Page 18 - aruba-today-20190119

A18 SPORTS
Saturday 19 January 2019
AUSTRALIAN OPEN seeded players already,
Continued from Page 17 including the hard-hitting
Pretty heady company. Sabalenka, who was many
"This is an unreal feeling," a pundit's pick for a deep
Anisimova said. "I can't be- run at Melbourne Park.
lieve that this is happening Or that she's dropped a
right now." measly total of 17 games
Believe it, kid. She captured through three matches.
a ton of attention on Day It's the way the 87th-ranked
5, when defending cham- Anisimova — there is no
pion Caroline Wozniacki one younger in the WTA's
was knocked out by 2008 top 100 — is doing it, with
champion Maria Sharapo- clean and dangerous sho-
va 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. Another tmaking and impeccable
American woman, 35th- court coverage.
ranked Danielle Collins, Take the shot — shot of
joined Anisimova in earning the match? Of the tourna-
a debut trip to the round of ment? Of the year so far?
16 at a major with a 6-3, 6-2 — that she produced at
victory over No. 19 Caro- 3-0, 15-all in the second set.
line Garcia. Up next for Col- It was a 12-stroke ex-
lins will be three-time major change in which Sabalen- Spain's Fernando Verdasco sits between sets while competing against Croatia's Marin Cilic in their
third round match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, early
champion and former No. ka held the upper hand Saturday, Jan. 19, 2019.
1 Angelique Kerber, who throughout, steering Anisi- Associated Press
needed less than an hour mova from corner to cor-
to overwhelm 240th-ranked ner. It culminated with one That's an understatement. Martic 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5) and points — opponent Fernan-
Australian wild-card entry sprint by Anisimova to her She delivered more winners now meets Anastasia Pav- do Verdasco double-fault-
Kimberly Birrell 6-1, 6-0. right for a forehand, then a than Sabalenka, 21-12, as lyuchenkova of Russia. ed one of them away —
At the 2006 U.S. Open, sprint to her left for a back- well as fewer unforced er- In the men's draw, Roger and erased a two-set hole
when she was 19, Sharapo- hand, followed by yet an- rors, 13-9. Anisimova won all Federer dispatched one to win 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (8),
va became the most re- other switch of direction for eight of her service games, youngster and set his sights 6-3 in a contest that last-
cent teen to claim a Slam a sprint back to her right. saving the lone break point on facing another. ed more than 4 hours and
title. Anisimova grew up Her momentum carried her she faced. She broke the The 37-year-old Federer, ended just before 1 a.m.
cheering for Sharapova — well wide of the doubles hard-serving Sabalenka seeking a third consecu- Cilic, the 2014 U.S. Open
they now share an agent — alley as she conjured up four times. tive title in Melbourne, champion, now faces No.
and would love to match a "How did she do that?!" Anisimova's first trip to Aus- dismissed 21-year-old Tay- 22 Roberto Bautista-Agut, a
her feat of winning a major squash-like forehand that tralia, and third appear- lor Fritz of the U.S. 6-2, 7-5, 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 winner against
before age 20. Who would looped past Sabalenka ance in the main draw at 6-2. Federer now takes on No. 10 Karen Khachanov.
doubt her? and somehow landed in a a major, now progresses 20-year-old Stefanos Tsitsi- Rafael Nadal beat 19-year-
"I respect her a lot, because corner for a winner, draw- to Week 2 and a matchup pas of Greece, who elimi- old Australian Alex de
I think she's young and has ing raucous appreciation against two-time Wimble- nated Nikoloz Basilashvili Minaur 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 and
a great game. I mean, she's from the crowd at Marga- don champion Petra Kvito- 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7), 6-4. now gets 2010 Wimbledon
really proving what she can ret Court Arena — and an va, who beat Belinda Ben- "We all want them to win all runner-up Tomas Berdych.
do," said Sharapova, who ever-so-slight smile from cic 6-1, 6-4. the big stuff, but it just takes Frances Tiafoe, an Ameri-
sat at the same table as Anisimova. On a rainy afternoon that time," Federer said about can who turns 21 on Sun-
Anisimova at their agent's "I'm really feeling good out saw the roofs closed on the the newest generation of day, got to the fourth round
wedding last year. "She has here," said Anisimova, who three main courts, and play challengers. "I'm still giving at a major for the first time
a really bright future ahead is coached by her father, delayed on smaller arenas, them a hard time, some- by defeating Andreas Sep-
of her." as well as the same per- Sharapova advanced to times." pi of Italy 6-7 (3), 6-3, 4-6,
It's not just that Anisimova, son who's worked with her face No. 15 Ash Barty of Also advancing was the 6-4, 6-3. Tiafoe now meets
who was born in New Jer- since she was 9. "I'm play- Australia, while 2017 U.S. man Federer beat in last No. 20 Grigor Dimitrov, who
sey and is based in Flori- ing some really good ten- Open champion Sloane year's final, Marin Cilic. is being coached by Andre
da, has knocked off two nis." Stephens beat No. 31 Petra He overcame two match Agassi.q

Marco Schwarz wins World Cup Alpine combined event

By GRAHAM DUNBAR Pinturault was third, 1.12 pects. He was a three-time Adelboden by straddling sion-friendly parallel racing
AP Sports Writer behind Schwarz. gold medalist at the 2012 gates. preferred by broadcasters
WENGEN, Switzerland (AP) Alpine combined's place Winter Youth Olympics in "I didn't think so much about and promoted by the Inter-
— For an event that risks los- in the sport is at risk after Innsbruck, and two years them, where I pushed the national Ski Federation.
ing its Olympic status next the world championships in later a junior world cham- limits and it was a bit too The battle is not over, ac-
month, Alpine combined Sweden next month, where pion in super-G. much," Schwarz said. cording to Muffat-Jeandet,
put on a good show Friday. a decision is pending to re- Despite his talent for speed, Both of those failures came who said he believes paral-
Marco Schwarz won the place it with parallel slalom and fourth place in com- when Schwarz was chas- lel racing has disappointed
men's World Cup race, us- racing at future Olympics bined at the Pyeongchang ing a target time posted ski officials who supported
ing a solid downhill run to and worlds. Olympics, Schwarz focuses by the world's best skier, its development.
retain his first-leg advan- That could still suit the on technical gate events Marcel Hirscher, who is also It was revived at the 1988
tage in slalom. 23-year-old Schwarz, who — slalom and giant slalom Olympic champion in com- Calgary Olympics and pro-
Schwarz was 0.42 seconds got his first World Cup win — in the World Cup. bined. Hirscher skipped Fri- vided American skiers Ted
ahead of Victor Muffat- on New Year's Day in the Schwarz was runner-up in day's race to focus on the Ligety, in 2006, with his first
Jeandet, the 2018 Olympic parallel format in Oslo. slalom in Madonna di Cam- slalom on Sunday. Olympic gold medal and
bronze medalist in com- Schwarz is having a break- piglio, Italy, last month, The 2019 worlds in Are Bode Miller, in 2010, with his
bined from France. Olym- out year after being one of then wasted a first-run lead could be a swansong for only Olympic title.q
pic silver medalist Alexis Austria's top teenage pros- in slaloms in Zagreb and combined in favor of televi-