MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2015 SPORTS Pumas looking to make biggest leap LONDON: Possessing a side who can against Georgia, Tonga and Namibia to beat anyone on a good day, Argentina reach their customary quarter-final spot. are aiming high at the World Cup with The quarter-finals should be a given their sights set on the ultimate goal. since they joined the Rugby “Our dream is to be world champi- Championship in 2012 with two guaran- ons,” says Pumas’ captain and hooker teed annual tests against each of the Agustin Creevy. Given that they rarely three top southern hemisphere teams. beat either the top southern hemisphere But the players know they must keep teams or England, most observers could their feet on the ground, aware that the be excused a certain scepticism. A more likes of Georgia are also progressing realistic objective would be to emulate apace and a shock result in their second their fine 2007 generation by reaching match would leave them needing other the semi-finals for the second time. results to go their way. A week after Argentina succeeded in 2007 with Argentina handed South Africa the victories over leading European sides Rugby Championship wooden spoon, Ireland and Scotland but came unstuck the Springboks took their revenge with against South Africa. Now with a first win victory in a World Cup warmup in over the Springboks under their belt Buenos Aires over the team coach Daniel after the August upset in Durban, the Hourcade said he would field against only team they have yet to beat are New New Zealand. Although Argentina are Zealand. playing an expansive attacking game “(The South Africa win) was really under Hourcade, defence is the key nice but victories don’t last long, it’s in according to scrumhalf Tomas Cubelli. the past and you have to look forward,” “When we are strong and don’t give said flyhalf Juan Martin Hernandez. “Our away tries, the team feels confident, sol- perspective doesn’t change after the vic- id and from there we go into attack,” tory though it’s true that this kind of win Cubelli said. “On top of that, when this helps spiritually because it reflects our happens, our opponents start to wear good work (in training).” down mentally.” Argentina’s expanding NEW YORK: Roger Federer of Switzerland, returns a shot to Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany, during the third round of the US Open tennis Upsetting the world champion All player base means there is ample cover tournament. — AP Blacks at Wembley in their opening Pool for the likes of winger Gonzalo Camacho C match on Sept. 20 would be the per- and prop Juan Figallo, veterans of the fect start but they are far more likely to 2011 World Cup who failed to make the Federer, Murray cruise, lose that match and win the others squad due to injury. — Reuters Bouchard suffers injury NEW YORK: Roger Federer and Andy Murray The big South African, boosted by a title on Open champion Azarenka. coasted into the US Open fourth round Saturday the hard courts of Winston Salem last weekend, Fifth seed Stan Wawrinka, the French Open as Canadian poster girl Eugenie Bouchard suf- made the last 16 with a 6-3, 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/3) champion, made the last 16 with a 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), fered a potentially tournament-ending head win over Austria’s Dominic Thiem. 6-4 win over Belgian world number 107 Rubens injury in a freak fall. Five-time champion and “It was much slower conditions today which Bemmelmans. Wawrinka goes on to face world number two Federer claimed a 6-3, 6-4, 6- made it tough to serve but easier to return so unseeded American Donald Young, who pulled 4 victory over Philipp Kohlschreiber, his 10th win there were a lot of long rallies,” said Murray. “He off his second comeback from two sets to love in 10 meetings against the 29th-ranked German. got the early break but I got it back straight- down to beat Serbian 22nd seed Viktor Troicki 4- Murray, seeded three and the New York away, used my variety and made it tough for 6, 0-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2, 6-4. champion in 2012, brushed aside Thomaz him.” Bouchard was facing a battle to make her Czech sixth seed Tomas Berdych, a semi-final- Bellucci of Brazil 6-3, 6-2, 7-5 for his 40th career scheduled last-16 clash with Italy’s Roberto Vinci ist in 2012, reached the last 16 for a fourth suc- win at the US Open. on Sunday after injuring her head in a fall in the cessive year by beating Spain’s Guillermo GarcÌa- Federer, 34, hoping to become the oldest women’s locker room on Friday. Lopez 6-7 (2/7), 7-6 (9/7), 6-3, 6-3. champion since Ken Rosewall in 1970, will next The 21-year-old Canadian withdrew from the He next plays 12th seed Richard Gasquet, one face US 13th seed John Isner, who progressed women’s and mixed doubles tournament on of four Frenchmen in the last 16, who defeated after Czech opponent Jiri Vesely retired with a medical advice. Organisers had been due to Australia’s Bernard Tomic 6-4, 6-3, 6-1. neck injury after dropping the first two sets. update her status late Saturday but also sched- Romanian second seed Simona Halep Federer has now reached the fourth round in uled Bouchard to play last on Louis Armstrong reached the last 16 with a 6-2, 6-3 win over New York for the 15th year as he looks to return Stadium on Sunday to maximise her chances of American qualifier Shelby Rogers. Next up for to the final for the first time since 2009. taking part. Halep is Germany’s 24th seed Sabine Lisicki, who “I won the big points today, I served well Two-time runner-up Victoria Azarenka, the came back from 1-5 down in the final set to when I had to, even though it was up and down 20th seed, triumphed over 11th-seeded German defeat Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic 6- for both of us,” said Federer, who will take a 4-1 Angelique Kerber in an Arthur Ashe Stadium 4, 4-6, 7-5 before collapsing to the floor in floods career lead over Isner into their fourth-round thriller lasting almost three hours. of tears. Two-time Wimbledon winner Petra clash. Murray had needed to rally from two sets Azarenka, whose season has been blighted Kvitova, the Czech fifth seed, eased past Anna down to see off France’s Adrian Mannarino in the by a left thigh injury, won 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 on a sixth KarolÌna Schmiedlova of Slovakia 6-2, 6-1. second round. But despite falling a break down match point having trailed 2-5 in the first set. She next faces British qualifier Johanna in the first set on Saturday, he eventually The 26-year-old took her record over Kerber Konta, the world number 97 who beat German breezed to victory over the 30th-ranked, left- to 5-0 on the back of 51 winners to her oppo- 18th seed Andrea Petkovic 7-6 (7/2), 6-3. handed Bellucci. nent’s 46 in a merciless contest of big-hitting. Samantha Stosur, the 2011 champion and the Murray, who has advanced to the quarter- Both players saved a combined 26 break last woman to beat Serena Williams at the tour- finals or better at his last 18 Grand Slams, next points before the Belarusian prevailed to set-up nament, battled past Italy’s Sara Errani 7-5, 2-6, faces South Africa’s 15th seed Kevin Anderson. a last-16 clash with America’s Varvara 6-1. Next for Stosur is another Italian, 26th seed Anderson has never gone beyond the fourth Lepchenko. “Angelique is a great fighter but I Flavia Pennetta, a 2013 semi-finalist, who put round at a major and trails Murray 4-1 in career enjoy the hustle and getting winners and chas- out world number 149 Petra Cetkovska 1-6, 6-1, meetings including two clashes this year. ing down every ball,” said two-time Australian 6-4. — AFP Australia defeat US in World Cup warm-up CHICAGO: A second-string Australian team turned a narrow half-time lead into a comfort- able 47-10 victory over the United States in a World Cup warm-up game in Chicago on Catch every kick, try Saturday. The Wallabies rested several players includ- ing captain and hooker Stephen Moore, and and tackle with OSN did not look like the number two team in the world in a poor first half display at Soldier Exclusive HD coverage of Field. They led only 14-10 at the break, before the Rugby World Cup 2015 raising their game and scoring five unan- swered second-half tries against their error- prone opponents. The result was a far cry DUBAI: The Rugby World Cup returns White, New Zealand’s great open side from the 74-6 thrashing New Zealand inflicted this month to OSN, the broadcaster who flanker Josh Kronfeld, 1999 Rugby World on the American Eagles at the same venue first introduced rugby to the region with Cup winner Australian Joe Roff and 1995 last year. Nonetheless, Australian prop James Rugby World Cup 2003. This will be the Rugby World Cup winner South African Slipper expressed satisfaction with the result fourth time the region’s leading pay-TV Joel Stransky.