SPORTWednesday 16 January 2019

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season-high 57 as Rockets

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Top seed Simona Halep digs deep for opening win Down Under

Qatar 2022 will be an ‘excellent’

World Cup: PSG coach TuchelARMSTRONG VAS THE PENINSULA

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) coach Thomas Tuchel while praising the state-of-the-art facilities at Aspire Academy is confident that Qatar will deliver an ‘excellent’ World Cup in less than four years.

“It’s a pleasure to be here (in Doha), sun is shining all the time. People make sure the visiting teams are pro-vided with excellent condi-tions to play and practice. I am very sure and hopefully it will be a nice and challenging World Cup. I am eagerly awaiting it and it will be nice, only three years time,” said the German, while speaking to journalists here yesterday.

Tuchel is on a four-day visit to Qatar with the French champions as they prepare for the second half of the season in Doha.

The PSG tactician is delighted that the FIFA show-piece event of 2022 will be in winter season and he is eagerly looking forward to it.

“The weather conditions at the World Cup will be very excellent as it will be in winter. So big challenge for everybody and we all are looking forward to that and I am pretty sure Qatar will host an excellent world Cup.”

Speaking further, the 45-year-old trainer who joined PSG from Germany club Dortmund said people have been very friendly in Qatar to him and his team players and officials.

“From the time i have

been here, I can tell you that it is a friendly place so people are welcoming, everybody is open and very friendly,” he added.

The former defender also heap praises on the excellent infrastructure at the Aspire Academy, which his team has

been using for the last couple of days during their winter tour.

“Exceptional and incredible. This is the best pitch I’ve ever seen. The academy is incredible and it offers excellent and amazing opportunities,” he said.

Fans take selfies with Toyota’s Qatari driver Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah at the end of the Dakar Rally Stage 7 around San Juan de Marcona, in Peru, on Monday. Al Attiyah impressed by winning eighth stage of this year’s event, his 34th in the Dakar Rally. Al Attiyah currently occupies the overall lead, 46.29 minutes ahead of the second-placed Spanish driver Nani Roma.

PSG players with the students of Doha’s PSG Academy.

Connecting with fans is important, says Mbappe

THE PENINSULA DOHA

Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe is happy and thrilled that he and his team-mates got an oppor-tunity to connect with fans in Doha.

“It’s exciting here (in Qatar) and everywhere to meet fans. I think it’s important to have contact with your fans. Not only here, but around the world. They have the chance to come to the training session and it is open to them. So it was an opportunity for us to spend some time together,” the Frenchman said in an interview on the club website.

The French champions, who are on a four-day winter tour to Qatar to prepare for the second half of the season, yesterday meet local fans during an open training session at the Khalifa International Stadium, a venue for the 2022 World Cup.

Mbappe said PSG is a ‘young club’ which is ‘growing’ on and off the field.

“PSG is a young club that wants to develop itself. Of course, that firstly comes on the pitch, but also in terms of marketing. That’s what ‘growing’ means, in every sense of the word. It’s about sport, that’s the most important aspect, but also marketing. PSG have understood that.”

The Frenchman is happy with the way the training sessions have been progressing in Qatar.

“The weather is good, hot, the sun is out...that’s a bit of a change! We’re taking part in a number of marketing activations, interviews, and - of course - training, because we have a game to prepare against Guingamp at the Parc des Princes on Saturday,”

He said his team-mates are putting in a lot of work on the training pitch.

“We have to prepare for the games to come. We started 2019 without a lot of training, because the games came around quickly. Now, we have a bit more time, so we’re going to take advantage of that to work,” he added.

Paris Saint-Germain’s players hold up a banner that reads, ‘Thank you to all our fans in Qatar’ following their winter training session at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, yesterday.

PSG’s German coach Thomas Tuchel looks on during the team’s winter training camp in Doha, yesterday.

PSG’s Brazillian forward Neymar

attending yesterday’s

training session.

Al Attiyah extends Dakar Rally lead with another stage win

Neymar eyes slice of ‘history’ in QatarRIZWAN REHMAT THE PENINSULA

Feared striker Neymar is looking forward to leading Brazil to glory at the 2022 FIFA World Cup to be held in Qatar.

Neymar, who currently plays for French giants PSG, was last night speaking to the media after a training session at the Khalifa Interna-tional Stadium.

PSG are in Qatar on a five-day winter training camp and yesterday's training was con-ducted at one of the venues to be used at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

"I'm very happy (as) this is my first time in this stadium," Neymar said yesterday.

"The temperatures are so wonderful and the fans here are amazing," the heavily-tat-tooed Brazilian forwarded added.

"It is a great feeling to train in a stadium that will host the 2022 World Cup (matches)," Neymar, 26, said after the training session watched by more than 5,000 fans at the Khalifa International Stadium.

The former Barcelona star said he is looking forward to leading the charge for Brazil, winners of five World Cup trophies.

"I am excited to represent my country in (the) 2022 (FIFA World Cup) and to write new history of Brazil," Neymar said.

Brazil lost to Belgium in the quarter-finals at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Neymar said PSG - under coach Thomas Tuchel - are ready to resume Champions League battle next month.

The French giants take on Manchester United in the round of 16 in February.

"We are here in Qatar to prepare for the upcoming matches and challenges, especially in the Champions League because our oppo-nents are strong," Neymar said.

"But we are also have a strong team that can go really far," the Brazilian added after meeting a group of young fans yesterday.

Neymar's fellow striker Kylian Mbappe, who powered France to 2018 FIFA World Cup glory in Russia last summer, said the team was enjoying their stay in Qatar.

"The weather is good, hot, the sun is out...that's a bit of a change! We're taking part in a number of marketing activities, interviews, and - of course - training because we have a game to prepare against Guingamp at the Parc des Princes on Saturday," Mbappe told the club website.

"We have to prepare for the games to come. We started 2019 without a lot of training because the games came around quickly. Now we have a bit more time so we're going to take advantage of that to work," the 20-year-old French forward added.

Owned by Qatar, PSG have spent a busy time in Doha the last two days visiting Al Wakrah Stadium, heading out to the desert besides launching their Academy at Qatar Foundation on Monday. PSG arrived in Qatar on Sunday and head out back to Paris tomorrow.

AFP MELBOURNE

Kei Nishikori survived a dramatic Australian Open first-round match yesterday after his Polish qualifier opponent retired with cramp in the searing Melbourne heat having raced to a shock two-set lead.

Eighth seed Nishikori of Japan won 3-6, 6-7 (6/8), 6-0, 6-2, 3-0 but the scoreline fails to tell the story of world number 176 Kamil Majchrzak’s torrid end to the match.

Majchrzak had never before played in a Tour-level event other than Davis Cup ties but showed no sign of nerves against Nishikori, who won his 12th ATP Tour at the Brisbane International warm-up.

It was the young Pole’s first ever match against a top 50 opponent but you would never have known it as he took a two-set lead with a succession of blistering winners off both wings.

“I have to say he had it today,” conceded Nishikori. “He played very well and it was unfortunate how it finished.

“I didn’t do anything, but he was hurt and I feel sorry for him.”

At the start of the third set

with temperature pushing into the mid 30s Celsius, the 23-year-old began to cramp so badly that he could hardly grip his racquet.

The physio was called and gave Majchrzak some pickle juice to drink after he reported pain in both thighs, both arms and his right hand.

It was a heart-wrenching sight as a tearful Majchrzak was left almost unable to move and the former US Open finalist Nishikori dropped only six points as he profes-sionally eased to the third set 6-0.

Majchrzak had more treatment and was given some

medication and massage which helped him emerge for the fourth.

He finally began to regain some movement and broke a run of 10 consecutive losing games to a huge cheer.

But Majchrzak had nothing more in the tank and sensibly called it a day midway through

the fifth set leaving Nishikori to thank his lucky stars he made it through.

“I was trying to play but he was playing amazing tennis (in the first two sets),” said Nishikori, who has previously made three Grand Slam semi-finals.

“I have to be happy that I didn’t lose today,” added the Japanese, who missed the Aus-tralian Open last year due to a wrist injury.

On his last appearance in 2017, he reached the last-16, falling to Roger Federer in five sets.

The Japan number one will now play Croatian world number 71 Ivo Karlovic or another Pole, Hubert Hurkacz, in the second round.

08 WEDNESDAY 16 JANUARY 2019SPORT

I have to say he had it today. He played very well and it was unfortunate how it finished. I didn’t do anything, but he was hurt and I feel sorry for him: Nishikori

Australian OpenYesterday’s highlights

REUTERS MELBOURNE

Highlights of yesterday’s second day of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year.

Osaka races into second roundFourth seed Naomi Osaka produced a clinical display to beat Poland’s

Magda Linette 6-4, 6-2 in 58 minutes.The reigning US Open champion struck 30 winners to 16 unforced errors

in a measured performance to reach the second round at Melbourne for a fourth straight year.

Halep survives Kanepi scareWorld number one Simona Halep came back from a set down to beat

Kaia Kanepi 6-7(2), 6-4, 6-2, avenging her US Open opening round defeat by the Estonian veteran last year.

Halep will next face American Sofia Kenin, who won her maiden WTA title at the Hobart International last week without dropping a set.

Djokovic eases past KruegerWorld number one Novak Djokovic needed just over two hours to beat

American qualifier Mitchell Krueger 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in the opening round.The six-time Melbourne champion won 41 of 48 points on his first serve

and struck 42 winners in an all-round display.It was Djokovic’s 15th consecutive Grand Slam match win after lifting

titles at Wimbledon and the US Open last year.Determined Venus stays afloatFormer world number one Venus Williams was made to work hard in

her opener against Romanian 25th seed Mihaela Buzarnescu but the 2017 runner-up switched gears in the decider to secure a 6-7(3), 7-6(3), 6-2 victory.

End of the road for AzarenkaTwice Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka, ranked 52 in the

world, began her match against Laura Siegemund strongly but could not quell the determined German who prevailed 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-2.

Zverev off to flyer against BedeneATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev stamped his authority as one of

the main contenders for the year’s first Grand Slam, thumping Aljaz Bedene 6-4, 6-1, 6-4. The German hit 11 aces and 35 winners during a controlled display to prevail in a little under two hours.

Muguruza too good for ZhengFormer world number one Garbine Muguruza defeated China’s Zheng

Saisai 6-2, 6-3 in 75 minutes.Muguruza, who has slipped to number 18 in the rankings after an incon-

sistent 2018, meets Johanna Konta in the second round after the Briton overcame local hope Ajla Tomljanovic 7-6(4), 2-6, 7-6(7).

Nishikori survives scareKamil Majchrzak had eighth seed Kei Nishikori on the ropes with a two-set

lead before severe cramps in his left quadricep and right hand forced him to eventually retire from the contest.

With Majchrzak’s movement restricted, Nishikori levelled the match at two sets each and went ahead in the decider before the Polish qualifier retired with the score at 6-3, 7-6(6), 0-6, 2-6, 0-3.

Merciless Serena blasts past MariaSerena Williams began her quest for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam

title with a 6-0, 6-2 thrashing of Germany’s Tatjana Maria in 49 minutes to cruise into the second round. The American next faces Eugenie Bouchard who outclassed Peng Shuai 6-2, 6-1.

Pliskova safely throughFormer world number one Karolina Pliskova eased past Czech compa-

triot Karolina Muchova 6-3, 6-2 in 69 minutes to improve her record against qualifiers at all majors to 5-1.

Keys bundles out local hopeAmerican 17th seed Madison Keys, a 2015 semi-finalist at Melbourne

Park, began her campaign with an easy 6-2, 6-2 victory over Australian wildcard Destanee Aiava as they opened play on the main showcourt Rod Laver Arena. The 23-year-old Keys had too much power for the highly-rated Aiava and will meet either France’s Pauline Parmentier or Russia’s Anastasia Potapova in the second round.

Murray’s agony:

‘It’s so sore

I even hate

walking the dogs’

AFP MELBOURNE

Andy Murray has opened up about the personal agony of his battered right hip after losing an epic Australian Open five-setter, saying he can’t even enjoy simple pleasures like walking his dogs.

The Scot fought to the bitter end in what could prove his final match before losing a four-hour thriller to 22nd seed Roberto Bautista Agut on Monday night.

He now faces a heart-wrenching dilemma -- having to decide over the next week whether to battle on through the pain for an emotional farewell at Wimbledon or undergo major surgery knowing it may mean he can never play tennis again.

“I mean, I’ll probably decide in the next week or so. But that’s what I was saying the other day, that this might be my last match,” the 31-year-old three-time Grand Slam champion told a news conference in the early hours of yesterday.

“If I go ahead with the oper-ation and I don’t recover well from it, then I don’t play again,” added the Scot who has won two Wimbledons, a US Open, the Davis Cup and two Olympic golds in his storied career.

“I’m aware of that. That is the decision that I have to make.

“It will improve my quality of life, I’ll be in less pain doing just, you know, normal things like walking around and putting your shoes and socks on and things.”

The former world number one tried to describe his pain, which has become almost unbearable.

“Just now, like, going to walk my dogs, playing football with my friends, is like the worst thing I can think of doing,” he revealed.

“I hate it because it’s so sore and it’s uncomfortable.”

Murray said he would talk to his team, his surgeon John O’Donnell and other players who have had similar opera-tions, such as American doubles great Bob Bryan, before making up his mind.

“I just don’t really know yet. But, you know, if today was my last match, look, it was a bril-liant way to finish, as well. That’s something that I’ll p r o b a b l y t a k e i n t o consideration.

“It was an amazing atmos-phere. I literally gave everything that I had on the court, fought as best as I could, and per-formed a lot better than what I should have done without the amount I’ve been able to practise and train.

“I’d be okay with that being my last match.”

Nishikori feels sorry for opponent after surviving scare in first round

After losing in Melbourne, teary Azarenka admits to struggling AP MELBOURNE

Victoria Azarenka (pictured) cried, pausing for a minute, trying to reflect on the differ-ences between her past and present experiences of the Australian Open.

A back-to-back champion in 2012 and ‘13, Azarenka sat in a small interview room at Melbourne Park answering questions for 10 minutes in the wake of her 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-2 first-round loss to No. 110-ranked Laura Siegemund yes-terday. Eventually, it drove her to tears.

Even when she was winning and ranked No. 1 there were struggles, she said. But it was a different kind of struggle - a word she used a dozen times. A tournament official gave the 29-year-old Belarussian the option of stopping the news conference, and a member of her man-agement team attempted to shut it down. But Azarenka, excusing herself first, and taking deep breaths, insisted on answering a question.

“I’ve been through a lot of things in my life,” she said, crying again. “Sometimes I wonder why I go through them. But I think they’re going to make me stronger.

Her son, Leo, was born in December 2016 in a period in which Wimbledon in 2017 was the only Grand Slam tour-nament Azarenka entered in two years between the French Opens in 2016 and last year.

She had to skip some tour-naments while working out a custody dispute with the father of her son. And she has spoken about the challenges

of being a travelling, working mom.

She’s dealing with that, and with trying to find a way to convert the form she believes she has found in practice into matches. Her first-round loss at the last French Open was followed by a second-round exit at Wim-bledon and a third-round appearance at the US Open, moving her ranking back into the 50s. The trajectory didn’t keep going up.

Then there was another question about comparing her level pre-2016 with where she’s at now.

“Every time you look back you always see the good things and the results. You don’t see the struggle, and the days that you had a bad match but you managed to win,” she said.

“It’s hard to compare that with what’s happening right now because the obvious indi-cator is the result, and the result is not there. So the assumption is the level is not there, but that’s not neces-sarily the case.”

Bouchard relishing test against ‘No.1’ SerenaAFP MELBOURNE

Eugenie Bouchard (pictured) insisted yesterday

she was thrilled to face Serena Williams in the

Australian Open second round, saying it will

provide a gauge of how her comeback is

progressing.

The former Wimbledon finalist has targeted

2019 as the year she will rejoin the tennis elite

after a slide down the rankings to number 79 in

the world.

But after a 6-2, 6-1 first round win over

China’s Peng Shuai, the Canadian finds herself

drawn against a fired-up Williams, who is chasing

a record-equalling 24th Slam at Melbourne Park.

Most would complain about meeting her so

early in the tournament but Bouchard said it was

an honour to test herself against “the greatest

ever”.

“Her ranking is top 20 right now, but to me

she’s always basically number one,” she said.

“I admire the longevity of her career, her

dominance over such a long amount of time,

how she’s come back so many times from

injury, pregnancy.”

Bouchard has lost her only two

meetings with Williams, who is gunning

for her eighth Australian title.

The American was full of praise

for Bouchard’s determination to

return to the pinnacle of the sport.

“She does everything well, and

I really like that she doesn’t quit,”

Williams said.

“People write her off and she

doesn’t let that bother her. She

continues to fight and do what

she needs to do. I think that’s

really good.”

Japan’s Kei Nishikori throws his racquet after losing a

point against Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak during their men’s

singles first round match of the Australian Open,

yesterday.

AFP MELBOURNE

World number one Simona Halep admitted she was struggling for form after narrowly surviving a first-round scare at the Australian Open yesterday, saying she had “no expectations” about how far she can go at the season-opening Grand Slam.

The Romanian had to dig deep for a come-from-behind win against Kaia Kanepi, the unseeded Estonian who dumped her from last year’s US Open first round.

Halep said she was proud of the fight she showed grinding out a 6-7 (2/7), 6-4, 6-2 victory, but conceded it was not the type of performance expected of the top seed and French Open champion.

“I’m just happy that I could win,” she said. “Nothing else matters because I’m not at the highest level of my tennis.

“I’m just trying to feel good on court and to improve day by day.”

The 27-year-old showed no sign of the back injury that ended her season prematurely last year, instead she simply struggled to cope with the Estonian’s powerful groundstrokes.

“At one point I didn’t know what to do any more because the ball was coming so strong,” she said.

“I just thought I have to be strong on the legs, to be there closer to the line. If I went back, I would not have a chance to return the balls.”

Halep came to Melbourne

Park on a five-match losing streak, equalling the worst run of her career.

Her horror show at Flushing Meadows would have been repeated if Kanepi had not undermined her own cause with a mammoth 62 unforced errors and five double faults.

The Estonian outgunned Halep with 40 winners to 25, underlining her opponent’s recent struggles.

Expectations for her Aus-tralian campaign were initially high after she lost an epic final to

Caroline Wozniacki last year.Halep later admitted the

defeat “broke me a little bit” until she claimed her own maiden Slam at Roland Garros.

But the back injury, poor form and an amicable split from Australian coach Darren Cahill -- who left to spend more time with his family -- have shaken her confidence.

She said Melbourne Park seemed “weird and tough” without her local mentor, although they had been in contact since she arrived in Australia.

She said there was no hurry to find a replacement.

“I’m just chilling for the moment and we will see after this tournament,” she said.

“I have no expectations because I’m not at the highest level. But I’m motivated. So it’s just kind of taking out the pressure a little bit.”

Halep said her relaxed attitude was partly because she had an extended off-season and arrived in Australia later than usual.

“I had a normal life for two months, which is great,” she said, explaining she was “exhausted” after last season’s breakthrough efforts.

She insisted she was uncon-cerned about losing the number one ranking if she failed to go deep in the tournament.

“It’s not in my mind,” she said. “I finished three years at number one, the ranking doesn’t matter any more. “I play tennis because I like it. Now my chal-lenge is to win every match I play.”

09WEDNESDAY 16 JANUARY 2019 SPORT

I’m just happy that I could win. Nothing else matters because I’m not at the highest level of my tennis. I’m just trying to feel good on court and to improve day by day: Simona Halep

Ruthless Serena, Djokovic make Open statements

Serena Williams of

the US serves against

Germany’s Tatjana Maria

during their women’s

singles match on day

two of the Australian

Open, yesterday.

AUSTRALIAN OPEN: WOMEN’S SINGLES FIRST

ROUND RESULTS - DAY 2

Sofia Kenin (USA) bt Veronika Kudermetova (RUS) 6-3, 3-6, 7-5Alize Cornet (FRA) bt Lara Arruabarrena (ESP) 6-2, 6-2

Venus Williams (USA) bt Mihaela Buzarnescu (ROU x25) 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (7/3), 6-2Carla Suarez (ESP x23) bt Clara Burel (FRA) 7-5, 6-2

Dayana Yastremska (UKR) bt Samantha Stosur (AUS) 7-5, 6-2Eugenie Bouchard (CAN) bt Peng Shuai (CHN) 6-2, 6-1

Serena Williams (USA x16) bt Tatjana Maria (GER) 6-0, 6-2Timea Bacsinszky (SUI) bt Darya Kasatkina (RUS x10) 6-3, 6-0

Natalia Vikhlyantseva (RUS) bt Varvara Lepchenko (USA) 6-7 (2/7), 6-2, 6-4Johanna Konta (GBR) bt Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS) 7-6 (7/4), 2-6, 7-6 (10/7)

Garbine Muguruza (ESP x18) bt Zheng Saisai (CHN) 6-2, 6-3Camila Giorgi (ITA x27) bt Dalila Jakupovic (SLO) 6-3, 6-0

Iga Swiatek (POL) bt Ana Bogdan (ROU) 6-3, 3-6, 6-4Madison Brengle (USA) bt Misaki Doi (JPN) 6-4, 6-0

Karolina Pliskova (CZE x7) bt Karolina Muchova (CZE) 6-3, 6-2Tamara Zidansek (SLO) bt Daria Gavrilova (AUS) 7-5, 6-3

Laura Siegemund (GER) bt Victoria Azarenka (BLR) 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-2Hsieh Su-wei (TPE x28) bt Stefanie Vogele (SUI) 6-2, 6-1

Wang Qiang (CHN x21) bt Fiona Ferro (FRA) 6-4, 6-3Aleksandra Krunic (SRB) bt Zarina Diyas (KAZ) 3-6, 7-5, 6-1

Bianca Andreescu (CAN) bt Whitney Osuigwe (USA) 7-6 (7/1), 6-7 (0/7), 6-3Anastasija Sevastova (LAT x13) bt Mona Barthel (GER) 6-3, 6-1

Elise Mertens (BEL x12) bt Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (SVK) 6-2, 7-5Margarita Gasparyan (RUS) bt Lin Zhu (CHN) 4-6, 6-2, 6-2

Anastasia Potapova (RUS) bt Pauline Parmentier (FRA) 6-4, 7-6 (7/5)Madison Keys (USA x17) bt Destanee Aiava (AUS) 6-2, 6-2

Zhang Shuai (CHN) bt Dominika Cibulkova (SVK x26) 6-2, 4-6, 6-2Kristyna Pliskova (CZE) bt Anna Blinkova (RUS) 7-6 (7/2), 2-6, 6-2Viktoria Kuzmova (SVK) bt Kateryna Kozlova (UKR) 4-6, 6-4, 6-2

Elina Svitolina (UKR x6) bt Viktorija Golubic (SUI) 6-1, 6-2Simona Halep (ROU x1) bt Kaia Kanepi (EST) 6-7 (2/7), 6-4, 6-2

Naomi Osaka (JPN x4) bt Magda Linette (POL) 6-4, 6-2

AUSTRALIAN OPEN: MEN’S

SINGLES FIRST ROUND

RESULTS - DAY 2

Novak Djokovic (SRB x1) bt Mitchell Krueger (USA) 6-3, 6-2, 6-2

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) bt Martin Klizan (SVK) 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (7/5)

Taro Daniel (JPN) bt Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS) 5-7, 4-2 retired

Denis Shapovalov (CAN x25) bt Pablo Andujar (ESP) 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 (7/3)

David Goffin (BEL x21) bt Christian Garin (CHI) 6-0, 6-2, 6-2

Marius Copil (ROU) bt Marcel Granollers (ESP) 6-3, 6-4, 6-4

Ryan Harrison (USA) bt Jiri Vesely (CZE) 6-0, 7-5, 6-3

Daniil Medvedev (RUS x15) bt Lloyd Harris (RSA) 6-1, 6-2, 6-1

Fabio Fognini (ITA x12) bt Jaume Munar (ESP) 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (9/7), 3-1 retired

Leonardo Mayer (ARG) bt Nicolas Jarry (CHI) 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 6-3

Ilya Ivashka (BLR) bt Malek Jaziri (TUN) 4-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-1, 4-0 retired

Pablo Carreno-Busta (ESP x23) bt Luca Vanni (ITA) 6-7 (5/7), 2-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4

Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER x32) bt Li Zhe (CHN) 6-2, 6-2, 6-4

Joao Sousa (POR) bt Guido Pella (ARG) 7-6 (7/2), 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 6-2

Ivo Karlovic (CRO) bt Hubert Hurkacz (POL) 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/5)

Kei Nishikori (JPN x8) bt Kamil Majchrzak (POL) 3-6, 6-7 (6/8), 6-0, 6-2, 3-0 retired

Alexander Zverev (GER x4) bt Aljaz Bedene (SLO) 6-4, 6-1, 6-4

Jeremy Chardy (FRA) bt Ugo Humbert (FRA) 3-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-4, 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (10/6)

Alex Bolt (AUS) bt Jack Sock (USA) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2

Gilles Simon (FRA x29) bt Bjorn Fratangelo (USA) 7-6 (7/2), 6-4, 6-2

Chung Hyeon (KOR x24) bt Bradley Klahn (USA) 6-7 (5/7), 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-2, 6-4

Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) bt Sam Querrey (USA) 5-7, 7-6 (8/6), 6-3, 6-1

Stan Wawrinka (SUI) bt Ernests Gulbis (LAT) 3-6, 3-1 retired

Milos Raonic (CAN x16) bt Nick Kyrgios (AUS) 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4

Borna Coric (CRO x11) bt Steve Darcis (BEL) 6-1, 6-4, 6-4

Marton Fucsovics (HUN) bt Albert Ramos (ESP) 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3

Evgeny Donskoy (RUS) bt Laslo Djere (SRB) 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-1, 7-6 (7/5)

Filip Krajinovic (SRB) bt Marco Cecchinato (ITA x17) 4-6, 0-6, 6-1, 7-6 (10/8), 6-4

Lucas Pouille (FRA x28) bt Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) 6-1, 7-5, 6-4

Maximilian Marterer (GER) bt Gleb Sakharov (FRA) 6-3, 6-1, 6-3

Alexei Popyrin (AUS) bt Mischa Zverev (GER) 7-5, 7-6 (9/7), 6-4

Germany’s Alexander

Zverev in action

during his match

against Slovenia’s

Aljaz Bedene.

Venus Williams of

the US hits a return against

Romania’s Mihaela

Buzarnescu during their

women’s singles match

yesterday.

Germany’s Laura Siegemund celebrates her victory against Belarus’ Victoria Azarenka.

Top seed Halep digs deep for opening win Down Under

Romania’s Simona Halep reacts after scoring a point against Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi during their women’s singles first round match of the Australian Open in Melbourne, yesterday.

AFP MELBOURNE

A focused Serena Williams sent an ominous

Australian Open warning with a 49-minute first-

round demolition yesterday as world number

one Novak Djokovic destroyed his opponent as

he targets a record seventh title.

US Open champion Naomi Osaka also

stormed through, but world number one

Simona Halep was lucky to stay alive, needing

to dig deep and claw back from a set down

before beating Kaia Kanepi 6-7 (2/7), 6-4, 6-2.

American giant Williams is bidding to match

Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam

crowns on her first return to Melbourne Park

since winning in 2017 while eight weeks

pregnant.

Now 37, she kept a low profile in the

lead-up to the opening major of the year and

came out of the blocks flying against fellow

mum Tatjana Maria, pummelling her German

opponent 6-0, 6-2.

Sporting a striking jade green jumpsuit and

fine mesh stockings on Rod Laver Arena, the

16th seed wasted no time in getting out of the

blistering Melbourne heat and said it was good

to be back.

“The last time I was here I was pregnant

and playing at the same time which is insane,”

she said. “It’s weird walking back on -- by

myself this time -- it feels good. I have so many

memories from last time I was here.”

Bidding for an eighth Melbourne Park

crown, few are betting against Williams despite

her lowly seeding and she next faces Canadian

Eugenie Bouchard who eased past China’s Peng

Shuai.

Williams played at the mixed teams

Hopman Cup in Perth this month, but her

appearance on Tuesday was her first outing on

tour since a meltdown in losing the US Open

final to Osaka in September.

Japan’s Osaka, seeded four, wasted little

time in dispatching Poland’s Magda Linette 6-4,

6-2 and will next play Tamara Zidansek of

Slovakia.

Like Williams, Djokovic is also

gunning for a slice of history as he looks

to win a seventh title. Fellow six-time

champion Roger Federer is aiming for the same.

The Serb blasted past American qualifier

Mitchell Krueger 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 to set up a clash

with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who he beat in Mel-

bourne to win the first of his 14 Grand Slam

crowns back in 2008.

“It feels great to be healthy

and back on this court again,”

he said of Rod Laver Arena.

“I had a tremendous

success in the last six

months. It got me to a

great position. Hopefully

I can follow up on

this victory tonight

with a good

performance.”

Fourth seed

Alexander

Zverev, who is

looking to win his first

Slam title and establish

himself as a serious

threat to Djokovic,

Federer and Rafael

Nadal, cruised past

Aljaz Bedene 6-4,

6-1, 6-4.

“I’ve had about

86 injuries and the

ankle is still a bit

swollen,” said the

21-year-old. “But

I’ve done everything

right in my prepa-

ration. Now I either

play well or I don’t.”

But eighth seed Kei

Nishikori, who won in

Brisbane last week, had a lucky escape.

The Japanese star looked down and out

against little known qualifier Kamil Majchrzak,

losing the first two sets before the Pole began

badly cramping.

He bravely fought on before calling it a day

after winning just two of the next 17 games.

Elsewhere, 2014 champion Stan Wawrinka

benefited from an opponent pulling out, with

Ernests Gulbis calling it quits after hurting his

back in the second set.

Among the women, sixth seed Elina Svi-

tolina easily progressed, as did Williams’ sister

Venus, who incredibly played her first Grand

Slam tournament 22 years ago.

But two-time champion Victoria Azarenka

was bundled out, along with 10th seed Darya

Kasatkina.

Seventh seed Karolina Pliskova, who has

made the quarter-finals in her last two appear-

ances at Melbourne Park, went through, as did

American Madison Keys, who reached the semis

at the French and US Open last year.

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in action during the match

against Mitchell Krueger of the US

during his Australian Open first round

match at the Melbourne Park,

yesterday.

10 WEDNESDAY 16 JANUARY 2019SPORT

Qatar eye top show against giants Sweden

Kohli, Dhoni steer India to series-levelling winAFP ADELAIDE

Veteran wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni steered India to a six-wicket victory over Australia in the second one-day interna-tional to level the series in Adelaide yesterday.

Former skipper Dhoni, playing in his 334th ODI, coolly guided India across the line with four balls to spare to back up a dazzling century from captain Virat Kohli.

India successfully chased down a target of 299 runs set by Australia who scored 298 for nine with Shaun Marsh scoring 131 off 123 balls.

The three-match series now goes to a decider in Melbourne on Friday after Australia won the opening game in Sydney by 34 runs.

When Kohli holed out to Glenn Maxwell at deep mid-wicket to end his stellar knock of 104 off 112 balls, it was 37-year-old Dhoni who took charge to pilot his side home with support from Dinesh Karthik with an unbeaten 25.

Dhoni was physically strug-gling in the hot conditions and needed treatment from the team physio to finish his match-winning knock and keep India alive in the series.

India lost four wickets in their chase after Australia’s total.

Shikhar Dhawan hit out

before he was snapped up by Usman Khawaja at mid-wicket off Jason Behrendorff for 32 from 28 balls in the eighth over.

India were sailing along before Sydney centurion Rohit Sharma on 43 top-edged Marcus Stoinis to deep forward square where Peter Handscomb, looking into the setting sun, took a safe catch to break up a dangerous 54-run partnership with Kohli.

Ambati Rayudu was the third wicket to fall caught at deep mid-wicket by Stonis off Maxwell for 24.

Kohli was annoyed to get out with the job unfinished and six overs left but Dhoni used his vast experience to get his team safely home.

Marsh hammered 11 fours and three sixes, claiming his seventh ODI century and second against India as Australia made the tourists sweat in the field in tem-peratures hovering around 40 Celsius (104F).

India could have been chasing an even higher total if not for the last three overs from Bhuv-neshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami.

They took a combined four for 17 in the last 18 balls with Kumar claiming the big wickets of Marsh and Glenn Maxwell.

Maxwell had kicked along Australia’s scoring rate with a typically rumbustious knock of 48 off 37 balls coming into bat at No.7.

Skipper Aaron Finch earlier struggled for runs before he was bowled by Kumar off an inside edge for six in the seventh over.

Finch was soon followed by opening partner Alex Carey, who attempted a pull shot off Shami only to balloon a catch to Shikhar Dhawan at mid-wicket for 18.

Usman Khawaja put on 56 runs for the third wicket with Marsh before he was brilliantly run out by Ravindra Jadeja with a direct throw from cover point for 21.

Peter Handscomb threw away his wicket when he rashly tried to sweep Jadeja but was well beaten and smartly stumped by Dhoni on 20.

Stoinis was caught behind off a short ball from Shami for 29, and Maxwell produced a lively cameo with Marsh before he was caught at long-off by Karthik.

Marsh followed in similar fashion two balls later when he was deceived by a slower ball from Kumar and lofted to Jadeja at long-off.

The wickets kept tumbling late in the innings with Jhye Rich-ardson caught at deep point by Dhawan off Shami for two and Peter Siddle was out for a first-ball duck caught by Virat Kohli on the run at deep backward point off Kumar.

The Australians lost four wickets for three off 11 balls before Nathan Lyon blasted a six off the final ball.

Indian captain Virat Kohli celebrates his century against Australia during their second ODI in Adelaide, yesterday.

AustraliaA. Carey c Dhawan b Shami .......................... 18A. Finch b Kumar .............................................. 6U. Khawaja run out (Jadeja) ........................ 21S. Marsh c Jadeja b Kumar ...........................131P. Handscomb st Dhoni b Jadeja .................20M. Stoinis c Dhoni b Shami ...........................29G. Maxwell c Karthik b Kumar ......................48J. Richardson c Dhawan b Shami ................... 2N. Lyon not out ................................................12P. Siddle c Kohli b Kumar ................................0J. Behrendorff not out ......................................1Extras (lb4, w6) ............................................ 10Total (9 wickets; 50 overs) ...............298Fall of wickets: 1-20 (Finch), 2-26 (Carey), 3-82 (Khawaja), 4-134 (Handscomb), 5-189 (Stoinis), 6-283 (Maxwell), 7-283 (Marsh), 8-286 (Richard-son), 9-286 (Siddle)Bowling: Kumar 10-0-45-4 (2w), Shami 10-0-58-3, Siraj 10-0-76-0 (3w), Kuldeep 10-0-66-0,

Jadeja 10-1-49-1 (1w)IndiaR. Sharma c Handscomb b Stoinis ..............43S. Dhawan c Khawaja b Behrendorff .......... 32V. Kohli c Maxwell b Richardson ................104A. Rayudu c Stoinis b Maxwell .....................24M.S. Dhoni not out ......................................... 55D. Karthik not out ..........................................25Extras (lb9, w7) .............................................. 16Total (4 wickets; 49.2 overs) ............299Fall of wickets: 1-47 (Dhawan), 2-101 (Sharma), 3-160 (Rayudu), 4-242 (Kohli)Did not bat: R. Jadeja, K. Yadav, B. Kumar, M. Shami, M. SirajBowling: Behrendorff 8.2-1-52-1, Richardson 10-0-59-1 (2w), Siddle 8-0-58-0 (3w), Lyon 10-0-59-0 (1w), Stoinis 9-0-46-1, Maxwell 4-0-16-1Result: India won by 6 wicketsSeries: 1-1Toss: Australia

SCOREBOARD

Sawhney named new ICC chief executiveDUBAI REUTERS

Manu Sawhney, the former managing director of ESPN Star Sports, has been appointed as International Cricket Council’s (ICC) new chief executive, the sport’s governing body announced yesterday.

Sawhney will join the ICC next month before formally taking over the reins from David Richardson, whose contract expires at the end of the World Cup in July. Indian-born Sawhney was the unanimous choice following a global recruitment process led by ICC chairman Shashank Manohar and the nominat ions committee.

“He brings 22 years of out-standing commercial experience to the ICC and will lead the

delivery of our new global growth strategy for the game,” Manohar said in a statement.

“Our search produced a host of excellent candidates from around the world, but Manu stood out as the man to work with our Members and take cricket forward.

“He has proven success in a number of leadership roles in both sport and broadcasting. He is a strategic thinker and under-stands the cricket landscape and its complexities.”Former Singapore Sports Hub chief executive Sawhney was with ESPN Star Sports for 17 years and during his tenure led the global broadcast partnership deal with the ICC that ran from 2007-15. He is also a non-exec-utive director and member of the audit committee at Premier League club Manchester United.

IANS ADELAIDE

Comparing Virat Kohli with Sachin Tendulkar, Australia coach Justin Langer said the Indian captain’s balance while shot-making in all formats of the game is ‘unbelievable’.

Kohli scored his 39th ODI hundred to help India register a series levelling win yes-terday. Langer was asked if he was having the same impact as Tendulkar.

“I would like to have them

both in my team. Sachin was an incredible cricketer. I used to watch him and it was like he was meditating. He was so calm and that’s why his record is peerless,” Langer said after Australia’s six-wicket loss in the second ODI here.

“Virat is doing the same thing. He is so calm and so competitive, and technically

his balance is unbelievable. For him to play 360-degree shots in all formats of the game, his balance is unbelievable.”

Langer said the young Aus-tralian team will learn a great deal playing against class players like Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

“He (Kohli) is a great com-petitor and his concentration

is extraordinary and for someone to make so many runs as he has, it is incredible like all the great players,” he said.

“Sachin and Virat, and MS Dhoni, who averages 50-plus in 340 games, they are all-time great players and our guys are in the best seats at the moment, playing some of the best all-time great ODI players and they will be better from the experience,” Langer added.

Dhoni slammed an unbeaten 55 off 54 balls after Kohli laid the foundation for India’s series-levelling victory in the second ODI with a fluent 104.

“We were playing against three all-time great one-day international players (also referring to Rohit Sharma at the SCG). We saw it in the first one, and class always come to the top, and we have seen that with India so we must respect that,” he said.

Kohli a great competitor: LangerAUSTRALIA COACH JUSTIN LANGER

He is so calm and

so competitive,

and technically

his balance is

unbelievable: Aussie

coach Justin Langer

A Qatari player scores a goal against Hungary during a Group D match at the IHF World Handball Championship in Copenhagen, on Monday.

FAWAD HUSSAIN DOHA

Qatar head coach Valero Rivera is hopeful that his side will give a good show against group leaders Sweden today in their fourth match at the IHF Men’s World Handball Champi-onship in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Qatar have won one and lost two matches in the tournament so far but they are still alive in the event in which top three teams from each group will advance to the next stage.

Al Annabi lost to debutants Angola 24-23 in their first match before bouncing back against Egypt with a 28-23 win. In their third match on Monday, they suffered a 26-32 defeat against Hungary.

The coach Rivera side is cur-rently third on the table, ahead of Angola and Egypt on a better goal difference.

Hungary occupy second spot with two victories while Sweden have won all their three matches to sit on top of the points standings.

Rivera said his team will be firing on all cylinders to reach the next round after a ‘much-needed’ rest.

“Our players are not used to play that much, in short intervals so the rest day was important for us. We will try our best against Sweden and will continue to work hard to reach the next round.”

On the loss against Hungary, the Qatar coach said: “Hungary were better against us and they deserved to win.”

Qatar’s Anis Zououi, who plays for Al Sadd said bad performance in the first half cost Qatar dearly against

Hungary. “They played better than us. We played a lot better in the second half. I think the bad per-formance in the first half let us down,” he said.

After their penultimate group match today, Al Annabi will take on bottom-placed Argentina in their final game of the first phase tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Brazil registered a hard-fought 25-23 win over Russia while Tunisia defeated Saudi Arabia 24-20 to earn winning points in yes-terday’s matches.

WORLD HANDBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

We will try our best

against Sweden and will

continue to work hard

to reach the next round:

Coach Valero Rivera

Angola vs Argentina Japan vs Iceland

Croatia vs Bahrain Hungary vs Egypt

Macedonia vs SpainQatar vs Sweden

TODAY’S MATCHES

11WEDNESDAY 16 JANUARY 2019 SPORT

Aussies down Syria to qualifyAFP AL AIN

Tom Rogic’s injury-time thun-derbolt settled an Asian Cup thriller yesterday as defending champions Australia beat Syria 3-2 to reach the last 16 and knock out their war-torn rivals.

The result meant the holders finished second in Group B behind Jordan, whose simulta-neous 0-0 draw with Palestine gave the Palestinians hope of qualifying as one of the best third-placed teams.

Syria, vocally backed by thousands of their fans in Al Ain, twice fought back from a goal behind before Rogic slammed home the winner in the third minute of injury time.

Injury-hit Australia, with only six outfield players on the bench, needed just a draw to go through as they kicked off at the same time as Jordan against Palestine.

Syria looked an early threat before Australia started to get a grip on the game and Hibernian striker Jamie Maclaren flashed a header just wide.

There was drama on the half-hour when a Syrian free-kick bounced through a packed penalty area and into the net, but the goal was ruled out for a foul on Mark Milligan.

But Australia were getting close and Awer Mabil, after seeing one raking shot blocked, unleashed a fabulous effort which curled into the top corner four minutes before half-time.

However, the lead lasted just two minutes as Mouaiad Ala-jaan’s cross picked out Omar Khrbin, who on his 25th birthday saw his header saved by Mat Ryan but then gobbled up the rebound.

On 54 minutes, Chris Ikono-midis’s shot was hooked away by Omro Al Midani -- but the ball was judged to have crossed the line by the additional assistant referee, who was surrounded by Syrian players.

The incident silenced the massed ranks of Syrian fans but there was uproar around the stadium shortly afterwards when their team vehemently claimed a penalty for a Milligan handball.

Australia looked firmly in control and they could have had a third goal when substitute Apostolos Giannou saw a low shot cannon off the base of the upright.

But Mexican referee Cesar Ramos threw Syria a lifeline when he gave them a penalty after Omar Al Soma went down in the box -- and the striker stroked them level once more with 10 minutes to go.

It looked like Syria would

escape with a vital point before Celtic’s Rogic, playing the tour-nament with a broken hand, belted Australia’s third from distance.

Meanwhile in Dubai, Jordan were held to a goalless draw by Palestine in a fiery clash to pre-serve their unbeaten record and progress as Group B winners.

Twice quarter-finalists, in 2004 and 2011, Jordan stunned holders Australia in their opening

game before beating Syria 2-0.But they found plucky Pal-

estine a tougher nut to crack in Abu Dhabi.

Abdallatif Al Bahdari header gave Jordan a scare on the hour-mark of a match that was not one for football purists.

Jordan went close when Ahmad Ersan’s long-range blast was blocked by Palestine goal-keeper Rami Hamada before the game petered out with both sides content to take a draw.

India coach Constantine quits after Asian Cup exitREUTERS NEW DELHI

Stephen Constantine has resigned as India’s head coach after they were knocked out of the AFC Asian Cup following a 1-0 defeat by Bahrain in Sharjah on Monday.

Needing a draw to progress to the knockout stage for the first time, India finished bottom of Group A after conceding an injury-time penalty that allowed Bahrain to leapfrog them into third place.

The All India Football Fed-eration (AIFF) confirmed on its Twitter account that the former Millwall coach, who took over the job in 2015 for a second stint with the team, had stepped down.

“We haven’t received any official communication from him yet but we accept his

decision & thank him for his contribution to #Indianfootball,” AIFF general secretary Kushal Das was quoted as saying.

Constantine said he was stepping down having achieved the target of helping India qualify for the continental showpiece after an eight-year gap. The side also broke into the top 100 in the FIFA rankings last year.

“My objective from day one was to qualify for the Asian Cup,” the 56-year-old Eng-lishman, who first coached India from 2002-2005, told reporters after the match.

“I’ve done that and I’m exceptionally proud of the players for everything they have given.

“I think my cycle has fin-ished. I did what I was asked to and a little bit more and, after four years, it’s time to leave.

“I’m sad to be leaving, the players and staff have been fan-tastic throughout... even those who failed to make the final squad.

“It’s my wife’s birthday today and I haven’t been back to my house in six years. I’ve only seen my three daughters every three or four months and the time has come for me to move on.”

Constantine’s team started well thumping Thailand 4-1 but defeats by hosts United Arab Emirates and Bahrain dashed their hopes of making the knockout stage for the first time.

Hosts United Arab Emirates topped the group ahead of Thailand following their 1-1 draw. Both teams advanced to the knockout stage while Bahrain also progressed as one of four best third-placed teams.

Arch-rivals Iran and Iraq eye Group D top placeAFP DUBAI

One of football’s great rivalries takes centre-stage at the Asian Cup today when Iran play Iraq still smarting from their controversial exit four years ago.

Iran played most of the classic 2015 quarter-final with 10 men after Mehrdad Pooladi’s hotly disputed first-half dismissal but when it ended 3-3 after extra-time, Iraq edged the penalty shoot-out.

Iran’s protest that Iraq yielded an ineligible player was dismissed as Carlos Que-iroz’s three-time winners were sent packing from the tournament in Australia.

Four years on from their clash in Canberra, Iran forward Saman Ghoddos said memories were still fresh as Team Melli take on Iraq in their final game of Group D.

“Iraq are tough opponents and I think that this will be a revenge match for us,” said Ghoddos, according to Iran’s Varzesh3 website.

“I’ve been waiting for this match ever since the last Asian Cup. We will win this match for the people.”

Football is one of the remaining points of con-tention between the Middle East neighbours, who fought a bloody war in the 1980s in which hundreds of thousands of people died.

Relations between the two countries have warmed since the removal of long-serving Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003, but games between the two are not for the faint-hearted.

Iran, the three-time Asian Cup winners, lead Iraq on goal difference at the top of Group D, with both teams already qualified for the next round.

Former Real Madrid and Portugal coach Queiroz, linked with a move to the Colombia national team after the Asian Cup, said his prime concern was maintaining Iran’s perfect start.

Australia’s defender Mark Milligan (centre) heads the ball against Syria’s goalkeeper Ibrahim Almeh during the 2019 AFC Asian Cup Group B match at the Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain yesterday.

India coach Stephen Constantine during the AFC Asian Cup Group A match against UAE at the Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi, on January 10.

Man City ease past 10-man Wolves to cut gap at topREUTERS LONDON

Gabriel Jesus took his tally to seven goals in three games with a double as Manchester City beat 10-man Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-0 to cut Premier League leaders Liverpool’s advantage to four points on Monday.

The Brazilian tapped in after 10 minutes and struck again from the penalty spot before the break after Wolves had been reduced to 10 men as Willy Boly was shown a straight red card.

After back-to-back league defeats during the Christmas fixtures, City have now won five matches in a row in all compe-titions, racking up 24 goals in the process, and look primed to give chase to Juergen Klopp’s Liverpool.

With Tottenham Hotspur losing on Sunday, it now looks a two-horse race to win the Premier League with Liverpool on 57 points and City on 53 from 22 games. Tottenham have 48.

“We have played a lot of time with 10 against 11 and we should be more aggressive in our attacking play, but we have a lot of matches in our minds and our legs,” City manager Pep Guardiola, perhaps disap-pointed not to boost his side’s goals tally further, said.

“We were solid and didn’t give away many chances so it is three points to keep the pressure on the team at the top.” City, who have now scored 99 goals in all competitions this season, knew only a victory would suffice after Liverpool’s weekend win at Brighton & Hove Albion and they needed

only 10 minutes to go ahead at the Etihad Stadium.

Aymeric Laporte played a superb pass to release Leroy Sane down the left channel and his cross was perfect for Jesus to score with a simple finish in front of goal. What was already a tough assignment for Wolves became a seemingly impossible one nine minutes later when Boly launched into a tackle on Bernardo Silva and won the ball but also left the City midfielder rolling around with his follow through.

Wolves had a rare breakaway and perhaps should have equalised when Raul Jimenez burst forward and played in Jonathan Castro Otto who just failed to pick out the unmarked Jota when a shot at goal would have been a better option.= Shortly afterwards at the other end Raheem Sterling was sent sprawling in the area by Ryan Bennett and Jesus con-verted the penalty and there was no way back for Wolves.

To their credit Wolves were diligent in defence after the break and restricted City’s chances although they did concede again when substitute Kevin de Bruyne whipped in a cross that glanced in off Wolves’ Conor Coady.

City racked up 870 passes to the 271 of Wolves and such was their control that keeper Ederson joined in upfield during one passage of play in the second half. Wolves remain in 11th spot and boss Nuno Espirito Santo had no complaints, agreeing with the decision to send off Boly.

“Not only the red card changed the game, but the way we conceded with a long pass,” he said.

Arsenal’s Cech to retire at end of the seasonREUTERS LONDON

Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech announced yesterday his retirement at the end of the Premier League season after 20 years as a professional and winning everything in club soccer.

One of the world’s great keepers, the 36-year-old joined the Gunners from London rivals Chelsea in 2015 and holds several Premier League records, including the most clean sheets (202 in 443 appearances).

“It has been 20 years since I signed my first profes-sional contract, so it feels like the right time to announce that I will retire at the end of this season,” the Czech said.

“Having played 15 years in the Premier League, and won every single trophy pos-sible, I feel like I have achieved everything I set out to achieve,” he added.

“I will continue to work hard at Arsenal to hopefully win one more trophy this season, then I am looking forward to seeing what life holds for me off the pitch.”

Cech started the season as Arsenal manager Unai Emery’s first choice but lost out to new signing Bernd Leno.

SPORTAsian Cup:

South Korea vs China World Championship: Qatar vs Sweden

FOOTBALL HANDBALL

07WEDNESDAY 16 JANUARY 2019

Twelve months ago it was quite

a different sensation on the court

with the elbow injury. Twelve

months forward, obviously things

are quite different.

Novak Djokovic

after beating Mitchell Krueger of the US in first round of Australian Open. T

ODA

Y’S

ACT

ION

Viviani wins opening Tour Down Under stage in brutal heatAFP ADELAIDE

Italy’s Elia Viviani won a tight finish to take the opening stage of Australia’s Tour Down Under in brutal tempera-tures in Adelaide yesterday.

Deceuninck-Quick-Step’s Viviani, the omnium gold medallist at the 2016 Rio Olympics and one of the world’s leading sprinters, powered out of the pack to reel in Germany’s Max Wals-cheid and claim the ochre jersey after the first of six stages.

Walscheid of Team Sunweb finished second across the line ahead of another Italian in the CCC Team, Jakub Mareczko.

It was a reversal of fortunes for Viviani, 29, who crashed on the final lap of Sunday’s Down Under Classic cri-terium leading into the tour.

“When you start the World Tour season with the stage win and the

leader’s jersey here in Tour Down Under, it’s the best way,” said Viviani.

“Now we know we’ve done a good job during the winter -- that’s the question we’ve already answered.”

Viviani comes into the Tour Down Under on the back of a successful 2018 season.

The Italian won 18 races, including stage 3 at the Tour Down Under, the overall classification at the Dubai Tour, four stages at the Giro d’Italia, the Hamburg Cyclassics race and three stages at the Vuelta a Espana.

The riders braved temperatures hovering above 40 Celsius (104 Fahr-enheit) in the opening 129-kilometre (80-mile) stage from North Adelaide to Port Adelaide.

The peloton eased its pace with 20 kilometres to go as it made its way through the northern suburbs of Adelaide.

The pace then quickened as the

peloton closed within 10 kilometres of the finish.

But with two final 90-degree turns within the final kilometre, the bunch scrambled for positions as the finish closed in.

Walscheid broke best heading to the line before Viviani swooped to claim the opening stage, winning by two bike lengths.

Slovak triple world champion Peter Sagan was eighth, while Australia’s Down Under Classic winner Caleb Ewan was down the order in 23rd.

Organisers have shortened Wednes-day’s Stage 2 amid forecasts of con-tinuing extreme temperatures from Norwood to Angaston through the Adelaide Hills and the wine-growing Barossa Valley.

South Africa’s Daryl Impey, who fin-ished 11th, is bidding to become the first cyclist to win back-to-back titles at the Tour Down Under.

The peloton rides through Snake Gully towards the King of the Mountain checkpoint during stage one of the Tour Down Under in Adelaide, yesterday.

Harden scores season-high

57 as Rockets down GrizzliesAFP LOS ANGELES

NBA scoring juggernaut James Harden poured in a season-high 57 points on Monday to power the short-handed Houston Rockets to a 112-94 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.

Harden’s latest monster game highlighted a night of NBA action that saw Hornets point guard Tony Parker receive a hero’s welcome in San Antonio -- the city where he starred for 17 seasons.

Parker had a modest eight points, four assists and three rebounds in 19 minutes on the court in the Hornets’ 108-93 win -- all with Spurs fans cheering him on.

“Man, a lot of love,” said Parker, who won four NBA titles with San Antonio. “I’ve been with those fans for a long time and I really appreciate (this).

“It’s hard to describe the feeling I have right now.”

Harden departed the court in Houston to a rousing ovation as well, and it owed nothing to nostalgia.

With the Rockets reeling from the news that center Clint Capela will likely miss at least four weeks with a thumb injury -- joining an injury list that already included Chris Paul and Eric Gordon -- Harden happily shouldered the burden.

“No pressure,” Harden said. “I do this for a living. I have fun with it.”

He extended his streak of consecutive 30-point games to a remarkable 17 -- and he did it by halftime with 36 points before the break.

It’s the longest such streak since Wilt Chamberlain had 20 straight games of 30 or more points in 1964, surpassing Lakers great Kobe Bryant’s 16-game 30-point streak in the 2002-03 season. It was the 11th 50-point game for an NBA player this season -- three of those belonging to Harden.

His latest huge game came a day after he scored 38 points in a loss to the Orlando Magic, despite connecting on a dismal one of 17 three-point attempts.

“I knew he was dog-tired,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said. “I knew he was trying to orchestrate it early and try to save his legs a little bit.”

But D’Antoni admitted he could only marvel at Harden’s determination.

“The guys guarding him are really good defenders,” said D’Antoni, who notched his 600th career win as a coach.

“It’s beyond impressive,” D’Antoni said. “It’s rare that people can do what he’s doing.”

The third quarter opened with the Grizzlies throwing double- and triple-teams at Harden, whose scoring pace slowed.

His team-mates stepped it up, however, and the Rockets took an 87-70 lead into the final quarter.

Harden got a breather early in the fourth, but re-entered the contest when Memphis closed within 13 points with 7:11 left to play.

With 4:43 remaining Harden was fouled as he drained a three-pointer, making the free throw to com-plete the four-point play as Houston pulled away.

Houston Rockets guard James Harden (centre) drives to the basket against Memphis Grizzlies players during the first quarter of their NBA game on Monday.

LA Clippers 117, New Orleans 121

San Antonio 93, Charlotte 108

Brooklyn 109, Boston 102

Sacramento 115, Portland 107

Utah 100, Detroit 94

Houston 112, Memphis 94

NBA RESULTS

Soderberg hat-trick powers AvalancheREUTERS TORONTO

Carl Soderberg scored his first career hat trick -- including the go-ahead goal midway through the third period -- and the visiting Colorado Avalanche defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-3 on Monday night.

Gabriel Landeskog, Mikko Rantanen and Matt Calvert also scored goals for the Avalanche, who won for the second time in the past 11 games. Calvert’s goal and Soderberg’s third tally were into an empty net in the third period.

Igor Ozhiganov, Kasperi Kapanen and Mitch Marner scored for the Maple Leafs, who have lost five of their past seven games. Auston Matthews added two assists for Toronto.

Flyers 7, Wild 4James van Riemsdyk

notched his fourth career hat trick to lift host Philadelphia past Minnesota.

Nolan Patrick scored two goals and had two assists while

Wayne Simmonds also added two goals for the Flyers, who had lost nine of their previous 10. Scott Laughton tallied three assists for Philadelphia, while Claude Giroux and Radko Gudas recorded two assists each. Flyers goaltender Carter Hart made 34 saves.

Canadiens 3, Bruins 2Jeff Petry scored the

overtime winner to cap a two-point game, and goalie Carey Price was sensational in a 41-save performance as Mon-treal won at Boston.

Just 15 seconds into overtime, which was forced by a late Boston goal, Montreal’s Max Domi fired a shot that Boston goalie Tuukka Rask couldn’t control. Petry, whose father Dan was a major league pitcher, batted the puck out of the air for his 10th goal of the season.

The Canadiens, who have won two straight and three of four games, also got goals from Paul Byron and Brendan Gal-lagher. David Krejci and Brad Marchand scored for the Bruins.

Carl Soderberg of the Colorado Avalanche in action against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday in Toronto.

Garcia in no hurry to become captainAFP SINGAPORE

Ryder Cup star Sergio Garcia said yesterday he is in no hurry to captain the European team despite his record playing success, stressing his focus is on defending the title in 2020.

Garcia, 39, was on dominant form as Europe beat the United States last year in France, and in the process became the cup’s all-time points leader, eclipsing Nick Faldo’s 21-year record.

Speaking ahead of the start of the Singapore Open, yesterday where

he is the defending champion, Garcia said the memory of the Ryder Cup victory was still fresh.

France “was different, it was extremely, extremely special the way it came down to energy and the first tee, the way it was set up, the crowds, everything,” he told reporters.

“The golf course was amazing and the weather was incredible. The way the team came together... it meant a lot to all of us and to Europe.”

Asked if he had ever aspired to captain Europe’s campaign, Garcia said the thought did cross his mind

but stressed he was not pushing for that to happen “any time soon”.

He said he still wanted to play on the European team for a few more Ryder Cups if possible, and would only think about becoming captain after that.

The focus “is for all of us to keep playing well, to keep at it because in two years it’s going to be tough” defending the title on American soil, Garcia said.

“Wisconsin is going to be a big challenge for us to keep the cup... so we need to keep our level up,” he said.

Sergio Garcia of Spain (centre), Matthew Fitzpatrick (left) and Paul Casey of England pose with the trophy after a press conference, yesterday. Sergio Garcia of Spain (centre), Matthew Fitzpatrick (left) and Paul Casey of England pose with the trophy after a press conference, yesterday.