No sand, no beach: Players, families Snow volleyball honor takes Alps Hillsborough by storm dead WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 2014 17 18 Injuries mar Barca, Real Cup preparations in final Page 18 MONACO: Novak Djokovic of Serbia serves the ball to Albert Montanes of Spain during their match of the Monte Carlo Tennis Masters tournament yesterday. — AP Djokovic thumps Montanes in Monte Carlo MONTE CARLO: Novak Djokovic stormed ner. “I could not find any flaws in my game. Tsonga needed just under two hours to Granollers 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 while Italian Andreas an extra three million euros is up for grabs into the third round of the Monte Carlo “My opponent was making a lot of go through in front of an enthusiastic crowd, Seppi defeated 13th seed Mikhail Youzhny compared to the year before. Masters as the defending champion won his unforced errors, I tried not to give him any although he took a medical timeout on the 6-3, 7-6 (7/4). Nadal, Roger Federer and “This considerable increase in the prize 11th straight match of the season 6-1, 6-0 rhythm. I’ve had some short matches before, way to finally securing victory on his third Australian Open winner Stanislas Wawrinka money for Roland-Garros is in line with the over Albert Montanes yesterday. The second it’s nice to get your work done so quickly. match point. are to begin in the second round today. four-year plan drawn up for the period 2013 seed is bidding for a trophy at his fifth “But then again, longer rallies would have “I just had a bad period. I felt my legs Meanwhile, prize money for this year’s to 2016,” tournament director Gilbert Ysern straight Masters 1000 after ending last sea- given more of a test so early in the clay sea- were very heavy. I didn’t feel well, so I called French Open will top 25 million euros ($34.5 explained. “It is especailly aimed at those son as winner at Shanghai and Paris before son.” the doctor to explain what was happening. million), more than 10 percent up on 2013, players who are knocked out in the first sweeping Indian Wells and Miami last month. Djokovic revealed that he has been carry- He gave me homeopathic treatment.” the French Tennis Federation announced on week.” He won the last 11 games in a row, finish- ing a slight wrist problem for a week but said It was a largely positive day for the French Tuesday. The increase brings the French Open into ing in 45 minutes and improving to 17-2 on he would not speak of it, saying only that it on the Cote d’Azur. Michael Llodra upset The men’s and women’s singles champi- line with the other Grand Slam tournaments, the season. The Serb ranked second in the would soon be cleared up. Spanish sixth slumping Polish 16th seed Jerzy Janowicz 6- ons will each receive 1.65 million euros, a 10 with this year’s Australian Open offering world behind top seed and eight-time seed David Ferrer, the 2011 finalist, started 4, 6-2. Julian Benneteau advanced over percent increase on last year’s top prize. prize money of 33 million Australian dollars Monte Carlo champion Rafael Nadal ran his with a win over Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 6-0. Austrian Jurgen Melzer 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 but But the main increases are for the early ($30.98 million, 22.4 million euros). In 2013, record over Spain’s Montanes to a comfort- Ninth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga joined Russian Teimuraz Gabashvili handed a 4-6, 6- losers, as those who fail to progress beyond Wimbledon prize money rose to £22.56 able 6-0. Djokovic and Ferrer in the third round with a 4, 6-4 loss to Gilles Simon. the second, third and fourth rounds will ($37.7 million, 27.34 million euros) and the “For my first clay match since Roland hard-fought 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 victory over Bulgarian 12th seed Grigor Dimitrov receive prize money worth between 20 and total US Open kitty was worth $33.6 million Garros last June it was great,” said the win- German Philipp Kohlschreiber. reached the second round over Marcelo 25 percent more than in 2013. As last year, (24.28 million euros). — AFP Stunning Victory Pliskova, Zhang win dents Guangzhou in Malaysian Open MELBOURNE: Melbourne Victory and finishing smartly. KUALA LUMPUR: Czech tennis star Karolina Pliskova stunned Guangzhou Evergrande 2-0 yes- The Australian side had several breezed into the second round of the BMW Malaysian Open terday to halt the title-holders’ progress to chances to extend their lead in the first yesterday with a straight-sets win, while China’s Zhang Shuai the AFC Champions League knock-out half, but Guangzhou came alive after the also progressed. rounds and leave all four teams in their break and goalkeeper Nathan Coe saved The second-seeded Chinese, who is ranked 45th in the group level on points with one game left. from both Muriqui and Feng Renliang in world, had a tougher time than Pliskova but in the end beat Marcello Lippi’s attractive side had the game’s final quarter. Another great compatriot Zheng Saisai 2-6, 6-2, 6-2. swamped Victory 4-2 in their earlier meet- save from Coe thwarted a swift Pliskova, who won the competition last year for her only ing, but goals in the opening and closing Guangzhou counter-attack before substi- WTA title to date, thrashed Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunic 6-2, 6- minutes ensured a shock win in tute Andrew Nabbout and Kosta 2 in a game that was postponed from Monday due to rain. Melbourne and blew Group G wide open. Barbarouses combined to set up Troisi’s “It was a good warm-up to the tournament. Frankly, Elsewhere, Manabu Saito scored twice goal in the first minute of stoppage time. Aleksandra did not give me a fight, a routine win,” the tour- in two minutes as Yokohama F. Marinos “The most important thing for us was nament’s third seed said confidently. Pliskova, 22, is ranked upset former champions Jeonbuk to win and we did that and it’s going to 75th in the world standings while Krunic is at 158. Hyundai Motors 2-1 to put all four con- make the last round very interesting,” Coe In yesterday’s other games, fourth seed Patricia Mayr- tenders on seven points ahead of next said. Achleitner of Austria beat Japan’s Eri Hozumi 6-4, 2-6, 6-3. It week’s final group fixtures. Lippi’s expensive team came to was also a bad day for Japan’s fifth seed Kimiko Date- In Group H, Western Sydney Wanders Melbourne without their tournament top- Krumm, who retired after Cagla Buyukakcay of Turkey took a beat Ulsan Hyundai 2-0 to give a massive scorer Alessandro Diamanti, and they 5-3 lead.. boost to their hopes of reaching the badly missed the injured Italian interna- The 113th-ranked Ayumi Morita, who used to be among knock-out stages on their debut in the tional’s goals and creativity. the top 50 players in the world, lost 4-6, 2-6 to Lyudmyla Asian club competition. The Chinese champions now head into Kichenok of Ukraine. In a dramatic night of action, their final group game, at home to Seventh seed Donna Vekic of Croatia had a poor start to Australian international Mark Milligan Yokohama next Tuesday, knowing they her match against Chan Yung-Jan but eventually defeated scored in the second minute and James need a win to make sure of keeping their the Taiwanese player 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. Troisi struck in stoppage time in title defence alive. Hsieh Su-Wei of Taiwan-who is now world number 126 Melbourne to pull off the biggest surprise Yokohama fell behind to an early goal down from a career high of 23 in 2013 — scraped through, of the tournament so far. from Jeonbuk’s Han Kyo-Won but Saito’s triumphing over Australia’s Jarmila Gajdosova 2-6, 6-4, 6-3. It was Victory’s best win in four audacious strike from outside the box lev- DOHA: UAE’s Al-Ain player Omar Abdulrahman (right) fights for the ball with Pliskova’s twin sister, Kristyna Pliskova, who is ranked Champions League campaigns, and elled the game at 1-1 with just under half- Qatar’s Lekhwiya player Khaled Muftah during their AFC Champions League 139th, beat higher-ranked Timea Babos of Hungary 7-6(8/6), means they will reach the knock-outs if an-hour remaining. Group C football match at the Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Stadium. Al-Ain 3-6, 6-4. First-seed Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia, who is they beat 2006 winners Jeonbuk Hyundai And man-of-the-match Saito stayed won 5-0. — AFP 10th in the world, play today. Malaysia’s capital Kuala Motors in South Korea next week. alert as just a minute later, he pounced on Mark Bridge and Brendon Santalab rifled home shortly before half-time to Lumpur often experiences heavy afternoon downpours that Victory were ahead inside the opening a defensive mistake and slotted the win- downed the 2012 champions and put the give Kawasaki Frontale a 1-0 win and end have marred play. The tournament was also dealt an early 90 seconds, when Milligan won the ball in ner past Jeonbuk goalie Kwoun Sun-Tae.