Page 22 - ARUBA TODAY

A22 sports
Monday 16 april 2018

Steve Johnson wins U.S. Men’s Clay Court _ again

By DALE ROBERTSON in position to serve for the to fight off his momentum. on Saturday night in Califor-
Associated Press match, his third three-setter A final is not like any other nia. Fellow pros John Isner,
HOUSTON (AP) — Steve in a row. match, but you try to trick Sam Querrey and Dennis
Johnson shrugged off nu- Johnson then fended off yourself into thinking it is. Kudla will serve as grooms-
merous missed opportuni- a break point himself and That’s what the top guys do men.
ties to beat first-time ATP secured the title, only his so well.” “Now it’s all wedding stuff,”
Tour finalist Tennys Sand- third at the ATP level, when No player had repeated in he said. “I’ll go home, take
gren 7-6 (2), 2-6, 6-4 on Sandgren lofted a back- the only men’s clay-court a few days to relax, go golf
Sunday to become the first hand return a couple feet tournament in the U.S. a little bit in Palm Springs.”q
player to successfully de- long. since Andy Roddick won
fend the U.S. Men’s Clay “I felt like I could have tak- back-to-back at a differ-
Court title in 16 years. en more advantage of all ent venue in 2001-02. It was
The 28-year-old Johnson, those break points,” John- the second all-American fi-
Steve Johnson serves against from Palos Verdes, Califor- son said. “I didn’t play the nal since Andre Agassi pre-
Tennys Sandgren, both of Unit-
ed States, during the first set of nia, won only two of the way I would have liked to vented Roddick from tak-
the U.S. Men’s Clay Court ten- 14 break points he had play and then he started ing his third in a row in 2003,
nis Championship final at Riv- against Sandgren’s serve, to play good at the end of after Jack Sock’s victory
er Oaks Country Club on Sun- but the second in the pen- the second set. In the third over Sam Querrey in 2015.
day, April 15, 2018, in Houston. ultimate game of the near- set I was just hanging on at Johnson will marry longtime
Johnson took this set 7-6. ly 2 1/2-hour match put him the beginning and trying girlfriend Kendall Bateman
Associated Press

Larson leads at Bristol; race postponed to Monday

By STEVE REED worry about coming back
AP Sports Writer Monday.
BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) — Kyle Ryan Blaney was dominant
Larson will have to wait an- early in the No. 12 Ford,
other day to try to capture leading 99 laps of the first
his first NASCAR Cup Series 119 laps before getting
victory of the season. caught up in wreck that left
The race at Bristol Motor his car in shambles.
Speedway was postponed It happened on turn three
until Monday because of when Chris Buescher and
heavy rain with Larson out Trevor Bayne, who were
in front. Racing was halted fighting to stay on the lead
three times Sunday due to lap, got tangled up in front
wet weather. of Blaney, leaving him no-
Action is scheduled to re- where to maneuver.
sume Monday at 1 p.m. His car was taken behind
Larson led 74 laps when the wall, ending his day.
the race was halted on lap “By the time I got away
204, just 46 laps from it be- from the car right in front
coming official. of me they were already
NASCAR hopes to com- turned right up the race
plete all remaining 296 track and I was already
laps, although the forecast going to the top,” of the
calls for more rain and pos- track,” Blaney said. “I kind
sibly snow. of saw them spinning low
Larson seemed to have Mike Metcalfe with the Kyle Larson team reads a book as he shelters from the rain before a NAS- and I thought that top was
found his groove on the CAR Cup Series auto race, Sunday, April 15, 2018 in Bristol, Tenn. going to be OK and then
track before the third and Associated Press they slid back up and got
final red flag came out. “It’s hard to get a rhythm was slick. out of it, it’s slick. If you get us. That stinks. I thought we
NASCAR waited about an with all the rain and stuff “There is only a little line below it, it’s slick. So, it’s had a good car and noth-
hour before officially post- and then getting out of there on the bottom that been fun, but it’s kind of ing to show for it.”
poning the race with a your car and getting back has got some grip,” said hard to guess where you Michael McDowell, Chris
forecast of steady rain for in,” Larson said. Larson, who normally likes need to position your car Buescher, Harrison Rhodes
the remainder of Sunday Larson liked the speed of to run on the high side of there for a little while.” and Ross Chastain also are
night. his car, but said the track the Bristol track. “If you get Some drivers won’t have to out of the race.q