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Home , Gracie Gold, Miami Open (tennis)

SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2015 SPORTS

KEY BISCAYNE: of Spain serves against Nicolas Almagro of Spain in their second round match during the Open. —AFP Nadal wins Miami opener, but rain sidelines Serena

MIAMI: Second-seeded Rafael Nadal launched improved 50 percent and it stays the same. It’s cooled you down a little bit at the end HALEP HANGS ON his bid for a first Miami Masters title on Friday not limiting my movements.” Nadal took 52 MURRAY PLAYS SMART changes,” said the former Wimbledon and US Women’s third seed Simona Halep pulled with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over fellow Spaniard minutes to win the opening set. The first four Two-time champion also Open champion. “It was just very tough herself together after dropping the second set Nicolas Almagro. games took 23 minutes, but his early break of reached the third round, backing up his recent weather to play good in. So I just tried to earn a 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 victory over Czech Nicole Nadal, who has four runner-up finishes in Almagro proved enough to take the set. Davis Cup win over with a 6-4, to play smart, and it worked.” Vaidisova. 10 prior appearances on the of Nadal quickened his pace in the second, 6-2 win over the American. Swiss seventh seed needed The Romanian, who won the biggest title Miami, showed no signs of the training mishap breaking Almagro twice and securing the win Murray, seeded third, has defeated Young a fightback to overpower Argentine Carlos of her career when she lifted the WTA premier which left him with a sore ankle and threat- on his first match point to book a third-round in five of six meetings, including in last Berlocq 6-7 (9/11), 7-5, 6-2, while eighth-seed- level trophy at Indian Wells, was stunned in ened to compromise his start. berth. month’s Davis Cup first-round date in Glasgow. ed Czech Tomas Berdych advanced with a 6-3, the second set by the 25-year-old Vaidisova, “I think I did the things well when I had to He was done and dusted before the arrival The Scot, who won titles at the town he 6-4 victory over South Korea’s Chung Hyeon. who retired in 2010 but is now making a do. I played with no mistakes in the important of heavy rain that washed out the night ses- uses as a training base in 2009 and 2013, mus- Austrian beat Spain’s 10th return to the WTA which began late last year. points,” said Nadal. “The wind was really high, sion, which was to feature world number one tered just 14 winners and hit 21 unforced seed Feliciano Lopez 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 6-3 while Although Halep was broken while serving it was very difficult to find a positive feeling on launching her bid for an errors, but it was enough compared to the 32 South African 15th seed for a three-set win at 5-0 in the third, she court. eighth Miami title with a second-round match unforced errors from Young in the match defeated 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (7/3), 6-4. promptly broke back to secure victory in 92 “I played a solid match. I played well, I had a against . played in draining heat and humidity. Australian shook off effects minutes with 17 winners and 27 unforced good movement. I had some good winners, It’s the second tournament in a row that The victory took less than 90 minutes and of last week’s wisdom tooth trouble and back errors. Almagro was not an easy opponent.” Williams will find herself opening her cam- put Murray into a third-round meeting with pain at Indian Wells-which forced him to for- Fifth seed defeated Irina Nadal said that his ankle is not fully healed, paign against the Romanian, having worked Colombia’s , who beat Robin feit a match-posting a 7-6 (8/6), 7-5 victory Falconi 7-5, 6-7 (4-7), 6-3. Swede Johanna but is tolerable. Although it hurt when he hard to beat her 7-5, 7-5 in the second round Haase of the Netherlands 6-2, 3-6, 6-0. over American Austin Krajicek. Larsson surprised Czech 10th seed Lucie injured it on Monday, “after two days I at Indian Wells, California. “The heat was OK and the wind obviously Safarova with a 7-6 (7/5), 6-2.—AFP Fernandez, Elizaveta clinch gold at worlds

SHANGHAI: European champi- training until earlier this month. on Javier Fernandez became the first Spanish “As I made a few mistakes, I feel really man to win the world singles title yesterday, regretful,” he said. “It is true that during my as Russian teenager pratice my quads were not going very well, so clinched the women’s gold in Shanghai. I did have some anxious feelings.”I did land Fernandez, who has twice won the bronze one in my warm up but it does not really medal at the World Figure Skating mean anything unless you do it in competi- Championships, overcame last year’s winner tion.” Yuzuru Hanyu in dramatic style to claim the Fernandez claimed victory in Shanghai biggest title of his career. The 23-year-old with 273.90 points overall, while Hanyu scored 181.16 in the final free skate-more scored 175.88 in the free skate, finishing sec- than six points above the Olympic champion- ond overall with 271.08. allowing him to go top of the overall stand- The winner of the final programme with ings and take the worlds crown. 181.83 points was Kazakstan’s Dennis Tan, “I have got no words. Not even in my who finished third overall with a score of dreams.....I am really happy,” he said, visibly 267.72. Fernandez finished second at yester- moved by his achievement. “This is going to day’s skate, while Hanyu-his training partner give me a lot of energy to practice hard and under coach Brian Orser-settled for third. keep competing and try my best,” added The Shanghai tournament had earlier wit- Fernandez, who won the last three European nessed 18-year-old Tuktamysheva take gold SEPANG: Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team’s British driver Lewis Hamilton powers his car in the rain during the qualifying race at the Formula crowns and finished fourth at last year’s Sochi in the women’s singles after convincingly One Malaysian Grand Prix. —AFP Winter Games. beating her rivals. Fernandez nailed a quad toe loop before The European Champion scored 132.74 in falling on a quad Salchow-triple toe loop the final segment to finish with 210.36 over- combination, but continued his performance all, some distance in front of second placed Hamilton takes pole in Malaysia in assured fashion. (193.60) of Japan and Hanyu, meanwhile, is mindful that he Russia’s (191.47) in third. The SEPANG: Formula One world champion Lewis see what we can do tomorrow,” said Vettel. set quick laps before the heavens opened. failed to land a single quad jump in his free victory marks an incredible turnaround for Hamilton splashed through the puddles at a Rosberg will be joined on the second row by Rosberg and Vettel made it safely to the finish skate, making only two rotations on a the teen star, who failed to make the Russian rain-soaked Sepang circuit to secure pole posi- Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo after a tropical down- in dry conditions at the head of the field but the Salchow, before falling badly on a toeloop. team for last year’s Olympics. “I am full of tion for Mercedes in a hectic Malaysian Grand pour early in the second session forced the driv- traffic behind left Hamilton eighth while Ferrari’s The Japanese pin-up was returning to emotion right now. This is an amazing Prix qualifying yesterday. The Briton, who ers to wait in the garage for 35 minutes before Kimi Raikkonen was only 11th and missed the competition for the first time since comfort- moment,” she said following the win. Dancing cruised to victory fom the front in the season- the track was safe enough to go out again. cut. It was a bitter blow for the Finn, who had ably defending his Grand Prix Final title in to “Batwannis Beek” and “Sandstorm”, the opening Australian Grand Prix this month, had “We’ve definitely made some progress from been quick all weekend prior to the downpour, Barcelona in mid-December. emerging star of women’s skating topped the to battle through traffic just to make the final cut Melbourne. Bit by bit we’ll get closer and closer,” but his absence opened the way for Romain The 20-year-old underwent surgery for a segment, with Americans Gracie Gold in the second of the three phases and was said Ricciardo, whose team have been less than Grosjean in a Lotus and Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson bladder problem shortly after that victory, (128.23) and (127.20) in sec- rewarded with the 40th pole of his career. complimentary about engine partners Renault. to enter the top 10. Grosjean was subsequently and a sprained ankle then kept him from ond and third.—AFP Hamilton clocked one minute 49.834 seconds Daniil Kvyat will start in fifth place in the oth- dropped two places for a pitlane misdemeanour, on his first lap of the final showdown and the er Red Bull with Toro Rosso’s 17-year-old Max lifting Valtteri Bottas to eighth behind Williams time resisted all challengers, including Sebastian Verstappen joining the Russian on the third row team mate Felipe Massa in seventh while Vettel, who proved Ferrari’s impressive early-sea- following another impressive afternoon. Ericsson moved up to ninth. Grosjean will line up son form was no fluke with a solid second place. Verstappen’s qualifying was the best by a 10th. “I think the first lap was good, it’s always diffi- teenager since 19-year-old Mexican Ricardo Down at the back, Fernando Alonso’s return cult in conditions like that and not one of us Rodriguez started on the front row for Ferrari at to action following a pre-season testing crash have driven in the wet this weekend,” Hamilton the 1961 Italian Grand Prix. saw him qualify in 18th place, one position told reporters. It also equalled the career highest grid posi- behind team mate Jenson Button as both drivers Four-times world champion Vettel, who looks tion of his proud father Jos, at the 1994 Belgian struggled for pace in the Honda-powered revitalised since joining the Italian outfit from Grand Prix-also in wet conditions. McLarens. Red Bull at the end of last year, backed up his “Our form today wasn’t unexpected but I third-place finish in Australia with a scintillating MAD DASH think our performance so far this weekend has final lap to trail Hamilton by just 0.074 seconds. The first round of qualifying went as expect- maybe been better than I’d have anticipated The German not only broke the Mercedes ed with Hamilton edging Rosberg in sweltering before arriving here,” said Alonso. Manor stranglehold in qualifying by beating a disap- conditions as dark clouds began to roll ominous- Marussia also had a day to forget on their first pointed Nico Rosberg, but he also became the ly over the palm oil plantations that surround qualifying action of the season, Spaniard first Ferrari driver to sit on the front row since the circuit south of the Malaysian capital. Roberto Merhi was last in his team’s modified Felipe Massa at the same circuit in 2013. The imminent threat of heavy rain sent the 2014 car while team mate Will Stevens was SHANGHAI: Javier Fernandez of Spain competes to win the men’s of “It was an interesting qualifying session, the surviving 15 cars scurrying for the front of the unable to get out of the garage. Stewards the 2015 ISU World Figure Skating Championships at Shanghai Oriental Sports car felt good in both conditions and the car pitlane at the start of the second phase, all with granted both Manor drivers permission to Center. —AFP looked good on long runs in practice. We will the faster medium-compound tyres in order to start. —Reuters