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SPORTS Thursday 1 March 2018

Pouille avenges loss to Khachanov to reach Dubai quarters

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates Jaziri knocked out top- but it was Pouille who
(AP) — Second-seeded Lu- seeded Grigor Dimitrov on earned the only break in
cas Pouille of France de- Tuesday. the decider.
feated Karen Khachanov Two more seeded play- “I knew it would be a tough
6-4, 3-6, 6-4 on Wednesday ers lost on Wednesday, as one. In the final in Marseille,
to reach the quarterfinals Russia’s Evgeny Donskoy he won just three points
of the Dubai Champion- beat No. 4 Damir Dzumhur more than me. It was very
ships, just three days after 6-1, 6-1 in just 50 minutes close. I knew I had to play
losing to the Russian in the and rising Greek star Stefa- some good tennis,” Pouille
Marseille final. nos Tsitsipas defeated No. said.
Third-seeded Roberto Bau- 6 Philipp Kohlschreiber of “We were both a little bit
tista Agut also advanced Germany 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. tired I think. So, I’m just very
after outlasting France’s Pouille saved two break happy that I got my re-
Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-4, points in the eighth game venge today.”
6-7 (2), 6-1, while Tunisian of the first set, then broke Jaziri will face Tsitsipas in the
wild-card entry Malek Jaziri himself in the next game. quarterfinals, while Bautista
continued his surprising run Khachanov then broke for Agut takes on 21-year-old Lucas Pouille of France returns the ball to Karen Khachanov of
Russia during the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship in Dubai,
by beating Dutchman Rob- a 4-2 lead in the second set Croatian Borna Coric.q United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018.
in Haase 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3). before leveling the match, Associated Press
Nadal pulls out of Mexican

Open as hip injury flares up

ing he needs more time to
recover.
Nadal was forced to retire
during the Australian Open
quarterfinals and hasn’t
played since. He was set
to play Feliciano Lopez
in his opening match on
Wednesday but said he felt
pain during his final training
This 1968 file photo shows Althea Gibson in her East Orange, N.J. session on Tuesday.
home. The United States Tennis Association will honor Althea Nadal said “I think this is
Gibson with a statue at the U.S. Open. less serious than what hap-
Associated Press pened there (in Australia).
Statue of tennis legend Althea But there is a risk to make
this problem bigger.”
Gibson planned for U.S. Open In this March 4, 2017 file photo, Spain’s Rafael Nadal serves the The former No. 1 still hopes

ball during the final of the Mexican Tennis Open in Acapulco, to be fit to play in Indi-
NEW YORK (AP) — The Unit- dent Katrina Adams calls Mexico. an Wells and Miami next
ed States Tennis Associa- Gibson, who also won the Associated Press month.
tion will honor Althea Gib- 1956 French Open, the ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) on hold after the second- Nadal won the Acapulco
son with a statue at the U.S. “Jackie Robinson of ten- — Rafael Nadal’s come- ranked Spaniard pulled out tournament in 2005 and
Open. nis.” back from a hip injury is of the Mexican Open, say- 2013.q
The first African-American King says the 11-time
to win the U.S. Nationals Grand Slam winner is “an Fognini, Garcia-Lopez advance at Brasil Open
singles title in 1957 will be American treasure” who
commemorated at the “opened the doors for fu- SAO PAULO (AP) — Second-seeded Fabio Fognini of Italy reached the quarterfinals of
USTA Billie Jean King Na- ture generations.” the Brasil Open with a 7-5, 6-1 victory over Joao Domingues of Portugal on Wednes-
tional Tennis Center. A statue of Arthur Ashe was day.
The U.S. Nationals were the unveiled at the U.S. Open Fognini will next face Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez at the clay-court tournament.
precursor to the U.S. Open. in 2000. Garcia-Lopez beat eighth-seeded Federico Delbonis of Argentina 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-4.
She won both the U.S. Na- The USTA has not yet se- No. 5 seed Leonardo Mayer of Argentina got past his compatriot Carlos Berlocq 7-5,
tionals and Wimbledon lected a sculptor for the 6-4. He’ll next face either Austria’s Sebastian Ofner or defending champion Pablo
titles in 1957 and 1958. statue of Gibson, who died Cuevas of Uruguay.q
In a statement, USTA presi- in 2003 at age 76.q