Page 21 - Aruba Today

SPORTS A21
Kuznetsova beats Bacsinszky
7-5, 6-3 in Miami Open semis
STEVEN WINE
AP Sports Writer
KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP) —
Serena Williams’ early exit
at the Miami Open cleared
the way for two younger
players to reach the final.
Svetlana Kuznetsova is 30.
On Saturday, she’ll face
the winner of Thursday
night’s semifinal between
Angelique Kerber, 28, and
Victoria Azarenka, 26.
Eight-time champion Wil-
liams, 34, lost to Kuznetsova ed Kei Nishikori overcame
in the fourth round, but the
next generation of wom-
en’s tennis wasn’t ready to
fill to void.
Instead, Kuznetsova kept
winning. In the semifinals,
she erased 12 of the 14
break points she faced to
beat Timea Bacsinszky 7-5,
6-3.
The Russian is back in the
final 10 years after she won
the tournament.
“It means I’ve been a lot
of times out here in front
of you guys,” she told the
crowd with a laugh.
Kuznetsova hadn’t en-
joyed much success at Key
Biscayne in recent years,
but she won four consecu-
Hoffman starts strong at Shell Houston Open
HOUSTON (AP) — Charley
Hoffman birdied half the
holes on the Golf Club of
Houston course Thursday
and had just a single bogey
to shoot an 8-under-par 64
and take the first-round
lead of the Shell Houston
Open, putting himself in
contention to claim the
final spot in next week’s
Masters.
But the hard work lies
ahead for Hoffman. The
three-time PGA Tour winner
from San Diego hasn’t held
up well on the weekends
this season after giving him- that this week.” Hoffman
tive three-setters to reach
the semifinals. At No. 19,
the Russian is the lowest-
ranked women’s finalist in
the event since No. 38 Kim
Clijsters earned the 2005
championship.
“I’m happy I could hang
in there,” Kuznetsova said.
“I haven’t been feeling my
best, but I’ve been fighting
with every ball and trying to
run as much as I could.”
In men’s play, No. 6-seed-
five match points and beat
No. 16 Gael Monfils 4-6, 6-3,
7-6 (3).
Monfils became soaked
with sweat on a steamy
afternoon but rallied from
a break down in the final
set. Nishikori fell behind
0-40 serving at 4-5 but
erased those match points
and another in that game,
and overcame one more
match point serving in the
12th game.
“I thought I almost gave up
the match,” Nishikori said.
“It was tough conditions.
Especially the last couple
of games, I don’t know
what I was thinking.”
Nishikori will play Friday
self good opportunities to
claim titles. Closing 75s in his of his back nine — the
last two stroke-play tourna-
ments even knocked him
out of likely top-10 finishes.
“I’ve shot 3- or 4-over on
the back nine on Sun-
day when I’ve been go-
ing from winning the golf
tournament to 12th or 15th
place,” Hoffman said. “I’ve
played fairly solidly from
the start of the year to now
and haven’t been missing
cuts, but I haven’t been
able to put four rounds to-
gether. Hopefully I can do
against the winner of the
match Thursday night be-
tween No. 12 Milos Raonic
and No. 24 Nick Kyrgios.
American twins Bob and
Mike Bryan, who turned 38
this week, lost in the semi-
finals of doubles to Pierre-
Hughes Herbert and Nico-
las Mahut, 6-3, 6-3. The Bry-
ans hold a record 16 Grand
Slam titles but haven’t won
a tournament since August.
Kuznetsova earned the first
break of her semifinal in
the 10th game to take the
grueling, 65-minute first set.
She broke three consecu-
tive times in the second set
to pull away from the No.
19-seeded Bacsinszky.
“I was playing to finish it in
two sets so I have a little bit
of time to rest,” Kuznetsova
said. If Kuznetsova wins the
title, she’ll return to the top
10 for the first time since
2010. She’s already assured
of surpassing $20 million in
career prize money.
Speaking of which: The
15-year veteran weighed
in on the recent debate
about prize money, saying
women on tour deserve
the same pay as men.
birdied the first four holes
course’s front nine — then
added another birdie on
No. 8 to break out of what
had been a four-way tie
for first place with Dustin
Johnson, Roberto Castro
and Scott Brown, who all
shot 65s. “You always want
to get off to a good start in
any tournament,” Johnson
said. “Today I got off to a
great start. I still feel like I’m turnaround from what he
playing really solid, rolling
the putter good.”
His round included two bo-
gies but ended with an
Friday 1 April 2016
Kei Nishikori, of Japan, celebrates his 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3) win
against Gael Monfils, of France, in the quarterfinals of the Miami
Open tennis tournament in Key Biscayne, Fla., Thursday, March
31, 2016.
Associated Press
“My thing is, guys that trav- However, Kuznetsova said
el can have kids. They can she’s opposed to women
have a family, right?” she playing best-of-five match-
said. “We cannot. Since 16, es in major tournaments, as
I am a professional. I gave the men do.
up everything — friends, “I don’t think it makes
home. We give more than sense,” she said. “You will
100 percent. ... We’re not see us struggling, cramp-
taking their money. We just ing, squeezing and yelling.
want to earn the same.” It’s going to look weird.”q
eagle on 8 and a birdie on and the Arnold Palmer.
9. Regarding the former, he Former Houston champion
said: “I hit two great shots. Johnson Wagner, who won
Hit a perfect drive down in 2008 and got into a Sun-
the left side of the fairway day playoff here last spring,
and a great 4-iron in there was another swing back
to about 10 feet, then at 66, tied with four other
holed the putt.” Castro, players. Among the large
playing consistently from group finishing with 67s was
start to finish, produced the reigning Masters cham-
seven birdies and no bo- pion Jordan Spieth, who
gies while missing only two was also part of the Sunday
fairways. It was a marked playoff in 2015 with Wagner
and eventual champion J.
called “rough Thursdays in B. Holmes. Holmes pulled
my last two tournaments,” out of this year’s field on
when he opened with 75s in Wednesday night because
the Valspar Championships of a shoulder problem.