Saturday Januray 11, 2014
Kaieteur News
Serena eyes sixth coronation at Melbourne Park MELBOURNE (Reuters) If players, pundits and bookmakers are to be believed, Serena Williams has already sewn up her sixth Australian Open title and the other 127 women in the draw may as well pick up their racquets and head home. Riding a 22-match winning streak, the American juggernaut arrives in Melbourne Park fit, fresh and ravenous for more grand slam success at a tournament where injuries and illness have robbed her of yet more silverware in the past three years. Age has not wearied the 32-year-old, who after winning her second French Open crown last year became the oldest woman to win the U.S. Open when she raised her 17th grand slam trophy at Flushing Meadows. The winner at Melbourne Park in 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2010, another triumph would see Williams equal Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert’s tally of 18 major titles and draw her closer to German great Steffi Graf’s 22. Australian Margaret Court leads the all-time list with 24. Williams’s place in the tennis pantheon is assured but her coach Patrick Mouratoglou believes the American could secure a calendar grand slam, which would make her the third woman after Court in 1970 and Graf in 1988 to achieve the feat in the open era. “Look at the level she plays at the moment,”
Mouratoglou told the BBC this week. “She’s beaten all the top players many times, so you can aim that high.” In contrast to the men’s tour, which has been blessed by the power struggles between Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray in recent seasons, the women’s tour is crying out for a genuine challenger to Williams. Second seed Victoria Azarenka, who will bid for a hat-trick of titles at Melbourne Park, and third seed Maria Sharapova are again the most credible threats. Azarenka underlined her toughness last year with an impressive title defense, beating China’s Li Na in front of a hostile crowd in Rod Laver Arena. The powerful Belarusian proved a worthy winner, after having weathered a storm of criticism for taking a prolonged medical time-out during a tense passage of play late in her semi-final against American Sloane Stephens. SHARAPOVA HOPEFUL Tellingly, Azarenka avoided Williams during both her runs to the Australian title, with the American eliminated after being hobbled by injuries. Azarenka also dodged Williams at last year’s Brisbane International in the leadup to Melbourne Park but there was no hiding at this year’s warmup where she was beaten in straight sets by the
American in the final. That match followed Williams’s straight sets win over fourtimes grand slam champion Sharapova, her 14th in succession against the glamorous Russian. Sharapova’s shoulder problems ensured a disappointing 2013 in which she missed the U.S. Open and split with long-time coach Thomas Hogstedt. After a surprising collaboration with American Jimmy Connors, which lasted only one tournament, the 26year-old brings a new coach in Sven Groeneveld, a former mentor to Monica Seles and Ana Invanovic, and the satisfaction that she enters the tournament injury-free after Brisbane. While a Williams win would seem virtually assured, the American, who faces Australian wildcard Ashleigh Barty in the first round, would be wary that the crackling energy of major tournaments often tears up the script. Asia’s first grand slam singles champion, former French Open winner Li would hardly count as unheralded but always looms as a threat on the blue courts of Melbourne Park, where she believes the venue’s ‘qi’ - or ‘air’ - raises her game. German Sabine Lisicki’s fourth-round upset of Williams at Wimbledon last year was also a timely reminder that the majors can turn the most unfancied of players into warriors capable of humbling the world’s best with one inspired hour.
Nationals beat Rest X1 by 26 runs as bad light stop play at Everest By Sean Devers Newly appointed National Captain Christopher Barnwell led from the front to lead the National side to a 26-run win over the Rest Team in their truncated 50-over practice match which ended in near darkness at the Everest ground yesterday. The 27-year-old Barnwell slammed 10 fours and two sixes in a belligerent 80-ball 84 to lift his team to 251-9 off their allotted 50 overs on a slow track and fast outfield. The Rest Team, led by a solid 87-run opening partnership between Test players Sewnarine Chattergoon (44) and Assad Fudadin (34) were in the hunt on 194-7 in 46 overs when bad light stopped play. Fudadin and fast bowler Ronsford Beaton are both members of the National team which will travel to Trinidad for this year’s Regional Super50 tournament from January 30, but played for the
Rest Combination yesterday in steaming hot conditions. Their team were 26 behind the target when play was halted after the Nationals were 220-6 at the same stage of their innings giving them victory in front of a fair sized crowd. Narsingh Deonarine, the other member of Guyana’s 14-man touring party, was unavailable yesterday due West Indies t20 duties in New Zealand. Robin Bacchus (16) the only new cap in the Guyana 50-over team, was the first wicket to fall before Barnwell, one of eight players with West Indies senior team experience in the side, joined former West Indies Skipper Ramnaresh Sarwan after Leon Johnson fell for eight at 60-3. Barnwell and Sarwan, who seems to be returning to form, added 74 for the fourth wicket before Sarwan was dismissed for 35, decorated with three boundaries.
National Vice-Captain Shiv Chanderpaul, who said on Wednesday that he was still available all formats of the game, hit two fours in a typically composed 32 as former West Indies under-19 leg-spinner Amir Khan took 2-42 and promising offspinning all-rounder Shaquille Williams finished with 2-31. Williams final over, the penultimate one of the innings, went for 14 as Test spinner Veerasammy Permaul (19*) dumped him for a six and a four to exemplify Guyana’s deep batting strength. When the Rest Team batted they were given a solid foundation by the 32-year-old Chattergoon who has played four Tests and the 28-year-old Fudadin who has a fifty in his three Tests. Fudadin in particular played some delightful off drives and his innings included three fours while (Continued on page 30)
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Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014 NBA Roundup: Parker has 25 in Spurs’ 112-90 win over Mavericks
San Antonio’s Tony Parker, left, works against Dallas’ Jose Calderon during the Spurs’ 112-94 victory on Wednesday in San Antonio. (Associated Press) The Item - SAN ANTONIO - Tony Parker scored 25 points and Tim Duncan had 16 points and 13 rebounds, and the San Antonio Spurs never trailed, cruising past the Dallas Mavericks 112-90 Wednesday night. Marco Belinelli had 17 points, Kawhi Leonard added 12 points and Patty Mills scored 11 for San Antonio (288), which recaptured the Western Conference’s best record ahead of Oklahoma City (27-8). Monta Ellis had 21 points and Vince Carter added 14
points. No other player scored in double figures as the Mavericks lost their seventh straight to the Spurs. Dirk Nowitzki was limited to eight points, shooting 3 for 14 and making his only two free throws attempts. Raptors 112 Pistons 91 TORONTO - Kyle Lowry had 21 points and nine assists, Jonas Valanciunas had 16 points and 11 rebounds, and the Toronto Raptors beat Detroit 112-91 Wednesday night to hand the slumping Pistons their sixth consecutive loss.
DeMar DeRozan shook off a slow start to finish with 19 points and Terrence Ross had 17 for the Raptors, who went 31 for 34 from the free throw line to snap a two-game skid and win for the sixth time in eight games. Hawks 97 Pacers 87 ATLANTA - Kyle Korver scored 17 points, Pero Antic added 16 and the Atlanta Hawks raced to a big lead before holding off the team with the NBA’s best record, beating the weary Indiana Pacers 97-87 Wednesday night. (From wire reports)
Nadal poses biggest threat to Djokovic’s reign
SYDNEY (Reuters) - After staging a remarkable comeback in 2013, Spanish buccaneer Rafa Nadal has his eye on more grand slam silverware this year and is shaping up as the biggest threat to Novak Djokovic’s Australian Open reign. While Nadal reasserted his hegemony over Roland Garros with an eighth French Open triumph last year and Roger Federer has won seven Wimbledon crowns, Djokovic has made Melbourne Park his own grand slam banker with four titles in the last five years. The Serbian last tasted defeat on the banks of the Yarra River almost four years ago and if he can extend his unbeaten run on the blue
Spain’s Rafael Nadal serves during a training session at Melbourne Park January 9, 2014. REUTERS/David Gray
plexicushion to 28 matches this year, would become the first man in the professional era to take the title five times.
“The Australian Open is definitely my most successful grand slam, my favorite grand (Continued on page 30)