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A22 SPORTS
Wednesday 6 June 2018
Djokovic falters, Ceccchinato soars in French Open stunner

By HOWARD FENDRICH it to his third consecutive
PARIS (AP) — It was difficult French Open semifinal by
to discern which was less beating No. 2 Alexander
likely: that 12-time major Zverev of Germany 6-4, 6-2,
champion Novak Djokovic 6-1. As the score indicates,
would falter in his French that was far less compel-
Open quarterfinal or that ling, in part because Zverev
Marco Cecchinato, who felt pain in his left hamstring
never won a Grand Slam 10 minutes into the match
match until last week and and wound up having his
once faced a possible leg taped by a trainer.
ban for losing on purpose, Zverev was coming off a
would rise to the occasion. trio of wins that went five
Either way, Tuesday's out- sets and, while still just 21,
come was stunning. To could not will his body to
both men. And to anyone another comeback.
watching. "He's one of the fittest guys
Djokovic, bothered by on tour," Thiem said, "and
neck and leg problems, even for him, it's maybe
went from two sets down even a little bit too tough to
to the verge of forcing a play three five-setters."
fifth, but he frittered away In the women's quarter-
good chances and in the finals, No. 10 Sloane Ste-
end was beaten by the Italy's Marco Cecchinato celebrates winning his quarterfinal match of the French Open tennis phens beat No. 14 Daria
72nd-ranked Cecchinato tournament against Serbia's Novak Djokovic at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, Kasatkina of Russia 6-3, 6-1,
6-3, 7-6 (4), 1-6, 7-6 (11) in a Tuesday, June 5, 2018. and No. 13 Madison Keys
rollicking match filled with Associated Press eliminated unseeded Yulia
engaging exchanges and Putintseva of Kazakhstan
plenty of drama. Djokovic then held three wasn't easy. My hand was reer record of 4-23 and en- 7-6 (5), 6-4. Stephens beat
"A hard one to swallow," set points in the tiebreak- even shaking a little." tered this tournament with Keys in the U.S. Open final
a glum Djokovic acknowl- er — "I saw ghosts," Cec- Cecchinato (it's pro- a Grand Slam record of 0-4. last September, and Thurs-
edged during a brief news chinato would joke — but nounced cheh-key-NAH'- Then there's this: The day's rematch will be the
conference, in which he couldn't convert. toe) came through on his 25-year-old from Sicily was first all-American women's
delivered clipped answers "A pity," Djokovic said. fourth match point, looping suspended for 18 months semifinal at the French
and said he might not play At 7-6 in the closing tie- in a backhand return win- and fined 40,000 euros Open since Serena Williams
during the upcoming grass- breaker, he pushed a back- ner as Djokovic tried to sur- (about $45,000) by his na- defeated Jennifer Capriati
court season. hand long. At 8-7, Cecchi- prise him with a serve-and- tional federation in July in 2002.
Cecchinato is the lowest- nato ended a 20-stroke ex- volley attempt. 2016 for allegedly fixing a That Cecchinato would be
ranked French Open semi- change with a swinging vol- The 25-year-old Cecchi- match by losing at a low- a semifinal participant was
finalist in 19 years and the ley winner. At 9-8, Djokovic nato dropped onto his er-tier Challenger event far harder to predict.
first Italian man to make it flubbed a forehand, knelt back on the clay, then sat in Morocco a year ear- In the first round at Roland
that far at any major in 40 and clasped his hands to- in his sideline chair, bowed lier. Cecchinato appealed Garros, he dropped the first
years. gether as if praying, then his head and cried. and, eventually, the Italian two sets against Marius Co-
"The best moment of my raised an index finger as if Told in an on-court inter- Olympic Committee an- pil, a player ranked 94th,
life," Cecchinato said. to plea, "Let me have ONE view that he wasn't dream- nounced that the sanctions before coming all the way
Djokovic served for the of these!" ing, Cecchinato respond- were dropped on a techni- back to win 10-8 in the fifth.
fourth set at 5-3 — "I "I had a lot of courage, es- ed: "Are you sure?" cality. "Seems like a month ago,"
thought," Cecchinato pecially toward the end Consider that Cecchinato He has declined to discuss Cecchinato said with a
would say, "my Roland Gar- of the tiebreaker," Cec- has never won a tour-level the case in Paris. laugh Tuesday, when he
ros was about to end" — chinato said. "I was cool. match on a surface other On Friday, Cecchinato will answered reporters' ques-
but the 2016 French Open Clear-headed. My heart than red clay; as it is, he en- face No. 7 seed Dominic tions in Italian, Spanish and
champion got broken. was beating 1,000 mph. It tered this season with a ca- Thiem of Austria, who made English.q
Argentina calls off game against Israel after protests

By DEBORA REY condition of anonymity be- a former Palestinian village where Argentina is prepar- Iceland on June 16. It then
Associated Press cause they did not have destroyed during the war ing ahead of the World plays Croatia on June 21
BUENOS AIRES, Argen- permission to comment. surrounding Israel’s cre- Cup. and Nigeria on June 26. It is
tina (AP) — Argentina has The head of the Palestinian ation in 1948. Rajoub has Some waved the white unclear whether Argentina
called off a World Cup football association, Jibril long urged FIFA to expel and sky-blue striped jer- will play another warmup,
warmup match against Is- Rajoub, had urged Argen- Israel from the international sey of Argentina’s national or if it will arrive to Moscow
rael following protests by tina to cancel the match football federation, citing team stained with red paint ahead of schedule.
pro-Palestinian groups. and had called on Arab Israeli travel restrictions on resembling blood. There was no immediate
A source at Argentina’s soccer fans to burn posters Palestinian soccer players “In the end, they’ve done reaction on the cancella-
football federation on Tues- of Argentina captain Lionel and because Israel main- right thing, and this is be- tion of the friendly game
day confirmed the cancel- Messi if he participated. tains teams in West Bank hind us,” Argentina striker from Israel.
lation of the international Although the stadium that settlements. Gonzalo Higuain told ESPN. But the Israeli news site Ynet
friendly scheduled to be was slated to host the The cancellation came “Health and common reported that Prime Minister
played Saturday at Teddy match is in west Jerusalem, hours after pro-Palestinian sense come first. We felt Benjamin Netanyahu had
Kollek Stadium in Jerusa- Rajoub had complained activists staged a demon- that it wasn’t right to go.” called Argentine president
lem. The person spoke to that it is situated in a neigh- stration in front of the sports Argentina opens its Group D Mauricio Macri and urged
The Associated Press on borhood built on the site of complex in Barcelona campaign in Russia against him to intervene.q