SUNDAY, MAY 2, 2021 12

Barty battles past Zidansek in Madrid Bottas denies Hamilton 100th pole in Portugal Valtteri Bottas edges out Lewis Hamilton as Mercedes lock out front row at Portimao

Red Bulls of Verstappen• and Pérez third and fourth

AFP | Lisbon KNOW WHAT Ashleigh Barty hits a return AFP | London altteri Bottas took pole Hamilton narrowly position for the Portu- orld number one Ash- guese Grand Prix with leads the 2021 cham- Wleigh Barty survived seven-timeV world champion pionship after he won a scare at the Madrid Open 3 Lewis Hamilton completing a the opener in Bahrain WTA titles have already yesterday to beat Tamara been won by Ashleigh Mercedes front-row lockout in before his Dutch rival Zidansek in three sets and Barty this year -- in qualifying yesterday. Verstappen hit back in reach the third round. Stuttgart, Miami and at Hamilton’s pursuit of a 100th the Emilia Romagna Barty was briefly rattled by the Yarra Valley Classic in pole at the track where last year Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, right, congratulates teammate Valtteri Bottas GP at Imola Zidansek as she mustered only Melbourne he notched up his record 92nd after he clocked the fastest time during the qualifying session one game in the second set but win was delayed when Bottas the Australian recovered her earned the 17th of his career. mate Sergio Perez alongside him we’re doing and the steps we’re Both cars were wrecked that poise in the decider to come ready succeeding in Stuttgart, “It’s a good feeling to be on on the second row in Portimao. taking.” day and Russell was furious through 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 in just Miami and at the Yarra Valley pole,” said Bottas after a final Verstappen had in fact bet- Hamilton narrowly leads the with the Finn before the pair under two hours at the Caja Classic in Melbourne. qualifying session lap of 1min tered Bottas’ time but had his 2021 championship after he continued their clash off the Magica. Few would have expected 18.348sec. 1min 18.209sec run scrubbed won the opener in Bahrain be- track with a bitter war of words. Either Germany’s Laura Zidansek, ranked 80th in the He added: “Feels like it’s been out after exceeding track fore Dutch rival Verstappen hit Russell will start on the sixth Siegemund or the Swiss Iga world, to push Barty close but a while. It’s been a weak point limits. back at Imola. row on Sunday with Pierre Swiatek await Barty in round the Slovenian held own from for me in the first two races. The Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz came “Third is of course not what Gasly, in an AlphaTauri, and three. Swiatek would be a par- the back of the court and had team have been working hard in fifth ahead of the Alpine of we wanted but it’s not too bad four-time world champion Se- ticularly intriguing match-up the variety to keep her oppo- all weekend and we have a good Esteban Ocon, Lando Norris, in after I had a Q3 lap time deleted, bastian Vettel, n an Aston Mar- as it would bring together the nent guessing. position for tomorrow.” a McLaren, and Charles Leclerc which would actually have put tin, ahead of him. 2019 and 2020 French Open Barty claimed the first set, Bottas’ performance was in the second Ferrari. us fastest,” said Verstappen. “It’s our best qualifying posi- champions. despite coming under pressure well-timed after he had quali- Hamilton paid tribute to Bot- “We struggled with the bal- tion in three years so I’m really Both will be among the fa- on serve at 2-3, when a superb fied third in the season-open- tas “and our team for us both to ance in Q1 and Q2 because of proud,” said Russell. vourites at Roland Garros next retrieval staved off an early er in Bahrain but then a lowly be on the front row”. the track surface, and everyone “We all have our responsi - month, with Barty’s latest vic- Zidansek attempt to break eighth at Emilia-Romagna. “It was not expected. We is chasing grip, but we got to bilities, and as a team we did a tory extending her unbeaten serve. His time was just 0.007sec have to be happy for that, it was a decent level in Q3 so I don’t really good job.” streak on red clay to 13 match- Zidansek was more aggres- faster than Hamilton. not the perfect lap but I gave it think we are too far off.” “Tomorrow we’ve got to keep es. sive in the second and broke Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, everything. Bottas’ last outing at Imo - moving forward. We have a The number one seed is bid- twice, the second time for one point off Hamilton in the “You can never be satisfied, la was one to forget as he and good race car – it’s fast on the ding to win her fouth WTA title 5-1 with a stinging backhand drivers’ standings, took third we exist to keep moving for - Williams driver George Russell straights, so let’s see what we this year in Madrid, after al- down the line. on Sunday’s grid with his team- ward but I’m happy with what collided at 300km/h. can do.”

Juventus coach Pirlo ‘calm about job’ as title slips away Jayawickrama’s six-for sets up Sri Lanka’s imposing lead AFP | Munich ESPN | Colombo

ndrea Pirlo insisted yester- raveen Jayawickrama’s Aday he was calm about his Psix-wicket haul shaped job as Juventus coach as the Sri Lanka’s ascendancy over Italian champions’ nine-year Bangladesh in the second Test reign nears its end. in Pallekele. The 22-year old Inter Milan are set to deny left-arm spinner took the best Juve a 10th consecutive crown figures for Sri Lanka on Test with the Turin giants now bat- debut; his 6 for 92, including the tling for a Champions League big wickets of and spot. . “I’m calm concerning my The stunning debut perfor- work,” the 41-year-old former mance, which is better than Italy World Cup winner told a Upul Chandana’s 6 for 179 press conference before Sun- against Pakistan in 1999, left day’s league game at Udinese. the visitors trailing by 242 runs; Inter can seal the ‘Scudetto’ Bangladesh losing their last this weekend, with Juventus Juventus’ coach Andrea Pirlo (L) congratulates Paulo Dybala after he scored a seven wickets for 37 runs. Sri sitting fourth, 13 points behind goal (file photo) Lanka, however, didn’t enforce the leaders, with five games the follow-on and ended the Sri Lanka’s Praveen Jayawickrama celebrates a wicket to play. “I’m focused on what I have day on 17 for 2, losing Lahiru Jayawickrama had taken According to Italian press to do and I have to bring the Thirimanne and Oshada Fer- away Bangladesh’s momentum reports former Juventus coach team to the Champions League nando to Miraz in the first two sessions as well, Massimiliano Allegri is set to I’m calm about my job, and try to win the Italian Cup.” and Taijul Islam respectively. What I wanted to do in with late strikes. He had Saif return two years after being about what I have to Meanwhile, Pirlo revealed his The story of the day, howev- this match was bowl Hassan caught at gully for 25, sacked. do. I am not influenced teenage son Niccolo had been er was Bangladesh’s collapse a lot of dot balls and to break a 98-run opening stand A visit by John Elkann, CEO by all these rumours. a victim of on-line abuse, as on either side of tea. They lost build pressure with Tamim Iqbal. Najmul Hos- of Exor, the holding company of I’m focused on what I sports bodies boycotted social three big wickets in the space of sain Shanto fell next for a sec- the Agnelli family which owns have to do and I have media this weekend. 24 balls. Rahim was out in the PRAVEEN JAYAWICKRAMA ond duck in a row following his Juventus, to the team’s training “I know what it means to be last over before the break, lbw 163 in the first innings of the ground this week fuelled spec- to bring the team to a public figure, I find nothing to Jayawickrama, after making ladesh’s lower-order caved in first Test. ulation of changes. the Champions League new in the insults from people 40. Shortly after the interval, after that. Mehidy Hasan Miraz After Iqbal and Haque stead- “I talked to the owners the and try to win the hiding behind a keyboard,” he Ramesh Mendis trapped Mo- missed an arm-ball to give Jay- ied the situation for just over an other day,” revealed Pirlo who Italian Cup said. minul Haque lbw on 48 with a awickrama his five-for, before hour, Jayawickrama had the big took over last summer. ANDREA PIRLO “I’m sorry for my son, be - full toss that struck him flush he had lbw off fish when he had Iqbal caught “It’s not the first time they’ve cause he has nothing to do with on the toe. a review. The collapse ended at slip. Only a delivery earli - come, it has already happened this. I also explained to him to Liton Das was next to go as in bizarre fashion when Taijul er, he’d decided to change his three or four times and we’ve what I have to do. ignore it. This is a social prob- he guided a sharp-turning Jay- Islam was out hit wicket, when angle and bowl from around talked about everything. “I am not influenced by all lem which we need to stamp awickrama delivery to Lahi- his shoe came off from his back the wicket. It undid Iqbal, who “I’m calm about my job, about these rumours. out.” ru Thirimanne at slip. Bang- foot. struck a 150-ball 92.

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