The Malaysian Insider :: Sports
The Malaysian Insider :: Sports |
| Djokovic beats Del Potro in Shanghai thriller Posted: 13 Oct 2013 07:40 AM PDT The Serbian top seed looked set to wrap up the final in double-quick time after a one-sided first set - but the Argentine, who conquered Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals, hit back hard to take the match into a third set tie-break. Djokovic held his nerve in the shoot-out to win a gripping contest lasting more than two-and-a-half hours for his fifth title of the season. The victory keeps alive his slim chances of overtaking Nadal in the battle for the year-end number one ranking. "It was a great experience again in Shanghai with a thrilling performance from both my opponent tonight and myself," said Djokovic, who struck 47 winners in total and was particularly impressive at the net, winning 18 of 19 points. "I think the tournament had a fantastic final. I'm just very glad to go out as a winner from the court tonight from such a close match." "I think either one of us could really take the title. I just managed to hold my emotions and I managed to believe in the victory enough in the end to play the right shots at the right time," added the Serb, who also won last week's China Open in Beijing. Del Potro came into the final against the top seed brimming with confidence after his semi-final demolition of Nadal, but was immediately on the back foot in breezy conditions at the Qizhong Tennis Center. The 26-year-old Serb established an iron grip on the first set with a double break, dictating the play and not allowing the sixth seed to produce the thundering groundstrokes that dispatched Nadal. The giant Del Potro avoided an embarrassing "bagel" to loud cheers, but could not prevent Djokovic, playing with controlled aggression, from sealing the set. But in the second set the Argentine, the winner of last week's Japan Open, rediscovered the kind of form that he found to see off Nadal, breaking at his first opportunity in a bizarre game in which his Serbian opponent appeared to have trouble keeping his balance. Djokovic engineered a golden opportunity to hit back, earning three break points in the seventh game, but former US Open champion Del Potro upped his game to hold, going on to level the match. Both players had chances to break in the third set, but as the match edged towards its climax it was Del Potro who was facing more pressure on his serve. He was forced to dig deep to save two match points in the 10th game. The Serb opened a 4-2 lead in the tie-break, going on to seal victory with a backhand winner down the line. "The match was really close and I think Nole played unbelievable points in the tie-break," said Del Potro, who added that poor serving was partly to blame for his slow start. "I was lucky in the second (set) because I broke very early," he added. "The crowd helped me because they want to watch a longer match, for sure... I think I played another really good match. But today I lost." Djokovic, displaced this week by Nadal as world number one, now has 15 Masters titles. Del Potro, 25, has qualified for the elite season-ending World Tour Finals in London, featuring the season's top eight players. Other confirmed qualifiers are Nadal, Djokovic and Spain's David Ferrer. - AFP, October 13, 2013. |
| Spain’s Pedrosa wins Malaysian MotoGP Posted: 13 Oct 2013 04:13 AM PDT The Spanish teammates came in ahead of defending champion and compatriot Jorge Lorenzo on the Yamaha. The win marks Pedrosa's third victory of the season. He also triumphed in Malaysia last year. "It's a great feeling to be back... I came back strong," said Pedrosa, who crashed out in the last race in Spain after rookie Marquez made contact with him. "Obviously for the championship with Marc finishing always on the podium, it's hard to take back any points," Pedrosa, who still trails Marquez and Lorenzo in the standings, added. It was a hard-fought race for all three. Marquez was on pole, but Lorenzo took the lead after starting from fourth place. He in turn was overtaken by Pedrosa, who started from fifth, in lap 5. This sparked a thrilling battle between Lorenzo and Marquez for second place. The 20-year-old, who Lorenzo knocked once, eventually gained the upper hand with 11 laps in the 20-lap race to go. Lorenzo's teammate, seven-time world champion Valentino Rossi of Italy, finished fourth after starting from second place. He was followed by Spanish Honda rider Alvaro Bautista, while British Yamaha rider Cal Crutchlow, who started third, fell back to sixth. "It was a nice battle with Jorge. I enjoyed it a lot," Marquez said. "I tried to reduce that gap (to race leader Pedrosa) but I saw that it was too much risk, and the target of this weekend was to finish in front of Jorge," he said, adding that extending his championship lead was "most important". "I prefer to take that 20 points (for a second place finish). I think about the world championship too." With three races remaining, Marquez tops the standings with 298 points, followed by Lorenzo at 255 points and Pedrosa at 244 points. Lorenzo conceded he would aim to retain the season's second place with the Hondas outperforming the Yamahas, especially in warm weather. "It was a great battle (with Marquez)... He was strong. He didn't lose the concentration. He deserved the second place," the title defender said. "We hope in Phillip Island (in Australia) with colder temperatures and a more flowing track without so much braking, we can fight for the win and also to keep the second place in the championship because the first one seems more difficult now," he said. Though rain clouds hung overhead and a strong wind blew, today's race remained dry with temperatures around 30°C. The 5.5-kilometre Sepang circuit in the tropical humid Southeast Asian country is one of the season's longest and most demanding. Italian MotoGP rider Marco Simoncelli was killed in a crash during the race two years ago. A Malaysian racer and marshal died in an accident last month. Race officials say the track is safe, describing the accidents as "tragic" one-offs. Last year, a torrential downpour caused the race to be cut short. Malaysia is the 15th race of the season. The riders will now proceed to Australia, followed by Japan and the final race in Valencia. - AFP, October 13, 2013. |
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