Barty sets up final with Yastremska
ADELAIDE: World No 1 Ashleigh Barty will warm up for the upcoming Australian Open with a final at the Adelaide International after a 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(5) comeback win over Danielle Collins on Friday. The Australian will face Dayana Yastremska on Saturday for the title.
Ukrainian teenager Yastremska defeated her third top-20 opponent in a row with a 6-4, 7-6(4) win over Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus.
The men’s final will be a contest between in-form Andrey Rublev and South African Lloyd Harris, who defeated fellow qualifier Tommy Paul 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-3. Rublev is the first man since 2004 to play finals in the first two weeks of a season after the Doha champion outlasted Canadian Felix Auger-aliassime in a 7-6(5), 6-7(7), 6-4 thriller which took a shade over three hours.
PAIRE ADVANCES TO AUCKLAND FINAL
AUCKLAND:BENOIT Paire overcame a second set of simmering frustration that ended with a smashed racket and point penalty to advance to the Auckland Open final on Friday and a showdown with fellow Frenchman Ugo Humbert.
The 30-year-old Paire beat Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 6-7(1), 6-2 to set up a final on Saturday with Humbert, who earlier tamed the big serve of US two-time champion John Isner in a 7-6(5) 6-4 win. It will be 21-year-old Humbert’s first ATP Tour final.
MURRAY FURTHER DELAYS COMEBACK
LONDON: Andy Murray said he would have to further delay his comeback after failing to shake off a pelvic injury.
The 32-year-old former world No 1, who hasn’t played since the Davis Cup Finals in Spain in November, had pencilled in a return at either Montpellier in France or the Dutch city of Rotterdam next month. “I don’t want to rush anything or put a timeline on my recovery,” threetime Major winner Murray told British media.
MELBOURNE: Cool temperatures and smoke-free skies gave Australian Open organisers a second day of reprieve on Friday and they will keep their fingers crossed that the haze stays away for the final weekend of preparations for the multi-billion dollar tournament.
The year’s first Grand Slam begins on Monday, but organisers have already come in for criticism after letting qualifying continue on Tuesday and Wednesday, with noxious smoke shrouding Melbourne Park.
Fears the smoke would return on Saturday for the final round of qualifying eased on Friday, when the Environmental Protection Agency downgraded the forecast for air quality in the Melbourne area from “very poor” to “moderate”.
Johanna Konta, whose firstround match against Tunisian Ons Jabeur will not take place until Tuesday, said she was uncertain whether she would be able to play if conditions resembled those of earlier this week.
“Today, it’s nice,” the British 12th seed told reporters at Melbourne Park. “But definitely when the air hasn’t been good, it really hasn’t been good.”