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Palestinian team aim for knockout stage Perrin spices up China challenge 19 18 THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2015 Page 16 Smith joins greats as Aussies pressure India DOHA: Novak Djokovic of Serbia returns the ball to Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine during the Qatar ATP Open Tennis tournament. — AP Djokovic eases into Qatar q-finals DOHA: World number one Novak Djokovic took a sig- focus and nicely controlled aggression. “I have never when they are presented and also be prepared for at Seventh seed Karlovic fired 17 aces in a straight sets nificant step towards winning a tournament in the played here before but I shall definitely be coming back least one tie-break.” Djokovic’s performance on win over Nikoloz Basilashvili, a qualifier from Georgia, <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">opening week of the season for the first time in eight next year,” said the man who is playing in the first week Wednesday was not perfect. </li><li style="flex:1">which carried him to a career total of 9,041. </li></ul><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">That is not only the most aces of any active player </li><li style="flex:1">years when he brushed aside the challenge of Sergiy of the ATP World Tour for only the third time. “And I’m </li><li style="flex:1">Several times he turned his head away in irritation </li></ul><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Stakhovsky. </li><li style="flex:1">feeling better.” </li><li style="flex:1">after mistiming with his ground strokes. But he always but Karlovic is now a mere 33 behind Andy Roddick, the </li></ul><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">The Serbian’s 6-2, 6-1 win over the Ukrainian carried </li><li style="flex:1">That medical news is probably the most important rectified the damage, and often dealt with Stakhovsky’s former US Open champion whose total is the second </li></ul>him to the quarter-finals of the Qatar Open and enabled piece of progress for the man who has won the net rushes with calmly venomous counter-punching, highest of all time. him to avoid a potential banana skin, especially in the Australian Open four times and very much wants to win making volleying a hazardous business. aftermath of the illness which almost prevented him the title back this month after his shock loss to Stan By the second set his confidence was growing and a little too much, but achieving it this month looks very competing, Wawrinka in last year’s quarter-finals. by the fourth game the outcome was no longer in possible. Stakhovsky, who likes to attack the net much more Djokovic next faces Ivo Karlovic for a place in the doubt. Djokovic held for 4-1 with two aces and returned The greatest ace cruncher of all time is Karlovic’s than is fashionable these days, is unusually dangerous semi-finals. “The key is to try to get as many returns serve well enough in the following game to pressure Croatian compatriot Goran Ivanisevic, the former when the adrenaline is flowing, and is best known for back in play,” Djokovic said of facing the big-serving Stakhovsky into self-destructive ground stroke errors. For Karlovic to overtake that this week may be asking Wimbledon champion, with 10,183. his upset of Roger Federer at Wimbledon 18 months Croat. He ended with first service statistics showing that he ago. “Also there will probably be some games where he’s had landed 66 percent of them in court, winning 85 per- the 35-year-old said, grinning broadly. Third-seeded “It’s my ambition to overtake Goran before I retire,” On yesterday though there were only brief moments going to serve two, three aces. “I have to accept that, cent of the points when he did. His capacity to do that Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic eased past Blaz when something like that seemed possible-in the sev- but these particular matches, when you play somebody made him formidably solid once he was in front. Kavcic of Slovenia 6-1, 6-2 while Spanish fourth seed enth game when Stakhovsky earned three break back that serves that well, one of the best all-time servers in Djokovic finished with an imperious drive volley, a David Ferrer defeated compatriot Fernando Verdasco 6- points and might have pulled the first set back to parity. tennis history, then you just need to wait and be patient big smile, and some words in Serbian to a group of flag- 3, 6-2. — AFP But Djokovic played all three of them with excellent and hope that you can capitalise on the opportunities waving supporters which brought a raucous response. Wawrinka defeats Coric Nishikori downs CHENNAI: Top seed Stanislas Wawrinka with a break in the 10th game and then opened his campaign in the new sea- broke the 18-year-old Ymer again in the son with a 6-1, 6-4 demolition of sixth game of the second set to clinch teenager Borna Coric of Croatia to victory. <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">cruise into the ATP Chennai Open quar- </li><li style="flex:1">“I think I played a good match,” said </li></ul>ter-finals yesterday. The Swiss world Muller. “I was in control and did not number four gave the 18-year-old Coric allow him many openings. It’s nice to a tennis lesson as he began the defence start the year this way.” Johnson BRISBANE: Japanese star Kei going on.” Nishikori said his success Nishikori enjoyed a solid start to in 2014 had given him a huge the year when he downed boost heading into the new seaAmerican Steve Johnson 6-4, 7-5 in son. of his title in the $450,000 event on the centre court of the Numgambakkam overcame a mid-match loss of form to Tennis Centre. struggle past Richardas Berankis of Fourth seed David Goffin of Belgium Wawrinka, who was among the top Lithuania in three sets 6-0, 4-6, 7-6 <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">four seeds given a bye into the second (7/1). </li><li style="flex:1">the second round of the Brisbane </li><li style="flex:1">“I have a lot of confidence on </li></ul>round, showed no signs of rustiness against the 95th-ranked Croatian, the in 16 minutes, Goffin suddenly began youngest player in the top 100. making unforced errors from the base- Having romped through the first set International yesterday. Fifth seed the court because I feel more comNishikori, who received a first fortable,” he said. “My strokes, and round bye, was never in any real my serve is getting better. “Outside trouble against Johnson despite of the court maybe it’s different being made to work hard for the than before, but on the court it’s Wawrinka ran up a 5-0 lead in the line and served erratically to allow first set and broke Coric in the seventh Berankis to draw level. <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">game of the second set to win, but not </li><li style="flex:1">The 22nd-ranked Goffin failed to </li></ul><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">win. </li><li style="flex:1">always same what I have to do-just </li></ul>before he had wasted four match hold his serve while serving for the points with lazy returns from the base- match at 5-3 in the decider, but played Nishikori enjoyed a break- try to concentrate on what I have through year in 2014, winning four to do, like good preparation and tournaments and making the final good practice and play just 100 of the US Open. He broke the percent on the court.” line. “I am really happy to start this way,” the tie-breaker well to move ahead. “I really don’t know what went BRISBANE: Kei Nishikori of Japan reacts after winning a point in his match against Steve Johnson of the US during the Brisbane International tennis tournament. — AP said Wawrinka, who will defend his wrong,” the 24-year-old Goffin said. “I Australian Open title later in the month. was myself surprised by my high level “I played a solid, aggressive match. I of play in the first set, but then a bad made him run around and my back- service game at the start of the second hand worked well. This is a good sign set made it difficult for me. “Probably it American once in each set and faced just two break points on his take on either Bernard Tomic or own serve early in the second. Thanasi Kokkinakis in the quarter- Afterwards he gave himself a finals. Fourth seed Grigor Dimitrov pass mark for his first outing in was given huge scare by The world number five will now which saw momentum swing back the quarter-finals after the and forth between the two, who Slovakian upset seventh seed and <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">a</li><li style="flex:1">regularly practice together. </li></ul>Chardy had two match points Dolgopolov 1-6, 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (9/7). but couldn’t convert either, then In the women’s draw, seventh <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">former </li><li style="flex:1">finalist </li><li style="flex:1">Alexandr </li></ul><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">and very satisfying. </li><li style="flex:1">was my first match of the season and </li></ul>2015.”I thought it was pretty good-I Frenchman Jeremy Chardy before served really well, I think. I saved a scraping through 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 couple of break points with good (10/8). “For sure Coric is a good player. He is my legs were not ready. <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">young and has already made his mark. </li><li style="flex:1">But I am sure I will play better on </li></ul>saved two himself before Dimitrov seed Carla Suarez Navarro came finally clinched the match in two back from losing the first set to It was not easy out there. That is why I Friday. I just have to be consistent.” am happy with the way I played today.” Goffin’s quarter-final opponent will be Wawrinka will next play eighth seed Austrian Andreas Haider-Maurer, who Gilles Muller of Luxembourg for a place came from behind to oust Jiri Vesely of <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">serves, and had a couple of aces,” </li><li style="flex:1">Chardy was a clear frontrunner </li></ul>Nishikori said. “He was hitting good in the first set, with his booming serves, so it was really tough to forehand wreaking havoc, before return them, but maybe I could be the Bulgarian clawed his way back a little bit better with my return in the second. He broke Chardy’s <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">hours 28 minutes. </li><li style="flex:1">down Mirjana Lucic-Baroni 5-7, 6-3, </li></ul>“We practice together so there 6-4, while qualifying lucky loser Alla are no secrets when it comes to Kudryavtseva continued her good each other’s game,” Dimitrov said. run when she beat Czech Karolina “He played an outstanding set-and- Pliskova 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. Estonia’s Kaia <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">in the semi-finals. </li><li style="flex:1">the Czech Republic 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 6-4. </li></ul><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">The tournament, a warm-up for the </li><li style="flex:1">Muller, 31, still looking for his first </li></ul>game. “But it’s my first tournament, to level the match at a set apiece. first match of the year, so I tried to Games went with serve in the play a little better as the match was third, ensuring a dramatic tiebreak serve in the ninth game then held title after 14 years on the circuit, Australian Open in Melbourne from brushed aside Swedish teenager Elias January 19, will earn the winner on Ymer 6-4, 6-2 in an hour and 19 min- Sunday $73,400 and 250 ranking utes. Muller wrapped up the first set points. — AFP a-half but throughout the match.” Dimitrov plays Martin Klizan in Brengle 6-3, 7-6 (7/3). — AFP <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">I</li><li style="flex:1">stayed positive Kanepi, the 2012 champion, beat </li></ul>American qualifier Madison

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