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A18   SPORTS
          Saturday 27 January 2018


















       Federer in record 7th Aussie Open final after Chung retires



       By JOHN PYE                  better?’
        AP Sports Writer            “That’s  why  this  one  feels
       MELBOURNE, Australia (AP)  bittersweet.  I’m  incredibly
       — It took just over an hour  happy  to  be  in  the  finals,
       for Roger Federer to fix one  but not like this.”
       anomalous  statistic  in  his  Chung  tried  everything  to
       extraordinary career.        disguise  the  pain  of  the
       Defending  champion  Fe-     raw patches on his left foot
       derer, who was leading Hy-   which, his agent explained,
       eon  Chung  6-1,  5-2  when  were “blisters under blisters
       the  Korean  retired  in  the  under blisters.”
       second  set  of  their  Aus-  Federer knows the feeling.
       tralian  Open  semifinal  on  He  also  sensed  something
       Friday  night,  is  within  one  wrong with Chung’s move-
       win  of  a  20th  Grand  Slam  ment.
       singles title.               “I’ve played with blisters in
       Going  into  the  match  the past a lot, and it hurts
       against  Chung,  Federer  a  lot.  And  at  one  point,
       had a below-par semifinals  it’s just too much and you
       record at Melbourne Park,  can’t  take  it  anymore  —
       only six wins out of 13.     you can’t go on,” he said.
       After 1 hour and 2 minutes  “He’s  played  such  a  won-
       under  the  closed  roof  on  derful tournament, so cred-
       Rod  Laver  Arena,  he’s  on  it to him for playing so hard
       par, 7-7 (but still well below  again today.”
       his marks at the other ma-   Federer’s  conversion  rate
       jors: 11-1 at Wimbledon, 7-3  for finals in Australia is much
       at  the  U.S.  Open,  and  5-2  better  —  the  only  time  he   Switzerland’s Roger Federer makes a backhand return to South Korea’s Hyeon Chung during their
       at Roland Garros).           lost a championship match    semifinal at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Jan. 26,
       It  wasn’t  how  Federer  ex-  was in 2009 against Rafael   2018.
       pected to advance.           Nadal.                                                                                             Associated Press
       “You  do  take  the  faster  So he’s well poised for Sun-  The  final  will  be  Federer’s  ed  a  pain-killing  injection  sured one of the so-called
       matches  whenever  you  day’s  match  against  No.        record seventh at the Aus-   before  the  match,  and  Big  Four  —  with  Nadal,
       can     because     there’s  6-seeded  Marin  Cilic.  Cilic   tralian Open and 30th at a  a  medical  timeout  to  re-  Djokovic,  Andy  Murray  —
       enough wear and tear on  has  had  an  extra  day  of     Grand Slam.                  tape  his  left  foot  after  go-  has  featured  in  the  final
       the  body,”  he  said.  “The  rest but Federer was hardly   Cilic  was  hampered  by  ing  down  a  break  in  the  since  2005.  Stan  Wawrin-
       thought  process  is  not  like  taxed on Friday night, and   blisters when he lost to Fe-  second set. He played only  ka’s win over Nadal in 2014
       ‘What  would  have  been  occupied for only an hour.      derer in last year’s Wimble-  two more games before he  was  the  only  final  since
                                                                 don final, but he has made  quit.                         2008  that  didn’t  feature
                                                                 a  relatively  pain-free  run  “I  did  right  thing.  If  I  play  two of the Big Four.
                                                                 through  the  other  half  of  bad  on  the  court,  it’s  not  Top-ranked  Nadal  lost  to
                                                                 the draw, including a quar-  good for the fans and au-    Cilic  in  the  quarterfinals,
                     Paradise in the Caribbean                   terfinal win over an injured  dience as well,” he said. “I  Djokovic fell to Chung, and
                                                                 Nadal.                       really  hurt.  I  can’t  walk  no  Murray,  a  five-time  Austra-
                                                                 Even if Chung had been fit,  more.”                       lian  Open  runner-up,  with-
                                                                 he  was  trying  to  reach  his  The  36-year-old  Federer  drew to have surgery on his
                                                                 first ATP final against a play-  predicted  a  bright  future  hip, leaving their collective
                                                                 er who has won 95 titles, 19  for Chung, 15 years young-  reputation  for  dominance
                                                                 of them Grand Slams.         er.  Chung  also  believed  in Australia on Federer.
                                                                 Chung  had  an  incredible  the experience will prepare  He didn’t let anyone down
                                                                 run at Melbourne Park, be-   him  better  for  the  rigors  of  in  a  clinical  dismantling  of
                                                                 coming  the  first  Korean  best-of-five-set  tennis  at  the  No.  58-ranked  Chung,
                                                                 to  reach  a  semifinal  at  a  Grand Slams.              who won the Next Gen ATP
                                                                 tennis  major  and  attract-  “For sure. I play really good  Finals in November.
                                                                 ing  plenty  of  attention  for  in  (the)  last  two  weeks.  I  Earlier,  Timea  Babos  of
                                                                 beating  No.  4-seeded  Al-  make  first  round  16,  quar-  Hungary and Kristina Mlad-
                                                                 exander Zverev in the third  ters  and  semis  —  I  play  enovic  of  France  became
                                                                 round  and  six-time  Austra-  (Zverev), Novak, Roger,” he  the  first  players  from  their
                                                                 lian  Open  champion  No-    said. “I can play better and  respective  countries  to  lift
                           SALES OFFICE +297 2801005 info@leventaruba.com  vak Djokovic in the fourth.  better in the future.”  the  Australian  Open  wom-
                               MOBILE +297 5927275  www.leventaruba.com  But it took a toll. He need-  With  victory,  Federer  en-  en’s doubles crown.q
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