Stags, Altas in crucial encounter
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NEW YORK: Rafael Nadal de scribed the year 2017 as “one of the best of his career” on Sunday (Monday in Manila) after winning a third US Open and 16th Grand Slam.
World No.1 Nadal defeated South Africa’s world number 32 Kevin Anderson 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 in a brutally one-sided final during which he did not face a break point.
Nadal also claimed an unprecedented 10th French Open in June after finishing runner- up to Roger Federer at the Australian Open.
“In terms of results, this has been one of the best seasons of my career, of course,” Nadal admitted of a year in which he won at least two Slams for the fourth time in his career.
Had he gotten the better of Gilles Muller at Wimbledon, where he lost the final set of his fourth-round clash 15-13, the year might have been even more memorable.
“I have been winning titles, playing three finals of Grand Slams, so that’s a lot. That’s so difficult. The other slam that I was not in the final, I lost the match 1513 in the fifth to be in the quarterfinals.
“So was very competitive year for me. And on clay, I won almost every match. Of course is an emotional season because I have been through tough moments in terms of injuries.”
Nadal’s win on Sunday was the latest chapter in an epic story of domination by the sport’s superstars.
From Wimbledon in 2003, an incredible 53 of 58 Slams have now been claimed by just five men — Federer (19), Nadal (16), Novak Djokovic (12) and Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka with three apiece.
Only Andy Roddick, Gaston Gaudio, Marat Safin, Juan Martin del Potro and Marin Cilic have broken the spell.
“We are in an era that is not nice to say, because I’m part of it, but we are in an era that some players make incredible things in this sport,” said Nadal.
“It’s difficult to win a lot of titles. We should be very happy. Probably even Roger and me and Novak, much more than we ever dreamed.”
To hammer home their enduring appeal and dominance, Federer and Nadal shared the four Slams in 2017 — Federer winning the Australian Open before capturing a record eighth Wimbledon. Despite his success, catching the 19 majors of Federer is not particularly high on Nadal’s list of priorities.
“I really never thought much about that. I just do my way. He does his way. Let’s see when we finish,” he said.
“I have 16. So three is big difference. I really don’t think much about these kind of things.
“Well done for Roger that he is having an amazing season, too, and well done for me because I’m having a great season, too.
“Tennis is not all about the Grand Slams, so there are tournaments to come and I’m excited about this last part of the season.”
It’s all a far cry from the end of last year when Nadal was ranked at nine in the world and Federer was 16.
It was also a 2016 season that saw the injury-hobbled Nadal lose in the first round at the Australian Open, withdraw after two rounds of the French with a wrist problem, skip Wimbledon and exit the US Open in the last 16.
However, in 2017, Federer and Nadal have won five titles apiece and on Monday they will be back at number one and two in the world for the first time since 2011.
“I was surprised in January. Now I am not that much surprised,” said Nadal.
“There are things that probably Roger and me share — that is passion for what we are doing, passion for tennis, passion for the competition and the spirit of improvement all the time.” SAN Sebastian College- Recoletos seeks to strengthen its hold of a spot in the top four while University of Perpetual Help System DALTA looks to keep its playoff hopes alive as the two teams clash in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Season 93 basketball tournament today at the FilOil Flying V Center in San Juan City.
The Golden Stags and the Altas lock horns in the main game at 4 p. m.
San Sebastian is coming off a resounding 88- 69 win over Emilio Aguinaldo College ( EAC) behind star forward M i c h a e l Calisaan’s 19point explosion last Friday as the Stags jumped to a joint fourth with Colegio de San Juan de Letran on a 5- 5 win- loss record.
But the Rectobased squad’s head coach Egay Macaraya is wary of Perpetual Help’s dominant import Prince Eze, who currently leads the Most Valuable Player race.
“Hopefully, my big guys are ready to sacrifice for us to contain Eze,” said Macaraya, whose team is competing minus a foreign student- athlete.
The 6- foot- 9 Nigerian center of Perpetual came through with a monstrous output of 21 points and 19 rebounds in the Altas’ 88- 82 overtime victory over Letran, which also plays without an import.
Gab Dagangon and GJ Ylagan proved to be key pieces as well as the Perpetual mainstays posted 21 points and 18 markers respectively to give their team a share of sixth with EAC and Arellano University on a 4- 6 card.
“The players really wanted to win because they know that we’re still in the Final Four race,” said Altas mentor Jimwell Gican, who took the coaching reins following the indefinite leave filed by Nosa Omorogbe.
The Altas beat the Golden Stags, 68-65, in their first round encounter a month ago.
Meanwhile, Arellano University also aims to keep its playoff bid going when it takes on the bottomdweller Mapua University at 2 p.m.
The Chiefs climbed to a joint sixth after beating Jose Rizal University in a double overtime thriller, 115-109, last Thursday.
Rence Alcoriza had a breakout
game for Arellano as the shooting guard fired a career- high 23 points to lead five other players who tallied double figures in their previous outing.
The shorthanded Cardinals, for their part, try to snap a ninegame losing slide and improve their 1- 10 slate.
Arellano downed Mapua, 91-82, in their first meeting as the last year’s runner- up scored their first win of the season.