Injury knockout for Rafa Nadal, doubts over Tour Finals

Rafa Nadal: announces withdrawal from Paris MastersWorld number one Rafa Nadal’s participation in the season-ending Tour finals doubtful after  the Spaniard pulled out of the Paris Masters with injury on Friday.
Nadal told a news conference ahead of his quarter-final match against Serbian Filip Krajinovic that he was suffering from a right knee problem.
The 31-year-old said he would try his best to be present at the eight-man event that takes places from Nov. 12-19 at the O2 in London but his focus was on the long term.
“I have to pull out. Of course it’s a very tough decision for me, especially here in Paris, which has been the most important city in my career without a doubt,” the 10-time French Open champion, who struggled with his knee in Tuesday’s third-round win against Pablo Cuevas, said.
“It’s a tough situation but I tried my best. I did one treatment yesterday night to try and play today.”
Nadal, who has never won the Paris Masters, did not know yet whether he would be fit for London.
“It’s not about London, it’s about the longer term.
“It’s important to play tennis as long as possible.”
Paris Masters tournament director Guy Forget acknowledged Nadal’s withdrawal was a serious blow to an event often hit by late retirements at the end of the season, and said that the Spaniard’s participation in the Tour finals was unlikely.
“I think I know that he is skeptical on his chances to play in London,” said Forget, who added that Nadal had arrived in Paris in mediocre condition.
“He just started to move around the court again when he got here,” he said

Source: NAN

Rafael Nadal to finish 2017 as World Number 1

Rafael Nadal will finish 2017 as year-end number one in the Emirates ATP Rankings after beating Hyeon Chung 7-5, 6-3 on Wednesday in the second round of the Rolex Paris Masters.

The 31-year-old Nadal will be the oldest year-end number one and first season-ending number one over the age of 30 since the Emirates ATP Rankings were established in 1973.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that it is his fourth time of finishing atop the rankings, adding to 2008, 2010 and 2013.
Roger Federer has pushed Nadal all the way in the battle to finish atop the rankings, with both players enjoying remarkable comebacks in 2017.
But with Federer forced to withdraw from Paris, Nadal needed just one more win to finish as number one.
“I’m very, very happy for everything,” said Nadal in his on-court interview.
“It has been an amazing year. One year ago, for sure, I never dreamt about being world number one again at the end of the season.
“It’s something that means a lot to me. But the season is not over,” Nadal was quoted on the ATP World Tour website as saying.
However, it wasn’t plain sailing for Nadal against the 21-year-old Chung, who is due to feature at the inaugural NextGen ATP Finals in Milan next week.
Source: Premium Times

Roger Federer claims 8th Swiss indoors

Roger Federer won his eighth title at the Swiss Indoors on Sunday with a 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-3 defeat of Juan Martin del Potro.

Federer’s win improved his hopes of overhauling Rafael Nadal for the world number one ranking with the ATP regular season ending next week at the Paris Masters.
The 36-year-old now has 95 career titles, with Jimmy Connors leading the all-time list on 109.
Source: AFP 

Venus beats Muguruza to reach WTA Semi-finals

Venus Williams beat Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza in straight sets to reach the last four at the WTA Finals, ending the Spaniard’s hopes of finishing the year as world number one.
The American, 37, won 7-5 6-4 in Singapore to secure second place in the White Group behind Karolina Pliskova.
Czech Pliskova had already qualified, but ended the round-robin stage with a 6-3 6-1 loss to Jelena Ostapenko.
Williams will play Caroline Wozniacki or Caroline Garcia in the semis.
Denmark’s Wozniacki has guaranteed a semi-final place with two wins, and will win the White Group with victory over French eighth seed Garcia on Friday.
BBC reports that World number one Simona Halep of Romania then takes on Ukraine’s fourth seed Elina Svitolina, with both women still able to reach the semi-finals heading into the final group matches.
Williams makes amends for Wimbledon defeat
Muguruza proved too strong in the Wimbledon final in July. but three months later it was Williams who prevailed in straight sets.
Both players struggled to hold serve in a see-saw opening set which was eventually won by Williams.
Leading 6-5, the American took advantage of a loose game from Muguruza in which the Spaniard drove a forehand long with the court wide open.
Before the second set, Muguruza’s coach Sam Sumyk urged her to commit more to her shots, instructing the Wimbledon champion to “miss on your terms”.
The words seemed to have an effect on Muguruza, who stepped inside the baseline to break in the opening game of the second set.
Muguruza could not sustain her advantage, however, and was pegged back instantly.
Williams took advantage of further errors from Muguruza to seal the match and reach the fifth WTA Finals semi-final of her career.
“I played an amazing opponent who has had an amazing year so I was so happy to win the last point,” Williams said.

Source: P.M. News Nigeria

Women tennis great Martina Hingis announces retirement

Martina Hingis

Women tennis great Martina Hingis of Switzerland has announced she will retire from the sport at the end of this week’s WTA Finals in Singapore.
The 37-year-old multiple Grand Slam champion is currently playing in the doubles tournament alongside Taiwan’s Chan Yung-jan.
“Looking back now, it’s hard to believe that almost exactly 23 years ago I made my professional debut,” Hingis said on Facebook on Thursday.
“The years that followed have been some of the most rewarding years of my life, both personally and professionally.
“But I believe the time has come for me to retire, which I will be doing after my last match here in Singapore.”
The retirement will be Hingis’s third in a long and illustrious career.
During her career, she claimed 25 Grand Slam titles since her WTA Tour debut in 1994, five in singles, seven in mixed doubles and 13 in women’s doubles.
Hingis first decided to end her career as a 22-year-old in 2003 due to persistent injuries after picking up all five of her singles crowns as a teenager.
This comprises three Australian Opens, as well as lone Wimbledon and U.S. Open titles from 1997 to 1999.
The Swiss returned to the Tour in 2006 and although she found more success in doubles than singles, she retired for a second time a year later.
This retirement was after she was handed a two-year ban for testing positive for cocaine.
The right-hander returned to the sport for a third time in 2013 and has enjoyed another successful spell of doubles tennis in the latest comeback.
She has won four women’s and six mixed grand slam titles from 2015 to 2017.
READ: Venus beats Muguruza to reach WTA Semi-finals
Hingis and Chan opened their WTA Finals campaign with a 6-3 6-2 quarter-final victory over German-Czech duo Anna-Lena Gronefeld and Kveta Peschke.
After this win, the Swiss elaborated on the decision to end her playing career.
“I’ll be always part of the game of tennis. Somehow we will be connected. I will definitely take some time out.
“I have done coaching before. I can help my mom at her tennis school. I will be connected,” she said.
“I am really looking forward to the things and challenges which will be ahead of me, but I think I also deserve some time away from the game, although I‘m not going to walk away.
“I will be always part and this will always be part of my life.
“I‘m definitely not going to miss that day-in, day-out grind, practising, waking up. Maybe I will miss it after a while, but in a different way.
“And the travelling, it’s also one thing at the start I definitely won’t miss anymore.”
The Swiss also spent 209 weeks as world number one and has won the season-ending WTA Finals twice in singles, three times in doubles.
She also claimed a 2016 Olympics silver medal in women’s doubles with compatriot Timea Bacsinszky.
“Well, I think now it’s definite,’’ she added. “So it’s different. Because, before, I was like `okay, I walked away’, thinking I might come back, and if I didn‘t, so that was it.
“So, it’s a different way now and I think it’s the right thing to do this time around.”

Source: P.M. NEWS Nigeria

Maria Sharapova beats Aryna Sabalenka to win Tianjin Open title

Former world number one Maria Sharapova wins her first title since May 2015, beating Aryna Sabalenka 7-5 7-6 (10-8) in the Tianjin Open final.

Shanghai Masters: Nadal, Federer through to quarters

Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal continued to scythe his way through the Shanghai Masters on Thursday, reaching the quarter-finals with a 6-3 6-1 thrashing of temperamental Italian Fabio Fognini.
The Spaniard needed two minutes over the hour to dispatch Fognini, taking his winning streak to 14 matches pre-U.S. Open where he claimed a 16th Grand Slam title.
Nadal is closing in on finishing 2017 as world number one for the first time since 2013 but Roger Federer, the only man who can stop him, is looking equally impressive.
Federer delighted his small army of Chinese fans inside the Qi Zhong Centre with an emphatic 6-4 6-2 defeat of tricky Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov.
Fognini was playing the day after being handed a suspended ban from two Grand Slams and a $96,000 fine for verbally abusing a female umpire at the U.S. Open.
But there was little fight from the 30-year-old as the 31-year-old Nadal lost only six points on serve in the opening set.
While a Nadal-Federer final looms, Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro could ruin the script, as he did at the U.S. Open.
READ: Russia 2018: Super Eagles will make us proud – Amiesimaka
There he defeated Federer in the quarter-finals when a semi-final between the two greats looked likely.
The former U.S. Open champion stopped third seed Alexander Zverev, recovering from losing the opener to win 3-6 7-6(5) 6-4.
“I think he played a great match, maybe one of the best of the season,” Zverev said.
Sixth seed Grigor Dimitrov, who saved match points on Wednesday against Ryan Harrison, had a more comfortable day as he beat American 10th seed Sam Querrey 6-3 7-6(3).
Bulgarian Dimitrov, who could claim a debut appearance at the ATP World Tour Finals in London next month by reaching the final in Shanghai, plays Nadal next.
Wimbledon runner-up Marin Cilic also eased into the quarter-finals with a 7-6(1) 6-4 defeat of American Steve Johnson

Source: P.M. NEWS Nigeria

Maria Sharapova reaches Tianjin Open quarter-finals by beating Magda Linette

Maria Sharapova moves into the Tianjin Open quarter-finals as she chases her first tournament victory since returning from a doping ban.

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Source: BBC Sport

Rafael Nadal clinches his 16th Grand slam title

1.  World Number 1, Rafael Nadal clinched his 16th Grand slam title and a third US Open title  on Sunday with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 rout of South African giant Kevin Anderson.

it was his fifth title of the year and 74th of his career while the $3.7 million (3.07 euros) winner’s prize boosted his earnings to a shade under $90 million.
“It’s a very special two weeks for me. It’s unbelievable what’s happened this year after some seasons with serious injuries and not playing very well,” said Nadal.
“It’s been an emotional year since the Australian Open. I played a high level of tennis and winning here in New York again it’s unbelievable.”
Nadal also praised his coach and uncle Toni who has coached him since he was three but who will step down from his team at the end of the year.
“I cannot thank him enough,” said the champion.
“Without him I would not be here playing tennis. He gave me strength and motivation. When I had injury problems I got through them because of him.”
Nadal is just three grand slam  behind Federer’s record 19.
Source: Punch Newspaper

US Open: Anderson is first S/Africa to reach grand slam final in 30 years

Anderson

Kevin Anderson fought back to beat Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open and become South Africa’s first Grand Slam singles finalist in more than 30 years.
Anderson, seeded 28th, beat the Spanish 12th seed 4-6 7-5 6-3 6-4 in New York.
At 32 in the world, he is the lowest-ranked men’s singles finalist at the US Open since the rankings began in 1973.
The 31-year-old will face Spain’s Rafael Nadal on Sunday after the world number one beat 24th seed Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina in four sets.
Anderson climbed into the box to celebrate with his family and team after clinching match point.
“I don’t know if the team hug was appropriate after the semi-finals, but it felt like the right thing to do,” he said.
Anderson follows in the footsteps of Kevin Curren, who reached the 1985 Wimbledon final three months after becoming a naturalised US citizen, and Johan Kriek, who made the US Open final in 1980.
Both men were playing in their first Grand Slam semi-final after coming through a bottom half of the draw that provided an opportunity as soon as second seed Andy Murray succumbed to injury on the eve of the tournament.
The likes of fourth seed Alexander Zverev, seventh seed Grigor Dimitrov and eighth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga then went out in the early rounds.
“These Grand Slams are tough, we are playing with some of the best players in history and it is nice that they gave us a run,” said the South African.
“It was an unbelievably tough match on one of the biggest stages in tennis. My emotion at the end kind of summed it up.”
It was Carreno Busta who settled into the final quicker, breaking the huge Anderson serve in game seven on his way to the first set.
It looked as though the Spaniard might prevail when he responded to finally losing serve midway through the second set by hitting straight back, thanks to a forehand winner arrowed down the line.
The 6ft 8in Anderson needed some inspiration and he found it with a backhand cross-court winner that brought him level at one set all.
Source: P.M. NEWS Nigeria

Rafael Nadal beats Juan Martin del Potro to reach US Open final

Nadal won the US Open in 2010 and 2013

The Spaniard won nine games in a row at one stage on his way to a 4-6 6-0 6-3 6-2 victory in the second semi-final.
Nadal, 31, will try for a third US Open and 16th Grand Slam title on Sunday, against a surprise opponent.

South Africa's Anderson, 31, beat Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta 4-6 7-5 6-3 6-4 earlier on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

At 32 in the world, Anderson is the lowest-ranked man to reach a US Open singles final since the ranking system was introduced in 1973.

He faces a huge challenge against Nadal, who has a 4-0 record in their head-to-head and grew stronger as the match wore on against a tired Del Potro.

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"It means a lot," said Nadal. "It has been an amazing season of course after a couple with injures and troubles.

"To be back here in front of this amazing crowd, on this amazing court, and to have the chance to fight for another title is so important to me."

The last time Nadal lost a Grand Slam semi-final was against Del Potro on the same court eight years ago, and he was not about to endure a repeat performance.

After losing a tight first set, the Spaniard hit a rich vein of form, dropping just five more games, dominating on serve and ending the match with 25 forehand winners.

"I changed a couple of things after the first set," added Nadal.

"I was playing too much to his backhand and I knew that I had to change and move him more and be more unpredictable. It worked really well and I am very happy."

Del Potro, roared on by the Argentine fans who have given him loud support throughout this US Open, gathered himself to win a tight first set, before running out of steam.

The 24th seed coped superbly in the early stages as Nadal pummelled his weaker backhand wing, winning the cross-court battle and, thanks to a net cord on break point, with it the set.

Del Potro could not keep up the high standards of the first set

But an epic five-set win over Dominic Thiem and a draining four-set defeat of Roger Federer in the previous rounds had left Del Potro admitting that he felt tired, and Nadal took full advantage.

The world number one found his range in the second set, shifting the point of attack to send his forehand up the line and reeling off 13 winners to Del Potro's one.

By the time Nadal had pulled out a 3-0 lead, there was little opposition for him across the net.

Del Potro looked to be saving his remaining reserves of energy to go again in the third, but after falling 5-2 down, a late flurry of resistance was not enough.

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Nadal punched way a volley on set point just as the match clock hit two hours, followed by the familiar fist-pump and cry of "Vamos!"

Another forehand winner, his 23rd of the night, guided down the line brought the 2010 and 2013 champion the break he needed in the fourth, and there was no way back - even for Del Potro.

"I'm just tired," said Del Potro. "I've been exhausted after the Thiem match, Roger match. I had flu during the week.

"So I had many problems before this match, but I was very motivated to play the semi-final in my best tournament.

"I think he just played better than me. He deserved to win, and I did all my best, all my effort to survive this match, but I couldn't do well."

Looking forward to his next opponent, Nadal said: "It will be very tough against Kevin.

"He has an unbelievable serve and is a great example for the kids in the way he has come back from injury.

"I have known him since we were 12, so I am very happy for him."

Analysis - 'Nadal's response was flawless'

BBC Sport tennis correspondent Russell Fuller

For one set, Del Potro was able to play as he did against Roger Federer in the quarter-finals.

Nadal's response to the danger of losing the first set was immediate and almost flawless. Playing every inch like a world number one, he won the next nine games - his serve a strong foundation as he made only one unforced error in the second set.

Del Potro tired at the end of a strenuous week, but Nadal would have broken the spirit of most men.

Anderson's story is a heart-warming one. Warned by some specialists at the end of last year he would need hip surgery and possibly a year out of the sport, he overcame an edgy start to power through to the final.

And then in an emotional interview on court, he thanked everyone who has helped him: including brother Greg for the "millions of hours" they played together while growing up.

Source: BBC Sport

Petra Kvitova stuns Garbine Muguruza to set uo Venus Williams quarter-final

What a win for Kvitova (picture: AP)

Petra Kvitova produced a fighting performance to down US Open favourite Garbine Muguruza and set up a quarter-final match with Venus Williams.

The Czech pulled off an unlikely 7-6 6-3 victory against the Spaniard in what was her first big contest on paper at a Slam since returning from a knife attack in her home at the end of 2016.

After suffering an injury to her playing hand, the road to recovery has been tough, and she was yet to make an impression at the French Open or Wimbledon.

However, she has now taken out the Wimbledon champion and handed Elina Svitolina and Karolina Pliskova a shot of ending the event as world No. 1.

Should the pair meet in the semi-finals, the winner will take the top ranking, although Muguruza is still in with a chance of becoming No. 1 for the first time should results go her way.

After such a dominant summer, the manner of the loss will concern Muguruza – who had dropped just nine games on her way to the last-16 – whose forehand broke down with Kvitova taking full advantage.

But for the 13th seed, she’ll be delighted to be back in the big time and will hope to take out Williams next.

Venus is up next for the Czech (Picture: USA TODAY Sports)

Muguruza got off to a fine start, breaking for a 3-1 lead in the opening set.

She continued pressing the Czech and was narrowly denied from snatching a double break to put the set beyond doubt.

But Kvitova played the big points well on her own serve and was rewarded moments later by hitting back.

Kvitova fought so hard (Picture: USA TODAY Sports)

The break lifted the 27-year-old’s game and she snatched a break to serve for the set.

A double fault, though, gifted the world No. 3 a break and set up a breaker.

Kvitova refocused quickly and it was Muguruza who slipped up in awful fashion, missing a sitter of a volley and double faulting to hand the Czech three set points.

The Muguruza forehand broke down (Picture: EPA)

She only needed one and after a fascinating 67 minutes, she led the third seed.

Muguruza responded well to break at the start of the second but another double fault immediately handed Kvitova three break point opportunities and she converted.

-Metro Sport

Rogers Cup: Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer through to third round

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer both win their opening matches at the Rogers Cup in Montreal.