TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020 12

RCB clinch Super Over thriller against Mumbai Indians Nadal, Serena win openers as Thiem aces early test and Serena Williams reached the Roland Garros second round with straight sets wins

Serena Williams was made• to work hard in her opening matcha against Kristie Ahn KNOW WHAT RCB’s AB de Villiers celebrates after winning the match AFP | Paris ANI | Dubai some momentum, along with Kishan. Rafael Nadal won the oyal Challengers Banga- Kishan completed his afael Nadal began his first of his 12 French Rlore (RCB) defeated Mum- half-century as he took the pursuit of a record-tying Open titles in 2005 bai Indians in the Super Over team over the 100-run mark. R20th men’s in Indian Premier League (IPL) After the completion of 16 title with a straight-sets victory “So that was it. I just started at the Dubai International Sta- overs, Mumbai Indians were at the while Ser- playing like that. And I love the dium here yesterday. playing at 122/4 and needed ena Williams made a slow but clay and I started playing like it, Both the teams scored 201 80 runs from the remaining successful start in her latest bid opening the court and moving runs in the allotted 20 overs 24 balls. to equal Margaret Court’s all- and sliding.” which took the match into the Adam Zampa bowled the time mark. Spain’s Rafael Nadal plays a shot against Egor Gerasimov of Williams, seeded sixth here, Super Over. Mumbai Indians 17th over and Pollard scored 27 Nadal, 34, needs one more has not gone beyond the last scored seven runs in the Super runs in the over which includ- Slam to match Roger Federer’s out a clay title to his credit and the three-time Roland Garros 16 in Paris since her defeat to Over. Virat Kohli and AB de Vil- ed three sixes and a boundary. record but has described the skipped the recent US hardcourt champion prevailed 7-6 (7/2), Garbine Muguruza in the 2016 liers chased the target till the Pollard continued his hitting defence of his Roland Garros swing over Covid-19 concerns. 6-0. final. Her last major came at last delivery to win the match. in the next over as he com - crown as the “most difficult He smacked 32 winners to Williams, playing at the the 2017 while Earlier, chasing a target of pleted his half-century in just ever” given the cold and damp just 20 unforced errors to down French Open for the 18th time, pregnant. 202 runs, Mumbai Indians 20 balls. conditions of a tournament de- Gerasimov, one of 31 men en- dropped serve twice as Ahn Italian journeyman Lorenzo witnessed a very poor start as Navdeep Saini bowled the layed four months by the coro- tered into his first French Open moved 5-4 ahead in the opener Giustino carved out his own Rohit Sharma was dismissed in 19th over and gave away 12 navirus pandemic. main draw. in a rematch of their first-round place in the headlines when the second over of the innings. runs in the over. Last over was The second seed defeated “I don’t want to make any encounter at Flushing Mead- he outlasted France’s Corentin In the next over, Suryakumar bowled by Udana and Kishan Egor Gerasimov, the world mistakes. It’s a different Ro - ows. Moutet 0-6, 7-6 (9/7), 7-6 (7/3), Yadav was sent back to the pa- smashed two sixes before get- number 83 from Belarus, 6-4, land Garros this year and the But the sixth seed forced a 2-6, 18-16 in the second longest vilion by Isuru Udana. ting out on 99 runs. 6-4, 6-2 to launch his assault weather conditions are very tie-break that she sealed with match in French Open history The fall of wickets did not Mumbai Indians needed on a 13th French Open title, 15 challenging, but we are here to an ace after a 74-minute slog at six hours and five minutes. stop as Quinton de Kock was five runs off the last ball and years after his debut triumph. try our best,” added Nadal, who before charging to an ultimately The match, held over from removed by Yuzvendra Chahal Pollard hit a boundary which “I’m really happy to be back at faces Mackenzie McDonald in comfortable victory. Sunday, fell 28 minutes short of in the seventh over, reducing dragged the match into the Chatrier. Thanks to the specta- round two. Roland Garros’ record marathon Mumbai Indians to 39/3. Super Over. tors for being here,” Nadal said Williams is chasing an elusive ‘Play like Serena’ tie between Fabrice Santoro and Ishan Kishan and Hardik After being asked to bat in front of a smattering of the 24th Grand Slam title to draw “She played very well in the Arnaud Clement in 2004. Pandya then took the respon- first, RCB got off to a brilliant 1,000 fans permitted daily at level with Margaret Court’s all- first set, it wasn’t easy for me US Open winner Dominic sibility of the chase. However, start. Aaron Finch and Devdutt Roland Garros. time haul, but clay is her least and she hit a lot of winners,” Thiem, the runner-up to Nadal the partnership did not last for Padikkal both struck regular “Hopefully it’ll be back to successful surface. said Williams. in Paris the past two years, de- a long time as Pandya got out boundaries to Mumbai Indi- normal next year and I’ll play An error-prone beginning “The biggest difference was feated former Slam champion after scoring 15 runs. Kieron ans bowlers and took the team in front of the beautiful crowd.” from the American star left just confidence. I just need to Marin Cilic 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 in their Pollard was the next and pro- over the 50-run mark in the The Spaniard is appearing world number 102 Kristie Ahn play with more confidence, like second meeting at a major this vided Mumbai Indians with sixth over. for the first time in Paris with- serving for the first set before I’m Serena. month.

Lampard says Chelsea need time to gel Mourinho says fixture pile-up will AFP | London force Spurs to sacrifice League Cup rank Lampard says he is AFP | London Fstruggling to find the time to work with his new-look Chelsea team on the training ose Mourinho has blamed pitch as the fixtures come thick Jfootball chiefs for effectively and fast. preventing Tottenham Hotspur Tammy Abraham’s last- from fighting for League Cup gasp strike rescued a 3-3 draw success and fears more injuries against West Bromwich Albion as his side face three games in on Saturday after the London six days. side had trailed 3-0. Spurs host Mourinho’s for- The result means Chelsea mer club Chelsea in the League have taken just four points from Cup fourth round on Tuesday their first three Premier League before a final Europa League matches after an opening win qualifying tie at home to Mac- against Brighton and a 2-0 de- cabi Haifa just 48 hours later. feat to Liverpool. The hectic week is topped off Lampard, who has spent Chelsea’s English head coach Frank Lampard attends a training session at by a trip to Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur’s Portuguese head coach Jose Mourinho (C) attends a team heavily during the summer Chelsea’s Cobham training facility (file photo) another of the Portuguese man- training session (file photo) transfer window, blamed “very successful year last year was the ager’s former clubs, for a Pre- for us. So that’s the decision.” clear individual mistakes” for work we put in on the training mier League clash on Sunday. Spurs lost Son Heung-min to his team’s problems at the Haw- ground.” Mourinho said he would like a hamstring injury at half-time thorns. “When you have new players to mount a challenge for the of the 1-1 draw with Newcastle But he said it was difficult When you have new in you really want to work like League Cup but the added fi- on Sunday. to put in enough work on the players in you really that,” he added. “We haven’t nancial value of reaching the The South Korea forward had training ground, with two want to work like had the chance. So not just at Europa League group stage 3 already hit the woodwork twice games have to be played matches a week and a looming that. We haven’t the back, the whole way we’re meant that competition had to by Tottenham Hotspur in after scoring four goals in the international break. had the chance. So playing, it needs work. take precedence. just six days in different previous Premier League out- “I keep saying it and I’m not not just at the back, “Football doesn’t work that “I think you can imagine that competitions this week ing at Southampton. pleading or making excuses -- the whole way we’re you throw things together and with a game on Thursday, that Mourinho believes Son’s set- it’s just a fact,” Lampard said playing, it needs everything is amazing because decides a very important thing back will be the first of a num- ahead of Tuesday’s League Cup otherwise we wouldn’t have for us -- I think the EFL (English ber of injury problems his side clash against Tottenham. work had managers who have shown Football League) made a deci- “They didn’t even create a will have to overcome due to “Part of the reason we had a FRANK LAMPARD that work brings success.” sion for us,” said the Spurs boss. problem -- they made a decision their fixture congestion.

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