The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- McGinley backed for Ryder Cup captain
- Azarenka edges nearer top spot after cliffhanger
- Chun Seang and Wei Feng through to second round in France
| McGinley backed for Ryder Cup captain Posted: 24 Oct 2012 07:06 PM PDT SHANGHAI: Graeme McDowell and Luke Donald have backed Paul McGinley to be Europe's next Ryder Cup captain as they prepared for China's $7 million BMW Masters starting on Thursday. Northern Ireland's McDowell told AFP it seemed to be a straight fight between two of 2012 captain Jose Maria Olazabal's assistants from Chicago - McGinley and former Open champion Darren Clarke, who are also playing in Shanghai. The victorious European team of last month have been reunited this week, with only Sergio Garcia absent, for the first time since their historic 14 1/2 to 13 1/2 defeat of the United States at Medinah. Former US Open winner McDowell and England's Donald believe that either of the Irish pair would be a great choice but that they would plump for McGinley to be given the captaincy first, at Gleneagles in Scotland in 2014. Clarke, they added, should then be given his chance for the next battle, in the United States in 2016. The 2011 British Open champion Clarke this week batted away questions about the captaincy but McDowell and Donald were happier to talk about the subject that has become almost a taboo among the team since the celebrations in Medinah died down. "Both Paul and Darren would be great captains in their own right but then Paul has kind of forged a little niche for himself given the way he has conducted himself in the Seve Trophy and the Ryder Cup vice-captaincy roles," said McDowell, the 2010 US Open champion. "He's a scholar of the game and a strategist and would probably be technically, if that's the right word, a good captain. "Darren would emotionally be a great captain and a great motivator, and also with that big personality he possesses," he added. World number three Donald agreed either man would make an inspiring captain, but at Gleneagles he would also prefer to see McGinley in charge. "Personally, probably I have spoken a little bit more to McGinley," he said. "He always seems very up for the challenge. I do believe that if he doesn't get it this year, he probably won't get it. Whereas I feel like Darren will have other opportunities." McDowell explained that, in his view, the captaincy role is not just about past playing success. "If it should boil down to pure playing credentials, of course Darren would win hands down as the next captain. "However, that opens a can of worms on the Ryder Cup captaincy debate because are we looking for a captain who has the right playing credentials or are we looking at Ryder Cup captains who will be great captains? "You've got to look at what makes a great captain and it's personally being able to relate to 12 very individual players in a team." And McDowell hinted that maybe the European Tour's players committee, which will announce the next captain at the Abu Dhabi Championship in January, could decide a few captains in advance. "There should a pecking order of guys who are next in line, and Paul McGinley really has good enough credentials to be a Ryder Cup captain," McDowell said. "Darren... would make for a great captain in America as they love him over there. His personality suits America and they see him as the cigar-smoking, Guinness-drinking nice guy that he is." - AFP |
| Azarenka edges nearer top spot after cliffhanger Posted: 24 Oct 2012 06:08 PM PDT ISTANBUL: Victoria Azarenka had to draw on all her reserves by saving two match points in a heroic three-hour six-minute tussle with Angelique Kerber in the WTA Championships. The top-seeded Belarussian beat the German revelation 6-7 (11/13), 7-6 (7/2) 6-4 in an encounter full of magnificent rallies and surprises. Her win leaves Azarenka needing just one more win to guarantee her finishing the year as world number one. Azarenka saved both match points by following up sound serving with bold and courageous driving. That helped make up for the five set points that Kerber had enterprisingly denied the top seed in the first set tie-break. Had Azarenka lost either of them - from 4-5, 15-40 in the second set - a pathway might have opened up for Maria Sharapova to sneak through to the summit instead. Azarenka would now have to lose both her remaining group matches for this to happen, even though Sharapova later made sure of a place in Saturday's semi-finals by beating Agnieszka Radwanska, the Wimbledon runner-up from Poland, 5-7, 7-5, 7-5 in another three-hour encounter. "I felt I had to go for it on both match points," Azarenka said. "I felt she would not miss, so I didn't want to wait for her to make a mistake - I was determined to make it happen. "I wanted to change the momentum and take destiny into my own hands. I had a clear mind of what I had to do. It takes time to go through (what's needed) and learn that. "I feel really proud I was a part of this match. Honestly you feel like you don't want to leave the court, the atmosphere is so good!" Azarenka's three-set encounter also guaranteed that Serena Williams' second success of the tournament earned the American a semi-final place. The Olympic, US Open and Wimbledon champion won 7-6 (7/2), 6-3 against Li Na, the former French Open champion from China, but only after a noisy, and surprisingly fraught performance. Williams had to overcome the emotions which impelled her to smash a racket and earned her a code violation warning. That happened during a weird fourth game in which one of the finest servers in the history of the game delivered two successive double faults to go a break down. "I guess I was angry and I wasn't able to control myself," she said. "But sometimes I play better when I get angry." Hers was a triumph of will more than anything, for she landed less than 50 percent of her first serves, dropped service games five times, and needed an hour and 50 minutes to get the win. "I lost serve today more often than all of Wimbledon," Williams said. "I was just thinking about it too much. I didn't serve well yesterday and I thought about it. I just need not to think. "But to win with a zero serve, compared with what I normally do, is something I can take from the match." - AFP |
| Chun Seang and Wei Feng through to second round in France Posted: 24 Oct 2012 05:58 PM PDT PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian camp experienced mixed fortunes on the opening day of the French Open in Paris. While men's singles shuttlers Tan Chun Seang and Chong Wei Feng enjoyed a good start, there were early exits for Zulfadli Zulkifli (men's singles), Gan Teik Chai-Ong Soon Hock (men's doubles) and Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying (mixed doubles). Apacs-sponsored Chun Seang had the easiest time after receiving his second free ride in two weeks when top seed Simon Santoso of Indonesia pulled out. Chun Seang, who left the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) two years ago, had also received a walkover at the Denmark Open last week before going on to beat Simon and reach the quarter-finals. The 26-year-old Kedah shuttler will now face former world junior champion Viktor Axelsen in a bid to make the last eight in quick succession. The much-improved Wei Feng also made up for a disappointing first round exit in Odense last week by dispatching German qualifier Lukas Schmidt 21-8, 21-14 in 22 minutes. Reigning world junior champion Zulfadli Zulkifli came close to ousting world No. 5 Kenichi Tago before succumbing in three games. Zulfadli, who came through a pair of qualifying matches on Tuesday, started brightly against Tago but his inexperienced showed as the Japanese came back strongly to win 18-21, 21-4, 21-14. The top mixed pair of Peng Soon-Liu Ying, ranked fifth in the world, were again a pale shadow of their usual selves as they failed to keep up with China youngsters Tao Jiaming-Tang Jinhua, losing 17-21, 17-21. The fourth-ranked Chinese pair will take on South Korea's Shin Baek-cheol-Eom Hye-won in the second round. In men's doubles, reigning Dutch Open runners-up Teik Chai-Soon Hock fell 19-21, 19-21 to seventh seeds Bodin Isaara-Maneepong Jongjit of Thailand. Hong Kong's Wong Wing Ki caused the biggest shock of the day by ousting fourth seed Du Pengyu of China. Pengyu, who pushed world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei to the limit in Denmark on Sunday, failed to shine and went down 21-23, 21-16, 10-21. |
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