MONDAY, AUGUST 7, 2017 SPORTS TENNIS Zverev rips Nishikori, faces Anderson for title WASHINGTON: Germany’s Alexander year Sunday against 45th-ranked for a 2-1 lead in the second set and held May on his way to the Rome title, his third pion, last raised a trophy at Memphis in Zverev dominated Japan’s Kei Nishikori 6- Anderson, who ousted 19th-ranked to the finish, claiming victory when crown of 2017 after Montpellier and February 2016, a run that includes six 3, 6-4 Saturday in a showdown of top-10 American Jack Sock 6-3, 6-4 on the Nishikori netted a forehand. “I played a Munich. finals losses. “I don’t feel like last year yet, rivals to reach the ATP and WTA Citi Open Washington hardcourts. “Getting the great match,” Zverev said. “I started 3-0. “It’s going to be a tough match. Alex but I feel like if I keep playing my best ten- final against South Africa’s Kevin hardcourt season started with a win That helped the confidence. I played real- has had a great year,” Anderson said. “For nis it will come back,” Nishikori said. Anderson. Zverev, ranked a career-best would be great,” Zverev said. ly well.” me it’s really focusing on things I can do Nishikori was also tired after two long eighth this week, dropped only seven Zverev dominated from the start, win- Zverev, whose fourth-round and playing the best I can.” Anderson matches that finished after midnight points on his serve and never faced a ning the first 10 points and 12 of the first Wimbledon run was his Grand Slam best, reached his first final since winning his because of rain. “Just a bit tough this break point in the 63-minute affair, 13, Nishikori netting a backhand to sur- won 31-of-33 first-serve points, all 13 in third career ATP title in 2015 at Winston- week,” Nishikori said. “I had two matches extending ninth-ranked Nishikori’s ATP render a decisive break at love in the sec- the first set, and 9-of-14 on his second Salem. The lanky 31-year-old from finish at 2 a.m. It wasn’t easy to go to title drought to 30 events over 18 months. ond game. Both men held from there, serve. Zverev is 2-0 against Anderson, Johannesburg also won at Delray Beach sleep. “It’s not the same when you go to The 20-year-old from Hamburg will try Zverev taking the first set in 28 minutes. winning a 2015 Washington second- in 2012 and his hometown in 2011. sleep at 4 a.m. It has been a little bit for his fifth career title and fourth of the Zverev hit a forehand winner to break round match and a first-round meeting in Nishikori, the 2015 Washington cham- crazy.”—AFP BASKETBALL Syria national basketball team hoops against the odds DAMASCUS: Khalil Khoury dribbles a bas- and another one hit over there,” said ketball deftly down the dilapidated gym Zoalkefl as he scribbled comments on the where he and the rest of the Syrian national training session in a small notebook. team train, passing it through his legs “Dozens of shells have landed near the before a silky-smooth lay-up. centre... Things aren’t easy, but we’ve got- Since Syria’s conflict erupted in March ten used to it. That’s war.” The conflict’s 2011, Khoury’s team has seen its ranks eruption six years ago led to the suspen- dwindle and its options for training venues sion of Syria’s national league, which was shrink. But it still practises and competes, replaced by provincial leagues until 2015 including in the prestigious FIBA Asia Cup when the national competition was championship to held on August 17-27 in restored. On the court, power forward neighbouring Lebanon. Anthony Bakar fired the ball back and forth Among the league’s biggest challenges with his teammates before dunking it, has been retaining talent, with players emi- helped by his imposing 199 centimetre (six grating, doing their military service, or foot five) height. “The situation was very being injured or killed in the conflict. tough at the beginning of the crisis. The One tell-tale sign of the struggle is the league was suspended for a year and every unusually large age gap within the current province was playing by itself,” said the 24- lineup. “I’m the youngest player on the year-old. Foreign players, who numbered team,” said 19-year-old Khoury, who moved about a dozen, quit and fled Syria. “It had directly onto the squad from the youth negative consequences on the league’s league. “My teammate Michael Madanly is strength. It’s not easy to convince a foreign about 20 years older than me,” he told AFP player to stay and play in a country at war,” during a break from practice at Al-Fayhaa Bakar said. sports centre in Damascus. “Some players have gone abroad and ‘I MISS THE CROWDS’ many others to do military service, so it’s The conflict has also made life more dif- natural for players to stay on until they’re ficult for the league’s coaches, who have COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews, left, plays a shot during the fourth day’s play of second cricket test match against India in Colombo, Sri older,” said the small forward. found their options for training limited by Lanka, yesterday. — AP “But it affects physical fitness, and it will the violence. “It’s not just players who have show when we play with young teams.” emigrated, but coaches too. For those who CRICKET The head of Syria’s Basketball stayed, it’s hard to get out to a field to train Federation, Daniel Zoalkefl, said the nation- because of the security situation,” said Hadi al league has “lost more than 120 players” Darwish, who became head coach in who have joined the exodus from their December. war-battered country. Jotting down the Going to training camps abroad is virtu- India beat Sri Lanka names of the 12 players attending practice, ally impossible. “There’s a sort of semi- Zoalkefl said the sport also faces other siege. There are many countries that won’t challenges. With the constant power cuts let us in, and visas are difficult to obtain that plague Syria, he has to find fuel for the and take lots of time,” said Darwish. generators to ensure Al-Fayhaa-the Syrian “Our challenge is to build something, to to clinch Test series capital’s most famous gym-can even keep build a national team that is ready to com- the lights on. pete and represent the country in the best way possible,” said Nenad Krdzic, a Serbian MORTARS AND MIGRATING PLAYERS coach. There were no spectators for the Jadeja suspended from 3rd Sri Lanka Test The gym itself is run down and its air evening training session, just a handful of conditioners have been out of order for managers and league officials. COLOMBO: Skipper Virat Kohli yesterday hailed months, so training sessions are usually Just before practice ended, the power Ravindra Jadeja for his all-round performance in SCOREBOARD held at night when the mercury eases to cut. The back-up generator was broken, so the series-clinching victory against Sri Lanka, more bearable levels. coaches were forced to wind up training saying the left-arm spinner gave the side a great COLOMBO, Sri Lanka: Scoreboard yesterday at the end of the second cricket test between Sri Lanka and India at Government warplanes can be heard early. Shooting guard Majd Arbasha knelt balance. Sinhalese Sports Club: overhead on their way to or from raids on down, exhausted and trying to catch his The celebrations were short-lived, however, opposition-held areas near the capital. breath. He pines for the glory days of the after cricket’s governing body suspended Jadeja India 1st Innings: 622-9 dec Nuwan Pradeep c Dhawan b Ashwin 1 from the third and final Test later this week for Sri Lanka 1st Innings: 183 Extras: (5lb, 2w, 2nb) 9 The thud of shells fired by rebels onto sport. “I miss my friends. I miss the crowds Sri Lanka 2nd Innings nearby neighbourhoods echo through the and the packed halls,” he said. “Basketball dangerous play during his match-winning per- TOTAL (all out): 386 Dimuth Karunaratne c Rahane b Jadeja 141 Overs: 116.5. gym during practice. puts a smile on your face. But today it puts formance in Colombo. India crushed the home Upul Tharanga b Yadav 2 Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-198, 3-238, 4-241, 5-310, 6-315, 7- “A mortar hit right where I’m standing, a lump in our throats.” —AFP team by an innings and 53 runs on day four of Kusal Mendis c saha b Pandya 110 321, 8-343, 9-384. the second Test in Colombo to take an unassail- Malinda Pushpakumara b Ashwin 16 Bowling: Umesh Yadav 13-2-39-1, Ravichandran Ashwin able 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Dinesh Chandimal c Rahane b Jadeja 2 37.5-7-132-2, Mohammed Shami 12-3-27-0, Ravindra Jadeja, the world number one bowler in ICC Angelo Mathews c Saha b Jadeja 36 Test rankings, claimed five second-innings wick- Niroshan Dickwella c Rahane b Pandya 31 Jadeja 39-5-152-5, Hardik Pandya 15-2-31-2 (2w, 2nb). ets as India bowled out the hosts for 386. He also Dilruwan Perera st.