CRICKET | Page 3 FORMULA 1 | Page 4 Zimbabwe Hamilton yet to victory push open contract frustrated by negotiations rain with Mercedes Friday, January 31, 2020 FOOTBALL Jumada II 6, 1441 AH ‘Sloppy’ Man City must GULF TIMES learn despite reaching League Cup fi nal SPORT Page 7 TENNIS / AUSTRALIAN OPEN Imperious Djokovic downs Federer to reach fi nal Serbian on course for record-extending eighth title at Melbourne Park with straight sets win over injury-hampered Swiss Reuters MEDICAL ATTENTION Melbourne, Australia But the count of his errors also started creeping up as Djokovic 2-Novak Djokovic (SRB) bt 3-Roger Federer (SUI) regained control to get the con- ovak Djokovic once test back on serve and then took Score: 7-6 (1), 6-4, 6-3 Time: 2hrs 18mins again beat great ri- the set with an imperious display 11 Aces 15 val Roger Federer at a in tiebreak. Grand Slam yesterday “It could have defi nitely gone 1 Double Faults 3 Nwith a 7-6 (1), 6-4, 6-3 win to a diff erent way if he used those 31 Winners 46 reach the Australian Open fi - break points,” Djokovic, who beat 18 Unforced Errors 35 nal and remain on course for a Rafael Nadal in last year’s fi nal to record-extending eighth title at grab his seventh Australian Open 4/11 Break Point Conversions 2/7 Melbourne Park. title, said. 67 Total Points Won 42 It was the 50th act of one of the “He started off really well, I greatest rivalries of the sport and was pretty nervous at the begin- the odds were heavily stacked ning. Respect to Roger for com- against Federer as the Swiss had ing out tonight, he was obviously not beaten the Serb at a major hurt and wasn’t at his best or since their 2012 meeting on the even close to his best in terms of grass courts of Wimbledon. his movement.” Federer’s journey on the blue Both players received medical courts of Melbourne Park had attention at the end of the fi rst also been far from smooth as set, with Djokovic calling the he was two points from los- trainer to get his knee massaged. ing against John Millman in the That appeared to have the third round and then saved seven desired eff ect for the second- match points to get past Ameri- seeded Serb as he raised his game can Tennys Sandgren in Tues- up a notch to convert his fourth day’s quarter-fi nal — when he breakpoint chance with a fore- also struggled with a groin strain. hand winner at the net to grab the In contrast, Djokovic had won second set. his last four matches at a canter. Djokovic kept up the pressure He lost his only set of the on the 38-year-old Swiss in the Australian Open in the opening third set and the crucial break match against German Jan-Len- came for him in the sixth game nard Struff . with a forehand groundstroke But it was the 20-time Grand winner for a 4-2 lead. Slam winner who got out of the The 32-year-old, winner of 16 blocks briskly on a hot evening to Grand Slam titles, sealed his 27th wrest early initiative as Djokovic win over Federer with his fi rst struggled with his service games. match point when the Swiss found Federer was up 4-1 and 40-0 the net with a backhand for his on Djokovic’s serve but the Serb 35th unforced error of the night. managed to save all three break- While Federer totalled 46 win- points to win his fi rst service ners in the match compared with game as his opponent made an the Serb’s 31, he had 17 more un- array of unforced errors. forced errors. The Swiss, who had to take a In Sunday’s fi nal, Djokovic will lengthy medical timeout against meet the winner of the other semi- Sandgren for a groin problem, fi nal between Alexander Zverev of was not keen on engaging Djoko- Germany and Austrian Dominic vic in rallies and hit an incredible Thiem, who beat world number 26 winners in the fi rst set. one Nadal in the quarter-fi nals. Serbia’s Novak Djokovic celebrates winning a point against Switzerland’s Roger Federer (not pictured) during their Australian Open semi-final in Melbourne yesterday. (AFP) SPOTLIGHT Kenin breaks Australian hearts, topples Barty to reach fi nal primed to level the match and Reuters 14-Sofi a Kenin (USA) bt 1-Ashleigh Barty (AUS) Melbourne, Australia force a decider but even holding Score: 7-6 (6), 7-5 Time: 1hr 45mins two set points she could not get across the line, Kenin battling to ofi a Kenin sent world 2 Aces 8get the break and bringing the set number one Ashleigh 1 Double Faults 1back on serve. Barty spinning out of the 16 Winners 33 The American then held before Melbourne Park semi- converting her second match Sfi nals 7-6 (6), 7-5 yesterday to 25 Unforced Errors 36 point on Barty’s serve to book reach her maiden Grand Slam fi - 2/4 Break Point Conversions 1/4 her place in the fi nal against ei- nal, crushing Australian hopes of 81 Total Points Won 78 ther Romanian Simona Halep or a fi rst home-grown champion in Garbine Muguruza of Spain, who 42 years. are meeting in Thursday’s second American 21-year-old Kenin, in 1980 and looked the more at times, throwing her racquet semi-fi nal. seeded 14th at the year’s fi rst likely winner but Kenin hung on court, but managed to save Barty, who hit 33 winners to Grand Slam, had a breakthrough tough, saving set points in both three break points to hold for Kenin’s 16, said she enjoyed the 2019 season when she won all frames. 3-3 in the opening set and even- experience of playing a Grand three of her singles titles to reach “She’s such a tough player, tually force a tiebreaker. Slam semi-final in front of a a career-high ranking of 12, the she’s playing really amazing and I Despite temperatures soaring home crowd but was disap- United States’ number two be- knew I really needed to fi nd a way to 38 degrees Celsius (100F), the pointed she failed to take her hind Serena Williams. to win,” Kenin said. “This really American kept her cool to win chances. But Barty, 23, came into yes- wasn’t an easy one. I’m just so four straight points in the tie- “I think a match where I didn’t terday’s match with a 4-1 record speechless. breaker, saved two set points and feel super comfortable,” she said. against her and had the Ameri- “I can’t believe this, I have converted her fi rst to stun the “I felt like my fi rst plan wasn’t can pinned on the back foot with dreamt about this moment since crowd into silence. working. I couldn’t execute the a combination of big forehands I was fi ve-years-old. I’ve worked But the fans soon found their way that I wanted. I tried to go to and backhand slices. so hard to get here. voice again, belting out chants B and C. Barty was bidding to be- “I needed to fi ght out there. of, “Let’s go Barty, let’s go,” as the “I think I had to dig and fi nd come the first local woman to There’s a reason why she’s world home favourite broke Kenin early a way. I’m two points away from Sofia Kenin (right) of the US celebrates her win over Australia’s Ashleigh Barty (not pictured) in the Australian progress to an Australian Open number one.” in the second set to go up 2-1. winning that in straight sets, Open semi-final in Melbourne yesterday. (AFP) final since Wendy Turnbull Kenin showed her frustration Serving at 5-4, Barty was which is disappointing.” Gulf Times 2 Friday, January 31, 2020 TENNIS COMMENT SPOTLIGHT Baby-cradling ‘Can still win Slams’ Barty puts loss into perspective Reuters Barty gave credit where credit — Federer has no Melbourne, Australia was due, praising the perform- ance of the 14th seeded Ameri- can, and acknowledged she had shleigh Barty’s dream not played the big points well. of ending her nation’s But the occasion had not got to 42-year wait for a her, she said. homegrown Austral- “Not at all. I’ve been in a Grand Aian Open champion lay in tatters Slam semi-fi nal before. Yes, it’s plans to retire yesterday after the world number diff erent at home,” she said. one crumbled on the big points in “I enjoyed the experience. I a straight-sets semi-fi nal defeat love being out there. I’ve loved Swiss reached last year’s Roland Garros semis and lost Wimbledon final to Djokovic to Sofi a Kenin. every minute of playing in Aus- The 23-year-old Queens- tralia over the last month. lander beat a hasty retreat from “I could have had an oppor- Rod Laver Arena after losing her tunity to go one more match, fi rst Melbourne semi-fi nal 7-6 but we didn’t quite get that to- (6), 7-5, shaking her head rue- day.” fully as she walked down the player’s tunnel. LESSONS INTO PRACTICE While it was Kenin left to Barty is hardly the fi rst home fa- march on to the fi nal, much of the vourite to suff er disappointment one hour, 45-minute clash had at Melbourne Park.