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Home , Dane Vilas, Richard Gasquet

S4p o5r t s FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2015

South Africa pick three spinners for India tour : South Africa yes- played in the second Test against Bangladesh Twenty20 internationals and five one-day taking a wicket with his first ball and going on terday named three specialist spin bowlers in last month, would retain the gloves. internationals. Vilas, 30, only saw one day of to claim match figures of eight for 152. But he their squad to play four Test matches in India De Kock, who struggled to regain his best action during his Test debut in Mirpur, taking suffered a serious shoulder injury at the start in November and December. Simon Harmer, batting form after being injured during the two catches in a rain-shortene d first day of the 2014/15 season. He showed he had who played in a recent series in Bangladesh, first Test against the West Indies in Centurion before the rest of the match was rained off. “It made a full recovery to full fitness and form will be joined by fellow off-spinner Dane Piedt last season, was dropped after being dis- is very important that we maintain consisten- during the recent South Africa A tour of India and recalled leg-spinner Imran Tahir. A fourth missed for a duck in the first Test in cy in our selections and Dane hardly had the when he took 11 wickets in three first-class spin option is provided by top-order batsman Bangladesh. He joined a South Africa A tour of chance to make his mark in Bangladesh where innings. Tahir, who has been South Africa’s JP Duminy. The biggest surprise in the 15-man India and reeled off three successive centuries, the series was so badly disrupted by the outstanding one-day spin bowler in recent Test squad is the omission of talented wicket- two in one-day matches against India A and a weather,” said Zondi. years, has been unable to replicate that form keeper-batsman . Selection third in the first of two four-day matches. He Piedt made an outstanding Test debut in Tests, where his 43 wickets in 16 matches convener Linda Zondi said Dane Vilas, who was included in South Africa’s squads for three against Zimbabwe in Harare in August 2014, have come at a cost of 46.39 runs each. — AFP

Halep, Pennetta win in 3 sets in US Open NEW YORK: Simona Halep appreciated the help from the heavens in her US Open quarterfinal. Worn down after dropping the second set to , the second-seeded Romanian got to rest up for nearly an hour-and-a-half when the sky opened up. “Thanks, God, for raining,” she said in an on-court interview after her 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory Wednesday. Halep, who’s just 5-foot-6, came back on court with a 106 mph ace to prove just how fresh she felt. She advanced to face 26th-seeded Flavia Pennetta, who beat two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova in another three-set match earlier Wednesday. Azarenka also is a two-time major champ - as well as a two-time US Open runner-up. Her big-match experience showed for much of the afternoon against Halep, who was seeking to reach just her third major semifinal and first at Flushing Meadows. The 23-year-old Romanian had 40 winners to 19 unforced errors, while Azarenka had 38 winners to 42 unforced errors. At key moments, though, Azarenka was better, converting all five of her break-point chances while Halep was 6 for 19. But when that final break point came at 3-3 in the third set, Halep con- verted it, and that was enough to squeeze out the victory with Romanian gymnastics gold medalist Nadia Comaneci cheering her on. “It was great to have a great champion in my box,” Halep said. The rain came in the fourth game of the final set and delayed the match for 1 hour, 25 minutes. Azarenka had broken Halep in her first service game of the set only to be immediately broken back. Azarenka was seeded just 20th after two injury-plagued seasons and NEW YORK: of Switzerland serves the ball to Richard Gasquet of during their 2015 US Open Men’s hadn’t been to a semifinal since the 2013 US Open. In that singles quarterfinals match at the USTA National Center in New York on Wednesday. Federer won time, Halep has soared up the rankings, reaching last year’s 6-3, 6-3, 6-1. — AFP final. Both women’s quarterfinals Tuesday also went to three sets, the first time since the 1982 US Open that all four women’s quarters went the dis- tance at a major. Pennetta rallied from down a set and a break to reach her second US Open semifinal in three years. Federer targets Wawrinka “In the second set, I was really in trouble,” Pennetta said. “I just keep going, playing, playing. It’s unbelievable.” In 38 career appearances at the other three majors, Pennetta has reached the quarters just once. She’s done it six times in seven years at Flushing Meadows, including her only in US Open final push two trips to a Grand Slam semifinal. “Before the tournament I never think NEW YORK: Five-time champion Roger just twice. On Wednesday, he blitzed French level,” he said. “Now I think we can see that to be so far in the tournament, so it’s something special,” said Pennetta, Federer will prepare for his US Open semi- 12th seed Richard Gasquet in just 87 min- he was also nervous every time we play each who had lost five of her last seven matches coming into the U.S. Open. final clash with close friend utes, firing 50 winners, 16 aces and facing other the past few years. That’s a big differ- The win by the 33-year-old Pennetta means that three of the women’s by sleeping as much as possible. The 34- just a single break point. Furthermore, he ence.” Wawrinka will be playing in his sec- semifinalists at a major will be at least 32 for the first time in the Open era. year-old Swiss believes napping, as well as has a 16-3 record against Wawrinka. He may ond semi-final after also making the last four She joins another 33-year-old, Serena Williams, and fellow Italian Roberta the routine of practice and gym work, is just have lost their most recent clash in the in 2013. Djokovic takes a 13-0 record over Vinci, 32. When a reporter started to apologize for asking Pennetta about as crucial as he enters his 10th New York French Open quarter-finals as Wawrinka Cilic into his semi-final as he attempts to her age, she playfully interrupted: “We are old. I know.” It’s also the first semi-final and 20th career clash against his swept to the title, but Federer’s three defeats make the final for the fifth time in six years time in the Open era, which started in 1968, that two Italian women have compatriot. He is so fond of sleep that have all come on clay. “I think a lot comes and sixth in total. reached the semifinals in the same Grand Slam tournament. — AP Federer will look to get in as much as 10 through practice for Stan, because he’s In a rivalry stretching back seven years, hours a day before Friday’s semi-final, where worked very hard throughout his career,” the two men have met four times at the the winner will face either world number said Federer in praise of his win- Grand Slams but just once at the US Open one or defending champion ning teammate. when Djokovic won in four sets in 2008. The Marin Cilic in Sunday’s championship match. “It took him a while to figure out exactly Serb also swept past the Croatian in straight “Sleeping has become quite important,” said what his possibilities were. I don’t think he sets in the Wimbledon quarter-finals this Federer, the father of two sets of twins. was a guy who always had enough confi- year on his way to a third All England Club “I make sure I sleep enough, as well. Like dence. I always thought he was a better title. Djokovic had cruised through his first when I went to bed after the player than he actually was, but somehow three rounds but then dropped a set apiece match (in the fourth round) it got quite late something was holding him back maybe. “I to Spanish rivals and and I couldn’t sleep quite as much as I want- think only once when he really started to Feliciano Lopez. Victory over serve-and- ed to. “Because I believe it’s really the sleep break through and he had some big wins.” volleyer Lopez was his 55th match win in that gives you energy again down the road. Wawrinka believes he is now the equal of New York. But despite his stranglehold over That’s why the next two days are very impor- Federer, something he did not quite believe Cilic, the top seed insists that his tant for me in terms of sleeping.” before he won his first major at the 2014 opponent, on a 12-match win streak at If the approach for such a high-stakes . the tournament, remains the dangerman clash seems risky, then Federer is showing especially with a serve which has yielded 111 NEW YORK: Simona Halep of Romania plays against Victoria no signs of nerves as he moves two wins Nervous aces. “That serve gets him out of trouble. I Azarenka of Belarus during their 2015 US Open Women’s from an 18th major and his first in more than “I think now we are both nervous when know him very well. I have played with him Singles - Quarterfinals at the USTA Billie Jean King National three years. He has reached the semi-finals we enter the court. Before it was only me. I many, many times. We are great friends. Tennis Center on Wednesday in New York. — AFP without dropping a set and has been broken was nervous because I knew I wasn’t at his Great guy,” said the Serb. — AFP