SUNDAY 28 JANUARY 2018 SPORT 21 I’m just so happy to have the trophy. As athletes we 4:30pm 9:00am don’t enjoy the moments Caroline Wozniacki, FOOTBALL CRICKET The tennis star from Chesea vs Newcastle New Zealand vs Pakistan very long and I want to Denmark celebrates winning Live on enjoy this one. the Australian Open title United, FA Cup clash T20 at Mount Maunganui TUBE Live on beIN HD2 Live on Starsports Wozniacki edges Halep to win first Grand Slam title at Australian Open AFP and tightened visibly serving for this one at 5-3. Halep aggres- Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki celebrates with MELBOURNE: Caroline Wozni- sively took advantage and moved the championship trophy during the awards acki finally lifted her first Grand to three break points at 0-40. ceremony after her victory against Romania’s Slam title at the 43rd attempt as A big second serve and a first Simona Halep in the women’s singles final on she beat Simona Halep 7-6 (7/2), ace saved two of them but the 3-6, 6-4 to win the Australian relentless Halep forced Wozni- day 13 of the Australian Open. Open yestersday. acki long with a sliced forehand The Dane, who will take over and the title clash was back on as world number one, burst into serve. tears as she secured the title In the tiebreak the Dane against the battling Romanian went 4-1 up before a second top seed on her first match point mini-break and two solid serves of a gruelling, epic encounter. gave her the tiebreak 7-2. Both players needed med- Wozniacki was growing in ical attention on court before the confidence and Halep needed to Dane prevailed in 2hr 49min in save four break points at 1-1 in energy-sapping hot and humid the second set in a brutal game conditions on Rod Laver Arena. that lasted 11 minutes. Wozniacki, 27, has long car- Soon after Halep signalled to ried the unwanted moniker of her coach Darren Cahill in the best player never to win a major, player’s box that she wasn’t having reached the US Open final feeling well. in 2009 and 2014, and first And there were worrying becoming number one in 2010. scenes as the Romanian had her Both of them were in their blood pressure taken and an ice third major final -- their first in towel applied in the next Australia -- and both had saved changeover. match points in earlier rounds to Halep re-emerged with her get there. energy drained and needed the Wozniacki started the luckiest of net cords to hold for stronger and broke Halep’s 4-3. opening service game with the Cramping and almost before levelling on her third set 2-0 as the match clock hit the struggled to find any rhythm 4-4. Finally, having not held early evening temperature still limping, she decided to stand and point. The tournament’s extreme two-hour mark. until Halep held for 3-3. since the first game of the third above 30 Celsius (86 deliver in the next game, keeping heat policy was invoked meaning Halep dug deep and got it Wozniacki’s weaker fore- set Wozniacki managed it again Farenheit). the points short. the players took a 10-minute back to 2-1 on her sixth break hand let her down twice from and crucially led 5-4 with Halep The Dane sped into a 3-0 Incredibly the tactic paid off break before the start of the third point of a gruelling game when deuce and Halep led for the first having to serve to stay in the lead behind a consistent first as she broke Wozniacki with a set. Wozniacki double-faulted after time in the match at 4-3. match. serve. ripping drive up the line and When they resumed Wozni- almost 12 minutes. Now it was the turn of the The Romanian couldn’t Wozniacki had not won a set served at 5-3 to level the match. acki held before wearing Halep Both players were feeling the Dane to call the physio. With her manage it and a backhand into in either of her previous two Wozniacki forced two break down with a series of long ral- heat and two more breaks of left knee freshly strapped she the net brought an end to her Grand Slam final appearances back points which Halep saved, lies and securing the break for serve were exchanged as they broke Halep yet again to level at brave challenge. Beaten Halep says her time will come after body gives up AFP MELBOURNE: Battle weary Simona Halep says her time will come after failing for the third time to win a Grand Slam final, admitting her body simply gave up after a draining Australian Open. Her 7-6 (7/2), 3-6, 6-4 defeat yesterday to Caroline Wozniacki was a double blow for the Roma- nian, who will also lose her number one world status to the Dane when the new rankings come out next week. Cilic aiming to turn up heat on The courageous Halep, 26, admitted that she cried after the crushing loss, but was philosoph- ical afterwards, saying “It is just Federer in Melbourne clash a tennis match in the end” and that “life goes on”. “But, yeah, I’m really sad I couldn’t win it. I was REUTERS Open, it gave him great belief,” Federer close again, but the gas was over HEAD-TO-HEAD (Federer 8 - Cilic 1) said. “I like his attitude. He’s very profes- in the end. She was better. She MELBOURNE: Even by Roger Federer’s 2017 - Federer d Cilic 6-7(5) 6-4 6-1 (ATP Finals, hard) sional. On the court, he’s a winner. He’s was fresher. She had actually standards his path to a 30th Grand Slam 2017 - Federer d Cilic 6-3 6-1 6-4 (Wimbledon, grass) there to win and not just to be there. more energy in the end.” final has been a breeze but things are 2016 - Federer d Cilic 6-7(4) 4-6 6-3 7-6(9) 6-3 (Wimbledon, grass) Sometimes you see other players you feel Despite losing, she vowed to about to hot up as Croatian Marin Cilic 2014 - Cilic d Federer 6-3 6-4 6-4 (U.S. Open, hard) like they’re happy to have made the quar- bounce back and planned to get prepares to try to stop the Swiss claiming 2014 - Federer d Cilic 7-6(5) 6-7(3) 6-4 (Toronto, hard) ters. I think he strives for more.” back to work after having a break a sixth Australian Open title today. 2012 - Federer d Cilic 6-3 6-4 (Shanghai, hard) Cilic, whose powerful serve and tree- and giving her aching body time Federer has only been extended past 2011 - Federer d Cilic 6-3 4-6 6-4 6-2 (U.S. Open, hard) chopping forehand will be the key to his to heal. the two-hour mark twice in reaching his 2011 - Federer d Cilic 6-4 6-3 (Monaco, clay) chances, says today’s showdown is not a “I will fight and hopefully I seventh final in Melbourne and even those 2008 - Federer d Cilic 6-3 6-4 (Paris, hard) chance of revenge for what happened at will face another challenge like I two matches this week against unseeded Wimbledon. did today,” she said. I’m sad that Marton Fucsovics and Tomas Berdych dashed when Nadal retired hurt in the fifth against Federer but his sole victory came “I think I played great tournament so I couldn’t make it the third time, were relatively straightforward straight- set of his quarter-final with Cilic on in the US Open semi-final in 2014 when far with my level of tennis,” the 29-year- but maybe the fourth time will be sets wins. Tuesday, although nothing should be the six-foot-six powerhouse went on to old, bidding to become the first Croatian with luck.” “I can’t believe how fast now the week taken away from the Croatian sixth seed, claim his maiden Grand Slam title against with multiple grand slam titles, said. The long hours on court took has turned out to be,” the 36-year-old said who crunched a mind-boggling 83 win- Japan’s Kei Nishikori. He also led by two “I think everything is in good, solid their toll in the final, which was after his semi-final opponent Chung ners. A top-10 regular, Cilic will bring an sets at Wimbledon two years ago and had spot. I’m really excited about the final.” played in hot and humid condi- Hyeon retired after 62 minutes of an old- arsenal of heavy artillery to Rod Laver match points, although 12 months later in He will start as the underdog though tions on Rod Laver Arena, with fashioned schooling with foot blisters. Arena today when temperatures in Mel- the final he suffered a painful straight sets as the apparently ageless Federer chases ice-towels used at the changeo- One local bookmaker says it has bourne are expected to be in the high 30s Centre Court loss to Federer when blis- yet more records. Should Federer win he vers. “For sure. I was really tired. already paid out A$500,000 to punters Celsius with high humidity -- the most ters reduced him to tears. would join Novak Djokovic and Roy I had so many problems with my who backed world number two Federer extreme conditions Federer has faced To have the chance to banish that Emerson with the most Australian Open feet, pain everywhere,” she said.