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Sport

Kontaveit ends giantkiller Hsieh’s Miami Open run

Tennis
Miami (U.S.), March 27, 2019 (Reuters/NAN) Anett Kontaveit brought Hsieh Su-wei’s Miami Open run to a dramatic end with a 3-6 6-2 7-5 comeback win on Tuesday to become the first player through to the semi-finals.

After beating Japan’s world number one Naomi Osaka in the third round and 13th seed Caroline Wozniacki in the fourth, the 33-year-old Hsieh appeared to be on a roll.

The Taiwan giantkiller looked poised to add the 21st-seeded Estonian to her collection by racing to a 4-0 lead in the third set.

But Kontaveit, 10 years her junior, took a page from the Taiwanese player’s playbook and dug in.

In her third round win over Osaka, 27th seed Hsieh rallied from a set and a break down, but this time the tables were turned.

Kontaveit bravely battled back to get on level terms and, with Hsieh serving at 6-5 to force a tiebreak, moved in for the kill.

She broke the tiring Taiwanese to clinch a stirring win.

The Estonian now awaits the winner of the match between third-seeded Czech Petra Kvitova and Australian 12th seed Ashleigh Barty.(Reuters/NAN)
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(Edited by Olawale Alabi)

Sport

Missing Miami title defence was refreshing, Djokovic says

NAN-S-21

Title
Belgrade, April 4, 2017 (Reuters/NAN) Miami Open was rejuvenating for Novak Djokovic although it meant missing the chance to win a record seventh title in the tournament, Serbia’s world number two said on Tuesday.

Djokovic missed the Masters Series event with an elbow injury and, having recovered, is eager to face Spain in the Davis Cup quarter-finals before a boisterous home crowd next weekend.

“Of course I wanted to be on the court and defend my title but it just didn’t happen this time,” Djokovic told a news conference in the Serbian capital’s Aleksandar Nikolic arena.

“At the same time, it was also rather refreshing to get some rest and sit out Miami at home with my wife and son.

“It was quality family time which I don’t get enough of and it made me very happy.

“A hard court tie is not an ideal preparation for the clay court season but, given that I was away for a few weeks after a patchy start to the season, I need as many matches as possible to get back into my stride irrespective of the surface.

“The Davis Cup is a very special event as it generates the kind of home crowd atmosphere you don’t see on the ATP Tour. So, I am really looking forward to performing in front of our fans.

“ I always draw very positive energy from the Davis Cup as it invariably brings out the best in me, ‘’Djokovic added

Having dominated for several years to win 12 Grand Slam tournaments after clinching his maiden French Open title last June, Djokovic then suffered a dramatic loss of form.

It saw him ousted as the world number one by Briton Andy Murray.

With Murray also playing in fits and starts in the early stages of the season, Djokovic heaped praise on the evergreen Roger Federer after the Swiss maestro won the Miami Open.

This had followed his Australian Open triumph in January.

“What Federer has accomplished this year is admirable and it shows that one can play at the top level even at his age.

“He’s had his ups and downs in the last three or four years, but came back swinging and revitalised after a six-month layoff last year,” said Djokovic.

He said the Miami Open final between Federer and Nadal was “as outstanding as anyone might have expected from the greatest rivalry ever’’.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Nadal will however skip Spain’s clash with Serbia.(Reuters/NAN)
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(Edited by Olawale Alabi)

Sport

Federer beats Nadal to win third Miami Open title

NAN-S-10
Federer
By Victor Okoye
Abuja, April 2, 2017 (NAN) Roger Federer on Sunday overcame long-term rival Rafael Nadal to win the Miami Open for the third time and continue his remarkable start to the season.

The 35-year-old built on January’s Australian Open win and last month’s Indian Wells success with a convincing 6-3 6-4 win over the Spaniard.

The pair shared 10 break points in the opening set, with Federer the only man to take one to crucially move 5-3 up.

He exuded control throughout, breaking at 4-4 in the second and serving out.

A sweeping backhand down the line in the final game summed up the confidence which poured from the champion from start to finish.

It helped him to move to an 11-match winning streak and improved his match record to 19 wins and just one defeat in 2017.

A fourth straight win over Nadal — his longest winning streak in their 13-year professional rivalry — also makes Federer the oldest winner of the Miami Open.

He looked cool and calm throughout and his dominance this year is perhaps all the more remarkable given he took six months off through the second half of the 2016 season.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the time off was for him to recover from a knee injury.(NAN)
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(Edited by Olawale Alabi)

Sport

Konta beats Wozniacki to win Miami Open title

NAN-S-11
Konta
By Victor Okoye
Abuja, April 1, 2017 (NAN) Johanna Konta took the biggest title of her career with victory over Caroline Wozniacki as she became the first British woman to win the Miami Open on Saturday.

The 25-year-old British number one overpowered her Danish opponent — a former world number one — 6-4 6-3.

Konta, who in June 2015 was the world number 146, will climb to seventh from 11th in the rankings — her highest yet.

She also takes home 940,000 pounds in prize money in claiming what was her third WTA Tour success from a fourth final.

Konta won her first WTA title in July 2016 at the Bank of the West Classic.

She was defeated in the China Open final in October 2016, and in January the Briton triumphed at the Sydney International without dropping a set.

But this was her first success at a higher level — the top ‘Premier Mandatory’ rung of the WTA Tour.

Having beaten Wozniacki in their only previous meeting — in straight sets at the third round of this year’s Australian Open — Konta was pre-match favourite.

And she held her nerve with a strong all-round performance to edge her opponent in a tight match.

“Thank you so much to the crowd,” Konta said.

“You guys were incredible through the whole week. Miami is such an energetic city and you guys really bring that to the court.

“My whole team — thank you so much. We’re having a great time working hard and I’m looking forward to continuing to do so.”(NAN)
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(Edited by Olawale Alabi)

Sport

Federer to face Nadal in Miami Open final

NAN-S-2
Tennis
By Victor Okoye
Abuja, April 1, 2017 (NAN) Roger Federer beat Australia’s Nick Kyrgios 7-6 (11/9), 6-7 (9/11), 7-6 (7/5) to set up a mouth-watering Miami Open final against Rafael Nadal.

Federer and Kyrgios produced an extraordinary range of shots in a thrilling three-hour, fiercely intense semi-final that kept a capacity crowd at Key Biscayne on the edge of their seats.

When Federer won the third tie-break a furious Kyrgios hammered his racket into the ground three times as the frustration of a remarkable near-miss came flooding out.

Kyrgios broke in the first set to go 4-3 up but Federer, backed by the loud crowd, broke back to level at 5-5 when the Australian missed with an attempted big return.

The big-hitting Kyrgios was frequently booed by the crowd for racquet throwing and language –– and sometimes for very little –- but appeared to be enjoying the role of pantomime villain.

The first set tie-break was a gripping affair with the Australian twice having set point before it was decided when his return went wide.

The boos rang out again as he hurled his racquet in frustration.

The serve dominated more in the second set and with neither player able to break another tie-break was needed.

Federer had match-point at 8-7 but found the net with his return.

Kyrgios finally won the battle with an amazing cross-court return to go 10-9 up, then followed it up with a thundering ace to force a third set.

There was nothing to choose between the pair in a third set that went to yet another tie-break.

Kyrgios was furious when a fan called out during one point.

Federer then enjoyed two successful challenges late on his way to a win that sent the crowd wild with delight as Kyrgios went wild with rage.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that there was little drama in Nadal’s 6-1, 7-5 win over Italian Fabio Fognini in the other semi-final encounter.

The unseeded Fognini struggled to get going in the first set which was dominated by fifth-seeded Nadal and over with in 25 minutes.

The Italian, who indicated he had some trouble with his elbow, put up a better response in the second.

But his work was undone when he double-faulted on break point, leaving the Spaniard to serve out for the win,

Nadal will play in his fifth Miami final but will be looking for his first title in the Masters series event.

“I think I played a very good first set,” Nadal said. “He had mistakes obviously. In the second, it was not about losing concentration, it’s about not being lucky at the beginning of the second set.

“Normally, I would have a break at the beginning of the second. I had so many chances and then situation changes.

“When you don’t convert opportunities you’re in trouble, and that’s what happened,” he said.

Federer beat Nadal in an Australian Open final thriller in January to claim an 18th Grand Slam title.

He also swept past Nadal in straight sets in the fourth round at Indian Wells en route to the title there.

“If it’s Roger, going to be another one for both of us, and that’s it. Just another one,” Nadal said of another instalment in their long-running rivalry. (NAN)
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(Edited by Morayo Omolade and Olawale Alabi)