The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- Squash: Matthew offers a message with a warning
- Golf: Molinari leads but Ryder Cup colleagues crash out
- Tennis: Djokovic blocks Nadal path to Paris super eight
| Squash: Matthew offers a message with a warning Posted: 24 May 2013 05:44 PM PDT HULL, United Kingdom: British Open champion Nick Matthew issued a warning that he won't relinquish his title without a fight and followed it by answering those who criticise the tournament for its on-off problems. Rain forced the famous event from its first-ever outdoor venue back to conventional indoor courts, where Matthew produced his best form for weeks during a high-speed, straight games victory over Karim Darwish, the former world number one from Egypt. Although Matthew is seeded second behind another Egyptian, Ramy Ashour, he only needed 40 minutes to complete an impressive 11-6, 11-2, 12-10 success. The Yorkshireman was then dismissive of those who slate the outdoor initiative. "The test match, the golf, and the Giro d'Italia are all off today, but the British Open squash is on - so what's the problem?" Matthew said. "I don't appreciate those who knock people who try something different. We have these different facilities, and it's great to be able to use them like this." Matthew was as sharp with his deeds as his words. A lengthy training break before the British Open seems to have paid dividends, for he played a high pace and only in the third game did Darwish seem likely to answer it. The Egyptian then led 7-6 and recovered from 7-9 down to 9-9 with some fine front court play. However, Matthew maintained the pressure admirably, taking the ball early, volleying smartly and focusing intently - all redolent of the high quality which has made him the only Englishman ever to have won the British Open three times. Earlier Greg Gaultier, the only Frenchman to have won the British Open, seemed less enamoured of the venue change, although he had moments of brilliance while overcoming Tarek Momen, the talented Egyptian, 11-8, 11-7, 15-13. However, the match was marred by 22 of its 83 minutes being taken up by falls and repeated delays for cleaning a slippery surface. "I'm sorry to interrupt the game but I've been injured this way before," Gaultier said. "I was scared to move fast - I don't want to play ice hockey." Earlier an explanation of the pioneering decision to stage the British Open out of doors was made by Alex Gough, the chief executive of the Professional Squash Association, the men's tour's governing body. "Some people don't realise how squash has been evolving," Gough said. "We have had tournaments out of doors for quite a long time in different parts of the world. They are staged very successfully and it is quite reasonable to try the same thing in Britain." Matthew now has a semi-final with Gaultier on Saturday, while Ashour, the world champion was due for a quarter-final later on Friday with Cameron Pilley, the surprise survivor from Australia. Earlier the other defending champion, Nicol David, survived a difficult beginning and a dangerously hard-hitting opponent before reaching the semi-finals. David had to save a game ball in the first game of a 13-11, 11-8, 11-1 win over Joelle King, the tall sixth-seeded New Zealander, who created 15 minutes when it seemed she might bully the champion into difficulties. The change of conditions from the cold outdoors to the warmer bouncier ball indoors disrupted both players' rhythm, but for a while appeared to place more pressure on David. "The difference was like day and night," said David. "But we have to deal with what we are given. It's difficult but at the same time everyone is on the same boat. It's a matter of whoever handles it better." The record-breaking seven-year world number one from Malaysia now has a semi-final with Alison Waters, the fourth-seeded English woman who beat her in New York in September. - AFP |
| Golf: Molinari leads but Ryder Cup colleagues crash out Posted: 24 May 2013 05:40 PM PDT WENTWORTH, United Kingdom: Italy's Francesco Molinari leads the way after two rounds of the European PGA Championship here at Wentworth but several of his European Ryder Cup team mates missed the cut. Molinari shot a second round 68, four-under par, to head the field after making four birdies in his last eight holes to be sitting pretty in the clubhouse by lunchtime. A cluster of players finished a shot back from Molinari, whose brother Edoardo was two-under, including South Africa's George Coetzee, Marc Warren of Scotland, Mark Foster from England and Spain's Alejandro Canizares. A grandstand finish from English youngster Eddie Pepperell, who birdied the last four holes, got himself to four-under alongside another Italian, Matteo Manassero. The deteriorating weather meant few players were likely to challenge Molinari's mark at the top of the leaderboard in the afternoon and Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy, Ian Poulter and defending champion Luke Donald all failed to make the weekend. The cut fell at two-under par and Justin Rose birdied the par-5 18th to just get in on the mark but 75s for McIlroy and McDowell scuppered their chances. The pair finished on 149, five over par with another Ryder Cup player, Paul Lawrie two shots better off on 147 but still heading home. Lee Westwood, however, was another early finisher who made the cut easily finishing on three-under par, the same score as Ernie Els and the winner here in 2010, Simon Khan. McIlroy missed the cut here last year and never looked happy in miserable rainy conditions. McIlroy said: "I just was grinding and I didn't play particularly well. "I couldn't give myself any chances to get any shots back and try to get in at the weekend. It was not the weather you expect in London in May but it was the same for everyone and some guys deal with it better than others." Molinari was one of the few to get a score going in the downpour and is in good shape to bid for a fourth win on the European Tour. "Six-under is a good score given the conditions and it is a great position going into the weekend. But it is a very tough golf course so anyone even six or seven shots behind is still in it. It is the right time of year to be in good form and hopefully it keeps going that way," said Molinari. Donald's exit after winning here the last two years was one of the biggest shocks of the day but he paid the price for his first day 78 although he claimed he is close to his best form. Donald said: "I made five birdies today so it is not like I am a million miles away. It is doing the things that Luke Donald does well - be tidy around the green and make those putts when I need to. "I am not too worried. It is never nice to miss a cut, especially here at Wentworth, a place I have played well. I will be back - failure is a much bigger motivator for me than success." Poulter shot 76 for the second day on a course where he has never had much success. "It is horses for courses and I guess this isn't my course," he said. - AFP |
| Tennis: Djokovic blocks Nadal path to Paris super eight Posted: 24 May 2013 05:35 PM PDT PARIS: Rafael Nadal can become the first man to win the same Grand Slam title eight times at the French Open, but the Spaniard may have to get past Novak Djokovic before he even contemplates history. Having pulled clear of Bjorn Borg's record of six wins at Roland Garros with a seventh championship in 2012, the 26-year-old has already confounded the critics who had written him off during a seventh-month injury absence. Since his return to the tour in February, Nadal has shaken off the heartbreak of missing the Olympics, as well as the US and Australian Opens, to collect six titles from eight finals. But he is keen to play down the hype at the French Open, especially after Friday's draw placed him in the same half as top seed Djokovic, which means that one of them will definitely not be playing in the June 9 final. "To talk about numbers, to talk about history, you have to analyze when somebody finishes his career, not in the middle," said Nadal at a chilly, damp Roland Garros where he is the third seed. "To play at Roland Garros always is a special feeling and I feel very emotional every time that I am back here." No man has ever collected more than seven titles at the same major. Roy Emerson, with six, is the Australian Open's most successful while William Renshaw, Pete Sampras and Roger Federer all triumphed at Wimbledon seven times each. Bill Larned, Bill Tilden and Richard Sears were seven-time winners at the US Open. Since his French Open debut in 2005, Nadal has only lost once in Paris - an injury-hit fourth round exit to free-hitting Robin Soderling in 2009. His record stands at 52 wins against just that single blip against the Swede. This year, Nadal may have lost his Monte Carlo Masters title to Djokovic after an eight-year monopoly, but he swept to victory on clay in Madrid and Rome, where he allowed Federer just four games in the final. Nadal, playing in his first Grand Slam event since a shock second round exit to Lukas Rosol at Wimbledon last year sent him home to Manacor for lengthy rehabilitation, begins his campaign against Germany's Daniel Brands, the world number 60. Australian Open champion Djokovic, beaten in last year's final by Nadal, starts against Belgium's David Goffin, who reached the last 16 in 2012 after coming through qualifying. Federer, seeded two and the 2009 champion, has lost four title matches to Nadal in Paris but enjoyed the better fortune in Friday's draw where his first two opponents will both be qualifiers. Djokovic, who captured the season's opening major in Australia, needs a French Open to join Nadal and Federer as active players to have completed a career Grand Slam. But he has endured a bitter-sweet relationship with Roland Garros, seeing a 41-match winning streak ended by Federer in the semi-finals there in 2011 before losing the 2012 final to Nadal. Having relieved Nadal of his Monte Carlo title in April, Djokovic lost his Madrid opener to Grigor Dimitrov and then slumped to a quarter-final loss in Rome to Tomas Berdych. "This is the tournament that is the number one priority this year. This is where I want to win and I'm going to go for it. I think my game is there, and I'm very, very motivated," said Djokovic. But with a losing 15-19 record against Nadal, the Serb was wary of allowing the Spaniard, against whom he has lost four times in four at the French Open, to get into his head. At his pre-tournament media conference, Djokovic banned all talk of the possibility of facing Nadal in the semi-finals. After world number two Andy Murray, a semi-finalist two years ago, pulled out to nurse his injured back ahead of Wimbledon, Nadal and Djokovic should have their only serious rival in Federer, the record 17-time Grand Slam title winner. But Federer, with his 32nd birthday fast approaching, heads to Paris not having won a trophy in the year for the first time since 2000. The world number three is playing in a 54th consecutive Grand Slam event, just two off the record held by South Africa's Wayne Ferreira. "It's incredible. I never thought I was going to play that many, have that many opportunities to do well at the slams," said the Swiss. "But they don't buy me victories." - AFP |
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