The Malaysian Insider :: Sports
The Malaysian Insider :: Sports |
| Stan overboard as Nadal, Djokovic, Sharapova shine Posted: 26 May 2014 03:49 PM PDT The Swiss, bidding to become the first man since Jim Courier in 1992 to win the French Open in the same year as the Australian title, lost 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 6-0. The 29-year-old produced a woeful 61 unforced errors as Garcia-Lopez, the world number 41, booked a second round match against Frenchman Adrian Mannarino. "It was just terrible," said Wawrinka. "It was not a good match. I need to take a few days off and see what will happen. Sometimes you need a tough loss to see where you are going." Wawrinka admitted that the pressure of being a Grand Slam champion is weighing heavily on him. "I need to find the pieces, how to be happy, how to win matches." Wawrinka, a quarter-finalist at Roland Garros in 2013 and tipped as a possible title contender after winning the Monte Carlo Masters crown last month, was the second top 10 seed to lose at a rain-hit Monday. Japanese ninth seed Kei Nishikori had earlier lost 7-6 (7/4), 6-1, 6-2 to Slovakia's Martin Klizan. There were no such problems for Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Maria Sharapova who all shrugged off the Paris gloom. It was Nadal's 60th win at the French Open against just one loss. World number one Nadal kicked off his campaign on the secondary Suzanne Lenglen court while title rivals Djokovic and Wawrinka were handed top billing on the main Philippe Chatrier arena. But it was still business as usual for Nadal who fired 27 winners past Ginepri, a semi-finalist at the 2005 US Open whose challenge was undone by 41 unforced errors. "It doesn't matter where I play," said Nadal who next faces highly-rated Dominic Thiem of Austria. "It's always a pleasure and an honour to play at Roland Garros, on Chatrier, Lenglen or any other court. This place has given me unforgettable emotions." Djokovic, widely regarded as the favourite to dethrone Nadal having beaten the Spaniard in Rome two weeks ago, next faces French hope Jeremy Chardy. "I played for most of the match quite solid. The end of the match was not so nice from my side because I dropped my serve twice," said Djokovic. Sharapova, seeded seven and the 2012 champion, needed just over an hour to beat fellow Russian, Ksenia Pervak, the world's 156th-ranked player, 6-1, 6-2. The 27-year-old will next face Bulgaria's 2010 Wimbledon semi-finalist Tsvetana Pironkova. "First matches at Grand Slams are always tough, no matter how prepared you are, no matter how many matches you've played," said Sharapova, now 13-1 on clay in 2014 with titles in Stuttgart and Madrid. Nishikori, 24, and coached by 1989 champion Michael Chang, was the first Japanese man in 75 years to make the fourth round in Paris in 2013. Left-handed Klizan, 24, one of six former junior champions in the main draw, goes on to face Robin Haase of the Netherlands. "It sucks," said Nishikori. Yesterday's action also witnessed the first marathon of the French Open with Argentine qualifier Facundo Bagnis marking his Gramd Slam debut by seeing off Frenchman Julien Benneteau 6-1, 6-2, 1-6, 3-6, 18-16 in four and a half hours. Other top men's players going through were Italian 14th seed Fabio Fognini, Tommy Robredo, the 17th seed from Spain, as well as colourful 18th seeded Latvian Ernests Gulbis. Australian 18th seed Samantha Stosur, the runner-up in 2010, eased past Puerto Rico's Monica Puig 6-1, 6-1 despite having had five stitches in a gashed leg. America's Taylor Townsend, meanwhile, came from 1-5 down to beat compatriot Vania King 7-5, 6-1. Also going through was Austria's Tamira Paszek whose 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) win over Belgium's Alison van Uytvanck was her first at Roland Garros for seven years. – AFP, May 27, 2014. |
| Brendan Rodgers extends Liverpool contract Posted: 26 May 2014 08:23 AM PDT Rodgers, who has been at Anfield for the past two years, has presided over an upturn in the club's fortunes and guided the Merseysiders to second place in the recently-completed Premier League season, just missing out what would have been their first English title since 1990. The Northern Irishman had a year remaining on his existing agreement, with an option for a further 12 months. Having overseen an improvement from seventh in the Premier League last season to runners-up behind champions Manchester City, Rodgers said he was delighted by the prospect of spending more time at Anfield. "I am both humbled and privileged to be offered the chance to extend my stay at this great club," he said. "I am happy to build on the foundations we have built over the last two years. Now we move on to the next phase, which I believe will be as exciting, challenging and rewarding." Rodgers added: "I would like to place on record my thanks to the players and staff, who have been brilliant for me since the day I started at this great football club. "I am grateful to our owners and senior management team who have supported me and who share my vision of how we can progress on the field. "Finally, I must thank the supporters who are at the heart of everything we do here. "I am honoured every day to lead this team and I thank the fans for their continued support as together we strive to bring success back to Liverpool Football Club." Liverpool's US-based owners, Fenway Sports Group, have been delighted by the way in which Rodgers has turned the side into Premier League title contenders without a rash of big-money signings and by how players and fans alike have warmed to the former Swansea boss. In a joint statement principal owner John Henry and chairman Tom Werner said: "We are fortunate to have a hugely-talented individual leading our football performance and in whom we place our trust to deliver the vision we share for Liverpool Football Club. "Brendan is at the heart of what we, as an ownership group, are trying to achieve on the pitch. "This season has reaffirmed everyone's belief that we can bring football success to Liverpool and we are all committed to working together to achieve that. "Players and supporters have made it clear how important Brendan is to our success and so to have him commit to us for the long term is a great boost for everyone going forward." – AFP, May 26, 2014. |
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