The Malaysian Insider :: Sports
The Malaysian Insider :: Sports |
| Home favourite Li advances in China, Ivanovic out Posted: 02 Oct 2013 08:53 AM PDT The Czech, who won the Japan Open last weekend, overcame Italian fifth seed Sara Errani 6-4 6-7(3) 6-3 in their third round clash at the prestigious US$5 million Beijing tournament. World number four Agnieszka Radwanska was one of a number of high profile women to win through in second round action on the hard courts at the National Tennis Centre as the Pole dispatched promising American Madison Keys 6-3 6-2. Radwanksa will next face Slovenian wildcard Polona Hercog, who stunned former world number one Ana Ivanovic 6-4 6-4 in the day's only upset. "It was a big challenge for me to go out there on a big court and play against Ana Ivanovic, and I'm just really happy the way it turned out," Hercog told the WTA Tour. "It's probably one of the biggest victories for me." Germany's Andrea Petkovic provided the upset of the first round when she ousted Australian Open winner Victoria Azarenka and the Bosnia-born world number 43 followed that up with a second round win over another grand slam champion on Wednesday. Petkovic again needed to go the distance as she beat former French and U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova 4-6 6-4 6-1. "This is the first tournament that I've been able to really keep up my intensity and keep up my focus. I think I've played two good matches," Petkovic said after setting up a clash with Czech Lucie Safarova in the third round. "Personally it's really important to see that I can still beat the players on the top level, two past grand slam champions. It's just a big boost for my confidence, no matter what happens now in the future." The victories though were only warm-up acts for the home fans keen to see their compatriot Li in action. Li, the first Asian to win a grand slam singles title when she triumphed at the 2011 French Open, had the crowd happy as she scored a break in her 13th seeded opponent's first service game. The world number five ran in to trouble though as she attempted to serve out the set as Lizicki broke back to level at 5-5 only for Li to break again and win it 7-5. Another break came midway through the second set as Li wrapped it up 6-4 despite a match total of seven double faults. That serving issue will need to be resolved if she is to find a way past in-form Kvitova. World number one Serena Williams is back in action tomorrow when she takes on Maria Kirilenko in the third round. – Reuters, October 2, 2013. |
| Lippi’s Guangzhou storm into Asian final Posted: 02 Oct 2013 08:43 AM PDT Brazilian ace Muriqui reached a tournament-record 13 goals with his second brace in two games as the Chinese champions' South American attack floored Kashiwa at a rocking Tianhe Sport Centre. The emphatic victory, following last week's 4-1 rout in Kashiwa, keeps Guangzhou on course to end China's 23-year Asian title drought after Liaoning won the Asian Club Championship in 1990. They are the first Chinese team to reach the Asian decider since Dalian were runners-up in the Asian Club Championship, the Champions League's predecessor, in 1998. In the two-legged final, Guangzhou will face either Iran's Esteghlal or FC Seoul, who are playing later. The South Korean team are 2-0 up after last week's home leg. In front of a big, red-clad crowd and with Lippi's gold medallion gleaming from his open-necked shirt, Guangzhou refused to give Kashiwa any chance to settle as they made a lightning start. Elkeson drew a brilliant one-handed save from Takanori Sugeno and he had a goal disallowed, a header from a Gao Lin cross, within the first 15 minutes for an apparent shove on a defender. But on 16 minutes, there was no doubt about the opener as a corner dropped obligingly at Elkeson's feet, and the Brazilian took one touch and rammed it home from six yards. Zhang Linpeng wobbled the woodwork with a glorious shot from 25 yards, and Gao's header forced another save from Sugeno after a sumptuous move as the hosts turned on the style. Elkeson had another header into the net chalked off after Qatari referee Abdulrahman Abdou took issue with his close contact with Kashiwa goalkeeper Sugeno. Kashiwa's few glimpses of goal were coming mainly from corners, but they had a mini-revival after half-time when Wataru Hashimoto and Brazilian forward Jorge Wagner both went close. However, Sugeno again had to keep out Elkeson before Argentine maestro Dario Conca, unmarked in the Kashiwa box, headed in substitute Rong Hao's hanging cross on 57 minutes. The game was up for Kashiwa, now 6-1 down on aggregate, but Tetsuro Ota missed a great chance to make it look more respectable when he curled a shot wide from close range. And the night got even worse for the J-League side when Muriqui, fed by a clever ball from Conca, held off a marker and buried his shot to make it 3-0. Kashiwa's Masato Kudo hit the bar with a superb shot but at the other end Muriqui, fed again by Conca, burst into the box and rounded Sugeno for 4-0 -- and his record 13th goal of the competition. To put Guangzhou's victory in perspective, Emperor's Cup-holders Kashiwa had been unbeaten throughout the tournament until last week's 4-1 home defeat to the Chinese side. Lippi, who coached Italy to victory in the 2006 World Cup, will now attempt to add the Asian continental title to the European Champions League which he won with Juventus in 1996. – AFP, October 2, 2013. |
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