14 Monday, August 24, 2020 Sports Murray moves up as Venus and Gauff crash out DPA whopping 46 unforced errors time. That’s what I wanted. New York during the match. “The more time I get on The pair touched wrists court with top players, the Former world number one at the net instead of the typi- quicker my level will get back Andy Murray enjoyed a win- cal handshake and tapped the to where I want it to be.” Later ning return to tennis with a 7-6 umpire’s shoe with their rac- on Grandstand, the 40-year- (8-6), 3-6, 6-1 triumph over quet as Murray celebrated the old Williams, ranked 65 in the Empty stands at the ongoing Frances Tiafoe to reach the win with a fist pump towards world, recovered from a 2-4 Western & Southern Open at the second round of the Western his team in the empty stands. deficit in the opening set to take USTA Billie Jean King National & Southern Open, as the men’s “There isn’t really an atmos- the lead but dropped the next Tennis Center in New York, US. tennis tour resumed in New phere, so that’s obviously a lit- two to the big-hitting Ukrainian (Getty Images/AFP) York following a five-month tle bit tricky. I know it’s a bit of in two hours and 36 minutes. coronavirus-enforced hiatus. a cliche that you need to cre- Home favourite and world Venus Williams, another ate your own atmosphere on number 50 Coco Gauff was No crowds former world number one, did the court but it’s not quite the handed a 6-1, 6-3 drubbing by not fare as well in the women’s same,” said Murray. number 13 seed Maria Sakka- makes for a competition as the American Having been dealing with ri, who looked in complete suffered a 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 defeat physical issues all year, Mur- control of the match and later new world to 16th seed Dayana Yastrem- ray said he wasn’t too con- gave rave reviews to the bub- ska, who fought through the cerned about how much match ble set-up. pain after twisting her ankle to play he’ll be getting in New All players competing this as tennis reach the second round. York, but the three-time grand week, as well as in next week’s The last ATP match played slam champion is keen to test US Open, are living in a bio gears up for prior to the tour suspension himself against the tour’s best. bubble, following strict safety was the Santiago final on “My goal was to come in protocols onsite and at the of- US Open March 1. Using Grandstand as and my hip be feeling good. ficial tournament hotel. its centre court, along with nine That was what I wanted. I “It sounds weird, but I love AFP other outside courts at the Bil- don’t mind how much tennis it. It’s so nice,” said Sakkari of New York lie Jean King National Tennis I get to play, I know that will her life in the bubble so far. Center, the Western & South- Maria Sakkari of Greece serves to Cori Gauff during the Western & Southern Open at the USTA Billie Jean King come with time and the more I “It’s like a school trip, it’s so For her or against her, for- ern Open - typically hosted in National Tennis Center in New York on Saturday. Sakkari won the 1st round match 6-1, 6-3. (Getty Images/AFP) practice and the more matches nice.” Russian world number mer world number one Victo- Cincinnati - kicked off in New that I get,” said the 33-year- 27 Ekaterina Alexandrova de- ria Azarenka says fans in the York on Saturday with no spec- November and who missed with US player Tiafoe, Mur- overcome the American world old Briton. livered the first upset of the stands are a key part of the tators in the stands and line the start of the 2020 season ray, a two-time Cincinnati number 81 and book a second “Today I was compet- day, thanks to a 7-5, 7-6 (8- tennis experience. judges replaced by electronic dealing with a pelvic injury, champion, had to save a set round showdown with fifth ing again at the highest level, 6) win over ninth seed Elena “I feel like they create an line-calling. will next face world number point in the first-set tiebreak, seed Zverev. managed to win a match, and Rybakina of Kazakhstan, who energy,” Azarenka said Satur- Murray, who hadn’t com- seven Alexander Zverev. and battled through two hours Tiafoe, who recently re- get the opportunity to play a leads the WTA in matches won day, after beating Donna Vekic peted since the Davis Cup last In his first career meeting and 28 minutes of play to covered from Covid-19, hit a top player in a couple of days’ and aces hit this season. 6-2, 6-3 in her opening match of the Western & Southern Open campaign on an eerily empty Grandstand court at the National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows. “Those kind of magical moments always happen when Azhar century frustrates there is a crowd, and it can swing each way,” Azarenka said. “I love that energy I feel like you can feed off. “Sometimes you have the whole stadium against you England but Pakistan and you kind of feed off of that, as well.” Players are having to ad- just, however, as tennis re- turns amid the COVID-19 pan- demic that brought the sport still follow-on to a halt in March. Norway’s Karsten Warholm competes to win in the men 400m hurdles AFP “There isn’t really an at- event during the Diamond League Athletics Meeting at Stockholm Southampton mosphere, so that’s obviously stadium in Sweden on Sunday. (AFP) a little bit tricky,” former men’s Pakistan captain Azhar Ali number one Andy Murray said led from the front with a bril- after his first-round victory Warholm edges closer to liant undefeated 141 but Eng- over American Frances Tiafoe. land still enforced the follow- “I know it’s a bit of a cli- 400m hurdles world record on at Southampton on Sunday che, but you need to kind of as James Anderson was left create your own atmosphere frustratingly short of becom- a bit on the court. It’s just not after camping in Stockholm ing the first paceman to take quite the same.” 600 Test wickets. Murray said that was even AFP stunned Warholm had missed Pakistan were dismissed more important in the tiring, Stockholm out on Young’s record. for 273, a huge 310 runs be- humid conditions. “I’m not even surprised that hind England’s imposing 583- “A crowd being there sort Norway’s two-time world @kwarholm PR’d. I’m actually 8 declared, on the third day of of maybe helps you focus a champion Karsten Warholm more shocked he didn’t break the third Test. little bit more and sometimes blasted to the second fastest the world record,” he tweeted. Anderson took 5-56 in 23 gives you that little bit extra 400m hurdles time ever at For good measure, War- overs – his 29th five-wicket boost in terms of your energy the Diamond League in Stock- holm returned to the track 90 haul in Tests – as the hosts, 1-0 or whatever, your concentra- holm on Sunday after sleeping minutes later to win the 400m up in a three-match contest, tion. It’s certainly different in in a motor home. in 45.05 sec. pressed for their first series that respect. Another world champion win over Pakistan in a decade. “I thought I did quite well shone at an empty stadium That left Anderson with with that. At the beginning of Norway’s two-time world in accordance with COVID-19 598 wickets but he would have the third set I made a big ef- champion Karsten health and safety protocols, had more had not three catches Pakistan’s Azhar Ali (left) makes his ground to avoid the run out attempt by England’s Stuart Broad on the fort to give as much energy as Warholm and his coach with the American Donavan been dropped off the 38-year- third day of their third Test at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton, England, on Sunday. (AFP) possible on the court,” Mur- Leif Olav Alnes drove from Brazier timing 1min 43.76sec old’s bowling with the new ball. ray added. “Fist pumping and Norway in a camper van to win the 800m ahead of After England captain Joe Scoreboard but with the floodligts on full trying to be positive. That and the pair slept in the Canada’s Marco Arop. Root had enforced the follow- beam, then dropped three helped a bit.” Elsewhere men’s pole on, the umpires decided the England 1st Innings 583-8 decl Mohammad Abbas run out (Broad) 1 catches to Anderson’s despair. ATP players are back in ac- vehicle before the meet to vault world record holder Ar- fading light was unsafe for Pakistan 1st Innings (overnight: 24-3) Naseem Shah c Sibley b Anderson 0 Rory Burns grassed a tion this week for the first time reduce health risks due to mand Duplantis took victory Pakistan to start their second Shan Masood lbw b Anderson 4 Extras: (b2, lb7, nb2, w2) 13 rouine chance when Azhar on since play was halted back in the coronavirus. on home soil by jumping 6.01 innings even though the Ageas Abid Ali c Sibley b Anderson 1 Total: (All out, 93 overs, 423 mins) 273 116 edged a drive before fourth March. metres in a global best for the Bowl floodlights were on. Azhar Ali not out 141 Fall of wickets: 1-6 (Masood), 2-11 (Abid), slip Zak Crawley floored Mo- The WTA resumed earlier Babar Azam lbw b Anderson 11 3-24 (Babar), 4-30 (Shafiq), 5-75 (Alam), virus-affected season. Pakistan had been in dire Asad Shafiq c Root b Anderson 5 6-213 (Rizwan), 7-241 (Yasir), 8-247 (Afridi), hammad Abbas when the No this month with tournaments In the men’s 1,500 men, straits at 75-5. But Azhar, Fawad Alam c Buttler b Bess 21 9-261 (Abbas), 10-273 (Naseem). 10 was on nought. in Prague and Lexington, Ken- Kenyan world champion Tim- who’d managed just 38 runs Mohammad Rizwan c Buttler b Woakes 53 Bowling: Anderson 23-3-56-5; Broad 20-5-40- It was the first major mistake tucky, neither of which boast othy Cheruiyot won in 3min in three previous innings this Yasir Shah c Root b Broad 20 2; Archer 17-3-58-0 (1w); Woakes 15-2-42-1 by Crawley. Broad, in response the massive courts of the ten- 30.25sec ahead of Norway’s series, shared a stand of 138 Shaheen Afridi c Buttler b Broad 3 (2nb); Bess 18-2-68-1. Toss: England. to dropped a simple chance nis center where the US Open Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Stew- with wicketkeeper Moham- from Mohammad Abbas at mid- will start on August 31. art McSweyn of Australia. mad Rizwan (53) on, off Anderson, threw the ball The center’s biggest Britain’s Laura Muir won During his innings, Azhar Azhar, on 21, caught behind Tests when he cover-drove Bess in frustration at the stumps and courts, the Arthur Ashe and the women’s 1,500m in a time become just the fifth Pakistan off Jofra Archer but a review for a 15th four in 205 balls. ran out the tailender. Louis Armstrong stadiums, of 3:57.86 and Ukraine’s Ya- batsman after Younis Khan, revealed the ball had brushed Rizwan’s fine innings end- The run of dropped catch- aren’t in use this week, and roslava Mahuchikh clinched Javed Miandad, Inzamam-ul- the batsman’s shoulder. ed when he was well caught on es off Anderson’s bowling Azarenka hopes the US Ten- Warholm celebrates winning the the women’s high jump with a Haq and Mohammad Yousuf Azhar, working hard to 53 down the legside by oppo- ended when he had last man nis Association won’t try to fill men’s 400m event. (AFP) world leading two metres. to have scored 6,000 Test runs. avoid falling lbw again, com- site number Buttler. Naseem Shah taken in the them with virtual fans when Sunday’s meet also show- England thought they had pleted his 17th century in 81 England, in fading light slips by Dom Sibley. the Open begins. Despite clipping the fi- cased a new-look long jump nal hurdle, the 24-year-old format. clocked 46.87 seconds, bet- Instead of the traditional tering his own European re- format of the winner being cord of 46.92sec and mov- decided by the best jump from ing within touching distance six rounds, the top three after James, Davis dominate Blazers; Bucks blow past Magic of American Kevin Young’s five rounds contested a one- long-standing world record of jump final. AFP points and seven assists for the Lakers. tory over Orlando to take a 2-1 lead in 46.78, set back in 1992. It was not a popular idea. Miami James said Saturday he is getting their playoff series. Warholm and his coach “I don’t like it because I more comfortable at sharing the of- Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 35 Leif Olav Alnes drove from feel like it’s getting unfair be- LeBron James finished with 38 points fensive load with Davis in key playoff points and pulled down 11 rebounds Norway in a camper van and cause especially outdoors with as the Los Angeles Lakers outplayed games. “We try to work off one anoth- as the Bucks edged ahead in the best- the pair slept in the vehicle be- the different winds, like one the Portland Trail Blazers at both ends er,” James said. of-seven East series that saw them fore the meet to reduce health jumper can have plus mean- of the floor Saturday for a 116-108 win “There are going to be times when stunned by the Magic in game one. risks due to the coronavirus. while the other jumpers can in game three of their Western Confer- he has it going, so I try to do other Elsewhere in the East, the Miami “The perfect description of have minus,” said Sweden’s ence playoff series. things like make sure we keep offence Heat pushed Indiana to the brink of our relationship would be raw, Khaddi Sagna, who was third James also had 12 rebounds and going, and keep our pace flowing. elimination, withstanding a furious tough love,” Warholm said. in the women’s event behind eight assists while Anthony Davis scored LeBron James (left) of the Los Angeles James also passed former San An- Pacers rally for a 124-115 victory. “I like it like this. Last year Ukraine’s Maryna Bekh-Ro- 23 of his 29 points in the second half as Lakers drives the ball against Carmelo tonio Spurs player Tim Duncan for Jimmy Butler scored 27 points for he told me I was too fat, so I manchuk. the Lakers grabbed a 2-1 lead in the best- Anthony of the Portland Trail Blazers in the second most playoff wins (158) in the Heat, Goran Dragic finished with replied ‘you are too fat as well’. “I feel like that is unfair, of-seven first round series in the NBA’s Game Two of the Western Conference league history. 24, including five baskets from beyond Suddenly we both lost weight.” but I do like the thinking of quarantine bubble in Orlando. First Round during the 2020 NBA Playoffs The Milwaukee Bucks looked more the arc, and Bam Adebayo had 22 World 200m champi- just like putting all the atten- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. like the team with the best record in points and 11 rebounds as Miami took on Noah Lyles said he was tion on one event.” 13 points and Alex Caruso added 10 (Getty Images/AFP) the NBA as they rolled to a 121-107 vic- a commanding 3-0 series lead.