Page 22 - ARUBA TODAY

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Wednesday 29 January 2020
Federer saves 7 match points in Australia; Djokovic up next

Continued from Page 18 There was a lot to live up to After rolling through the
after the drama of Federer second and third sets as Fe-
Despite all sorts of signs he vs. Sandgren. derer's serve dropped from
was not quite himself for "You can't give a good an average of 112 mph to
much of the match, Feder- player — let alone maybe 105 mph — "Wasn't pop-
er beat the biceps-baring, the best player ever — that ping like it does normally,"
hard-hitting, court-cover- many chances to come Sandgren observed — and
ing Sandgren 6-3, 2-6, 2-6, back," said Sandgren, his Federer's unforced errors
7-6 (8), 6-3 on Tuesday in a voice low, his eyes looking totaled 30, the underdog
rollicking quarterfinal that down. "They're going to led 5-4 in the fourth set.
appeared to be over long find their game and start That's when Sandgren
before it truly was. playing well. That seemed earned his first trio of op-
"For the most time there, to me what happened." portunities to complete a
I thought that was it. Of In truth, so much had hap- career-defining victory.
course, there's little sparkles pened. But he missed a shot each
where maybe not. Then Federer got into a dispute time. There were four more
you're like, 'No, it IS over,'" with a line judge and the match points in the tie-
said Federer, who only chair umpire over cursing. breaker at 6-3, 6-4, 6-5 and
once before had won after Serbia’s Novak Djokovic reacts as he is interviewed by John He left the court for a medi- 7-6.
McEnroe about the death of his friend Kobe Bryant following his
facing as many as seven quarterfinal win over Canada’s Milos Raonic at the Australian cal timeout early in the "Honestly, when they
match points, equaling his Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, third set, then was visited told me seven, I was like,
personal best from all the Jan. 28, 2020. by a trainer later for a right 'What?!' I thought it was
way back in 2003. "Only Associated Press leg massage. three," Federer said. "It's
maybe when I won that who owns 16. to do," Djokovic said, "be- Sandgren was run into by such a blur."
fourth set did I really think Djokovic leads their head- cause those few games, I a ballkid during a change- Djokovic's take on Federer's
that, maybe, this whole to-head series 26-23, includ- really couldn't see much." over in the tiebreaker; was comeback: "Amazing."
thing could turn around." ing their past five matches The last two men's quarterfi- distracted by a courtside Raonic's: "Impressive."q
He said afterward that it at majors. nals are Wednesday: Rafa- broadcast commentator. When Sandgren sent an
had been his groin mus- "Roger is Roger. You know el Nadal vs. Dominic Thiem, The 28-year-old from Ten- overhead smash long to
cle that was the problem that he's always going to and Alexander Zverev vs. nessee has never been give Federer the fourth set.
and he couldn't be cer- play on such a high level, Stan Wawrinka. a major semifinalist and Federer quickly controlled
tain whether he would be regardless of the surface," One women's semifinal was trying to become the the fifth and ended the vic-
fully recovered for his next Djokovic said. "He loves to was set Tuesday: No. 1 Ash lowest-ranked man in the tory with a service winner
match. That will come play these kind of matches, Barty, trying to become the Australian Open's final four at 119 mph, a little more
against defending cham- big rivalries, semis, finals of first Australian Open singles since Patrick McEnroe — than an hour after first star-
pion Novak Djokovic, who Grand Slams." champion from the host John's younger brother — ing down defeat.
overwhelmed No. 32 Milos About the only thing that country since the 1970s, was No. 114 in 1991. "Just seemed like his level
Raonic 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (1) to slowed Djokovic's progres- against No. 14 Sofia Kenin, Imagine, then, the heart- picked up when his back
improve to 10-0 against the sion to a 37th career Grand a 21-year-old American break for Sandgren, who was right up against the
2016 Wimbledon runner-up. Slam semifinal — Federer never before this far at any toiled for years on lower- wall," said Sandgren, who
"He was just too good," Ra- earned his 46th — was the major tournament. level tours and was so only got the chance to
onic said. medical timeout the Serb Wednesday's quarterfinals thrilled just to share the serve on one of those sev-
It'll be the 50th meeting be- asked for at 4-all in the third are Simona Halep vs. An- stage with Federer. en pivotal points. "He just
tween No. 3 Federer, who set so he could put in new ett Kontaveit, and Garbiñe "Maybe," Sandgren said, "I'll wouldn't give me anything."
has won 20 Grand Slam contact lenses. Muguruza vs. Anastasia get another look, another That's how Djokovic makes
titles, and No. 2 Djokovic, "It was just something I had Pavlyuchenkova. shot." foes feel.q

World Cup leader Kristoffersen gets 4th Schladming win

The Norwegian hit a gate Schwarz slid off the race The result saw Kristoffer-
with his left arm and nearly line at the sixth gate and sen’s lead grow to 119
skied out after a few sec- wrongly passed the next points over Pinturault in the
onds but recovered from gate. overall standings, and to
the mishap and charged In front of his home crowd 57 over Yule in the slalom
down the Planai course of 40,000, Schwarz still rankings.
in an unmatched pace, completed his run and fin- Pinturault was 0.34 be-
beating his rivals Alexis Pin- ished five seconds off the hind in second, after the
turault and Daniel Yule. lead, but he was disquali- Frenchman failed to finish
“How is it possible to win fied for the gate error. the previous two slaloms.
a race after such a mis- Kristoffersen said he had “This is a special result for
take?” Kristoffersen said in “no feeling in my left upper me after what happened
disbelief. “I saw 20 racers arm” after his accident. in Wengen and Kitzbue-
before my run, so why did I “After that mistake my hel,” he said. “I am very
Norway's Henrik Kristoffersen celebrates winning an alpine ski, make that mistake there?” head was gone. I just skied satisfied, it was not so
men's World Cup slalom, in Schladming, Austria, Tuesday, Jan. The Norwegian, who was straight down,” he said. easy.”
28, 2020. second after the opening It was Kristoffersen’s 17th Looking for his third win of
Associated Press leg, also benefited from career slalom win and the season, Clement Noel
SCHLADMING, Austria (AP) World Cup night slalom on mistakes by first-run leader fourth at this venue, tying nearly matched a World
— Henrik Kristoffersen over- Tuesday, strengthening his Marco Schwarz. a record set by the retired Cup record as he gained
came a big mistake in his lead in the overall and dis- Chasing the first Austrian Austrian standout Benja- 26 places in the second
final run to win a men’s cipline standings. slalom win of the season, min Raich. run.q