DUCKWORTH BEATS BONZI IN BENGALURU OPEN FINAL
BENGALURU: Australia’s James Duckworth registered a straightset win over Benjamin Bonzi of France in the finals to lift the $162,500 Bengaluru Open title here on Sunday. Duckworth took just 68 minutes to notch up a 6-4, 6-4 win over Benjamin at the KSLTA Courts here.
Both matched stroke for stroke but it was the Frenchman who had the first jibe breaking his opponent in the fourth game. They broke each other’s serve for next three games before Duckworth held his serve in the eighth game after saving two break points to level scores at 4-4.
A break in the ninth game ensured that Duckworth won the set at 6-4 but not before Benjamin had some good answers to his serves. In the second set, both served and returned well and held their respective serves until the fourth game. Duckworth won a break in the fifth game to go 3-2 up. They broke each other in the next two games before they held their respective serves for Duckworth to win at 6-4.
Just before the final, Leander Paes, who played his last ATP event on home soil, was felicitated.
LOS ANGELES: NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced that the All-star Game MVP award will now be called the Kobe Bryant Award as players lined up to pay tribute to the late NBA icon.
“Kobe Bryant is synonymous with NBA all-star and embodies the spirit of this global celebration of our game,” Silver said.
“He always relished the opportunity to compete with the best of the best and perform at the highest level for millions of fans around the world.”
Bryant and his daughter, Gigi, were buried in a private funeral service in southern California last week after they were among nine people who perished in a horrific helicopter crash on January 26.
The uniforms for Sunday’s allstar game in Chicago will also honour Bryant and his 13-yearold daughter with Lebron James’ team wearing the No. 2 for the basketball-playing Gigi and Giannis Antetokounmpo’s team wearing No. 24 in a tribute to Bryant. Antetokounmpo was one of several all-stars who also spoke Saturday about their memories and the legacy that Bryant left behind.
“The format is amazing,” Antetokounmpo said.
“It makes you want to play hard and compete against one another. Each quarter you have the opportunity to win, and it makes it way more competitive.
“But wearing 24 and Lebron wearing number two, it’s a big honour. I wouldn’t want it any other way representing Kobe and Gigi in tomorrow night’s game.”
Antetokounmpo described the four-time All-star Game MVP Bryant as the “Michael Jordan of our generation.”
“A guy that mentored me in the last few years of my career, a guy that was always there for me,” Antetokounmpo said.
“In the regular season, the playoffs, a guy that told me that whenever I need something, I could just reach out to him, and he was literally always there. If I needed something, he would text me back, call me.
“Growing up, he was my idol. He was one of those guys that gave back to the game so much, gave back to the players. A lot of people when they’re so great, they don’t do that.”
Boston Celtics guard Kemba