MONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016 SPORTS TENNIS JUDO Brazil’s pain, Argentina’s gain as Pareto wins gold JANEIRO: Paula Pareto became Argentina’s first woman Olympic gold medal winner in the judo as Brazilian Sarah Menezes’ dream of delivering the hosts first medal was ended by injury. Pareto saw off South Korea’s Jeong Bo-Kyeong in the 48kg final to add to the bronze medal she won in Beijing eight years ago. Defending champion Menezes ended in the Olympic hospital with a disclocated shoulder. “It is great for women’s sport (in Argentina),” said Pareto after her win. “If you enjoy what you do that is the key. I am glad to be an example of what you can do with hard work.” Pareto also became Argentina’s first judo gold medallist. “I have dreamed of this for so long and I am very happy for the support I received from the fans,” she added after celebrating wildly in front of a sizeable Argentine support at the Carioca Arena in Rio’s Olympic park. “It is something incredible. I RIO DE JANEIRO: Serbia’s Novak Djokovic returns a ball during the doubles match he and Nenad Zimonjic play against Croatia’s Marin Cilic and Marin Draganja in the men’s would never have thought I would do something like tennis competition at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday. — AP this. “It is something that will mark my career and the rest of my life.” For 2012 champion Menezes, the dream of retaining her title on home soil was dashed Nishikori eases in Rio, Radwanska crashes when she was beaten by Cuban Dayaris Mestre Alvarez in the quarter-finals. Menezes still had a shot at the podium through RIO DE JANEIRO: Japanese fourth seed Kei bagel’ — 6-0, 6-0 — in Games history. Wimbledon runner-up Radwanska. The 23-year-old New York-born, Spain- the repechages, but suffered a dislocated elbow in Nishikori reached the Olympic tennis sec- The 27-year-old Millman swept past Zheng’s win was the second top victory based Daniel next faces Britain’s Kyle her clash with Urantsegtseg Munkhbat of Mongolia. ond round Saturday but jet-lagged Ricardas Berankis in just 50 minutes, mak- of the day for China after national number Edmund. Sock said he had been ill in Rio, “She has been taken to the hospital at the Olympic Agnieszka Radwanska crashed out, com- ing it a miserable summer for the one Zhang Shuai saved three match points with a local doctor telling him he was suf- village,” confirmed Manoela Penna, spokesperson for pleting her miserable and exhausting first Lithuanian. At Wimbledon, Berankis was to beat Swiss 12th seed Timea Bacsinszky, fering from “walking pneumonia”. the Brazilian judo federation. Japan’s Ami Kondo and week in Rio. knocked out in the first round by Britain’s 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 7-6 (9/7). Meanwhile, 43-year-old Leander Paes’s Otgontsetseg Galbadrakh of Kazakhstan took the Nishikori, a quarter-finalist in 2012, world number 772 Marcus Willis, a club Zheng said she realised that Radwanska seventh Olympics ended quickly when he two bronze medals. breezed past Spanish left-hander Albert professional. “I’m not really sure that’s sunk had been struggling. “She didn’t play her and Indian partner Rohan Bopanna lost 6-4, Pareto struggled early in the final and the contest Ramos-Vinolas, 6-2, 6-4, in just 79 minutes. in,” said Millman. “To be put in the record best tennis. I know she arrived late so I am 7-6 (8/6) to Lukas Kubot and Marcin even had to be briefly halted as she received treat- Ramos-Vinolas, who made the French books is ridiculous.” really lucky,” said Zheng. Matkowski of Poland. ment when she took an unintentional blow to the Open quarter-finals this year, realised it was The evergreen Paes was a singles bronze face from Jeong. However, the 30-year-old battled not to be his day in the second game of the AGA CRASHES OUT TSONGA HANGS ON medallist at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. back to land a waza-ari and defended her advantage second set. Nishikori allowed his racquet to Fourth seeded Radwanska slumped to a Men’s fifth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga over- He shrugged off the controversy surround- to add Olympic gold to the world championship she fly from his hand on service but he scram- 6-4, 7-5 loss against China’s world number came a scare from Tunisia’s Malek Jaziri to ing his Rio selection after it was claimed won last year. “I didn’t think of the medals I had won bled to retrieve it before unleashing a win- 63 Zheng Saisai as afternoon temperatures triumph 4-6, 7-5, 6-3. Jaziri, on a career high Bopanna preferred to play with Saketh before, but I thought about all the effort and every- ner past the bemused Spaniard. rocketed to 32 degrees. of 58 in the world, served for the match at Myneni. “It had no effect on us. We gave it thing I have fought for (to get here),” added Pareto. “I “Usually I would give up the point when The Polish star only arrived in Rio on 5-4 in the second set. everything we had and fought hard,” said am especially proud to be able to attract attention to I lose the racquet but not this time,” said Wednesday night after having to fly from Tsonga, the world number nine, made Paes. Later today, fifth seeded Venus a sport that is not well known in Argentina.” —AFP Nishikori, who arrived in Rio having fin- Montreal, where she competed last week, the quarter-finals of the London Olympics Williams, the 2000 champion in Sydney, ished runner-up to world number one to New York to Lisbon and then to Rio. in 2012. “I was very concerned because I starts against Belgium’s Kirsten Flipkens. Novak Djokovic in Toronto last week. In all, she was on the move for 55 hours was thinking this may be my last Olympic At 36, Williams is the oldest player in the “I saw that I had a chance to win the and covered around 14,000 kilometres. Games,” said Tsonga, a four-time Grand women’s draw in Rio. Defending champi- point, so I hung in there.” Nishikori next “I spent three days in an airport so that Slam semi-finalist. ons Andy Murray and Serena Williams as plays Australia’s John Millman, who was not the best preparation. I could have Japan’s Taro Daniel, ranked at 117, well as Djokovic and 2008 champion Rafael became the first player to clinch a ‘double used more practice,” said former defeated US 14th seed Jack Sock, 6-4, 6-4. Nadal all start their campaigns. — AFP Venus Williams knocked out in Rio Games upset RIO DE JANEIRO: Former Olympic champion Venus goosebumps all over the place,” she told reporters. ing temperatures and a strong breeze drifting across RIO DE JANEIRO: Gold medal winner Argentina’s Williams was eliminated in the first round at the Rio The loss will not be the end of the competition for from the ocean. “Here it’s very difficult to play because Paula Pareto, second from left, poses with silver Games on Saturday after Belgian underdog Kirsten 2000 Sydney Games champion Williams, however, as it’s fairly open, there is constantly some kind of wind,” medal winner Jeong Bok-yeong, left, from South Flipkens mounted a spirited fight back to cause the the 36-year-old is bidding to win her fourth doubles said Croatia’s Marin Cilic, who beat Bulgaria’s Grigor Korea and bronze medallists Japan’s Ami Kondo, second from right, and Kazakhstan’s Otgontsetseg biggest upset of the opening day. gold medal with sister Serena. Former French Open Dimitrov 6-1 6-4. One player who thrived in the Rio sun Galbadrakh, right, after the women’s 48-kg judo- Another notable casualty on the first day of competi- winner Ivanovic rued letting her chances slip away. was Australia’s John Millman, who become the first competition at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio tion was former world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic, who surged “I had a chance to come back in the third set but Olympian to win a men’s singles match without losing a de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday. — AP ahead in the first set against world No. 12 Carla Suarez every time I came close to pegging her back, I missed game. Navarro but lost 2-6 6-1 6-2 after two error-strewn sets. the opportunity,” said the world No. 26. Millman’s “double-bagel” 6-0, 6-0 victory came With US Secretary of State John Kerry and gymnas- Ivanovic’s match, like all the others on centre court, against Lithuania’s Ricardas Berankis. The Australian, tics gold medal favourite Simone Biles looking on, sev- was played in a stadium that was more than half empty, who has battled back to fitness after several shoulder Mudranov predicts en-times grand slam winner Williams won the first set something likely to disappoint organisers. surgeries that threatened his career, took part in Friday’s but became frustrated as the match wore on, losing 4-6 But the size of crowds did not bother Japan’s Kei late-night opening ceremony, which many Olympians more gold for Russia 6-3 7-6(5) to the world number 62. Flipkens collapsed Nishikori, who opened the men’s singles tennis tourna- competing early on Saturday skipped.