Page 23 - ARUBA TODAY

A23
SPORTS Tuesday 20 February 2018
Anderson beats Querrey to win New York Open title

By BRIAN MAHONEY to a career-best No. 11
UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) — with a victory. Querrey
Kevin Anderson had al- had held serve in 37 of 38
ready dealt with the disap- games entering this week
pointment of falling short in before Anderson broke him
a final in New York. in the second game of the
His surprising run to the final for a 2-0 lead. Querrey
U.S. Open final last sum- broke right back and broke
mer jump-started his climb Anderson again later in the
back into the top 10, but set to move ahead.
his loss to Rafael Nadal was The second set started the
a painful reminder that he same way. Anderson broke
kept coming up short at the again in the second game,
finish line. but this time held in the
Back in New York this week, third to seize control of the
he finally got the ending he set en route to a 5-0 lead.
wanted. “I just kind of lost a little
The top seed won the first bit of momentum,” Quer-
New York Open on Sunday, rey said. “He picked his
beating No. 2 seed Sam game up, he started mak-
Querrey 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (1) for ing a few more first serves.
his fourth career ATP Tour Feel like he was hitting the
title. ball a little bigger, making
Anderson came into Sun- a few more. Then I kind of
day 3-11 in ATP Finals, with Kevin Anderson, of South Africa, reacts after winning his finals match against Sam Querrey, of the got some momentum back
one loss already this year. United States, at the New York Open tennis tournament in Uniondale, N.Y., Sunday, Feb. 18, 2018. at the end of the second
"I have been runner-up Associated Press there but it was kind of too
quite a few times in my ca- little, too late.”
reer," Anderson said. "One a tight third set, winning the lowest-ranked U.S. Open fi- Coliseum after moving In the doubles final, the
of the big goals I had for first six points and leading nalist since the inception of from Memphis, Tennessee. second-seeded team of
this year was to try to be a Querrey to slam his racket the rankings in 1973. “Obviously, during U.S. Max Mirnyi of Belarus and
bit more successful in that to the court in frustration. He won his first title since Open was a terrific few Philipp Oswald of Austria
final stage. I fell a little short Anderson will move to ca- 2015, when he made his weeks for me. It was tough edged Wesley Koolhof of
earlier this year in India reer-high ninth in the ATP only other appearance in to lose in the finals so it feels the Netherlands and Ar-
and it feels great to come rankings Monday, continu- the top 10 when he was very special to get today’s tem Sitak of New Zealand
through and get today's ing a strong rise that began ranked 10th for one week win,” Anderson said. 4-6, 6-4, 10-6 in a match tie-
win. So, gives me a lot of in nearby Flushing Mead- in October. Anderson won Querrey remained at 10 breaker. For the 40-year-old
confidence for the year." ows when he reached his four consecutive three-set ATP titles, snapping a three- Mirnyi, it was his 100th ca-
The South African domi- lone Grand Slam final as the matches in the tourna- match winning streak in fi- reer ATP Tour final, with 96
nated the tiebreaker after world's No. 32 player, the ment's first year at Nassau nals. He would have risen having come in doubles.q

BUBBA WATSON world. The following week, Open. The victory is sure to
Continued from Page 23 he finished one shot behind be a jolt of confidence, es-
Watson ended his longest at the World Golf Cham- pecially the way he won.
drought of the decade — pionships event at Doral. Eight players either had a
it was two full years since Over his next 36 starts on share of the lead or were
he last won a tournament the PGA Tour in stroke play, within one shot over the fi-
— with a game perfectly he had two top 10s. nal round Sunday. Watson
suited for the classic lay- Among the low points was was one shot behind Pat-
out off Sunset Boulevard. the end of 2016, when rick Cantlay heading to
He shaped shots to the he was No. 7 in the world the back nine, which starts
right and to the left, figured and still didn't make or was with his least favorite hole
out how to make the right picked for the Ryder Cup in golf: No. 10, regarded as
putts, holed a bunker shot team at Hazeltine. Watson one of the best short par
and closed with a 2-under still joined the American 4s in the world. Watson is
69 for a two-shot victory team as an assistant cap- so befuddled by it that he
in the Genesis Open that tain, and loved it so much considers it a par 5 and
changes his outlook. that he has asked U.S. cap- suggested his 4 felt like a Bubba Watson pumps his fist after making a putt on the 13th hole
"The last year-and-a-half, tain Jim Furyk for the same birdie on Sunday. during the final round of the Genesis Open golf tournament at
almost two years give or job in France this year. He was just warming up. Riviera Country Club Sunday, Feb. 18, 2018, in the Pacific Pali-
take, it's been a struggle He was pestering Furyk Watson effectively won sades area of Los Angeles.
because I want to be at about it at Riviera and said the tournament over the Associated Press
the top," Watson said. "I the captain told him: "No. next four holes. He got up- Watson came up short of Watson found the left bun-
was top 10 in the world for You're too good. You need and-down from a bunker the green and both times ker on the par-3 14th to a
a few years, and so not be- to be on the team playing." by making a 10-foot bird- saved par with 8-foot putts left pin. He splashed out of
ing there, you feel like, 'Is Next up for Watson is to see ie putt on the par-5 11th, as his challengers were the sand and the ball rolled
this it? Is this my old man how far this goes. which was critical because dropping shots. into the pin and disap-
moment where I can't play He spoke Saturday eve- Cantlay had a 20-foot ea- Kevin Na in the group peared into the cup for an
golf again?'" ning, when he had a one- gle putt. Cantlay missed, ahead and Cantlay along- unlikely birdie.
When he won at Riviera for shot lead, about trending Watson made, keeping the side him made bogey on Not to be overlooked is the
the second time in 2016, in the right direction even deficit at one shot. both of them. Suddenly Masters, where Watson is a
Watson was at No. 4 in the if he didn't win the Genesis On the next two holes, staked to a one-shot lead, two-time winner. q