NHL | Page 5 FOOTBALL | Page 2 Durant Egypt powers and Nigeria Warriors to splutter in brink of crown warm-ups Friday, June 8, 2018 FORMULA ONE Ramadan 23, 1439 AH Briton Hamilton GULF TIMES returns to favourite hunting ground SPORT Page 7 TENNIS/FRENCH OPEN Nadal and Del Potro set for semi-fi nal thriller in Paris HALEP, STEPHENS TO CLASH IN WOMEN’S FINAL SPOTLIGHT Same routine, diff erent result hopes Halep Reuters victory, because it’s a great match. Paris “And I have two more days until I will play the fi nal. So I will stay chilled. I will relax. And then we will see what is going omanian Simona Halep said the to happen Saturday. For sure I will fi ght for only thing she intends to change every ball.” in her fourth Grand Slam fi nal ap- By most people’s reckoning, Halep is Rpearance is the result. the best player of her generation still to The 26-year-old world number one land a Grand Slam, but contrary to what outplayed Garbine Muguruza in the one might expect she does not lay in bed at French Open semi-fi nal yesterday, win- night worrying about it. ning 6-1 6-4 to put herself back within “So I lost three times until now and no touching distance of fi nally lifting one of one died, so it will be okay,” she smiled. the sport’s biggest prizes. “Of course, it’s a big opportunity, it’s a big She has been there before of course and chance, but you never know. always fallen just short — most notably “But I will be more confi dent because last year at Roland Garros when she was a I have a lot of experience? In tennis, you set and 3-0 to the good against Latvian Je- never know, so I will stay chilled.” lena Ostapenko before being overwhelmed Halep also lost the 2014 fi nal in Paris to by an onslaught of winners. Maria Sharapova and suff ered more heart- As she did last year she will start as fa- break on a sweltering night in Melbourne vourite against American Sloane Stephens. in January when she went down in three Asked what she will do to avoid a fourth sets to Caroline Wozniacki. runners-up cheque she said: “I don’t Asked again, however, what she had know what I will change. Probably noth- learned from those losses she quipped: ing, because I will keep my routine,” she “Can we change the subject? Let’s talk Spain’s Rafael Nadal returns the ball to Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman during their men’s singles quarter-final match on day twelve of the 2018 French told reporters. about the beautiful weather! I will answer Open tennis tournament in Paris yesterday. At bottom, Del Potro in action during his match against Cilic. “I have more experience now. I feel this question after the fi nal. If I win, I will calm. I feel that I have to enjoy it today, the tell you.” DPA RESULTS everything I can.” Paris Schwartzman, ranked at number Women (semi-finals): Simona 6-2, 6-2; 12 in the world, had four chances to Halep (ROM x1) bt Garbine Mu- Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG x5) break Nadal back in the third set, afael Nadal rallied back guruza (ESP x3) 6-1, 6-4; Sloane bt Marin Cilic (CRO x3) 7-6 (7/5), but the world number one displayed to beat Argentina’s Diego Stephens (USA x10) bt Madison 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 impeccable defence, armed with a Schwartzman 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 Keys (USA x13) 6-4, 6-4 Mixed doubles (Final): Latisha thunderous top-spun forehand in 6-2 and conclude their rain- Men (Quarter-finals): Chan/Ivan Dodig (TAI/CRO x2) bt exhilarating exchanges for a 2-1 set Rhit French Open quarter-fi nal yester- advantage. Rafael Nadal (ESP x1) bt Diego Gabriela Dabrowski/Mate Pavic day for a place in the elite fi nal four. Schwartzman (ARG x11) 4-6, 6-3, (CAN/CRO x1) 6-1, 6-7 (5/7), 10-8 Nadal’s opponent crumbled with He will now face another Argen- a stack of errors in the fourth to con- tine, Juan Martin del Potro, in today’s cede a double break, but after the semi-fi nal, after Del Potro conquered last year,” said Halep. “She’s a strong lep is searching for her maiden major Argentine off ered some resistance, Marin Cilic 7-6 (7-5), 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 in opponent.” title after failing in her three previous Nadal went in for the kill with a fi erce the other quarter-fi nal aff ected by Halep earned a 4-0 head start in the attempts, including last year’s French forehand to complete a three-hour- the weather. opening 20 minutes as she stormed to Open fi nal against then-19-year-old and-42-minute battle. A heavy downpour on Wednesday the fi rst set advantage with spiteful Jelena Ostapenko. “The stop yesterday helps, be- evening halted the men’s contests strokes, despite handing Muguruza a “I will try my best to win,” Halep cause it was in a tough moment of my after Nadal had dropped a set for the single break with rushed serving. said. “This is my favourite grand slam match,” Nadal said. “He was playing fi rst time at this year’s Roland Garros Muguruza, who won the Roland and hopefully I will be better than last great, and I was playing too defen- tournament, but he fought back to Garros event in 2016, found her year. sive. I felt that I was playing a little bit within two points of restoring parity rhythm and gained a 4-2 advantage in “I will focus on myself, like I did under more stress than usual. I think in the second set at 4-6, 5-3 (30-15). the second set, but Halep roared back every match here. And I will try just after that I changed, I increased the However, the 32-year-old, who to take the match in 92 minutes. Ha- to be calm during the match and try intensity, increased the determina- has won 16 grand slam titles, includ- tion on how to play my shots, so the McEnroe predicts tough return for Murray at Wimbledon ing 10 on the famous red clay, showed match changed drastically.” no signs of weakness when play re- Del Potro, the tournament’s fi fth Paris: John McEnroe expects Andy Murray harder than ever — even when I was play- sumed on Court Philippe Chatrier as seed, was pegged at 6-6 and 5-5 in a to battle past his hip problem and play at ing... If you are not feeling quite right, it can he grabbed 12 of the fi rst 13 points to fi rst-set tie-break with Cilic, seeded Wimbledon this year but has warned the be tough.” Seven-times grand slam winner lead by a break after he capped the third, before the rain came. The Ar- Briton that he faces a tough test against McEnroe says Murray will keep fighting to second set. gentine won the fi rst two points to hard-hitting opponents. reclaim his position in the sport even if the In the women’s draw, world round off the fi rst set and outlasted Former world number one Murray has not three-times major champion risks “semi- number one Simona Halep is through his Croatian opposite in lengthy ral- played a competitive match since losing in humiliation”. to her fourth grand slam fi nal after lies to win in three hours and 50 the Wimbledon quarter-finals last July and is “You keep giving yourself reasons as to why she overpowered Spain’s Garbine minutes. Nadal beat Del Potro in the on the mend after undergoing hip surgery it’s worth it, the upside. You know, it’s worth Muguruza 6-1, 6-4, in their semi- semi-fi nals of last year’s US Open and in January. taking semi-humiliation. You’re still out there fi nal clash in Paris. holds nine previous triumphs over The 31-year-old withdrew from this month’s doing something you love, in a way. You’re “I’m really happy I won this match, the world number six, and he says Rosmalen grasscourt tournament and could not as good as you were,” the American it was very important for my mind to he is now thriving off the pressure also skip the Queen’s Club competition as said. know I can beat a great opponent,” placed upon him to defend his French he aims to return for the third grand slam “I’m not even saying he won’t be (as good said the 26-year-old Romanian. She Open crown for an 11th Roland Garros event of the year, which kicks off on July 2. as he was). I don’t know what will happen, will meet current US Open champion success. “He’s gonna play because he loves to play,” but it will be pretty tough to come back and Sloane Stephens after the 25-year- “Pressure is part of the sport in McEnroe told British media. “But I’m sure he be better than he was...” old world number 10 dismissed com- general. I don’t feel the pressure now would be realistic about what he could do if McEnroe, 59, compared Murray to Swiss patriot Madison Keys 6-4, 6-4, in a in semi-fi nals,” Nadal said.