SUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014 SPORTS Pennetta to face Radwanska in Indian Wells women’s final INDIAN WELLS: Italian veteran Flavia “She deserved to win today. Every ball Pennetta upset China’s Australian Open was in for her, and I had to run a lot. I champion Li Na on Friday to join Poland’s think I started the match a bit too soft. I Agnieszka Radwanska in the women’s was not ready to play. final of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian “But she is a great player. It’s always Wells. The 32-year-old Pennetta qualified difficult to play against her. I wanted to for the biggest singles final of her career find my way to play. I did, but (it) was too after a 7-6(5) 6-3 drubbing of an out-of- late in first set. She was better than me sorts Li. today.” Pennetta will face Radwanska in Li was promoted to the women’s seed Sunday’s final after the Pole avenged her in the absence of world number one loss to Romania’s Simona Halep in Qatar Serena Williams but had struggled with last month with a 6-3 6-4 win on the her serve all week. Californian desert hardcourts. She had similar problems against Li beat Pennetta in the quarter-finals Pennetta, coughing up eight double of the Australian Open in January but the faults in the first set alone, as the players Italian was too good this time. “I think we traded eight service breaks before played really good tennis tonight,” Pennetta won the tiebreaker. Pennetta said. Li’s serve improved in the second set “In Australia I didn’t have any chance but her forehand let her down as she against her, but tonight I played much started to spray shots all over the court better. I just fought and tried my best. Of and Pennetta seized her chance, sealing INDIAN WELLS: Novak Djokovic of Serbia returns a shot to Julien Benneteau of course I’m happy.” her victory with a backhand winner. France during the BNP Parabas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. — AFP Radwanska, ranked third in the world, “It’s not bad. It’s not like I lost my first sealed the first set with an ace after she match,” Li said. “At least I had a few broke Halep’s opening service game but matches here, and making semis isn’t Djokovic, Isner found herself trailing the second when bad. the Romanian broke. “It’s not like I lost to a bad player. She But the 25-year-old Pole regained was playing really well today. It’s nothing control, getting back on level terms then to worry about. I have a couple of things ease into semis getting a second break and serving out I want to improve for the next tourna- her victory to reach her first final at ment.” INDIAN WELLS: Serbia’s Novak Djokovic Djokovic, who won the Indian Wells title in Indian Wells. For Pennetta, reaching the final and American John Isner cruised into the 2008 and 2011. “What I was trying to do was play capped an incredible year for a woman last four of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian “First few matches I played good tennis aggressively from the beginning of the who was primarily regarded as a doubles Wells on Friday with straight-sets wins in but I had some ups and downs. Today was match and just try to go for my shots,” player. the quarter-finals. very stable from the first to the last point. said Radwanska. “I was lucky. I think I was Less than a year ago, her singles rank- Djokovic hardly raised a sweat in the “He made a lot of unforced errors, and serving better than other days, so that ing had plummeted to 166 and she was Californian desert as he eased to a 6-1 6-3 obviously I just needed to make him play helped today as well. I think it was a pret- considering retiring, before she made a victory over Frenchman Julien Benneteau, an extra shot and serve well. I have done ty good match.” fairytale run at the US Open, reaching before the towering Isner rode his boom- everything I wanted.” Halep took some consolation from the semi-finals. “I’m surprised,” Pennetta ing serve to a 7-6(4) 7-6(3) win over Latvia’s Isner had a tougher time against Gulbis, her defeat as she will rise to fifth said. “In the beginning of the week if you Ernests Gulbis. winning the opening set in a tiebreaker place in the world when the new told me, ‘You’re going to make the final Djokovic was not at his absolute best after the first 12 games went with serve. rankings are released tomorrow. “It here,’ I would have said, ‘Mmmm, I don’t but was never in any real danger against Isner fell behind in the second set when INDIAN WELLS: Flavia Pennetta of Italy hits a return was a tough match,” said Halep. “She think so!’ “So I’m really happy. I’m happy the 32-year-old Benneteau, who beat him Gulbis found a way to break his serve but to Li Na of China during the BNP Paribas Open at played really well. with my game.” — Reuters at Indian Wells eight years ago when the the Latvian was unable to capitalise as the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. — AFP Serb was still a teenager. American broke back and won the second Djokovic, 26, raced through the open- tiebreaker. ing set in less than half an hour with two Djokovic was beaten by Isner in the Hirscher wins overall WCup title service breaks and four aces despite the semi-finals at Indian Wells two years ago, Garrigus windy conditions and an approaching losing tiebreakers in the first and third sets. LENZERHEIDE: Marcel Hirscher clinched his third ing he was overall champion. sand storm. “He’s definitely not somebody you like to grabs PGA lead straight overall World Cup title yesterday but Ligety then needed his good friend Neureuther The first six games of the second set all play in the big heat with such serve,” couldn’t prevent Ted Ligety from winning his fifth to finish second or third in the narrow time gap went with serve before Djokovic reeled off Djokovic said. “It’s very challenging the last three in a row to seal a comfortable because he doesn’t miss his serve too PALM HARBOR: Robert Garrigus, an season-long giant slalom trophy. between himself and Hirscher. victory in less than 70 minutes. much, so you have to kind of be able to American seeking his second US PGA A race that came down to a few hundredths of Neureuther did it in the tightest way possible, He broke Benneteau for a 4-3 lead when hold your composure from the first to the Tour title, fired a five-under par 66 to a second saw Hirscher finish fourth, giving him finishing 0.01 ahead of Hirscher, who was relegat- the Frenchman double faulted, then again last point and be ready to play three tie- seize a three-stroke lead after Friday’s enough points to clinch the sport’s biggest prize. ed to fourth. With 10 fewer points awarded for to wrap up the win when his opponent hit breaks.” second round of the $5.7 million Valspar Ligety won the race and thereby tied the fourth than third, he fell into a tie with Ligety on a forehand long and wide. Late yesterday’s other semi-final will be Championship. Garrigus stood on sev- Austrian on points in the season-long discipline 560 over the eight-race season. “I felt like I was very focused on the between Switzerland’s Roger Federer and en-under 135 after 36 holes on the standings, giving the American the GS title on a Ligety got the tiebreaker with five World Cup court from the start, and it’s what I was Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine, who won Copperhead Course at Innisbrook with tiebreaker as he had more race victories. race wins against Hirscher’s two. “Felix, I owe a lot looking for. It’s never too easy,” said their quarter-finals on Thursday. —Reuters compatriot Kevin Na second on 138 “It’s an unbelievable happy day,” said Hirscher, of beers,” Ligety said. Hirscher was smiling later, after a second-round 68. content to concede the discipline to the American after watching Ligety and Neureuther roll around Americans Pat Perez and Matt Every, dubbed “Mr. GS” by race announcers. the finish-area snow in celebration. who were among four players to share “My big goal was the overall World Cup title “He is not allowed to travel to Austria. It is over. the 18-hole lead, fired par 71s to share and I got it and I’m so happy,” said the 25-year-old Just kidding,” Hirscher said of Neureuther’s inter- third on 139 with reigning US Open Hirscher, the first man to win three in a row since vention. They will renew their rivalry Sunday for Revamped World T-20 champion Justin Rose and Italy’s Matteo American Phil Mahre completed the feat in 1983. the season-long slalom title. Manassero. Hirscher needed 19 points to overtake Aksel “He is very mad about me so it’s going to be searches for identity Australian Greg Chalmers, who also Lund Svindal of Norway, who led the standings very close,” said Neureuther, who leads Hirscher by opened on 68, shot a 72 to share sev- going into the race but skied out in the first run.