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sports Thursday 7 July 2022
Hampered Nadal gets past Fritz at Wimbledon; Kyrgios next

By HOWARD FENDRICH after police in Canberra,
AP Tennis Writer Australia, said that Kyrgios is
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) due in court next month to
— Normally so relentless face an allegation of com-
from point to point, Rafael mon assault stemming from
Nadal occasionally would something that happened
watch as a ball off the in December.
racket of Taylor Fritz landed "I have a lot of thoughts,
in during the Wimbledon a lot of things I want to
quarterfinals. say, kind of my side about
Wincing from an abdomi- it," Kyrgios said at his post-
nal issue for which he took match news conference
a medical timeout, Nadal Wednesday. "Obviously I've
couldn't move the way he been advised by my law-
usually does. His trademark yers that I'm unable to say
grunts of "Uhhhh!" were anything at this time."
rare. He didn't generate After his first-round victory
the usual zip on his serves, at Wimbledon last week,
which dipped from a high Kyrgios was fined $10,000
of 120 mph to barely above for spitting in the direction
100 mph. He sought to end of a heckling spectator. His
exchanges with a quick- third-round victory over No.
strike forehand or a drop 4 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas
shot — sometimes with suc- Spain's Rafael Nadal reacts after losing a point as he plays Taylor Fritz of the US in a men's singles was as contentious as can
cess, often not. quarterfinal match on day ten of the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Wednesday, be, and Kyrgios was fined
With much of the Centre July 6, 2022. Associated Press another $4,000 for an au-
Court crowd loudly sup- dible obscenity; afterward,
porting the 22-time major thing that he's accom- simova of the United States Club since 2008 by playing Tsitsipas called him a "bully"
champion, roaring and plished, the 36-year-old 6-2, 6-4, and Rybakina what, for him, amounts to and "evil."
standing after his best Spaniard never has won came back to defeat Ajla a restrained and efficient Worth noting, too, is how
strokes, Nadal figured out the first three Slam titles of Tomljanovic 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. brand of tennis. well Kyrgios has been play-
a way to hang in there a season. Nadal leads Kyrgios 6-3 in "I thought my ship had ing. His serve, in particular,
and twice erased one-set On Friday, Nadal will meet their head-to-head series, sailed," Kyrgios said. "Ob- is among the best in the
deficits against the 11th- Nick Kyrgios, a 27-year-old but they are even at 1-all viously, I didn't go about game, regularly topping
seeded Fritz, emerging with Australian who will be mak- at Wimbledon: Kyrgios, just things great early in my ca- 130 mph, and he pounded
3-6, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (10-4) ing his Grand Slam semifinal 19 and ranked 144th, an- reer and may have wasted 17 aces against Garin while
victory to reach his eighth debut after a 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 nounced himself to the that little window. But just getting broken just once
semifinal at the All England (5) victory over Cristian Ga- world by stunning Nadal really proud of the way I've — in the very first game, at
Club. rin of Chile. in 2014; Nadal won the re- just come back out here." love.
Nadal extended his un- The women's semifinals match in 2019. Kyrgios, who is ranked 40th, His big forehands are ter-
beaten mark in Grand Slam Thursday will be 2019 cham- Give Kyrgios credit for hon- has garnered more at- rific, too, but little else is
matches in 2022 to 19-0 as pion Simona Halep against esty: Even he did not think tention for his behavior on conventional about Kyr-
he seeks to add a trophy at No. 17 Elena Rybakina, and this day ever would ar- and off the court than his gios. One example: "I don't
Wimbledon to his triumphs No. 3 Ons Jabeur against rive. Kyrgios became the skills with a racket in hand. have a coach," Kyrgios
at the Australian Open in unseeded Tatjana Maria. first unseeded and lowest- His match against the un- said with a smile. "I would
January, then the French Halep advanced by elimi- ranked man to get to the seeded Garin, a 26-year- never put that burden on
Open in June. For every- nating No. 20 Amanda Ani- final four at the All England old from Chile, came a day someone."q

Clarke wins crash-marred Stage 5,

Van Aert keeps Tour lead

ARENBERG PORTE DU HAIN- rivals lost time. Pogačar the feared cobblestones
AUT, France (AP) — Austra- had a broad smile as he that feature on the Paris-
lian rider Simon Clarke won crossed the line. Roubaix one-day classic.
a crash-marred fifth stage It was a first individual win American cyclist Neilson
of the Tour de France on on the Tour for Clarke, who Powless just missed out on
Wednesday while Wout was in tears after crossing a podium finish but moved
van Aert clung onto the the line. Clarke had won a into second in the overall
leader's yellow jersey de- team time trial in the race standings, 13 seconds be-
spite coming off his bike. in 2013 and also two indi- hind Van Aert and just one
The big winner though vidual stages in the Span- second ahead of Boasson Stage winner Australia's Simon Clarke, right, sprints towards the
was Slovenian rider Tadej ish Vuelta. Hagen. finish line ahead of Netherlands' Taco van der Hoorn, left, dur-
Pogačar, who kick-start- Edvald Boasson Hagen fin- The day saw several inci- ing the fifth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 157
ed his bid to win a third ished two seconds behind, dents and Van Aert was kilometers (97.6 miles) with start in Lille Metropole and finish in
straight Tour with a sensa- at the end of the 157-kilo- one of the first to take a Arenberg Porte du Hainaut, France, Wednesday, July 6, 2022.
tional ride over the cob- meter (97-mile) leg from tumble but his crash came Associated Press
bles to slash the gap to Lille Métropole to Aren- as the riders were racing able to get back on and down again as he clipped
Van Aert to 19 seconds on berg Porte du Hainaut towards the first of the 11 catch up with the peloton the wing mirror of his own
a day where several of his that went over some of cobbled sections. He was – although he almost went team car.q