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A14 sports
Monday 15 May 2023
Djokovic overcomes mid-match lapse beats Dimitrov

By ANDREW DAMPF going to end."
AP Sports Writer If she raises the trophy
ROME (AP) — Novak again, Swiatek will join Chris
Djokovic's clay-court game Evert and Conchita Mar-
is still a work in progress. tínez as the third woman to
The 22-time Grand Slam win three consecutive titles
champion had to over- in Rome. The top-ranked
come a mid-match lapse Swiatek will next meet ei-
before beating Grigor Dimi- ther 16th-seeded Liudmila
trov 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 on Sunday Samsonova or 21st-seeded
to reach the fourth round Donna Vekic, who were
of the Italian Open. playing later.
Struggling with his footwork, Coco Gauff, a French
complaining about the Open finalist last year, was
conditions of the clay on beaten by 27th-seeded
Campo Centrale and pro- Marie Bouzkova, 4-6, 6-2,
testing line calls, Djokov- 6-2. Also advancing on
ic lost four consecutive the red clay was 2019 Ro-
games to hand the second land Garros finalist Marketa
set to Dimitrov, who won 12 Vondrousova, who beat
straight points at one point ninth-seeded Maria Sakkari
during that stretch. 7-5, 6-3. Madison Keys ad-
But Djokovic raised his vanced to the last 16 when
game when it counted Novak Djocovic returns the ball to Grigor Dimitrov at the Italian Open tennis tournament, in Rome, Victoria Azarenka withdrew
most, broke Dimitrov in the Sunday, May 14, 2023. Associated Press before their match due to
opening game of the third, a right leg injury.
and improved to 11-1 in his of a lingering issue with his atek swept aside Lesia Tsu- set before every match In other men's matches,
career against the Bulgar- surgically repaired right renko 6-2, 6-0 to extend her and have the energy up." Holger Rune kept his com-
ian. elbow, Djokovic is aiming winning streak at the Foro After it was over, Tsurenko posure amid a partisan
"The crowd got into it and for a seventh title in Rome. Italico to 13 matches. had some kind words at crowd and eliminated Fa-
kind of got behind him and He's also preparing for the Having routed Anastasia the net for Swiatek, who bio Fognini, the veteran
of course with the energy French Open, which starts Pavlyuchenkova 6-0, 6-0 in has been wearing a ribbon Italian, 6-4, 6-2.
of the place, the (entire) in two weeks. her opening match after a in Ukraine's colors pinned Fognini took issue with a
match changed," Djokovic In his previous two tourna- bye in the first round, Swi- to her hat for more than call early in the first set and
said. "I dropped my level a ments on red clay, Djokovic atek has now dropped just a year. "She thanked me protested at length to the
bit. But luckily I managed to had consecutive early exits two games over four sets. for supporting Ukraine," re- chair umpire when his shot
find it right away in the first — results that mean he will Swiatek produced 22 win- counted Swiatek, who is was called out after the
game, make that crucial lose the No. 1 ranking after ners to her Ukrainian oppo- Polish. "It's really nice and mark was checked.
break and kind of shape this tournament to Carlos nent's two. I really appreciate that. "How you can call this ball
the momentum to my side. Alcaraz again. He was also "I'm just trying to be consis- (But) there's nothing to kind out? How can you make
So I'm really pleased with tested by Tomas Martin tent and trying to play my of thank for, because for this mistake? There is no
the way I closed out the Etcheverry in his opener in game," Swiatek said. "I treat me it's pretty obvious that space," Fognini said. "It's im-
match." Returning from Rome. Earlier, two-time de- every match as it is a final. we should support Ukraine. possible. How you can be
three weeks off because fending champion Iga Swi- I try to have the right mind- I will do that until the war is so bad?"q

Evenepoel wins time trial before withdrawing from Giro d’Italia

navirus. near the Adriatic coast. best time trial."
In contrast to the opening That was enough for Evene- Thomas moved into the
time trial, Evenepoel won poel to win the stage and overall lead after Evene-
by the slightest of margins take back the leader's pink poel withdrew.
on stage nine — the lon- jersey. The world champion Tao Geoghegan Hart was
gest of the race's three in- was 45 seconds ahead of third in the time trial, two
dividual time trials. Thomas, who rides for Ineos seconds slower than Eve-
"I am really sorry to be leav- Grenadiers. Primož Roglič, nepoel. Just eight seconds
ing the race," Evenepoel who was considered Eve- separated the top five fin-
said. "As part of the team's nepoel's strongest chal- ishers in a strong perfor-
protocol, I took a routine lenger, was two seconds mance from the general
test, which unfortunately further back. classification contenders.
was positive." "I don't think I paced it very Monday is the Giro's first
The rest of the team and well," Evenepoel said. "I rest day before Tuesday's
staff were tested and were started too fast and my sec- 10th stage. There are two
Belgium's Remco Evenepoel starts the 9th stage of the Giro all negative. ond part wasn't that great. categorized climbs in the
D'Italia, tour of Italy cycling race, an individual time trial from The Belgian, who rides for I found some better legs in rolling 196-kilometer route
Savignano sul Rubicone to Cesena, Sunday, May 14, 2023. Soudal Quick-Step, beat the technical part because through the Tuscan Apen-
Associated Press Geraint Thomas by just one I could recover a bit. nines from Scandiano to
CESENA, Italy (AP) — Pre- overall lead of the Giro second on the almost en- "I wasn't feeling too well in Viareggio on the Mediter-
race favorite Remco Eve- d'Italia on Sunday but he tirely flat 35-kilometer (22- the second part with the ranean coast.
nepoel won another time later had to withdraw after mile) route from Savignano head wind. It's another The race ends in Rome on
trial to move back into the testing positive for the coro- Sul Rubicone to Cesena stage win but it wasn't my May 28.q