22 Monday, October 30, 2017 SPORTS SPORTS Monday, October 30, 2017 23 Caroline Wozniacki celebrates with his trophy (Picture courtesy: theguardian) Real Madrid handed Pouille powers shock defeat at Girona to biggest title Roger Federer wins

eighthBasel Basel Crown witzerland’s Roger Federer Sbeat Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro to win the Swiss Girona’s Bernardo Espinosa is hugged by team-mate Álex Granell as they Indoors and narrow the gap celebrate after beating Real Madrid (Picture courtesy: theguardian) on world number one Rafael Nadal. Federer’s 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 Montilivi, Girona picked out the striker but the 6-3 win moves him within 1,460 irona claimed a stunning Real keeper was beaten three Wozniacki lifts points of the Spaniard before G2-1 victory over Real minutes later by Pablo Maffeo’s next week’s Masters, the Madrid to deal a major blow to cross-shot, which hit the far final regular-season event. the La Liga champions’ hopes post. Pouille dominates Tsonga to win title (Picture courtesy: eurosport) The 36-year-old claimed an of retaining their title. To make matters worse for Vienna World Tour Masters 1000 event of eighth crown in Basel and his Although it is still early in Girona, Real promptly broke ucas Pouille soared to his the year next week in Paris. seventh title of 2017. the season, Zinedine Zidane’s away and scored the opening WTA trophy Lbiggest career crown at the “I’m very happy with how the Victory for Del Potro would side already have eight points goal. Karim Benzema drove Singapore against Wozniacki stretching back to attack Wozniacki at the net. Erste Bank Open 500, dominating week ended,” said Pouille. “All the have moved him into the final to make up on rivals Barcelona. forward through the middle enmark’s Caroline Wozniacki 2007, and having won just one set But the 37-year-old rallied to countryman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga work I’ve done has paid off... It’s qualifying place for the ATP Few would have seen a and played in Cristiano beat Venus Williams to claim the against the American. produce some of her best tennis and 6-1, 6-4 yesterday. my first ATP World Tour 500 title. finals in . hiccup coming at Barcelona’s Ronaldo. He cut inside and Dbiggest title of her career at the WTA The world number five has been in turn the tide. The Frenchman notched his I played some great tennis and I Having won in Stockholm Catalan neighbours Girona, sent a dipping right-footed shot Finals in Singapore. fine form this year and was a finalist at With Wozniacki serving for the title first ATP World Tour 500-level was a bit emotional at the end. last week, the world number playing in the top flight for the from 20 yards, which Bono Williams - at 37, the oldest woman the Australian Open and Wimbledon. at 5-3, Williams outlasted her younger trophy, earning a fourth title in It’s always great to finish the week 19 was targeting back-to-back first time. pushed out straight to Isco, to ever reach the final - lost 6-4 6-4. But the veteran will finish 2017 opponent in a gruelling rally before his young career. With the victory, with a victory. titles in Basel but it was not This is by far the biggest who knocked the ball inside the After a tight first set, number six without a title after Wozniacki then hitting a sublime forehand passing he became the first player in 2017 “Jo has been playing for two to be for the 29-year-old, who result in the minnows’ history post. Ronaldo has only scored seed Wozniacki stormed into a 5-0 lead prevented her from regaining the shot to get back on serve. to win on all surfaces, adding a weeks now and I knew he’d be remains one place behind and will no doubt be celebrated once in the league this season in the second. Finals trophy she won nine years ago. But it was Wozniacki’s day hard-court crown in Vienna to a little tired. I had to be focused Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta. wildly across Catalonia given and set about trying to add to Williams then won four straight Former world number one though and, after hitting her first triumphs on the clay of Budapest on every point. He made a few Del Potro must reach at least the political backdrop. his tally, first pulling a deflected games but Wozniacki, 27, converted Wozniacki saw huge success on her Championship point long, a perfect and grass of Stuttgart. mistakes with the forehand and I the semi-finals in Paris to claim This was no smash-and-grab shot just wide and then sending her second Championship point to serve on the slow surface in Singapore, backhand saw her break serve and seal Despite the loss, Tsonga stays found a way to win the match.” the final spot. raid either, with Girona twice a crisp half-volley straight at beat the American for the first time. ending with a tournament-leading 21 her second title of 2017 following last in the hunt for one of the two Pouille was off to the races from Federer and Del Potro had hitting the post in the first half Bono. “It feels amazing, I can’t believe I am aces. month’s Pan-Pacific Open in Tokyo. remaining berths in the Emirates the first ball at the Wiener Stadthalle. met on four previous occasions and unlucky to be behind to an Benzema should have at least here as the winner,” she told BT Sport. And the Dane backed that fine It completes a fine comeback ATP Race To London. Bidding to After denying a break point in his in 2017, with the latter winning Isco breakaway goal. tested Bono as Real piled on “Venus Williams is a great champion serving up with only eight unforced season for the two-time Grand Slam make his fourth appearance at the second service game, the younger their last meeting - a US Open They turned the tables with the pressure but, having been and she made it very, very difficult for errors in the final. finalist, who endured an injury- season finale, he is just 295 points Frenchman was indefatigable from quarter-final last month. Roger Federer serves (file pic) two goals in four minutes played through by Ronaldo, he me. This is my biggest title to date.” It appeared to be one-way traffic in marred 2016 and finished ranked behind Pablo Carreno Busta for the baseline and consistently forced In a tight opening set, early in the second half from shot wastefully over the bar. Fifth seed Williams went into the second set, with Williams looking number 19, her lowest position since the eighth and final spot. All will his compatriot into uncomfortable Federer had the chance to take of the second set when he simple backhand volley wide. final game of the set, before Cristhian Stuani and Portu and Girona were certainly not yesterday’s final with a 7-0 record heavy in the legs and no longer able to 2007. (BBC) be on the line at the final ATP positions. (atpworldtour) it on serve, only for Del Potro blew the chance to stamp his It triggered an angry wrapping up the victory with withstood the inevitable Real content simply to sit back and to break, and the Swiss player authority back on the match. outburst as Federer smashed two further breaks in the third. salvo with relative comfort. came agonisingly close to an then lost five points in a row to The 19-time Grand Slam his racquet into the net in a Federer now has 95 career Girona attacked from the off. equaliser in the 35th minute surrender the tie-break. champion carved out a break rare show of emotion. titles, with American Jimmy Kiko Casilla did just enough when Aday’s cross was met by a Times as SanTina were incredible: Hingis Halep earns WTA year-end Federer’s frustrations came point and took control of the However, he regained his Connors leading the all-time to put off Portu at the near superb flick from Portu that hit to a head in the fourth game rally at 30-40, only to send a composure to break in the list on 109. (BBC) post when a clever free kick the inside of the post. (espn.in) Singapore World No.1 singles ranking wiss legend Martina Hingis, who Sbid adieu to professional tennis St Petersburg on Saturday, applauded Indians he Women’s Tennis Joshua beats Carlos Takam to retain titles Sania Mirza and Leander Paes, who Association (WTA) she partnered in her third innings in announcedT yesterday that the fighter taking any more the sport. Romania’s Simona Halep has nthony Joshua has punishment to his eye. The 37-year-old, who added earned the 2017 WTA Year-End retained his heavyweight Boos rang out around the 10 major crowns to her already World No.1 singles ranking, Atitles in an unexpectedly tough 76,000-strong crowd in the considerable collection in this presented by Dubai Duty Free. fight against stand-in opponent Principality Stadium, as Takam outing, bowed out of the last-four Since the inception of Carlos Takam. protested with the referee. of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals, computer rankings in 1975, The referee stopped the fight Joshua was ahead on playing alongside Taipei’s Yung-Jan Halep becomes the 13th WTA in the 10th round after Joshua the pundits’ scorecards but Chan. player to achieve the year-end rocked his opponent, who was the challenger was clearly “I will forever be grateful to have No.1 singles ranking, and the battling on despite a bad cut determined on taking had these partnerships,” Hingis, first from Romania. over his eye. the British IBF and WBA who won seven major titles pairing The Romanian became the It was a bloody bout in heavyweight champion to the with Sania and Paes in the doubles 25th player to achieve the No.1 Cardiff, and Joshua picked up final round. and mixed-doubles, said. “Without ranking on October 9, 2017 an injury of his own early on “Unfortunately, the ref Sania, I wouldn’t have come back following her 27th career WTA and may have broken his nose stopped it. I think people and had that feeling again. When final at the China Open in after a clash of heads. wanted to see Takam on the we won Wimbledon, it was pure joy. Beijing, and will hold the No.1 Takam, 36, took the fight floor and I was getting there,” And getting back to No. 1 was one ranking on November 9, the with 12 days’ notice after said Joshua. of the things. I couldn’t have done official year-end rank date for Bulgarian picked “It feels like (a broken it alone.” the 2017 season. up an injury. nose), he started catching The Swiss added, “The times as “I’m very proud to end the The Cameroon-born up in the later rounds and it ‘SanTina’ were incredible.” season as the WTA World fighter put Joshua through would have been a disaster “So were the ones with Leander, No.1,” said Halep. a far tougher test than many if I’d lost. But I kept my winning four Slams more,” she said. “I have worked extremely expected and never appeared composure and continued to “I couldn’t have done it without hard to be the best player I can fazed by Joshua’s pressure. fight.” Action from the fight between (R) and Carlos Takam them. Adding 10 more Slams to my be, and it is an honour to be in Takam was visibly hurt Takam - who will have won career in the third journey was pretty the No.1 position at the end of Simona Halep by the cut he picked up in several times in the fight to see in the fourth after his glove fought through to the later But when Joshua landed a lot of fans for his determined cool. Every single partner I had on the year.” (wtatennis) the fourth, and with blood if the fighter could continue. touched the canvas following rounds and caught the champ punches in the 10th, the referee performance - told fans that he Martina Hingis (R)with Sania Mirza (file pic) the way has been amazing.” (TOI) streaming the doctor was called He was also given the count a left from Joshua, but bravely with some decent shots. quickly stepped in to stop wanted a rematch. (Sky News)