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SPORTS Saturday 9 June 2018
FRENCH FINAL He missed the tournament nal, No. 1 Simona Halep
Continued from Page 17 every year from 2013-16 of Romania will face No.
part of a run in which he because of injuries, includ- 10 Sloane Stephens of the
claimed 14 of the last 17 ing three operations on his United States. Stephens
games to overwhelm the left wrist. In the fourth game won last year's U.S. Open;
No. 5-seeded del Potro 6-4, Friday, del Potro clutched Halep is 0-3 in major finals.
6-1, 6-2 and earn yet an- at his left hip after being Thiem went through one
other spot in the title match wrong-footed by one shot pivotal stretch against Ce-
at Court Philippe Chatrier. from Nadal and was vis- cchinato (cheh-key-NAH'-
In Sunday's final, Nadal will ited by a doctor at the next toe), a 25-year-old from
face No. 7 Dominic Thiem, changeover, but said after- Sicily who never had won a
a 24-year-old from Aus- ward it was not a big deal. Grand Slam match until this
tria who is the only man to Soon enough, he was yell- tournament and was the
beat him on red clay over ing at himself, a picture lowest-ranked men's semi- Austria's Dominic Thiem celebrates winning as the ball goes out
the past two seasons. of exasperation thanks finalist at the clay-court in the semifinal of the French Open tennis tournament against
"He's a big favorite against to Nadal's relentless ball- major in 19 years. In 2016, Italy's Marco Cecchinato at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris,
everybody," said Thiem, tracking and shotmaking. Cecchinato was accused France, Friday, June 8, 2018. Thiem won in three sets 7-5, 7-6
who reached his first Grand "I couldn't play my best of match-fixing and sus- (12-10), 6-1.
Slam final by ending the because of him," said del pended for 18 months, but Associated Press
out-of-nowhere run of Potro, the 2009 U.S. Open he appealed, and his pun-
72nd-ranked Marco Cec- champion. "His game is too ishment was dropped on a
chinato of Italy 7-5, 7-6 (10), good for me." technicality.
6-1. "Still, I know how to play Too good for nearly every- In the second-set tie-
against him. I have a plan." one, nearly every time, on breaker Friday, Thiem went
Surely, so did del Potro. That clay. Nadal is now 110-2 in ahead 6-3, but missed out
crucial early juncture al- best-of-five-set matches on on three set points there,
tered the course of things, the surface, 85-2 in Paris. including a bad volley into
though. Over the past two years, the net at 6-4 that left him
What went through Nadal's including best-of-three chewing ruefully on his left
mind right then? matches, the Spaniard is index finger.
"Just thinking in a positive 49-2 at clay tournaments. "Not a very nice feeling,"
way and just thinking that Thiem is responsible for Thiem said.
I have to hold. 'I can't give both of those losses — at A fourth set point for Thiem
him the game. If he wins Rome in May 2017, and at vanished because of one
the game, OK. But I will not Madrid last month — which of Cecchinato's many drop
give (it to) him,'" Nadal said. at least lends a little intrigue shots. Thiem weathered
"That's the only way for me to Sunday's proceedings. three set points for Cec-
to approach the tough "If I want to beat him," chinato, at 7-6, 9-8 and 10-
moments." Thiem said, "I have to play 9. Then Thiem got to 10-all
Truth is, there were not that way." with a drop shot of his own.
many the rest of the way, Thiem has been to the At long last, Thiem convert-
as Nadal finished with 35 semifinals in Paris three ed his fifth set point when
winners and just 19 un- years in a row, but he lost Cecchinato sent a fore-
forced errors. to eventual champions No- hand long.
This was the No. 5-seeded vak Djokovic in 2016, then "That was definitely the key,"
del Potro's first semifinal at Nadal in 2017. Cecchinato said. "After
Roland Garros since 2009. In Saturday's women's fi- that, my level dropped."q

Lilia Vu, Kristen

Gillman lead U.S. to

4-2 lead in Curtis Cup

SCARSDALE, N.Y. (AP) — 2 up; and Gillman and Ala- was a three-putt."
Lilia Vu and Kristen Gillman bama teammate Lauren Olivia Mehaffey and Sophie
led the United States to a Stephenson beat Paula Lamb earned 1 1/2 points
4-2 lead over Britain and Grant and Humphreys 4 for Britain and Ireland. They
Ireland in the Curtis Cup on and 2. halved with Kupcho and
Friday at Quaker Ridge. "We know each other's 15-year-old Lucy Li in the
Vu and Gillman beat Alice games really well and have morning, and beat Mariel
Hewson and Lily May Hum- similar games," Stephenson Galdiano and Andrea Lee
phreys 4 and 3 in the morn- said about Gillman. "We hit 3 and 2.
ing four-ball matches, then a lot of fairways, a lot of Also in the morning, Ste-
joined other partners in the greens and give ourselves phenson and Sophia
afternoon foursomes for a lot of chances. That Schubert halved with Grant
two more victories. Vu and makes us a very successful and Shannon McWilliam.
Jennifer Kupcho edged team in alternate shot. We The U.S. leads the series 28-
Hewson and India Clyburn only had one bogey and it 8-3. q