrettini’s The No. 1 -ranked Djokovic earned fortnight, the sky visible in between speedy serve. a third consecutive championship at the clouds. Berrettini came in with a tourna- the All England Club and sixth overall. The opening game featured signs ment-high 101 aces and that’s where He adds that to nine titles at the Aus- of edginess from both, but especially his game is built: free points off the tralian Open, three at the U.S. Open Djokovic, whose pair of double-faults serve and quick-strike forehands that and two at the French Open to equal contributed to the half-dozen com- earned him the nickname “Hammer.” his two rivals for the most majors won Those powerful strokes sent line by a man in tennis history. judges contorting to get their head out of harm’s way. Djokovic occasionally took cover himself, crouching and rais- TENNIS ing his racket as if it were a shield to block back serves aimed at his body. The 34-year-old from Serbia is now Not many opponents return serves the only man since Rod Laver in 1969 at 137 mph and end up winning the to win the fi rst three major tourna- point, but Djokovic did that at least ments in a season. He can aim for a twice. And the big groundstrokes that calendar-year Grand Slam - something the 6-foot-5, barrel-chested Berrettini last accomplished by a man when La- can drive past most other players kept ver did it 52 years ago - at the U.S. coming back off Djokovic’s racket. Open, which starts Aug. 30. That’s what Djokovic does: He just This was Djokovic’s 30th major forces foes to work so hard to win fi nal - among men, only Federer has every point, let alone a game, a set, a Serbia’s Novak Djokovic holds the winner’s trophy, with Italy’s Matteo Berrettini standing beside him with the played more, 31 - and the fi rst for Ber- match. runners-up trophy for the men’s singles final match on day thirteen of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Sunday, July 11, 2021. (AP) rettini, a 25-year-old from Italy who Serbia’s Novak Djokovic plays a re- Indeed, this one could have been over was seeded No. 7. turn to Italy’s Matteo Berrettini dur- much sooner: Djokovic took leads of 4-1 served for it at 5-3. He strutted to the changeover and two sets down in the French Open fi - It was a big sporting day in London ing the men’s singles final on day in the fi rst set, 4-0 in the second and 3-1 In the ensuing tiebreaker, they were many in the full house of nearly 15,000 nal last month - and he worked his way for Italians: Their national soccer team thirteen of the Wimbledon Tennis in the third. But in the fi rst, especially, he tied at 3-all, but Berrettini won three rose to celebrate along with him. back into this one, which ended with faced England at Wembley Stadium in Championships in London, Sun- faltered in ways he rarely does, wasting of the next four points with forehands, But Djokovic is nothing if not a Djokovic on his back on the court, the European Championship fi nal at day, July 11, 2021. (AP) a set point and getting broken when he and closed it out with a 138 mph ace. fi ghter - he turned things around from basking in the crowd’s cheers. McGregor injured Messi ends trophy drought, Poirier wins ‘showdown’ LAS VEGAS, July 11, (AP): Conor McGregor sat and seethed with his back on the cage, a temporary cast around Argentina win Copa America his left shin and foot. The big- gest star in mixed martial arts was convinced he had just been robbed of revenge on Dustin Po- irier by a broken leg. “I was boxing the bleedin’ head off him, kicking the bleed- in’ leg off him,” McGregor shouted. “This is not over! If we have to take this outside for him, we’ll take it outside.” McGregor’s animosity to- ward Poirier hasn’t cooled, but this fi ght trilogy ended - for now, at least - with another vic- tory for his more mild-mannered enemy. Poirier beat Mc- Gregor for the second time in six months when Mc- Gregor was unable to continue after the fi rst round McGregor at UFC 264 on Saturday night. McGregor (22-6) fell to the canvas and never got up after a punch by Poirier (28-6), who will get the UFC’s next light- weight title shot. McGregor’s leg and ankle buckled when he stepped back from the blow, and Poirier fi nished the round rain- ing blows down on the former two-division UFC champion. MIXED MARTIAL ARTS “Just the thing had separated, and I bleedin’ landed on the wonky leg like Anderson Silva that one time, something similar to that,” McGregor said, refer- ring to longtime middleweight champ Silva’s infamously grue- Argentina’s Lionel Messi celebrates with the trophy after beating Brazil 1-0 in the Copa America final soccer match at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (AP) some broken leg against Chris Weidman. “It’s a mad business.” UFC President Dana White Di Maria scores winning goal as Brazil fall said he was told McGregor broke his shin near the ankle. McGregor will have surgery on RIO DE JANEIRO, July When the match ended, a tearful Messi kissed the trophy before lifting it into the Marcos Acuña, Leandro Paredes and Sunday morning. 11, (AP): Two long droughts knelt down and put his hands on his face. air during the presentations. Di María took the places of Nahuel Poirier said he thought Mc- Then most of his teammates ran in his The match at the Maracana started Molina, Nicolás Tagliafico, Guido Ro- Gregor’s leg broke when he ended on Saturday at the direction to celebrate and threw him into with some surprises. Argentina coach dríguez and Nicolás González. checked one of McGregor’s Copa America final: Argen- the air. Once criticized by Argentina Lionel Scaloni made five changes from Brazil, a team recognized for their kicks earlier in the fi ght. Mc- tina won their first major ti- fans for his quietness, he went to the few the starting lineup that beat Colombia steadiness, did not make any changes Gregor disagreed, saying there hundred guests chanting his name at the on penalties in the semifinal. from the team that advanced to the final. was “not one check.” tle since 1993 after a 1-0 win Maracana and chanted with them. Messi Gonzalo Montiel, Cristian Romero, “You never want to get a win against Brazil. And Lionel SOCCER that way, but what happened was Messi finally lifted his first the result of checking a kick,” Po- irier said. “I’m more than sure of major trophy for the nation- The teams were cautious early in the it. He got what he had coming to al team, filling in one of the match, barely offering chances. When him. Karma is a mirror.” biggest gaps in his decorated Argentina opened the scoring in a rare McGregor dropped to 1-3 in Brazil defensive mistake and Di Maria’s the cage since 2016, when he ab- career. classy finish, the match became more dicated his UFC title reigns and physical and Argentina successfully accepted a wildly lucrative boxing Argentina’s winning goal at the Argentina’s Angel Di Maria scores Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janei- stopped the ball from getting to Neymar. the opening goal against Brazil dur- match with Floyd Mayweather. ro came in the 22nd minute after Neymar tried hard with dribbles and ing the Copa America final soccer McGregor has been unable to re- Rodrigo de Paul made a long pass passes, but the Selecao barely threat- match at the Maracana Stadium in capture his fearsome MMA form ened Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (AP) over the past half-decade - and to Ángel di Maria. The 33-year-old Martinez in the first half. Argentina sat despite his protestations, there was veteran striker counted on some in the back, hoping for counter-attacks. Firmino, and managed to do so for little in the fi rst round at UFC 264 sloppy defending from left-back Argentina’s goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez guards his goal during the Copa Brazil coach Tite tried to change much of the second half.