Wednesday June 01, 2016
Kaieteur News
PAGE 31
Radwanska suffers Paris meltdown in defeat by Pironkova PARIS (Reuters) Fans were left wet and miserable at a soggy Roland Garros on Tuesday — but not as drenched or depressed as Agnieszka Radwanska after the world number two’s French Open hopes fizzled out following a monumental meltdown against Tsvetana Pironkova. Leading her Bulgarian rival 6-2 3-0 when rain halted play on Sunday, Radwanska appeared to have one foot in the quarter-finals. However, when the fourth-round tussle resumed more than 40 hours later following Monday’s washout, the Polish second seed seemed all at sea as the players were forced to play through misty rain. She lost 10 games in a row as she fell to a 2-6 6-3 63 defeat by an opponent ranked 100 places below her. “I’m just so surprised and angry that we have to play in the rain,” Radwanska told reporters. “I mean, it’s not a $10,000 tournament. It’s a
grand slam. How can you allow players to play in the rain? I cannot play in that conditions.” While Radwanska became the highest-ranked player to exit this year’s French Open tournament, her defeat also meant that at least five of the top eight women’s seeds failed to make their allotted quarterfinal spots. Radwanska, playing with a full-sleeved white top over her sleeveless pink dress, struggled to handle the heavy conditions and the sodden balls on Court Suzanne Lenglen and lost six games in a row to surrender the second set with a forehand error. A further two hour 45 minute rain disruption failed to improve Radwanska’s mood or her fortunes as she fell 4-0 behind in the third set. The 27-year-old, who called on the trainer to get treatment on her right hand midway through the decider, eventually halted Pironkova’s run by breaking
Agnieszka Radwanska returns the ball during her match against Tsvetana Pironkova at the French Open, May 31, 2016. (REUTERS/PASCAL ROSSIGNOL) the Bulgarian in the fifth game. But Radwanska could not avoid the embarrassment of being beaten by a player ranked outside the top 100 for the first time in more than seven years when she netted a forehand on Pironkova’s
second match point. “I had hand surgery few years ago and I couldn’t really play in that conditions. End of story,” a fuming Radwanska added. “For me, playing with those balls in that kind of
Tsvetana Pironkova celebrates beating Agnieszka Radwanska at the French Open, May 31, 2016. (REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol)
court is pretty much impossible.” A match that lasted just two hours and 12 minutes on court finally finished at 4.18 pm local time on Monday, almost 46 hours after it had started on Sunday. “It was very difficult
with all the rain as we were waiting almost two days to finish the match,” a beaming Pironkova said after becoming the first Bulgarian woman to reach the quarterfinals since Sesil Karantantcheva in 2005. “But I can’t complain.”
A Brief History of Philip Daniels Former Guyana international basketball player 1973-1979 Thomas United International Footballer 1976-1978 Philip Daniels playing for Ravens Club, made his international debut in basketball in 1973 in Paramaribo, Suriname for a Goodwill four team series involving host Suriname, Guyana, Holland All Stars and the Suriname under-19 team. After the Suriname outing Daniels’ next international engagements were to Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados for two international warm up
matches against those two countries. His next assignment in national colours was the prestigious Central American Championship in Puerto Rico. There he had matches against the host Puerto Rico, Mexico, the mighty Cuba, El Salvador, Panama, Venezuela and the US Virgin I s l a n d s . The following year 1974 M a y, D a n i e l s w a s outstanding against
Barbados at home, a series that Guyana won. His next overseas assignment was May 1975 at the Central Championship in the Dominican Republic and again he was superb against opponents Puerto Rico, Cuba, El Salvador, Venezuela, Suriname, the Bahamas and Haiti. He still talks about Guyana’s only victory at that tournament a g a i n s t H a i t i . After the Central American
Championship in the Dominican Republic, Daniels and the national team faced the mighty Chinese team in October 1975 at the National Sports Hall. Daniels remembered this series like yesterday because it was the first international basketball series played at the National S p o r t s H a l l . His international career continued the following year in 1976 February when Guyana hosted Suriname and Barbados in a Goodwill International Series at the National Sports Hall. Suriname won that championship. According to Daniels, the next series following the Suriname and Barbados clashes was against the American professional team: Buffalo All Stars. Although the Americans outplayed Guyana in both games, Daniels was the leading Guyanese scorer and
according to Daniels that was the toughest series in his international career. His international programme continued in 1976 July, but this time he was representing Thomas United Football Club in the CFU Club C h a m p i o n s h i p . The following year 1977 he returned to national basketball duty against the mighty Cuba at the National Sports Hall, Guyana lost that series 3-nil. 1978, Daniels was outstanding for Guyana against Suriname champion club: Caribbean Little Devils and against Canada WYMC Montrell. His international duties in 1978 concluded when Guyana visited Barbados and participated in that Guyana Independence International Triangular Tournament in Bridgetown. That tournament was won by Tr i n i d a d a n d To b a g o . Daniels also represented Thomas United Football Club at the Caribbean
F o o t b a l l U n i o n Championship in July 1978. In 1979 Daniels played four international matches against Trinidad at the National Sports Hall, Trinidad won that series 3-1. This was Daniels last outing in national colours.