Golf: Fitzpatrick leads McIlroy, Rai at Italian Open

ROME, Italy -- Matthew Fitzpatrick closed with a birdie in a third-round 69 on Saturday to open up a one-shot lead on Rory McIlroy and Aaron Rai at the Italian Open in Rome.

US Open champion Fitzpatrick bounced back from a front-nine bogey with birdies at the 10th, 12th and 18th in blustery conditions at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club.

World number two McIlroy and Englishman Rai are tied one shot behind Fitzpatrick in second at the venue which will host next year's Ryder Cup.

Halfway leader McIlroy had a mixed round with three birdies and three bogeys for 71, while Rai took a leap up the leaderboard with two eagles and two birdies in a six-under-par 65.

McIlroy, who like Fitzpatrick will be hoping to represent Team Europe in the 2023 Ryder Cup, faces a tough task on Sunday.

"I know it will be a tough day. Fitz is very solid. These are the sort of conditions that he relishes. He's going to be tough to beat," said the player from Northern Ireland.

"Thankfully I'm still in it. Still only one shot back. I'll be in the final group tomorrow. So that was a big putt on the 18th to hole so I can keep an eye on Fitz and what he's doing."

France's Victor Perez, American Kurt Kitayama and Australian Lucas Herbert were in a three-way tie for fourth on eight under.

Agence France-Presse

Tennis: Nadal stays third in ATP rankings despite Rome triumph

PARIS, France -- Rafael Nadal remained third in the ATP rankings published on Monday despite seeing off Novak Djokovic to win a 10th Italian Open title at the weekend.

Spaniard Nadal set down a key marker on Sunday, two weeks out from the defence of his Roland Garros crown with a 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 over Djokovic, who stays top of the rankings.

Nadal, a 13-time French Open winner, is also behind Daniil Medvedev, who suffered a second round exit in Rome to continue his struggles on clay.

The United States enters its second week without a player in the top 30, with Taylor Fritz dropping a place down to 32nd.

Fritz's compatriot Reilly Opelka has moved up 12 places to 35th. 

ATP top 20 on Monday (changes in brackets):

1. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 11063 points 

2. Daniil Medvedev (RUS) 9793 

3. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 9630 

4. Dominic Thiem (AUT) 8445 

5. Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 7430 

6. Alexander Zverev (GER) 7115 

7. Andrey Rublev (RUS) 6090 

8. Roger Federer (SUI) 5605 

9. Matteo Berrettini (ITA) 3958 

10. Diego Schwartzman (ARG) 3465 

11. Roberto Bautista (ESP) 3215 

12. Pablo Carreno (ESP) 3085 

13. David Goffin (BEL) 2875 

14. Gael Monfils (FRA) 2703 (+1) 

15. Denis Shapovalov (CAN) 2675 (-1) 

16. Milos Raonic (CAN) 2518 (+4) 

17. Jannik Sinner (ITA) 2500 (+1) 

18. Hubert Hurkacz (POL) 2498 (+1) 

19. Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) 2498 (+2) 

20. Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) 2496 (-3)

Agence France-Presse

Tennis: Djokovic and Nadal to meet in Rome final, Konta faces Pliskova

ROME - Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal won on Saturday to set up an Italian Open final meeting, while British number one Johanna Konta booked a final clash with Karolina Pliskova.

World number one Djokovic overcame Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman 6-3 6-7(2) 6-3 and will face second seed Nadal for the 54th time on Sunday, ahead of this month’s French Open.

The Serbian triumphed in last week’s Madrid Open and has a chance to win back-to-back clay-court titles after overcoming the spirited Schwartzman in two hours 31 minutes.

Schwartzman, playing in a Masters 1000 semi-final for the first time, fought back from losing the first set in 36 minutes to take the second after a dominant tiebreak, but Djokovic got the crucial break in the sixth game of the deciding set to clinch victory.

Djokovic leads his head-to-head with Nadal by 28 wins to 25, but the Spaniard has dominated on clay with 16 victories to the Serbian’s seven.

Nadal progressed to his 50th Masters 1000 final thanks to a 6-3 6-4 win over Stefanos Tsitsipas, avenging his defeat to the 20-year-old at the same stage a week ago in Madrid.

The 32-year-old broke Tsitsipas’s serve early in both sets while holding his own service games as he wrapped up victory in one hour 43 minutes.

“It’s an important victory for me because I played a solid match against a good player and a player who is winning lot of matches on this surface," Nadal said.

"Winning in straight sets against him is a very positive result. More than this is a feeling that I am playing better every week, every day. That's important for me."

The win keeps Nadal in the hunt for a ninth Italian Open title after he lost at the semi-final stages of his last four tournaments.

In the women's singles, Konta came from a set behind to beat Madrid Open champion Kiki Bertens 5-7 7-5 6-2 and progress to her first WTA Premier clay final.

She will face world number seven Pliskova, who defeated Greece’s Maria Sakkari 6-4 6-4.

It will be Konta’s second final of the clay-court season, after finishing as runner-up to Sakkari at the Morocco Open, as she heads into the French Open in fine form.

The 28-year-old lost her momentum after being broken while serving for the first set but fought back by taking the second.

She pulled away in the final set, breaking the Dutch world number four's serve twice before securing victory on her fourth match point.

“After I lost the first set, I mean, I didn’t do much wrong," Konta said.

"It was a very good set of tennis. Equally the second set, as well. There wasn’t anybody putting a bad foot out of line.

“In the third, I definitely felt that I was able to maintain my level a bit better than her. I think that gave me the upper hand in stringing some more points together. I’m just very happy to have come through.”

Konta became the first British woman to reach the final of the tournament since Virginia Wade in 1971. 

(Reporting by Alasdair Mackenzie, editing by Pritha Sarkar and Clare Fallon)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Tennis: Zverev stuns Djokovic to win Italian Open

ROME -- German youngster Alexander Zverev pulled off the biggest win of his career on Sunday when he beat world number two Novak Djokovic 6-4 6-3 to win the Italian Open on Sunday.

Zverev, 20, was on top from the moment that he broke Djokovic in the very first game as he became the youngest winner of a Masters 1000 tournament since the Serb himself in Miami in 2007.

He controlled play from the back of the court with his fluid two-handed backhand and heavy forehand.

Zverev broke again in the third game of the second set and clinched the match with another break in the ninth game.

Djokovic, who has wrestled with injuries and lack of confidence since winning the French Open last June, had looked his old dominant self when he beat Dominic Thiem in Saturday's semi-final but was unable to recapture that form on Sunday.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Djokovic back on song to set up Zverev final in Rome

Novak Djokovic made a timely return to his brilliant best after a traumatic year on Saturday and talked of rediscovering his lost "joy" for tennis as he thrashed Dominic Thiem to set up an Italian Open final meeting with young German Alexander Zverev.

Djokovic, who has suffered a fall from grace over the last year while wrestling with injuries and a lack of confidence, looked his old dominant self as he hammered the Austrian 6-1 6-0 in the second semi-final in virtuoso fashion.

Earlier in Rome, Zverev won a battle of the giants to down unseeded American John Isner 6-4 6-7(5) 6-1, making the tall 20-year-old the youngest ATP Masters 1000 finalist since a 19-year-old Djokovic in Miami in 2007.

Djokovic said that his mini masterpiece, carved out in just 59 minutes against Thiem who had ended Rafael Nadal's 17-match winning streak so thrillingly on Friday, was "by far" his best performance of a difficult year.

The quick workout against Thiem was just what Djokovic needed as it was his second match of the day, having completed a 6-1 6-4 win over Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro in a rain-delayed quarter-final carried over from Friday.

"Best by far, obviously," Djokovic said when asked on Sky Sports whether the win over world number seven Thiem, which saw him spray 14 winners and give up a mere six unforced errors, was his best in 2017.

"The closest I got to this level was the final against Andy (Murray) in Doha in the first week of the season (which Djokovic won). Otherwise, I've been struggling to find the right level and be consistent."

Earlier this month, the Serb had parted company with his entire coaching team in a bid to regain the form that had made him an untouchable world number one a year ago.

AMAZING FEELINGS

The move, which he described as "shock therapy", appears to have already paid dividends as Djokovic, who lost his top ranking to Murray at the end of 2016, produced a devastating display against one of the game's new luminaries.

"This game brought back some amazing feelings and memories on the court so I'm really glad," said Djokovic, who feels he is running into form at the perfect time with the start of his defence of the French Open just over a week away.

"Yes, I was looking for that," he said, when asked if everything was falling into place again.

"I was looking to have a nice balance between the right intensity and the fire and feeling satisfied and happy, calm again on the court and finding the joy of playing because, to be honest, I lost that in the last seven, eight months.

"There was fire but perhaps too much fire. Now I feel I'm on the right track and things are progressing well," he added, looking forward to his first final since Doha.

Another of the young guns, Zverev, had looked like wrapping up his match with Isner in straight sets after romping through the opener in under half an hour, but the defiant American took the second set down to a tiebreak.

The German was 5-0 down in the tiebreak but battled back before Isner took the match to a third set with a forehand winner.

Isner, the first American to reach the semi-finals in Rome since Andy Roddick in 2008, had a chance to break with Zverev leading 3-1 in the final set but the German snuffed out the challenge.

Earlier, Djokovic had finished an emphatic job against Del Potro. The match had been halted by rain and lightning on Friday with the Serbian leading 6-1 1-2.

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin and Ian Chadband; Editing by Ken Ferris and Pritha Sarkar)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Sharapova handed Rome wildcard as Murray hits out

ROME, Italy -- Five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova has been given a wildcard to play in the Italian Open in May, organizers said Wednesday.

The former world number one makes her return to the circuit in Stuttgart in April after completing a 15-month ban for doping.

"We officially announce the wild card for the 3-time Rome champion @MariaSharapova into the main draw ... " organizers announced on Twitter.

Sharapova hasn't played on tour since testing positive for meldonium at the 2016 Australian Open. An initial two-year ban by the International Tennis Federation was reduced to 15 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The Rome tournament runs from May 15 to May 21. She has also been handed a wildcard for the May 6-13 Madrid Open.

However, the decision to hand the Russian wildcards into three of Europe's prestigious clay court events was criticized by men's world number one Andy Murray.

"I think you should really have to work your way back," Murray told The Times.

"But most tournaments will do what they think is best for their event. If they think big names will sell more seats, they're going to do that."

Murray refused to elaborate on his standpoint on Wednesday after reaching the quarter-finals of the Dubai ATP event.

"I spoke about it yesterday and made my opinion pretty clear," said Murray.

"I have been answering questions on this honestly for over a year now, and I don't know what else I'm supposed to say."

Former world number one and 18-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer was also reluctant to get involved in the Sharapova controversy after suffering a shock second round exit to Russia's Evgeny Donskoy in Dubai.

"Could see it either way, depending on who you are, and I don't know if it matters what the cause was for being banned, because at the end, it's all sort of the same. Banned is banned, you know," said the 35-year-old Swiss.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Federer out, Serena beats effects of dog's dinner

ROME - Roger Federer said 'time was ticking' in his battle to recover form and fitness for the French Open after he lost to rising Austrian Dominic Thiem 7-6(2) 6-4 in the third round of the Italian Open on Thursday.

Defending champion Novak Djokovic had an unexpected stumble at the start of his match, losing the first set to Thomaz Bellucci to love, before recovering to beat the Brazilian 0-6 6-3 6-2.

Women's top seed Serena Williams won through to the quarter-finals despite falling ill after tasting her pet dog's dinner in her Rome hotel.

Her Yorkshire terrier Chip had been served a salmon and rice dish and Williams told followers on social media she had been tempted by the look of it, saying: "I ate a spoonful. Don't judge me."

The food tasted "a little bit like a house-cleaner thing," Williams said in a video posted on Snapchat, adding that she had made an urgent trip to the bathroom a few hours later.

"I don't think it's consumable for humans. They should have wrote that," added Williams, who showed no lingering ill effects in beating fellow American Christina McHale 7-6(7) 6-1.

Former world number one Federer still looks way short of his best after knee and back injuries and struggled to get to grips with the 22-year-old Thiem at the Foro Italico, a week after withdrawing from the Madrid Open.

Thiem, ranked 15th, recovered from an early break and streaked into a 6-2 lead in the tiebreak before taking the opening set with a backhand winner.

He broke the 34-year-old Federer's serve again midway through the second set as he claimed the 32nd victory of a breakthrough season that saw him rise to a career-high 13th.

Seventeen-times major champion Federer, who has missed 10 weeks of the season following knee surgery, shrugged off the defeat, saying his immediate priority was the French Open that begins on May 22.

"This is like, 'who cares about the results here?'. It matters what comes now in the next couple of months," Federer told a news conference.

"Now obviously time starts ticking more towards Paris. Clearly the way I'm playing right now is never going to be enough for a good run in Paris... I'm still confident I will be fine somehow."

Federer, a four-times finalist in Rome, missed last week's Madrid Open with a back problem but said there had been some encouraging signs this week.

"For the first time maybe I could play a match really playing freely, trying out a few things," he added.

World number one Djokovic was on the wrong end of a love set for only the ninth time in his career, picking up just eight points.

From there, though, he moved to a smooth victory over the 37th-ranked Belluci and a quarter-final meeting with Rafael Nadal, who defeated Australian Nick Kyrgios 6-7(3) 6-2 6-4.

World number three Andy Murray came back from a break down in the second set to defeat Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-0 6-4 and set up a meeting with David Goffin, who thrashed Tomas Berdych 6-0 6-0.

Women's third seed Garbine Muguruza of Spain reached the quarter-finals by beating Latvian Jelena Ostapenko 6-1 6-4. (Writing by Martyn Herman and Clare Fallon; Editing by Pritha Sarkar)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Djokovic battles through to Rome quarter-finals

ROME - Novak Djokovic had to fight back from a set down to beat Thomaz Bellucci and reach the Italian Open quarter-finals on Thursday while Rafa Nadal produced an "almost perfect" display to despatch John Isner.

World number one Djokovic won 5-7 6-2 6-3 but was made to work hard after his Brazilian opponent, ranked 68th, played a flawless opening set with his left-handed serve and powerful forehand repeatedly troubled the holder.

"He (Bellucci) kept me off balance with the variety on his serve," Djokovic said. "I couldn't quite find the right position where to stand on the return."

Once the Serb broke in the fourth game of the second set he relaxed and took control, running Bellucci all over the court with precise ground strokes and impeccable backhand drop shots.

"It was a hard-fought match and I have to give him credit for the way he played," added Djokovic.

He next meets Japan's fifth-seeded Kei Nishikori, who beat Djokovic's compatriot Victor Troicki 6-4 6-3.

Fourth seed Nadal, who has struggled to find his best form this season in the wake of the wrist injury and appendicitis issues that undermined his performances last year, was imperious against the big-serving American and triumphed 6-4 6-4.

He did not face a single break point and won 90 percent of his first-service points.

ALMOST PERFECT

"I was almost perfect," Nadal told Sky Sports Italia. "It was a good match, I'm satisfied."

The Spaniard, who fell to seventh in the rankings after Sunday's Madrid final defeat by Andy Murray, looked to be back on the path to discovering his best claycourt form.

The warm weather made the court faster and Nadal's top-spin forehand forced Isner on the defensive, something the statuesque American does not handle well.

Nadal, a seven-time champion in Rome, will now face Stanislas Wawrinka, who beat Dominic Thiem 7-6(3) 6-4 to record consecutive victories for the first time since February.

Second seed Federer appeared to be heading for an easy win against Anderson as he broke early in both sets and held two match points on serve, leading 5-2 in the second set.

Anderson valiantly fought back to level, however, before losing the last two games and the match 6-3 7-5.

The Swiss will now face Tomas Berdych who was stretched to the limit by home favourite Fabio Fognini. The sixth seeded Czech won 6-3 3-6 7-6(2) to reach his ninth quarter-final of the year in as many tournaments.

Seventh seed David Ferrer crushed fellow Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-1 6-3 and will play Belgian David Goffin who had a walkover when third seed Andy Murray withdrew with fatigue.

SHARAPOVA FAVOURITE

In the women's event, Maria Sharapova came back from a 3-1 first-set deficit to beat Bojana Jovanovski 6-3 6-3.

The third-seeded Russian, a Rome winner in 2011 and 2012, has taken up the favourite's mantle after Serena Williams withdrew due to a right elbow injury.

Fourth-seeded Czech Petra Kvitova was too powerful for former world number one Jelena Jankovic, hitting 23 winners in a 6-3 6-2 win, and faces Carla Suarez Navarro in the last eight.

Canada's sixth seed Eugenie Bouchard double faulted when she had match point in the third set tiebreak before losing a three-hour battle to Spaniard Suarez Navarro 6-7(2) 7-5 7-6(7).

Romanian second seed Simona Halep beat Venus Williams 6-2 6-1 in just over an hour and next meets compatriot Alexandra Dulgheru. (Reporting Jacopo Lo Monaco; Editing by Toby Davis)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com