Sport TUESDAY 29 SEPTEMBER 2020 USU Open winner Dominic Thiem admits tought fight ahead to replace ‘Big 3' I think it’s (the decline in ratings for the US Open champi- onshipo match) normal, because Federer, Djokovic, Nadal, theyt are like global superstars, and we are not yet. Dominic Thiem Sport |11 NBA: (EAST. CONF. FINALS) Game 6: Miami Heat 125, Boston Celtics 113 (Adebayo 33 points, Butler 22) * Miami Heat won series 4-2 Serena digs deep to Record-chasing Nadal off find way past Ahn to a flying start in Paris into second round REUTERS – PARIS Spain’s Rafael Nadal Sixth seed Serena Williams battled sluggish conditions REUTERS – PARIS in action during his to defeat fellow American Kristie Ahn 7-6(2) 6-0 to French Open first round begin her French Open campaign yesterday. Claycourt master Rafael Nadal started I want to play matches match against Belarus’ Playing an opponent she beat in straight sets at the his quest for a record-extending 13th with a positive attitude. It's Egor Gerasimov in Paris same stage at the US Open less than a month ago, Wil- French Open title with a straight- yesterday. liams found herself struggling to win points on Court forward 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 first-round win a different Roland Garros Philippe-Chatrier where the roof was opened just before against Belarusian Egor Gerasimov with challenging weather the match. yesterday. conditions. Williams started with three aces to win her opening The Spaniard, looking to equal game but the 102nd-ranked Ahn started moving better Roger Federer's record of 20 Grand and chased down her opponent’s heavy groundstrokes, Slam men's singles titles, is used to Rafael Nadal which on most surfaces would have ended up as slow starts at Roland Garros and this winners. year's debut was no different. Ahn, who was making her main-draw debut at On the revamped court Philippe Roland Garros, went up 3-1 and served for the set at Chatrier, whose roof stayed open serve again in the third game of 5-4 but the 39-year-old Williams rallied each time to throughout, Nadal converted all of his the second. force a tiebreaker. five break points to set up a meeting With a mountain to climb Williams, who has won three of her 23 Grand Slam with American Mackenzie McDonald. after falling two sets behind singles titles at Roland Garros, raised her level in the The second seed, who had com- and as blue skies ate away the tiebreaker and did not look back from there, handing plained about the new balls being too dark clouds, Gerasimov broke the hapless Ahn a bagel in the second set. heavy, did not appear too bothered for 2-0 in the third set. “The biggest difference was just confidence,” Wil- in front of some 200 fans, wrapping Nadal quickly regained control, liams told reporters. “I just need to play with more up the match with a service winner. however, and levelled for 2-2, with confidence, like I’m Serena. So that was it. "I want to play matches with a Gerasimov twisting his ankle on the The American, bidding to match Margaret positive attitude. It's a different Roland last point of the fourth game. Court’s record 24 Grand Slam titles, hit her 11th Garros with challenging weather con- The physiotherapist taped the ace on her fifth matchpoint to seal the victory ditions," said Nadal. Belarusian's ankle and play resumed in an hour and 41 minutes. "I played quite a solid match when after a short interruption with Nadal Williams had 28 of her 36 unforced errors in I was serving, no? I was playing some breaking again for 3-2. the opening set while she hit 26 winners in all. good points. I did some good fore- Gerasimov's challenge was Next up for the American will be a second-round hands, winners down the line, that's fading as Nadal piled on the meeting against fellow mother Tsvetana Pironkova, a key shot for me," he said. pressure to seal a routine win, who earlier beat Andrea Petkovic 6-3 6-3. With his topspin having less of a moving a step closer to the “She’s playing well but I am too. I’m ready to play devastating effect on the heavier clay, semi-final. her. She’ll be ready to play me,” Williams said of her next Nadal had to adapt and play more Austria’s Dominic Thiem opponent. “It will be a long match, she will get a lot of aggressively than usual, taking the ball showed no sign of a hangover balls back but so will I. I’ll be ready.” Williams and earlier to unsettle his opponent -- a from his US Open triumph as Pironkova met in the quarter-finals of the US Open this tactic that worked perfectly. he began his Roland Garros month, when the Bulgarian went down in three sets. He broke in the fifth game as he campaign with an “It’s always exciting to face her, especially after our bagged the opening set in solid impressive 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 last match,” said Pironkova. “We played three sets, it fashion, and he stole his opponent's win over Marin Cilic. was very exciting match, so we’ll see. I’m definitely very excited.” Djokovic seeks French Open The biggest difference was just confidence. I just need to play with more confidence, like I’m Serena. So that was it. I just started playing like that. I love the clay and I started playing like it, opening the court and moving and redemption after US drama sliding. I do think her level dropped a little bit in the beginning of the first REUTERS – PARIS on. Of course, it was a shock for Djokovic after sealing his record set and I took advantage of that. I think her level was so high in the first set me and a lot of people,” Djokovic 36th Masters trophy. that I just needed to lift my level more than what I did. Three weeks after an acrimo- told reporters. Ymer, ranked 80, will be nious exit at the US Open, world The incident raised question facing a world number one for Serena Williams believes the key to levelling the all-time number one Novak Djokovic will marks over Djokovic’s volatile the first time when he walks out resume his pursuit of an 18th on-court behaviour in an oth- to play Djokovic and will take Grand Slam record of 24 titles is to 'play like Serena Williams' Grand Slam title when he takes erwise perfect 2020 season, in some heart from that fact that the on Sweden’s Mikael Ymer in the which he has assembled a tour- Serbian lost to a lower-ranked first round at the French Open leading 31-1 record. player in a Grand Slam when he today. Djokovic was relieved to turn fell to number 117 Denis Istomin The Serbian had started as a a page on the New York chapter in the second round of the 2017 heavy favourite to win the title at and looked right at home on his Australian Open. Flushing Meadows but was dis- claycourt return in Rome, It would represent a huge qualified from his fourth-round dropping just one set en route to shock though as the damp clay- match against Pablo Carreno his fifth Italian Open title. courts, featuring a lower bounce Busta after inadvertently striking “I don’t want to sound than during the tournament’s usual a line judge in the throat with a arrogant. I am very satisfied and May/June slot, appear tailor-made ball. pleased to win a title. I know I still for the precision baseline power “I had to accept it and move have a couple of gears,” said and accuracy that Djokovic boasts. Al Nassr to meet Al Ahli SFC, Persepolis to face Pakhtakor in ACL quarters THE PENINSULA – DOHA Group A, advanced to the quarter- berth in dramatic fashion on Sunday “All three teams would have been finals after defeating UAE’s Shabab Al with Isa Al Kasir scoring an 88th difficult opponents,” said Pakhtakor Al Nassr will face Al Ahli Saudi FC in Ahli Dubai 4-3 on penalties, with the minute winner for the Iran Pro League assistant coach Pieter Huistra. an all-Saudi Arabia tie while Iran's Round of 16 match having ended 1-1 champions against Qatar’s Al Sadd SC “Persepolis are a great team and Persepolis FC and Pakhtakor of after extra-time on Saturday. in their last 16 tie. we know them quite well because we Uzbekistan will square off in the 2020 “I did not have a preference prior “Coming to the draw ceremony we faced them last year in the group stage AFC Champions League (West) to the draw as all teams are very strong, knew it wasn’t going to make a big dif- and they are champions of IR Iran, so quarter-finals following the draw in but it is interesting because we face a ference for us, because here there are we have to be ready and have to be in Doha yesterday. fellow Saudi club,” said Al Ahli Saudi four strong teams,” said Persepolis good shape but we are confident. We Both quarter-finals will be played head coach Vladan Milojevic. team manager Mohammad Ali played some good games already here at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium “Al Nassr are a good team.