Page 23 - ARUBA TODAY

A23
SPORTS Friday 29 March 2019
Hopman Cup out, ATP Cup in

for overhaul of Australia swing

PERTH, Australia (AP) — The been expressed," ITF presi- team tournament and Syd-
Hopman Cup international dent David Haggerty said. ney hosting the finals.
mixed team event is mak- "We will keep the Hopman "The ATP Cup will launch
ing way for the new ATP Cup alive and look forward the global tennis season for
Cup at the start of the 2020 to successful future editions the men — this is their event
tennis season in Australia. of this unique event." ... and they've thrown their
The International Tennis Roger Federer and Belinda support behind it 100 per-
Federation on Thursday Bencic combined to win cent," Tennis Australia chief
confirmed an early end to the last two Hopman Cup executive Craig Tiley said.
the licensing agreement titles for Switzerland. Ser- "Four of the top 12 male
with Tennis Australia for the ena Williams and Steffi Graf players, and eight of the
Hopman Cup, which had have also been among the top 24, will play in Perth, Ashleigh Barty, of Australia, returns a volley to Anett Kontaveit,
been scheduled to contin- winners of the tournament with 24 teams competing of Estonia, during the Miami Open tennis tournament, Thursday,
ue in Perth until 2022. which started in 1989. across three cities — Perth, March 28, 2019, in Miami Gardens, Fla.
The ITF issued a statement The international season Brisbane and Sydney." Associated Press
saying it still supported usually gets into full swing in The ATP Cup has 750 rank-
a combined men's and Australia in the weeks lead- ings points, $22 million in Barty endures delays,
women's event after three ing into the first major of the prize money. It will feature
decades of success, and year at Melbourne Park in two singles and a doubles ousts Kontaveit to
was searching for a new January. match in each head-to-
venue. But the introduction of the head between countries,
"The ITF is committed to up- ATP Cup has meant an and will run alongside the reach Miami final
holding the core values of overhaul in Australia for Brisbane International,
the Hopman Cup in the fu- next year, with Perth joining which remains a season-
ture and is encouraged by Brisbane as a co-host of the opening event on the By TIM REYNOLDS They got three games — six
the interest that has already group stage of the men's women's tour.q AP Sports Writer minutes of tennis — in be-
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) fore the first in-match delay
— Ashleigh Barty walked stopped things for more
Putin calls on Russia to play away from tennis about than two hours. They got

five years ago, saying she another game in before
by doping rules for Olympics was basically burned out more rain arrived, prompt-
ing another two-hour de-
at 17.
She returned three years lay.
ago. At 7:32 p.m., finally, it end-
MOSCOW (AP) — Vladimir And now at 22, she's better ed. Kontaveit fended off
Putin wants Russian ath- than ever. one match point with a
letes and officials to play The 12th-seeded Barty has forehand drop shot, but
by anti-doping rules ahead reached her first Miami was ousted by an ace on
of next year's Olympics. Open final, enduring three the following point. Barty
In televised comments on rain delays on Thursday was down 3-1 in the sec-
Wednesday, the Russian to oust 21st-seeded Anett ond, but won the final five
president said efforts should Kontaveit 6-3, 6-3 in the first games.
be made "so that we don't women's semifinal. "Very long day," said Barty,
give any pretext to those Next up in the biggest final who passed the time in the
who use sport for political of her singles career: Either locker room by drinking
ends, to act against Rus- second-seeded Simona coffee and watching golf.
sia's interests." Halep or fifth-seeded Kar- "But for me, it's an opportu-
Russia's team was barred olina Pliskova, who were nity to come out and play
from last year's Winter scheduled to play late another match. We can't
Olympics for repeated Thursday night. control the weather."On
doping violations, but 168 Russian President Vladimir Putin attends his meeting with Leba- "Obviously, I've been doing the men's side, 20th-seeded
competitors from the coun- nese President Michel Aoun in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, March the right things throughout Denis Shapovalov reached
try were allowed to com- 26, 2019. the week to put be able to the semifinals after ousting
pete as "Olympic Athletes Associated Press put myself in a position to 28th-seeded Frances Tia-
from Russia." play for a title," Barty said. foe 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-2 — the
Of those, two were later dis- had in mind, though the manova and Olympic "You have to go out there third time in four matches
qualified for doping, more Russian track federation re- high jump champion Anna and embrace it." at this tournament that
than any other country. mains suspended. Chicherova restricted to That was also her approach he rallied from a set down
The International Olympic If that sanction isn't lifted by national competitions only. to a very long — and very before prevailing. It also
Committee lifted its suspen- the IAAF, then only athletes Both have served doping wet — day at Hard Rock gives Canada two teens in
sion of Russia immediately who have been vetted bans. Putin added that Rus- Stadium. the men's final four — the
after the Pyeongchang and approved by a panel sia had finished restructur- Barty, who will rise to a ca- 19-year-old Shapovalov
Games. Putin said there which examines their histo- ing its anti-doping systems reer-best No. 9 in the world will face either Roger Fe-
should be no similar "restric- ry of drug testing would be after World Anti-Doping ranking next week, was to derer or Kevin Anderson
tions" on any member of able to compete in Tokyo. Agency investigations re- take the court for the semi- in the semifinals, while the
the Russian team at next That's currently keeping vealed widespread doping final against Kontaveit at 1 other semifinal has 18-year-
year's Tokyo Olympics. some top Russians like and alleged government p.m. They didn't begin play old Felix Auger-Aliassime
Putin didn't specify what the former Olympic walk complicity, something Putin until 2:08, and the delays against defending Miami
potential restrictions he champion Elena Lash- denies.q were just getting started. champion John Isner.q