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Home , Sania Mirza

MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2014 SPORTS Llorente breaks duck as Juve go clear of Roma

MILAN: Fernando Llorente broke his league duck as Juventus pulled three points clear of Roma at the top of Italy’s Serie A following a 2-0 win over Palermo yesterday. Chilean international Arturo Vidal broke the deadlock on 32 minutes when he lashed Carlos Tevez’s smart layoff past Stefano Sorrentino and inside the ‘keeper’s far post. A spell of Palermo pressure before then had Gianluigi Buffon on tenterhooks when Paulo Dybala’s mazy run created space for Franco Vazquez to force the Juve ‘keeper to tip the for- ward’s drive over the crossbar. However Vidal’s opener had eased the pressure and on 64 min- utes Llorente, who had seen Sorrentino collect an earlier header from further out, got his head to a corner from the right to secure Juve’s sev- enth win of the campaign following their only slip-up in last week’s 1-1 draw at Sassuolo. “Given the characteristics of the opposition, today was the best kind of match for Fernando,” Allegri told Sky Sport Italia. “He’s repaid the faith we’ve all shown in him. We’re happy he’s back scoring again.” Allegri had replaced Andrea Pirlo with Paul Pogba midway through the second half, the second week in succession the Italy international has failed to TURIN: Juventus forward Fernando Llorente (left) jumps for the ball with Palermo’s Zouhair finish 90 minutes. But Allegri said there was no Feddal during a Serie A soccer match. —AP SINGAPORE: of the US embraces her trophy after defeating cause for alarm. “He played at the World Cup and Udinese grabbed their second on 36 minutes defender Ervan Zukanovic, but the match turned Romania’s Simona Halep in the singles final at the WTA finals. —AP after that was sidelined for 40 days (with injury). with Cyril Thereau scoring a brilliant individual in Genoa’s favor in the final 20 minutes. He needs to play but he’s still finding his feet and effort. The Frenchman dispossessed Giuseppe Juventus and AC Milan reject Alessandro today he played well.” Biava in midfield and held off the centre-back Matri had replaced Maxime Lestienne shortly Serena on top Juve are now three points ahead of Roma fol- before beating Sportiello with a looping shot after the restart and pulled the visitors level with lowing the Giallorossi’s scoreless draw on that came just as he tumbled to ther ground. a close-range header on 72 minutes. Saturday at Sampdoria, who dropped to fourth Di Natale missed two further chances as A minute later, Ivan Radovanovic saw red for after Antonio Di Natale inspired Udinese to a 2-0 Atalanta failed to muster a threat. The Bergamo a foul in the area but Francesco Bardi did well to of the world win over Atalanta which sent the northerners side remain just a point above the drop zone. save Mauricio Pinilla’s spot kick. the other way. “It was a great performance. We hardly gave Genoa finally made their advantage pay six SINGAPORE: Serena Williams ended the day, but I’m still happy and I’m still enjoying anything away to them,” Stramaccioni told Radio minutes from time, Pinilla nodding home an season on top of the world once again yes- this moment because it’s a good moment LOOPING SHOT Rai. “It was probably our best match of the sea- easy winner at the back post after Diego Perotti’s terday as she hammered Simona Halep 6-3, for me,” Halep said. Former Inter coach Andrea Stramaccioni is son so far, but we have to remain humble and cross from the right had been nodded into his 6-0 to seal a WTA Finals hat-trick and Alarm bells rang for Williams early on working wonders at Udinese and Di Natale keep on working. You can’t ever be satisfied.” path. Milan can move up to third place with a avenge her crushing loss to the Romanian. and she conceded the match’s first break to opened the scoring in spectacular fashion, the Resurgent Genoa, meanwhile, moved up to sev- win at home to Fiorentina in late yesterday’s late Four days after her embarrassing 6-2, 6-0 go behind 1-2, to chants of “Si-mo-na” at veteran picking up the rebound from an intend- enth place thanks to a 2-1 win over 10-man match. Elsewhere, Napoli host Verona, Torino are defeat to Halep, Williams served up sweet Singapore’s Indoor Stadium. ed pass into the area to smash the ball into Chievo. away to resurgent Lazio and Inter Milan are away revenge to win her fifth year-end title and But the defending champion hit straight Marco Sportiello’s top right-hand corner. Chievo took a 36th minute lead through to Cesena. —AFP become the first player to clinch three in a back, and aided by Halep’s double faults row since Monica Seles in 1992. The 18- she shrieked “Come on!” as she completed time -winner also finishes her a sequence of three game wins in a row. second straight season as world number Halep’s raking cross-court got Wolves maul Mainz to go second one, and with no sign she is slowing down it back on serve but the frustrated with ’s Open-era record of 22 Romanian pummelled her racquet on the BERLIN: VfL Wolfsburg went provi- “You could see that we were major titles in her sights. floor as she was broken again to go 3-5 sionally second in the Bundesliga as really on top of things. Mainz start- Williams, 33, was broken early in a see- down, before Williams served out the set. they inflicted Mainz’s first defeat of ed strongly, but we showed our sawing first set but she reeled off eight With Williams firmly in the groove, the season with a 3-0 win yesterday. potential,” enthused Wolves’ coach games in a row to humiliatingly “” Halep’s hopes of becoming the first player Goals by Naldo, Ivan Perisic and Dieter Hecking. “The way we Halep, four days after the Romanian won a to beat the American in the same week Daniel Caliguri gave the hosts the played, Mainz couldn’t take any- rare set to love against the American. were fast receding as it became an exercise three points and second spot on thing off us and they were really a It was the biggest margin of victory in in damage-limitation. goal difference from Hoffenheim- class below us.” On Saturday, the final of the tournament, being held in But a grimly determined Williams wasn’t Borussia Moench-ngladbach could Borussia Dortmund’s horror run of Singapore for the first time, since Kim letting up and as she punished Halep’s sec- regain second with a victory or domestic league results continued Clijsters blitzed Amelie Mauresmo 6-2, 6-0 ond serve and repeatedly rushed to the draw over leaders and defending as a 1-0 defeat-their fourth succes- in 2003. net, the second set raced past in just 25 champions Bayern Munich later yes- sive loss — by Hanover 96 left “I had to play more Serena-style tennis minutes. terday. them 15th and just a point above and just do what I do best: enforce myself. Williams brought up three match points Wolfsburg-for whom Belgian the relegation places. They have That’s what I was trying to do,” said on Halep’s serve and after trying to cheekily playmaker Kevin de Bruyne was the daunting task of facing Bayern Williams, denying she deliberately tried to drop-shot the first, she smashed home the outstanding-took the lead when Munich next Saturday. “bagel” Halep. second before celebrating with her arms Brazilian defender Naldo headed Dortmund’s terrible domestic “It wasn’t in my mind really at all about aloft. home from a corner after only 15 form is in stark contrast to their GERMANY: Wolfsburg’s Brazilian player Naldo celebrates the opening getting a bagel. It was just about getting a She picked up the $2,047,000 winner’s minutes. Mainz’s goalkeeper Loris Champions League campaign, goal during the German First Division Bundesliga soccer match win. That was it,” she said. Williams’ seventh cheque along with the tro- Karius denied De Bruyne when he where they top their group with against Mainz. —AP victory of the year came despite a left knee phy, which she also lifted in 2001, 2009, pushed the former Chelsea mid- three straight wins after injury which forced her out of this month’s 2012 and 2013, and a specially cultivated fielder’s fierce strike over the bar on Wednesday’s impressive 4-0 victory between two of Germany’s after his side’s 1-0 defeat at home and left her on painkillers. orchid. 58 minutes, but Wolves’ second goal at Galatasaray. Champions League sides. Turkey to Cologne. The 33-year-old fired 26 winners to just “I didn’t expect this. I just started train- came from the resulting corner. In a bid to bring their European midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu set- The 49-year-old is the third five conceded to end a rollercoaster 2014 ing because I had such a knee in so I Naldo was again left form to the Bundesliga, Dortmund tled the matter with a superbly- Bundesliga coach casualty this sea- on a high and leave fourth-ranked Halep, wasn’t even sure if I would be able to play unmarked in the area and he even had special permission to face struck free-kick on 53 minutes son after Mirko Slomka (from contesting the final on debut, non-plussed. here,” Williams said. “And now I’ve won the headed on for Croatian interna- Hanover in their Champions although the hosts suffered a blow Hamburg) and Jens Keller (Schalke “I gave everything today, and, you know, Billie Jean King trophy again so for me it’s tional Perisic to guide his header League strip, but to no avail. with the loss of German interna- 04). Bremen’s Under-23 coach that was my level today. Wasn’t my best just really amazing, I’m so excited.” —AFP past Karius from close range. Roberto di Matteo failed to pick tional midfielder Stefan Reinartz for Viktor Skripnik has been appointed Caliguri made sure of the win on up his third straight win as Schalke three months after fracturing an as caretaker coach, with ex- 87 minutes when he tapped 04 coach on Saturday evening as eye socket. Bottom side Werder Germany midfielder Torsten Frings home a cross by Belgium Under- the Royal Blues lost 1-0 at ten-man Bremen sacked coach Robin Dutt during the search for Dutt’s succes- 21 international Junior Malanda. Bayer Leverkusen in the battle on Saturday, less than 24 hours sor. —AFP Real win sets up season-long fight with Barca

BARCELONA: Real Madrid’s commanding 3-1 win over Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday leaves the two Spanish giants poised to dispute the title that escaped them last season. Barcelona arrived in the capital unbeaten and aiming for a win that would have increased its lead over Madrid to seven points. Instead, Madrid’s comeback dealt Barcelona its first league loss of the season and closed the gap to just one point through nine rounds. The title race could barely be tighter at this early stage. The mood, however, in the rivals’ home cities was entirely different on Sunday morning. Madrid-based sport daily Marca splashed the headline “They Ate Them Alive!” and fellow Madrid-friendly AS declared “That’s The Way Madrid Wins,” playing on a common anti- SINGAPORE: ’s Sania Mirza (left) and Zimbabwe’s kiss their trophy Madrid chant at rival stadiums. Meanwhile, SPORT summed after defeating Taiwain’s Hsieh Su-Wei and China’s in the doubles final at up the sentiment in Barcelona with “A Disappointing Leader” FRANCE: Guingamp’s midfielder Sambou Yatabare (center) vies with Nice’s Belgian the WTA tennis finals. —AP after Barcelona faded fast following Neymar’s fourth-minute midfielder Julien Vercauteren (left) and Nice’s French midfielder Nampalys Mendy opener from a pass by newcomer Luis Suarez. Lionel Messi during the French L1 football match. —AFP Black and Mirza bag could only manage one good scoring chance that Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas did well to turn away, and Barcelona’s defense went from shaky to shambles in the second half. Nice run riot in Brittany WTA Finals doubles But Barcelona can take heart from Suarez’s surprisingly strong return after a four-month ban from competitive match- PARIS: Saint-Etienne took possession of but the star of Sunday’s action was on-loan SINGAPORE: Zimbabwe’s Cara Black and to do next year and how much I’m going to es for biting an Italian opponent at the World Cup. third place in Ligue 1 yesterday with a late Brazilian Carlos Eduardo who struck a first- Sania Mirza of India teamed up to win the play,” said Black. Although still not fit for a full match, in his 69 minutes the 1-0 victory over Metz while Carlos Eduardo half hat-trick before adding a second-half doubles title at the WTA Finals in Singapore “I think it was fair for her to tell her to Uruguay forward offered the most constant threat Barcelona scored five goals as Nice dismantled brace as Nice ran riot at Guingamp. yesterday. The pair easily beat the defend- find somebody. I think she’s found a great could muster, setting up Neymar’s opener and almost getting Guingamp 7-2 in Brittany. It was the first time Nice had scored sev- ing champions, Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and partner. I wish them all the best.” Mirza, a second assist for Messi that would have made it 2-0. Elsewhere, Rennes won for the third en goals away from home and equalled Peng Shuai of China, 6-1 6-0, reeling off 12 who captured her first WTA Finals title, will His sturdier frame- compared to Messi and Neymar- was time in five home matches and added to their biggest winning margin on the road games in a row after dropping the opening partner Hsieh in the future but said she was clear by the way he held his own against Madrid’s physical Lille’s problems, with a 2-0 victory at their from 1960 and 1972 when they beat game. grateful to have played alongside Black. defenders, and he showed no signs of rust from his long lay- Stade de la route de L’orient. Troyes and Le Mans 5-0 respectively. For Black, it was her third win in the elite “To end this way, we couldn’t have off. “The result doesn’t sink us,” said Barcelona midfielder Xavi The weekend’s final match takes place Nice’s biggest ever top flight victory was event, and her first since she returned to asked for a better start or end. It kind of Hernandez. “We believe in what we are doing.” Coach Luis later on Sunday when leaders Marseille try at home in 1949 when they thrashed the sport after taking time out to have a sums up our partnership,” Mirza said. Enrique, however, faced questions over why his team failed to to set a club record nine wins on the trot as Rennes 8-0. The 25-year-old Eduardo, who child. The 35-year-old doubles specialist “I’ve also found a great friend in her. compete in the second half, and the first-year manager will they travel to Lyon and a key top-of-the- normally operates as a midfielder, is on previously won with in 2007 Almost like an older sister to me. I’m the surely be scrutinized for his decision to take Xavi off with his table fixture at the Stade Gerland. loan from Porto and he now has six goals and 2008. She and Mirza, who shared oldest in my family, so I learned a lot from team down 2-1 and not to start speedy back Jordi Alba. Unbeaten champions Paris Saint-Germain in seven matches. The three points also $500,000 for winning the title, only teamed her on and off the court.” It was also a bit- Madrid lost its two league “clasicos” last season, but overall own second place and are four points takes Nice up to seventh place and eight up a year ago but are parting ways after the tersweet moment for Tsieh and Peng, who it has turned the tide against Barcelona since the departure of behind Marcelo Bielsa’s Marseille after the points behind Marseille. Lyon can take tournament. also played together for the last time. In former coach Pep Guardiola in 2012. capital club defeated Bordeaux 3-0 on third spot from their arch-local rivals St “Sania is in the prime of her career at the addition to last year’s WTA Finals, they also Under Guardiola, Barcelona dominated Madrid with a Saturday. Ivory Coast winger Max Gradel Etienne, on goal difference, if they can moment and I just said to her at the US joined forces to win the Wimbledon record of nine wins, four draws and 2 losses. Since then, grabbed Saint-Etienne’s winner when he defeat Bielsa’s pace setters in the week- Open that I’m not too sure what I’m going women’s doubles in 2013. —Reuters Madrid has won five, drawn two and lost three.—AP hit the target with 16 minutes remaining end’s final match. —AFP