SPORT llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll ntnews.com.au Bailey aiming at Ashes Think looks for one more Beale felled by broken rib AUSTRALIAN batsman George Bailey is targeting a SO YOU Think is the early favourite for his defence of REBELS utility Kurtley Beale could be in doubt for the place on next year’s Ashes tour and hopes to press the Eclipse Stakes which is expected to be his last first match of the Rugby Championship on August 18, his claims in the current one-day series in England. race before he returns to to stand at after sustaining a fractured rib against Queensland in Australia is 2-0 down in the five-match series, but Coolmore Stud. Race sponsor Coral has installed the last Friday night’s Super Rugby clash. Melbourne’s Bailey has been one of the team’s better performers, 10 time Group One winner at 10-11 for Saturday’s medical staff said he could be out for up to six weeks. contributing 29 and 65. He hopes to push on to even feature at Sandown in England. A total of 15 runners ‘‘Further investigations revealed a rib fracture, which better things at Edgbaston tonight (NT time) and are still engaged in the Group 1, with So You Think’s will take four to six weeks to heal and rule him out for games at Durham and Old Trafford. ‘‘I think I can be a trainer Aidan O’Brien also leaving in Daddy Long Legs, the remainder of the Super Rugby season,’’ Rebels part of that line-up if there’s a spot there,’’ he said. Windsor Palace and Robin Hood. coach Damien Hill said. Maria Rain comes into play aiming to fight

SHOWING all the Swiss way back diplomacy of his great rival, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic WITH or without the No. 1 preferred to hail Roger ranking, Maria Sharapova Federer than be drawn into vowed to hit back harder scheduling controversy than ever after having her at Wimbledon. Wimbledon hopes crushed While local hope Andy in a fourth-round ambush. Murray was left facing the Free-swinging German PUB: prospect of playing for three powerhouse Sabine Lisicki straight days, Djokovic and dashed Sharapova’s bid for Federer are one win away a rare -

TNEWS NT from another grand slam Wimbledon title double with semi-final showdown after a 6-4 6-3 loss that left the top escaping the rain to avoid the half of the women’s draw dreaded second-week backlog wide open. of matches. The surprise defeat also Djokovic, Federer and placed Sharapova in danger Russian Mikhail Youzhny of losing the top ranking the

DATE: were happily left high and 25-year-old only regained dry when play on all outside last month in Paris. courts was suspended Mon- But the defiant Russian day, leaving Murray and op- said regardless of whether ponent Marin Cilic to return she relinquished her No. 1 4-JUL-2012 last night (NT time) hoping to status, nothing could take lock up quarter-final spots. away her grand slam set. Playing under the comfort Sharapova’s Roland Gar- of Centre Court’s closed ros triumph made her only roof, Djokovic ruthlessly the 10th woman in history to dispatched Serbian Davis win all four majors — join- Cup teammate Viktor Troicki ing all-time greats including

PAGE: 6-3 6-1 6-3 to remain Steffi Graf, Martina Navrat- firmly on track to defend ilova, Chris Evert and Aust- his crown. ralia’s grand slam leader Federer overcame a Margaret Smith Court.

42 ‘‘scary’’ back flare-up to ‘‘I’m really proud of what reach a staggering 33rd I’ve achieved,’’ Sharapova successive grand slam said. ‘‘Obviously, as tough COLOR: quarter-final with a 7-6 (7-1) as it is to sit here being an 6-1 4-6 6-3 win over Belgian athlete after a loss — it’s Xavier Malisse. only been 30, 40 minutes — Federer required a medical you always try to take away timeout midway through the as many positives as you opening set, before recover- can. You can only use it as C ing to book a date with motivation. It will be nice to

M Youzhny. Of all Federer’s rest for a little bit and be in a feats, Djokovic said his home atmosphere.’’ Y sustained level of grand slam The world’s highest-paid

K excellence over more than female athlete said it was eight years was among the ‘‘irrelevant’’ if she lost the more mind-blowing. top ranking to Belarusian ‘‘It’s an incredible achieve- Victoria Azarenka or Pole ment,’’ he said. Agnieszka Radwanksa, who ‘‘He’s 30 years old now, but both coasted into the he’s still hungry to be No. 1 of quarter-finals with domi- the world. He’s definitely nant straight-set wins. showing why he is one of the ‘‘What I achieved a few best players ever.’’ Andy Murray had to wait to finish his fourth-round match against Marin Cilic after rain halted play on outside courts Picture: AFP weeks ago doesn’t just go Djokovic wasn’t so keen to away in a few minutes,’’ buy into the scheduling Djokovic conceded. ‘‘It is a re- that all the players are repre- Federer was confident his one-and-a-half days, which is Sharapova said. debate as locals questioned lief to finish the match on sented equally.’’ back problem would be gone a lot of time to work with — ‘‘I’ll have that for the rest the decision to overlook time. I cannot say it’s right or Should Federer extend his by the time he contests his two good nights’ sleeps and of my career. Murray for Centre Court and, wrong they didn’t put him record against Youzhny to 14 10th straight Wimbledon I’ll be 100 per cent.’’ ‘‘But the tennis world al- with it, the insurance of (on). It’s hard to say because from 14 and Djokovic beat quarter-final. The all-time grand slam ways keeps going. completing his fourth- it’s not only I guess advan- Frenchman ‘‘I’m not too worried,’’ he title leader can displace ‘‘You have to raise your round match. tage for a British player being or German Florian Mayer, said. ‘‘I’ve had bad backs over Djokovic as world No. 1 if he level at that point, even ‘‘I was happy that I was on here and playing on Wimble- the two tennis titans will the years. matches Pete Sampras’s when your opponent plays the Centre Court because of don — I think ITF, ATP, clash in a potential duel for ‘‘I’ve been around. They go record seven Wimbledon really great tennis. Just to- the weather conditions,’’ everybody’s making sure the top ranking on Friday. as quick as they came. I have crowns on Sunday. day wasn’t my day.’’ Australian left wondering what might have been

BOOM Australian teenager hard not to think about how qualifying, but only after he’d ‘‘I’d heard a few people say draw from the German event. Australian juniors Nick Luke Saville still wonders far he could have gone already entered a Futures it was automatic for the jun- ‘‘But the withdrawal dead- Krygios and Jordan Thomp- what might have been had an against the men. event in Germany while he ior winner the year before to line had passed when they son joined Saville in the administrative bungle not Fellow Australian Bernard waited for confirmation from get it. Then others, like my told me of the wildcard, so I’m second round with 6-2 6-2 robbed him of a place in the Tomic last year went from tennis officials. coach, said: ‘You can’t just as- not too sure if there was any wins. But boys’ ninth seed Wimbledon qualifying draw. qualifying to the quarter- ‘‘They weren’t too clear,’’ sume that you’re getting in it’. way around it,’’ he said. ‘‘It Andrew Harris suffered a 1-6 Saville has powered into finals of the main draw. Saville said after opening his ‘‘So I entered another was a massive mix-up.’’ 6-3 6-4 loss to the second round in defence Saville, the world’s top- junior defence with an im- tournament.’’ So the South Australian is and Storm Sanders lost her of his junior crown at the All ranked junior, was granted a pressive 6-1 6-4 victory over When he got the call from now hoping to become a triple girls’ singles opener 6-2 4-6 6-3 England Club, but admits it’s wildcard into Wimbledon French rival Laurent Lokili. Wimbledon, he forgot to with- junior grand slam champion. to Czech Katerina Siniakova.

42 NT NEWS. Wednesday, July 4, 2012. www.ntnews.com.au