14 Tuesday 5th April, 2011 BY STEVEN WINE points, while a sweaty Nadal the end,” Djokovic said. “In the Barca in prime KEY BISCAYNE, repeatedly toweled off his face, tiebreak, it was really anybody’s Florida (AP) - Novak arms and even legs. game. Until the last shot, I didn’t shape for Djokovic won his Both players held through- know if I was going to win or not.” fourth consecutive out the final set, and it final- The fourth point proved pivotal. Champions tournament ly swung Djokovic’s way in Djokovic put Nadal on the run, sending Sunday, beating the tiebreaker him left to right to left before finding an Djokovic League return top-ranked Rafael “It was obvious that opening to hit a winner. The 15-shot rally Nadal 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 both of us were slow- left the crowd in a roar and Nadal BY STEVE DOUGLAS ing down toward hunched over in exhaustion. LONDON (AP) - After virtually (4) in a grueling wrapping up the defense of its final at the Sony Nadal double-faulted on the next point Spanish title, Barcelona returns to Ericsson Open. to fall behind 3-2. Djokovic won the next Champions League action this week Djokovic has three points, as well. with confidence sky high ahead of a won 26 consecu- “Nothing left in my body right now,” quarterfinal against Ukrainian tive matches since Nadal said 90 minutes after the match. “I underdog Shakhtar Donetsk. December, and his record love these kind of matches.” Pep Guardiola’s team won 1-0 at of 24-0 in 2011 is the best to begin a year With a smile he added, “For sure I love Villarreal on Saturday to establish an since Ivan Lendl started 25-0 in 1986. to win, not lose.” eight-point lead over rival Real The No. 2-ranked Djokovic was pushed Madrid, which was upset 1-0 by the distance by Nadal on a sunny, hot Sporting Gijon to end coach Jose Mourinho’s run of nine years with- afternoon. They played for nearly 3 1/2 out a home defeat in league play. hours, and it was Djokovic who looked While Madrid must regroup before fresher at the finish. facing English side Tottenham in the “It was such a close match,” he said. first leg of its Champions League “To win against the No. 1 player of the Djokovic beats quarterfinal on Tuesday, Barca is in world in a tiebreak in the third set, it’s prime shape heading into a match pit- just incredible.” ting the competition’s favorite against He pulled a forehand winner crosscourt its dark horse. on the final point for his second Key “Our confidence is at a maximum Biscayne title. He also won in 2007. level,” Barcelona midfielder Andres Nadal to win Iniesta said. “It will be a tough series Djokovic beat Nadal in the final at but we are excited to play and the vic- Indian Wells two weeks ago and is 8-0 tory (against Villarreal) will help us a against top-10 opponents this year. He’s lot.” the first man to win Indian Wells and Key In the other two first legs, Chelsea Biscayne back to back since Roger Federer Sony Ericsson hosts Premier League rival in 2006. Manchester United on Wednesday in “What he’s doing is unbelievable,” a repeat of the 2008 final and Schalke Nadal said. “First thing, he’s very good; visits defending champion Inter second thing, he’s Milan on Tuesday. Three-time European champion Open Barcelona remains the team to beat, however, as the Catalan club’s form has been stellar lately, both on the domestic front and in Europe. The team has played so well, in fact, that Guardiola started the game against Villarreal with star forward Lionel Messi on the bench, meaning the Argentine - the Champions League’s joint top scorer with eight goals - will be fresh for Shakhtar on Wednesday. Playmaker Xavi Hernandez will also be fully rested, having missed Saturday’s match because of suspen- sion. Unfortunately for Mourinho, Real doesn’t have such luxuries in selec- tion. Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo missed the match against Sporting on Saturday with a ham- string problem and is a doubt for the visit of Spurs, while striker Karim Benzema and defender Marcelo are also struggling with injuries. “If Cristiano plays, it is because he and I risk it,” Mourinho said. With Tottenham being the competi- tion’s surprise package this season after topping a group that included Inter and seeing off AC Milan in the last 16, Mourinho is predicting a close quarterfinal. “Against Tottenham, a (0-0) is a good result,” he said about the first leg. “Or, at least, it is not a drama.” After losing to Manchester United in the 2008 final in Moscow, Chelsea is whole year.” looking to take a measure of revenge playing with big confidence. When you’re Nadal fell to 0-3 in Key Biscayne finals. when the two English powers meet in winning, it’s easier to keep winning.” “Maybe I was a little bit more nervous the quarterfinals. As the victories mount, his popularity than other days,” Nadal said, “maybe Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti rises. Djokovic seemed to have at least half because I never won here, and this is the said it is the team’s “destiny” to have the record capacity crowd of 14,625 in his third chance.” to get past United in its bid to win the corner. Fans frequently chanted “No-le! Djokovic fell behind early in the match, Champions League for the first time. No-le!” - his nickname. In response came “This could really be the time for losing his serve for the first time in the chants of “Ra-fa! Ra-fa!” Chelsea to do something in the tournament. Twice he smashed his racket, Champions League,” said Ancelotti, The two finalists will keep the same but he gradually climbed back, despite who won the competition with Milan rankings, even though Nadal hasn’t won a Nadal’s best efforts. in 2007. tournament since Tokyo in October. Both players misfired - they had 36 “It’s important to have tradition “It’s the best four months in my life, but unforced errors apiece - but there were and history in the Champions it’s only the start of the season,” Djokovic plenty of riveting rallies. One lasted 26 League. The experience of the team, said. “It’s a bit early to talk about getting strokes; another ended with Djokovic tum- the personality of the player, the that top spot in the rankings. Rafa is defi- bling near the net post after he flicked a character, are very important for this nitely the best player in the world now. If I lunging backhand crosscourt for a winner. kind of game where there is a lot of want to have the No. 1 ranking, I need to pressure.” Then the heat began to take a toll. Nadal play consistently well throughout the Djokovic panted after particularly long Sevilla beats Zaragoza 3-1 in Spanish league BY JOSEPH WILSON The Brazilian striker equalized in dying for its style of play,” Levante Drenthe doubled Hercules’ lead BARCELONA, Spain (AP) - Sevilla the 38th when former Osasuna for- coach Luis Garcia said. with a great individual effort in the rose to fifth place in the Spanish ward Juanfran Torres played him At Anoeta stadium, Royston 85th, and four minutes later put the league after beating Zaragoza 3-1 on through with a perfectly weighted Drenthe scored twice as Hercules game out of question with a left-foot- Sunday, and Diego Costa scored a long pass. beat Real Sociedad 3-1 in coach ed shot. hat trick to give Atletico Madrid a 3- Atletico’s pressure enabled the Miroslaw Djukic’s debut. It was the Diego Ifran scored Sociedad’s 2 win over Osasuna. team to steal possession twice to team’s first away win since week two consolation goal in the third minute Sevilla led 1-0 in the 43rd minute score, Costa coolly shooting past and first away goals since Oct. 24. of stoppage time. at Sanchez Pizjuan stadium when goalkeeper Ricardo Lopez in the Javier Portillo headed home a Hercules’ first win in five weeks Diego Perotti got behind the defense 60th and 63rd minutes. cross from Francisco Femenia in the lifted it out of last place. to tap in a low cross from Jesus “The truth is that I didn’t expect “This is only the beginning of the Navas at the far post. (to start), thanks to the coach for journey and there are still eight sta- Jiri Jarosik leveled for Zaragoza trusting in me,” Costa said. tions left, so we cannot relax,” in the 47th, heading a cross from a Lopez saved a penalty by Jose Djukic said referring to the eight free kick inside the near post. Antonio Reyes in the 70th following weeks left in the league. But Frederic Kanoute restored a foul, and Javad Nekounam Also, Racing Santander rallied to Sevilla’s lead from the penalty spot reduced the deficit for Osasuna from beat Espanyol 2-1, and Deportivo La in the 55th after Leonardo Ponzio the penalty spot in the 79th after Coruna came from behind to down had fouled Martin Caceres. Tiago Cardoso had handled in the Mallorca 2-1. Nicolas Bertolo fired wide in the box. Espanyol went ahead at Cornella- 75th with only the goalkeeper to beat Osasuna’s Sergio Gonzalez was El Prat stadium through Pablo in Zaragoza’s best chance to level shown a red card in the 83rd for Osvaldo’s spot kick in the 37th.