THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014 SPORTS Nishikori loses US Open, wins $940,000 bonus

TOKYO: Japanese tennis sensation Kei Nishikori rival Zara and H&M, and has opened flagship stores may have lost the US Open final, but he has won a at prestigious addresses in London, New York and $940,000 special bonus from a sponsor delighted Shanghai, as well as at home in Tokyo. Nishikori about seeing its brand splashed across screens became the first Japanese and the first Asian man worldwide. Fast Retailing and its charismatic to play in a Gland Slam singles final, after defeating President Tadashi Yanai will each give 50 million yen world number-one Novak Djokovic, who is also to the 24-year-old tournament runner-up, who lost sponsored by Uniqlo. in straight sets to Croatian giant Marin Cilic. The Nishikori’s performance in New York led the casual-clothing firm, which operates the Uniqlo news in Japan for days and dominated all sorts of brand, saw a run on shirts worn by Japan’s best television programs and newspapers, with the male tennis star during the tournament at Flushing semifinal between Nishikori and Djokovic touted as Meadows, which feature the cheap-chic brand’s a showdown between two Uniqlo players. Even logo. The firm wanted to congratulate the athlete after the youngster came undone in the final, and celebrate his achievement, and to reward him crushed by Cilic 6-3, 6-3, 6-3, his cheerful but hum- for boosting both Uniqlo’s brand image and the ble demeanour further endeared him to Japanese morale of its workers, a company spokesman said. fans. The final between the two younger stars was “We wanted to celebrate his historic achieve- also seen as a possible signal of the end of domi- ment,” he said. The bonus “was also meant to show nance by the Big 4 - Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael our continued support as he aims to be the world’s Nadal, and Andy Murray. It also showcased a possi- number one,” he said. The bonus comes on top of a ble future without established sports brands like runner-up’s purse of $1.45 million. Fast Retailing has Nike or Adidas, with Cilic wearing shirts from been working to make itself a top global brand to Kei Nishikori of Japan China’s Li-Ning sport brand. — AFP The End of an era for a shattered village team

PARIS: The tiny French village football team of (federation president Noel) Le Graet, who confirmed ex-Toulouse player, who had been at Luzenac for Luzenac, denied permission to play in the second to us that Luzenac could play in CFA 2. “We did all we two seasons, added: “I feel a lot of sadness about division yesterday disbanded their first team while could to get back into National. I became president what’s been done over recent years. “They’re send- French World Cup-winning goalkeeper Fabien and majority shareholder. Everything’s stalled, as ing us to DHR with a great kick up the bum. In two Barthez stepped down as managing director. well as the budget. “We take the list of pros and cons weeks, we’ll no longer speak about Luzenac. Luzenac refused to play in the amateur French and there’s no comparison. For the shareholders, it “The players, like many people in France, will go championship (CFA 2), as proposed by the French was not the same project to play in CFA 2. We sug- down to the dole office.” Luzenac (pop. 649) had football federation, Barthez said. The club will con- gested to Luzenac townhall and the town’s sporting caught the public’s attention with their fairytale rise tinue to exist in the DHR (division d’honneur association to play in CFA 2, but they refused.” from obscurity, winning promotion from the third regionale), the amateur seventh division, with the Luzenac’s erstwhile midfielder Nicolas Dieuze tier of French football last season. The Professional second team now becoming the first team. “I’m earlier bemoaned the stark fact that many players Football League (LFP) since ruled that they could not pulling out of the club from today with (president) were now unemployed. “The second team becomes take their place in Ligue 2 because their ground did Jerome Ducros,” Barthez said after meeting with his the first team. The players are freed from their con- not conform to the required safety standards. Last players. tracts and are now in the jobmarket,” he told AFP. season, the club from the Pyrenees, whose own COLOMBO: In this file photo, Pakistan bowler Saeed Ajmal successfully appeals for “You need to know when to say ‘stop’, when you “Who would have thought that five months after Stade Paul Fedou has only one stand and 400 seats, the wicket of Sri Lankan batsman Dhammika Prasad. Top Pakistani off-spinner Saeed can no longer struggle. We can no longer struggle.” our promotion to Ligue 2, we’d be saying goodbye played their home games at nearby Foix, where the Ajmal has been suspended from international cricket after tests found his bowling Barthez added: “We were received this morning by to each other in a car park?” lamented Dieuze. The capacity was just 3,000. —AFP action was illegal. — AFP

CRICKET No quick technology fix for problem bowlers: ICC

MELBOURNE: The ICC is cautiously optimistic and senior manager at Australia’s cricket board. that wearable sensors can provide the techno- The mounting of the sensors also has yet to logical breakthrough needed to stamp out ille- be perfected so the data cannot be compro- gal bowling actions but does not expect them mised to an intolerable extent. “If you’re in a to be ready for trial in matches before mid-2015. match situation, the mounting of the sensors of Geoff Allardice, the International Cricket the arm has to be so that they don’t shift posi- Council’s general manager of cricket said in an tion. If they do, then the calibration is disturbed,” interview yesterday that there has been lots of added the Australian. The sensors have already progress in using the technology but stumbling been tested on youth cricketers, with players at blocks remain to deploying it in matches. the Under-19 World Cup in Dubai providing data The ICC on Tuesday banned off-spinner during net sessions. Crunching the data still Saeed Ajmal, Pakistan’s most prolific test wicket- required the support of video analysis which, taker among active players, after biomechanic despite advances in digital image resolution, tests found all his deliveries broke the limit for remains a process clouded by subjectivity. straightening of the elbow joint. The latest in a The third phase of the program is set to kick string of suspensions for internationals over off at Australia’s National Cricket Centre in their bowling actions, Ajmal’s ban has fanned Brisbane next week and is likely to entail far fears that ‘chucking’ is rife at the highest level of more time poring over data in laboratories than the game but it has also been applauded as a putting bowlers through their paces. If the final timely crackdown on a highly contentious and phase proves successful and the sensors are often elusive problem. Where umpires have ready to be road-tested in matches, their appli- often been reluctant to report their suspicions cation is likely to open up a whole new can of to match officials, the ICC hopes technology can worms, Allardice conceded. Keeping the devices eliminate subjectivity from the equation, mak- powered and capable of feeding data to officials ing violations clear-cut through measured, real- on and off the field will take “a lot of engineer- TOULOUSE: The President of the Luzenac Ariege Pyrenees (LAP) football club Jerome Ducros (right) is pictured with players during a visit of time data. The ICC has been working with ing”. How the data is shared - whether after each French Junior Minister for Sports in the Creps sports center after the Toulouse administrative court yesterday refused the club’s appeal against Australian researchers to develop wearable bowl, at the end of each over or after a day’s the ruling of the French Professional Football League (LFP). — AFP “inertial” sensors that can measure bowlers’ play - is also likely to be a matter of fierce debate actions against the permissible limit for over between the ICC and stakeholders. two years. The program has reached key mile- stones and is now in its third and final phase but Decision maker US, storm into challenges remain, believes Allardice. “There’s a “In terms of absolute accuracy, the question fair bit of work to do before we’re going to be is whether it could be used as a sole decision able to use them in a match setting,” he said. maker on the field,” Allardice said. “It’s too early “This next stage is probably going to take 18 to tell.” Though technology has been credited for WCup semis months to two years. You wouldn’t expect it to making the game fairer, it has also been blamed be trialled in a match setting until mid-2015 at for some howling decisions that have irked play- the earliest. “But the science is encouraging.” ers, fans and officials alike. The Decision Review BARCELONA: Lithuania will face holders the United States in a repeat of their a 119-76 thrashing of Slovenia. Lithuania, who finished third at the 2010 System, which employs video and audio tech- World Cup semi-final four years ago after both came safely through their quar- Worlds in Turkey, made 10-of-19 three-pointers and will take on the winners of Fine line nologies to verify or correct decisions by ter-finals on Tuesday. 2010 semi-finalists Lithuania beat the beaten finalists the later quarter-final in Barcelona between the reigning champions United The sensors, which are attached to the umpires out in the field, has proved controver- from four years ago Turkey 73-61 in Tuesday’s first quarter-final in Barcelona States and Slovenia. was one of three Lithuanians who made bowler’s upper arm and forearm have reached sial and India, the game’s most powerful associa- and the Americans breezed through to join them later at the same venus with three three-pointers in scoring a team-high 19 points while Jonas Valanciunas the point where they can successfully detect the tion, refuses its use in any bilateral series involv- collected 12 points and 13 rebounds. had 13 points and moment when a ball is released in a delivery. ing the national team. Allardice said the national While that much is already useful in analysis, the associations would be queuing up to use the Darjus Lavrinovic added 11 for the winners, who got 28 points from their sensors still lack the capability to measure the wearable sensors if they proved effective, how- reserves compared to just six points for Turkey’s bench. Turkey were paced by arm’s straightness during the bowling arc, a key ever. “It really is to help the game of cricket, it 13 points from Kerem Gonlum while Omer Asik had 11 points and 10 to determining the fine line between a legal won’t be a money-making exercise,” he said. “We rebounds. The Turks made just 3-of-18 three-pointers (17 percent). action and chucking. “At this stage we’re looking see that it might be useful for teams who can “I’m very proud of my players despite all the problems we had at the begin- to automatically detect the position of the arm take it to training sessions. “The member boards ning. We did a great job,” said Lithuania coach Jonas Kazlauskas, who had to at the release with some software that is receiv- of the ICC are all grappling with how to deal deal with losing his starting point guard just days before the ing the signals from the sensors... and how to with and identify bowlers with (problems). “Not start of the tournament. “When we lost Kalnietis, I was thinking that would be capture that without any (competing) informa- just in the peak competitions but also in the a huge problem. He’s everything for this team. I’m very happy how we’re play- tion,” said Allardice, a former first-class batsman grades below.” — Reuters ing without him.” Turkey started very strong, especially Emir Preldzic and Asik, in opening up a 14-6 lead. Valanciunas did all he could to keep Lithuania in the game though they trailed 18-13 after one quarter. Top seed Lisicki in With Asik, who was playing despite suffering from flu, on the bench for a breather, Lithuania used a mismatch with big man Lavrinovic hanging out beyond the stripe and nailing three three-pointers as the Baltic side grabbed a Hong Kong hurry 24-23 lead. The Lithuanians were up 33-28 at the break. Jonas Maciulis’s three early in the second half pushed the lead to 36-28. Turkey charged back with a HONG KONG: Top seed Sabine Lisicki kept Former French Open champion Italy’s 12-0 run to grab a 40-36 lead. Seibutis ended the scoring drought with a three- her cool on a searing night Wednesday to Francesca Schiavone reached the quarter- pointer and then Pocius added two more three-pointers in helping Lithuania power past Grace Min 6-1, 6-1 and into the finals when her veteran opponent, 44-year- take a 47-44 lead after three quarters. Turkey went the first two minutes of the quarter-finals of the Hong Kong Open. old Kimiko Date-Krumm of Japan, was fourth without a point as the Baltic side pushed the lead to 51-44 and another Lisicki had spent almost two-and-a-half sap- forced to retire at 4-0 down in the second Seibutis triple made it 56-48. ping hours on court the previous night in set with a shoulder injury. Schiavone had The Lithuanians continued to use their long range shooting to extend the getting past Romania’s Monica Niculescu in taken the first 6-3. lead out to 64-51 with under four minutes to play. Turkey could not get closer three sets, but was in a big hurry 24 hours Earlier, second seed Daniela Hantuchova than eight points the rest of the way. The Americans reached the semis thanks later. The German sealed the second-round completed the first-round action by brushing to a huge second half, with Klay Thompson leading six US players in double victory over her American opponent in just aside local wildcard Zhang Ling 6-1, 6-4. figures with 20 points. Kenneth Faried had 14 points and 10 rebounds and 40 minutes as the mercury nudged 33 World number 51 Hantuchova, who will now Anthony Davis picked up 13 points and 11 rebounds. degrees celsius under the Victoria Park meet 20-year-old Belgian Alison Van Uytvanck The Americans used their superior size and fast break style throughout the floodlights. “Last night was a tough match,” in the second round on Thursday, was satis- game. The US out-rebounded Slovenia 54-38 including 24 offensive rebounds said Lisicki. “I eventually found my rhythm fied with her opening performance despite for US, who picked up 42 fast break points to just six for Slovenia. Slovenia and I was able to take that into today.” suffering in the blazing afternoon sunshine in jumped ahead 8-4 but the lead was short lived as the Americans went on an The world number 31 will now have a the second set and having to leave court to 11-2 run and pushed the advantage to 11 points. It was 29-22 in favor of the day off before playing China’s Zheng Sasai change her sweat-soaked kit. “It was definitely on Friday for a place in the last four after the hottest conditions I have played in and I US after 10 minutes. The lead regularly was 12 points before Slovenia trimmed Zheng ousted the number six seed Yanina suppose this was the reason why my concen- it to 49-42 at the break. Wickmayer of Belgium in the biggest upset tration slipped a little bit at the start of the Slovenia trimmed the margin to 49-44 early in the third quarter before the of the day. Wickmayer is ranked 62, 40 second set,” Hantuchova said. “It was impossi- BARCELONA: Turkey’s forward Cenk Akyol (right) vies with Lithuania’s Americans blew the game open with a 37-22 quarter to lead 86-64 after 30 places above her Chinese opponent, but she ble to stay on court. My dress was heavy and centre Jonas Valanciunas (left) and Lithuania’s forward Simas Jasaitis minutes, ending all doubts. “We had a seven-point lead and defensively, we became the third of eight seeded players to about a metre long (with sweat) and I had to during the 2014 FIBA World basketball championships quarter-final wanted to come out and do better. They stayed in the game for 25 minutes,” fall in the inaugural $250,000 WTA event. change. The change helped me.” — AFP match Lithuania vs Turkey at the Palau Sant Jordi arena in Barcelona said American guard Stephen Curry. The other two quarter-finals - Serbia vs on September 9, 2014. — AFP Brazil and France against Spain - were played yesterday. — AFP