Page 18 - ARUBA TODAY

A18 SPORTS
Friday 10 January 2020
Williams stretched

by McHale but wins

again in Auckland

AUCKLAND, New Zealand and Mikoto Ninomiya 6-2,
(AP) — Top-seeded Serena 6-4 and then Caroline Dole-
Williams had her tough- hide and Johanna Larsson
est workout of 2020 before 6-2, 6-1 to reach the semi-
beating fellow American finals. She was under pres-
Christina McHale 3-6, 6-2, sure early against McHale,
6-3 to advance to the quar- who had two service
terfinals of the ASB Classic. breaks to lead 4-1 in the first
Williams dropped a set for set before Williams broke
the first time in singles or back. McHale broke again
doubles this year and at to take the set 6-3 but Wil-
times Thursday appeared liams began the second set
to be fully stretched by the strongly, leading 5-1 before
88th-ranked McHale be- leveling the match.
fore finding the edge to win If Williams thought the
in just over two hours. struggle was over she was Serena Williams of the U.S. reacts after winning a point during her second round singles match
against compatriot Christina McHale at the ASB Classic tennis tournament in Auckland, New Zea-
"It was a good match for mistaken. She broke twice land, Thursday, Jan 9, 2020.
me," Williams said. "I re- to lead 5-2 in the third set Associated Press
ally need to play matches but McHale broke back in
like that to get to my goal. the eighth game. quarterfinal match against more than 10 minutes and was doing everything right
Match time is good, but I'm Williams finally managed to defending champion Julia contained eight deuces. and she was just playing
just glad to still be out here overpower McHale, con- Goerges. The former No. 1 Davis broke Wozniacki better," Wozniacki said. "I
after losing that first set." verting the second of three beat Lauren Davis 6-1, 4-6, twice in the second set and just kept digging in there
Williams previously beat break points in the final 6-4 in a marathon match was up a break in the third and I got a little lucky."
Camila Giorgi 6-3, 6-2 in game. between players with simi- but Wozniacki fought back American teenager Coco
singles and combined with Wozniacki also dropped lar styles. Even in a one-sid- to snatch the win. Gauff was beaten 5-7, 6-2,
Caroline Wozniacki in the a set to an American op- ed first set rallies were long "There were frustrating times 6-3 by Germany's Laura
doubles to beat Nao Hibino ponent before booking a and the final game lasted on court when I thought I Siegemund.q

Continued from Previous Page Medvedev won the first set. on sending his two singles
"I didn't have anything near He had set point on serve players back out for the
me to hit at than the chair but was broken in a game doubles.
... so just hit one thing with lasting 8½ minutes. He A euphoric Kyrgios lifted
the racket," he said. "I got broke back to win the set de Minaur over his shoul-
a code violation which I but then exchanged words der and carried him off
deserve — the second one with Schwartzman as both the court after the doubles
is no question. Then we players went to their team win, then told the crowd he
moved on." zones at each end of the would celebrate with a red
There were some other court. wine.
positives, Medvedev said, Lahyani got out of his um- Fair enough. De Minaur
listing the fact that the he pire's chair to get between spent five hours on court
didn't damage the chair, the players, and later gave in back-to-back matches,
injure anybody or break Medvedev a code viola- saving four match points
his racket when he hit Mo- tion for unsporting conduct before losing his singles to
hamed Lahyani's chair in for persisting with the ver- Alex De Minaur, left, and Nick Kyrgios of Australia react after Evans in a 3-hour, 23-minute
winning a match point against Britain's Jamie Murray and Joe
a heated exchange after bal exchange. Salisbury of Britain during their ATP Cup tennis match in Sydney, encounter, and then saving
dropping serve in the sev- Seven games later, Medve- Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020. four match points before
enth game of the second dev approached the chair Associated Press winning the deciding dou-
set. to get clarification on the bles in a super tiebreaker."It
The Russians spent the af- code violation. He tapped match on his fifth set point. Medvedev won all his was unreal. The adrenaline
ternoon watching the the umpire's chair with the But Medvedev, who lost an singles matches as Russia has kind of worn off and I'm
broadcast of Australia's 2-1 racket and was warned for almost five-hour U.S. Open swept three group games exhausted," Kyrgios said.
win over Britain in the first of it, and then hit again and final to Nadal last year, in Perth, but had a tough- "But it was awesome. It was
the quarterfinals, when Alex got a point penalty, mean- regained his composure er time against Schwartz- honestly — today was one
de Minaur and Nick Kyrgios ing Schwartzman started in the third set, cut down man, who produced the of the best moments in my
combined to edge Jamie the next game with a 15-0 his errors and got the vital win against Croatia on career, definitely."
Murray and Joe Salisbury lead. break in the eighth game. Wednesday in Sydney that Australia's unbeaten run
3-6, 6-3, 18-16 on their fifth Medvedev said he got the Russia team captain Marat propelled Argentina into through the new team
match point.Kyrgios gave second code violation for Safin commended Med- the quarterfinals. tournament has come at
Australia the lead with a arguing about the first one, vedev for blocking out the Now the Russians will meet a time when the country
6-2, 6-2 win over Cam Nor- "because I didn't hear it." distractions. the winner of Friday's quar- needs some good news
rie but de Minaur lost to Dan "I will probably talk to Mo- "It was important for him terfinal between Serbia amid catastrophic wildfires
Evans 7-6 (4), 4-6, 7-6 (2), hamed to see why I got it, to stay mentally strong," and Canada. that have claimed at least
meaning the result would because I don't know why I Safin said. "You have to Australia will play either 26 lives since September,
hinge on the doubles. The got it," Medvedev said. be smart, and sometimes Spain or Belgium, progress- killed millions of animals
tension in the Russia-Argen- Schwartzman held on to squeeze yourself together ing after team captain and destroyed more than
tina match started after his break and leveled the and maintain self calm." Lleyton Hewitt gambled 2,000 homes.q