Sports
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THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2017 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com
German young gun ousts Wawrinka in Miami MIAMI—Top seed Stan Wawrinka crashed out of the Miami Open on Tuesday falling 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 to German young gun Alexander Zverev, who booked his first Masters 1000 quarter-final. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Kei Nishikori advanced to the quarter-finals on cue. But Wawrinka, beaten by fellow Swiss Federer in the final of Indian Wells earlier this month, looked weary as he struggled through the third set of a match played on his 32nd birthday. “I had one bad game to start the second set and then it was tough for me,” Wawrinka, the reigning US Open champion, said. “I don’t know. I completely went down physically and mentally, and also my tennis was completely out. I had no more gas.” “For sure it’s a disappointing match. I think the level was quite up and down. We were both fighting a little bit in the first set to find good level. It was really humid, not easy to play some great tennis,” he added. The 19-year-old Zverev saved four of five break points and won 75 per cent of his service points. “I had to be aggressive. I felt like he was the one controlling all the points all the time, so I had to change that. It worked out well for me,” Zverev said. The German, seeded 16th, will now face Australian Nick Kyrgios, who was impressive in a 7-6 (7/5) 6-3 win over Belgian David Goffin. Federer had to work hard for his victory against 14th seed Roberto Bautista Agut, emerging with a 7-6 (7/5) 7-6(7/4) win setting up a last eight meeting with Czech Tomas Berdych, the 10th seed, a 6-3, 7-5 winner over France’s Adrian Mannarino. “It was a different kind of match,” said Federer, who is in an excellent run of form having won the Australian Open and Indian Wells already this year.AFP
YOUTHFUL CHESSERS. Part of the 700 strong budding chess players display their prowess in the Kasparov Chess Foundation Asia Pacific Young Talents Rapid Chess
Championships at Alphaland Makati Place. KCF president Michael Khudarkovsky, KCF Asia Pacific director Ignatius Leong, KCFAP Projects Manager Peter Long, NCFP vice presidents Neri Colmenares and Cliburn Anthony Orbe and KCFAP Director for Philippines Red Dumuk graced the event.
Warriors hold off Rockets L
OS ANGELES—Stephen Curry scored 32 points as the Golden State Warriors withstood Houston star James Harden’s 20th triple-double of the season in a 113-106 NBA victory over the Rockets on Tuesday.
The league-leading Warriors stretched their winning streak to eight games, thwarting the Rockets’ comeback bid and sending fans in Houston home unhappy. Curry drained a three-pointer with 1:46 remaining as the Warriors stretched their lead back to double digits after seeing it dwindle. Draymond Green scored 19 points, pulled down nine rebounds and came up with three
steals in a characteristically energetic performance for the Warriors, clamping down defensively as the Rockets sought to close the gap down the stretch. Klay Thompson added 25 points for the Warriors, who improved to 60-14 and will host the 41-23 Rockets—third in the West behind Golden State and San Antonio—on Friday. Harden finished with 24 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists. But he connected on
just five of 20 shots from the field and was one-of-nine from three-point range. He also coughed up six turnovers as the Warriors came up big defensively—limiting one of the league’s most explosive offenses to just 38.8 percent shooting. “It’s attention to detail, knowing where their shooters are, especially in transition,” Curry said. “We do a great job of trying to stay on a string so when two guys commit to the ball and there’s a pass out to the wing, the next guy is on alert ready to rotate, kind of a chain reaction. Try to make them uncomfortable and contest as many (three-pointers) as you can.” Warriors coach Steve Kerr
notched his 200th victory, reaching the milestone faster than any coach in league history—in 238 games. Whiteside the hero for Heat While the Warriors were strengthening their grip on the West, the Miami Heat clung to the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with a 97-96 victory over the Pistons in Detroit. Hassan Whiteside’s tip-in beat the buzzer after a wild scramble during which the Heat missed two attempts on their final possession. Whiteside, who needed 13 stitches in a cut on his right hand last week, managed to maneuver
Breezy Bros. nails 2nd win
NY’s Noah says sorry NEW YORK—New York Knicks center Joakim Noah apologized on Tuesday for the failed drug test that resulted in a 20-game ban, vowing to bounce back from what he called a “mistake” that “backfired.” Noah, the son of French tennis legend Yannick, was suspended by the NBA on Saturday after testing positive for an illicit substance reputed to have effects similar to anabolic steroids. Noah has said he ingested the drug unwittingly in an over-thecounter supplement which is banned under NBA rules. “I made a mistake,” Noah said. “It was a tough year for me and the team and I want to start by apologizing to my teammates, to the Knicks, to the organization. I let a lot of people down. It was a mistake and I got to learn from it and bounce back. “This is a tough moment but I’m going to learn from it. I tried to take supplements to help me and everything I was going through. I was going through a lot of injuires. I tried to take something to help me and it backfired. “It didn’t come from a bad place. I’ve been working with the league on this for a while. I got punished. Twenty games is severe but it is what it is and I’ve got to bounce back.” The National Basketball Players Association has noted that Noah was “completely forthcoming and cooperative” throughout the league’s investigation. AFP
the ball to his left and get it in the basket just in time. “We’re mentally tough,” Whiteside said. “We’ve been in so many close battles like this.” They are one game ahead of the Chicago Bulls for the last playoff spot in the East, while the Pistons slipped 2 1/2 games behind the Heat. The Milwaukee Bucks bounced back from a 15-point home defeat to the Bulls on Sunday with a convincing 118108 victory over the Hornets in Charlotte. The Bucks connected on 72.5 percent of their shots in the first half as they built a 22-point halftime lead. AFP
PREMIER VOLLEYBALL LEAGUE. ABS-CBN Sports and Sports Vision Management Group, Inc. announced their
partnership this for the inaugural season of the Premier Volleyball League, which will open on April 30, with live TV coverage on S+A and livestreaming on sports.abs-cbn.com. SVMGI chairman Moying Martelino, SVMGI president Ricky Palou, ABS-CBN S+A channel head Vince Rodriguez, and ABS-CBN Sports finance head Berg Capiz made the broadcast partnership official in a contract signing held in ABS-CBN. The Premier Volleyball League season will kick off with the Reinforced Conference featuring foreign players this April followed by the All-Filipino Conference and Collegiate Conference later in the year. Palou said there will be six teams competing in the first conference, which will have a double round-robin elimination round. Rodriquez, meanwhile, teased a new feature in S+A’s sports coverage—the multi-cam livestreaming—which will be experienced first in PVL. For more information and stories, visit ABS-CBN’s sports hub sports.abs-cbn.com and follow @ABSCBNSports on Facebook and Twitter.
BREEZY Brothers of Quezon City breezed past Goto Pilipinas, 82-74, in the elimination round of the Brotherhood Basketball League ‘WCA Travel Cup’ Basketball Tournament recently at the Trinity University of Asia in Quezon City. Nico Villena led all scorers with 25 points to help push Breezy Brothers to its second win in four outings in the Passion Division. The team also stayed on track in the tournament organized by BBL Chairman Erick Kirong of Macway Travel and presented by World Cruisers Adventures Travel and Tours, headed by CEO Engr. Joven Diaz. Trailing double digits mostly in the game, Goto Pilipinas’ Mico Pallares ignited a lastditch uprising in the payoff period to close the gap, but the game’s best player in Villena drained a rare four-point play to seal the win for the team of Quezon City District 3 Councilor Nino Villena, In another Passion Division matches, Cocolife continued its winning form as it was powered by prized slotman Tolits Natividad, streak shooter Rey Alao and defense specialist Topet Ronquillo outscored Dok Manok of Dr. Marichi Ramos, 107-102; while R. Lapid Kingstone outshone Wolfpack, 94-87, in the Expert Class.
Alcoseba, Nillasca clinch Brookside Open tennis berths JHUN Alcoseba posted three lopsided victories while Reisha Nillasca survived Celeste Cabotaje to lead 10 others into the main draw of the PPS-PEPP Brookside Open, which got going Wednesday at the Brookside Hills Tennis Club in Cainta. Alcoseba routed Marco Ayala, 8-1, trounced Elijah Arevalo, 8-4, then overpowered Danny Olosin to clinch one of the eight seats in the tournament proper of the P300,000 event sponsored by Palawan Pawnsho-Palawan Express Pera Padala and hosted by BHTC president Allan del Castillo.
Hans Asistio eased out Sam Cruz, 8-3; Arvin Ruel crushed Christian Deyro, 8-1; Eurydice Gaspar scored a walkover win over Carl Catedral; Neil Co got past Stephen Pilares, 8-2; Radharani Reyes whipped Franklin Encarnacion, 8-2; and Gerry Manlangit outsteadied Kyle Joseph, 8-6, to join the 32-player men’s main draw of the event backed by PPS-PEPP, Slazenger, Rep. Jack Duavit, Mayor Johnielle Nieto, Victoria Construction, Mitsubishi Mirage, Rublou Mall, 9 One 9 Security Agency, chairman Buboy Sauro, BHTC president Allan del
Castillo and Phoenix 5R Solid Waste Enterprises. Nillasca, meanwhile, hung tough to foil Cabotaje, 8-6, and led Danielle Carranza, Grace Melchor and Moira Velicaria in the 16-player women’s main draw headed by sisters Clarice and Christine Patrimonio. Carranza rolled past Cianna Villaflor, 8-2; while Melchor and Velicaria won via default. The Brookside Open, backed by Asiatraders Corp., offers a total prize fund of P300,000, including P200,000 from BHTC and P100,000 from PPS-PEPP.
Johnny Arcilla, who has dominated the PPS-PEPP Open events the last three years, banners the stellar cast that includes the country’s other top players, headed by PJ Tierro, Leander Lazaro, Fritz Verdad, Ronard Joven, John Altiche, Rolando Ruel Jr. and Marc Reyes. Competition in the ladies side is also expected to be fierce with Miles Vitaliano, Rachelle de Guzman, Charito Capadocia, Mikaela Vicencio, Nicole Paez, Khrizelle Sampaton, Chloe Saraza, Melanie Dizon, Jennylyn Magpayo, Nicole Eugenio out to foil the Patrimonio
Beach Volleyball Republic goes to Kahuna Beach, La Union THE beach volleyball fever is bound to get hotter as “Beach Volleyball Republic” brings its tournament to the Kahuna Beach Resort in San Juan, La Union featuring 16 teams in the Men’s and Women’s tournaments this coming April 1 and 2. BVR founders Charo Soriano, Dzi Gervacio, and Bea Tan and Richard Emslie of Kahuna Beach Resort announced the format and lineup of the leg, which includes teams from the top colleges and universities, in a presscon held at the Kahuna Restaurant in Bel-Air, Makati last March 23.
Joining them are UST Tigress Kassie Gormley, Gervacio’s partner in the Lakawon leg, and former UAAP beach volleyball champion from Adamson, Amanda Villanueva. For the La Union leg, participating in the Women’s division are two pairs composed of BVR founders, UST, PNPDavao, Air Force, San Beda, and University of Perpetual Help System-Dalta. Over at the Men’s division, UST, FEU, Cebu, Air Force, Navy, Bacolod, UPHSD, and Lyceum will duke it out
for cash prize and a slot in the National Championships happening this June. BVR has gone to Cabugao, Ilocos Sur, Dagupan, Pangasinan, and Lakawon Island, Negros Occidental this year for the first three legs of the 2017 BVR tournament. After the La Union leg, it will also go to Visayas this May and then to Ilocos Norte before the culmination on June. For this tournament, there is double elimination where winners of the previous leg will automatically be seeded. Winners in the first leg were UST’s
Kris Roy Guzman/Anthony Arbasto (1st), FEU’s Jeremiah Barrica/Kevin Hadlocon (2nd), and BVR1’s Emir Akdogan/AJ Pareja (3rd) in the men’s tourney. Topping the women’s division were BVR1’s Bea Tan/Charo Soriano, BVR2’s Dzi Gervacio/Jackie Estoquia (2nd), and Air Force’s Camille Abanto/Jocemer Tapic (3rd). Stay tuned to “The Score” on S+A for updates on the “BVR On Tour” or log on to ABS-CBN’s sports hub sports.abscbn.com and follow @ABSCBNSports and @bvr_ph on Facebook and Twitter.
sisters’ bid. For details, call PPS-PEPP Regional Age Group Tennis Event organizer and Sports Program Development director Bobby Mangunay at 0915-4046464. The event, backed by the new Unified tennis group, led by PPSPEPP, Cebuana Lhuillier, Wilson Toby’s and B-Meg, also serves as the first of a two-week tennis festival at Brookside with the juniors and doubles set next week featuring the 10-unisex and the boys’ and girls’ 12-, 14-, 16- and 18-and-under competitions and 10-U, 14-U and 18-U doubles.
LOTTO RESULTS
6/55 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0 M+ 6/45 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0 M 4 DIGITS 0-0-0-0 3 DIGITS 0-0-0 2 EZ2 0-0