Page 18 - AT

A18 SPORTS
Saturday 18 January 2020

Driver Carlos Sainz, of Spain, center, is lifted by Driver
StÈphane Peterhansel, of France, center and left, and driver
Nasser Al-Attiyah, of Qatar, center and right, at the end
of stage twelve of the Dakar Rally between Haradth and
Qiddiya, Saudi Arabia, Friday, Jan. 17, 2020.
Associated Press
Sainz wins a third

Dakar Rally title, rider

Canada's Eugenie Bouchard serves to Italy's Martina Trevisan during their women's singles Brabec his first
qualifying match for the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Friday,
Jan. 17, 2020.
Associated Press QIDDIYA, Saudi Arabia Wednesday gave Sainz
Bouchard's bid for Australian (AP) — Carlos Sainz con- an 18-minute buffer he
firmed his third Dakar used to cruise to the end.
Open spot ends in qualifying Rally triumph on Friday “We did a good job to fin-
after ensuring defending ish second even though
champion Nasser Al-Atti- we wanted to win,” Qa-
By JOHN PYE Bouchard lost seven got to put your head down yah didn’t escape in the tar’s Al-Attiyah said. “We
AP Sports Writer straight games from 4-4 in and grind, so that's what Saudi desert. made two or three mis-
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) the first set before she ral- I'm trying to do." Sainz stayed within min- takes along the way and
— It was in the shadows of lied and got back to 5-3 in In 2014, Bouchard reached utes of Al-Attiyah’s dust had loads of punctures,
the main show courts at the second, getting plenty a career-high No. 5 ranking on the 12th and last but I’m rather happy. I’m
Melbourne Park, days be- of encouragement from a after making the semifinals stage, a 167-kilometer coming back to win next
fore the first Grand Slam small but supportive crowd. at the Australian Open and route from Haradh to year. I just needed a bit
tournament of the season Trevisan held her compo- French Open and losing Qiddiya. Al-Attiyah, sec- more luck.”
is set to begin in earnest, sure, though, and closed the Wimbledon final to Pe- ond overall, earned his Peterhansel completed
and Eugenie Bouchard's with an ace. tra Kvitova. first stage win of this Da- his 31st Dakar on the po-
stay at the Australian Open Bouchard said the chang- She made it to the quar- kar but Sainz finished four dium for the 16th time.
was over in the last round ing wind and left-handed terfinals in Australia in 2015 minutes back in sixth to The Frenchman has won
of qualifying. Trevisan's different spin and was into the fourth secure the car title be- it a record 13 times, and
The 2014 Wimbledon run- were tricky. But one distrac- round at the U.S. Open side his victories in 2010 added four stage wins to
ner-up, once as high as No. tion, she said, was just odd. that September, but had and 2018. All three were extend that record to 80.
5 in the rankings, has had a Every hit of the ball, every to withdraw because of a in different cars but with “The four specials are a
long slide down to No. 211. noise the players made, concussion she sustained the same co-driver, Lu- nice consolation prize,
She's had to get used to could be heard again a after slipping and falling on cas Cruz. Sainz won by six it’s always nice to win,”
playing away from packed half-beat later. wet locker room floor. minutes over Al-Attiyah, Peterhansel said. “It
stadium courts. But a con- After the third game, She reached a settlement and 10 minutes over Mini proves we’ve still got the
stant echo around the Bouchard went to chair with the United States Ten- teammate Stephane Pe- mojo and raw speed.”
arena on Friday presented umpire Carlos Bernardes to nis Association in 2018 but terhansel. The trio, who Former Formula One
something new. talk about the the noise. her ranking has continued share 19 Dakar wins, had champion Fernando
The 25-year-old Cana- "I said, 'I don't know if it's a to fall. Her health and fit- been vying for the lead Alonso finished 13th on
dian survived nearly three speaker, or a TV or what, ness, she said, are improv- among themselves since his first Dakar. Motorbike
hours against China's You but I can hear our match, ing. "Generally I feel good. Stage 4. Sainz led from rider Ricky Brabec be-
Xiaodi in heavy smoke and like, half a second after. In Today ... I felt slow and I Stage 3. came the first American
haze in the first round of the point, I hear us grunting didn't feel that great on “I feel very happy,” Sainz champion in Dakar histo-
qualifying and advanced during the point,'" she said. court," Bouchard said. "One said. “There’s a lot of ef- ry, followed soon after by
through a second-rounder "It was weird." of those days when I feel fort behind this. A lot of compatriot Casey Cur-
against Maddison Inglis in The echo — from a giant like things weren't working. I training, practice, physi- rie in the SSV lightweight
65 minutes. With a spot in TV somewhere behind the didn't feel like my usual self cally, with the team. ... cars category. Brabec
the main draw on the line, arena — continued until on court. But overall, I feel We started winning this on a Honda ended 18
though, Bouchard lost 6-4, match point. Still, there's good." Dakar on day one and years of KTM dominance.
6-3 to Martina Trevisan, plenty she's experiencing The smoke that blew over we have gone flat out Rather than take it easy
a 26-year-old Italian who now as she tries to work her Melbourne earlier in the from the beginning.” with a comfortable lead,
now will make her debut at way back. She's prepared week caused some of The Spaniard’s lead was he went all out to win the
a Grand Slam tournament. to deal with it. the worst air quality mea- reduced to 24 seconds last stage and finished
"Super tough," Bouchard "Well, life is not a straight sured in the world on Tues- by Tuesday, but naviga- second to Jose Ignacio
said of the loss. "It's last line upward," she said. "I day, sparking complaints tion errors by Al-Attiyah Cornejo of Chile by 53
round of qualies. I felt like I just take the good with the and health concerns from and Peterhansel on seconds.q
was close." bad. Sometimes you've just players.q