P44:Layout 1

Friday 44 Sports Friday, February 15, 2019 Greece’s Tsitsipas ‘loses to himself’ in Rotterdam exit Wawrinka powers into Rotterdam quarter-finals ROTTERDAM: Rising Greek star Stefanos Tsit- to a relatively modest 15 aces. “I was moving sipas said he “lost to himself” after suffering a much better in this match than some of the oth- shock defeat at the ATP event in Rotterdam by ers against him,” said the three-time Grand Slam Bosnian Damir Dzumhur on Wednesday. The 20- title winner. year-old, who dumped out Roger Federer en “This was my best match in many months. route to the Australian Open semi-finals last Some of my losses this season were close calls. month, saved two match points late in the third I’m trying to push myself, I’m looking for re- set but still slumped to a 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 loss. sults.” Wawrinka will play his second quarter- It was Dzumhur’s first win since October after final of the season after Doha when he takes on a run of four straight defeats, and Tsitsipas was Denis Shapovalov after the Canadian teenager left frustrated by an erratic display. “I lost to my- beat former champion Tomas Berdych 6-4, 6-3, self, not to him,” said the world number 12. “He fools you, waits for you to make mistakes. ‘KEPT MY LEVEL’ He stands eight metres behind the baseline and Earlier on Wednesday, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga plays with your strengths. He played nothing continued his strong form with a 6-1, 6-4 defeat crazy or special, but you don’t get any rhythm of Italy’s Thomas Fabbiano. The Frenchman, who with him. missed seven months of last season after knee “The momentum was on my side but he kept surgery, continued his momentum after winning putting the ball into the court and running.” Tsit- last weekend’s tournament in Montpellier. sipas was seeded third at the Ahoy Arena, but Tsonga, ranked 140th, spent just 66 minutes has now lost three of his last four matches after in dispatching qualifier Fabbiano. The former following his Melbourne last-four thrashing by Australian Open finalist, 33, was pleased with his Rafael Nadal with a quarter-final exit at the showing as he won his 10th match from 12 since hands of Gael Monfils in Sofia last week. the start of the year. ROTTERDAM: Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas plays a forehand return to Bosnia’s Damir Dzumhur during Stan Wawrinka, the 2015 champion, ended a “I played well in the first set and kept my level their men’s singles match on day three of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam three-match losing run against Milos Raonic as in the second,” he said. “My opponent raised on Wednesday. — AFP he defeated the fourth-seeded Canadian 6-4, 7- (his) in the second but I held on.” Tsonga next 6 (7/4) to reach the last eight. Wawrinka, ranked plays Dutch wildcard Tallon Griekspoor, who 68th after spending last season recovering and knocked out second seed Karen Khachanov on Daniil Medvedev won his opening match of the Monday, also arrived in the Netherlands after rehabbing from two 2017 knee operations, is fast Tuesday and admitted he does not know much week, beating France’s Jeremy Chardy 7-6 (7/2), winning a title, having claimed his fourth ATP gaining momentum in 2019. about the 211th-ranked home hope. 6-2. Hungarian Marton Fucsovics put out 2016 tournament win in Sofia. Monfils reached the The 33-year-old Swiss saved the only break “I really don’t know about him, but we will Rotterdam champion Martin Klizan 7-6 (7/4), 6- quarter-finals on Wednesday at the expense of point he faced while holding big server Raonic work on it,” Tsonga said. Russian fifth seed 4. Like Tsonga, Medvedev, who turned 23 on Italy’s Andreas Seppi, 4-6, 6-1, 6-3. — AFP Injured Sharapova out of Indian Wells Hazlewood confident LOS ANGELES: Maria Sharapova has withdrawn from next month’s WTA Indian Wells Open after fail- of being fit for WCup ing to overcome a right shoulder injury, tournament organisers said SYDNEY: Australian pace spearhead Josh Hazlewood said yes- Wednesday. The 31-year-old terday he was confident of being fit for the World Cup, with Russian star has been struggling scans this week set to determine when he can make a comeback. with a right shoulder problem The vice-captain missed Australia’s two recent Tests against Sri which forced her withdrawal from Lanka with a back injury and has also been ruled out of their the Saint Petersburg tournament upcoming one-day tours against India and Pakistan. last month. Cricket Australia physiotherapist David Beakley previously Organisers of the BNP Paribas said he was suffering an early stage stress fracture, similar to Open at Indian Wells announced one that sidelined him for six months last year. Hazlewood told on Wednesday the same problem reporters he was targeting World Cup warm-up games for his had prompted her withdrawal return, with a follow-up scan on Friday set to shed more light from the March 4-17 event in Cal- on his progress. ifornia. Sharapova’s place in the “I think we’ll know a lot more after tomorrow, to be honest. main draw will be taken by Ger- Hopefully in the coming weeks we’ll start working through it,” many’s Mona Barthel, organisers he said. “Hopefully it’s going along to plan. “Everything feels fine said. so training’s coming along nicely, progressing every week. I think Sharapova has been struggling we’ll just work back from the World Cup really and make sure back to top fitness since watching everything’s right for that, which gives me plenty of time.” from the sidelines during her 15- Australia play their first World Cup group game against month doping ban that ended in Afghanistan on June 1, with three practice matches scheduled at 2017. The former world number home against New Zealand in May. Fellow fast bowler Mitchell one missed out on a place in the Starc is also struggling with injury after suffering a “substantial” Australian Open quarter-finals last muscle tear in the final Test against Sri Lanka. He has been ruled month, but insisted she still be- out of the India series, with his availability for Pakistan not yet lieves she can increase her tally of known. — AFP five Slam titles. — AFP Maria Sharapova.

Load more