TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2019 16 Djokovic downs Delbonis the Serbian was able to hold firm to set up an intriguing match Djokovic passes and take the opener. with Kyle Edmund in the last • The world number one was 16 after the British number one Delbonis test to reach getting incredibly frustrated , impressively saw off Canadian Miami fourth round he received a warning for rac- Milos Raonic 6-4 6-4. quet abuse and was furious for In the women’s draw, Simona Simona Halep allowing a 3-1 lead to slip in the Halep kept alive hopes of re - and• Venus Williams second, yet credit to Delbonis gaining the world number one who stayed calm and served out ranking Sunday, beating Polona advance in Miami confidently to force a decider, Hercog 5-7, 7-6 (7/1), 6-2 to reach something which looked beyond the last 16 where she will play AFP | Miami him midway through the open- Venus Williams. ing set. Halep, 27, lost her place at the ovak Djokovic remains He couldn’t keep the pressure top of the rankings following on course for a record on, however, and when Djokovic Naomi Osaka’s triumph at the Nseventh Miami Open ti- managed to get 3-1 ahead, this Australian Open earlier this year. tle, but the world number one time there was no way back for But with the Japanese falter- admitted to a loss of focus in a the 28 year-old from Azul who ing here on Saturday, Halep can 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 victory over spirited rightly received an ovation from return to the position she last Federico Delbonis which booked the center court crowd for his held at the end of 2018 if she his place in the last 16. monumental efforts. lands the Miami Open for the Djokovic is hoping to eclipse “I think last four games were first time. Andre Agassi’s six ATP crowns terrific, so I ended up in a posi- “It’s always tough against in South Florida over the next tive way,” Djokovic added. Venus,” said the current world week and although the 31-year- Defending champion John number three, who has beaten old endured some shaky mo - Isner blew Spain’s Albert the American in their previous ments at Hard Rock Stadium, Ramos-Vinolas off court with three encounters. he still possessed enough quality serves touching 139 mph as the “I’m not going to say that it’s during the key moments to see American sealed an ultimately going to be easier because I won off the battling Delbonis. comprehensive 7-5, 7-6 (8-6) win the last matches against her. It’s The Serbian, though, wasn’t a big challenge for me.” happy with letting a 5-2 advan- Seven-time Grand Slam cham- tage slip in the first set and be- pion Williams, meanwhile, came furious with himself as the swept past Russian Daria Ka- second squirmed from his grasp. To be honest, I lost my satkina 6-3, 6-1. He will need to tighten up his “Simona always plays flawless Novak Djokovic of Serbia returns a shot to Federico Delbonis of Argentina focus. I should have game if he is to reach next Sun- done better I think tennis against me, so I have to be day’s final with Roberto Bautista better I think mentally than I Federico, he stepped in.” after he missed a set point op- mentally than I have ready for that,” Williams said. Agut waiting in the fourth round have done at the end of the first Djokovic had looked impres- portunity on the Delbonis serve, done at the end of the Elsewhere in women’s action, after the Spaniard defeated Ital- two sets. sive in the second round win his game deserted him and sud- American Sloane Stephens’s title ian Fabio Fognini 6-4, 6-4. “I managed to really play well over Bernard Tomic and the denly, the South American had a first two sets defense ended in a 6-3, 6-2 loss “To be honest, I lost my focus,” last couple games of first set, go Serbian continued his decent spring in his step. NOVAK DJOKOVIC to Germany’s Tatjana Maria. said Djokovic who smashed 36 up a break, put myself in front, form by immediately imposing Delbonis had opportunities to It was another disappointing winners compared to 24 from then I played a couple of real- himself onto the Argentine. steal ahead, yet calling on all his ending for Stephens, who fell in Delbonis. “I should have done ly bad service games. Credit to Djokovic moved 5-2 ahead but experience and mental resolve, the third round at Indian Wells. Zorc dismisses rumours Stuani strikes again as ruthless Uruguay win China Cup linking Sancho to United Reuters | Shanghai, China AFP | Berlin recently signed a contract ex- tand-in forward Cristhian tension which keeps him at the SStuani scored his third goal orussia Dortmund sport- German club until 2022. in two games as Uruguay taught Bing director Michael Zorc Yet Sancho, who picked Thailand a footballing lesson to 126th has dismissed rumours that up an assist in England’s 5-0 win the China Cup with a 4-0 appearance was made by Diego Godin for 19-year-old rising star Jadon thrashing of the Czech Repub- victory yesterday. Uruguay yesterday Sancho is set for a move back lic on Friday, has been repeat- The 2018 World Cup quar- to Manchester United. edly linked with a return to the ter-finalists hardly missed the English youngster Premier League. injured star striking duo of Luis Sancho has flour- A recent report in The Sun Suarez and Edinson Cavani as it 3-0 just before the hour with ished since join- alleged that Sancho’s agent they made it seven goals in two a close-range bullet header from ing Dortmund was in talks with Manchester games. a corner. The Girona striker, from Manches- United, but Dortmund boss Uruguay, comfortable 3-0 vic- who scored a brace against the ter City two Zorc dismissed the rumours tors over Uzbekistan on Friday Uzbeks, had hit the post just Uruguay’s Gaston Pereiro in action years as “irrelevant”. in the four-team tournament, minutes earlier. ago, “I have no knowledge profited from some poor Thai- home after just six minutes -- prodded in after the Thai de- Substitute Maxi Gomez made and (of the talks), but it is also land defending in the Chinese Thai goalkeeper Siwarak Ted- fence went AWOL. it 4-0 two minutes from the end completely irrelevant,” city of Nanning. sungnoen should have done Stuani, starting because of of normal time with goalkeeper Zorc told Bild. Unmarked Inter Milan mid- better -- and it was 2-0 on 38 the absence of PSG’s Cavani Siwarak stranded out of posi- In a recent interview fielder Matias Vecino headed minutes when Gaston Pereiro and Barcelona’s Suarez, made tion. with the same newspa- per, Zorc admitted that it would be hard for Dort- Jadon mund to hold on to Sancho Sancho long-term, but insisted that Cardiff to claim Emiliano Sala transfer ‘null and void’: report the youngster would remain at AFP | London Dortmund next season. Ligue 1 side. that Sala “has been registered “I can’t put a price tag ardiff are set to tell FIFA The Daily Telegraph said Sala as a Cardiff City FC player and around Jadon’s neck but I can Cthat the £15 million ($19.8m, signed a contract with Cardiff that the player’s International say that even the biggest clubs 23m euros) deal they agreed to that was rejected by the Pre - Transfer Certificate has been in the world struggle to afford pay Nantes for Emiliano Sala mier League and died before released”. him at the moment,” said Zorc. became “null and void” after he a revised one could be signed, The source said this had not “Jadon will be playing at died in a plane crash, a report adding that there is a dispute happened before Sala died. Borussia Dortmund next sea- said yesterday. about whether he had agreed to “The transfer agreement be- son. But it is obvious that the The 28-year-old Argentine sign a new deal. tween Cardiff and Nantes was interest in him will keep grow- forward was killed when the According to the report, a subject to several conditions,” ing, especially from English small plane carrying him came source close to Cardiff said the the source told the paper. clubs. He will not end his ca- down in the Channel on January Flowers are displayed in front of the agreement stipulated that Welsh Nantes reportedly plan to dis- reer in Dortmund, that much 21, two days after he completed portrait of Emiliano Sala at Beaujoire and French football authorities pute Cardiff’s case, saying the is true.” his transfer from the French stadium in Nantes (file photo) had to confirm to both clubs club completed the paperwork. Hon. 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