world of sport
tennis
Roger Federer will have to wait to bring up a century of titles after he was beaten by German youngster Alexander Zverev in yesterday’s semi-finals.
The Swiss great, looking for a 100th career singles tournament win, lost in straight sets in a highclass encounter.
Zverev grabbed the match’s solitary break at 6-5 in the first set and then edged a pulsating tiebreak to run out a 7-5 7-6 (5) winner.
The match, however, ended on an unsavoury note due to an incident during the tie-beak when a ball-boy dropped a ball during a rally.
Zverev rightly asked for a let but the Federer fans in the crowd were unhappy that the point was replayed.
Sections jeered the 21-year-old as the
BBC’s Annabel Croft interviewed him on court, with Croft at one point admonishing the crowd for their reaction.
A clearly upset Zverev said: “Firstly I want to apologise for the situation in the tiebreak but the ball boy dropped the ball. It’s in the rules that we have to replay the point.
“I apologised to Roger at the net, he told me: ‘It’s okay, it’s in the rules.’
“I want to apologise to the crowd, Roger has a lot of fans here and for what he’s achieved he should have. I’m very sorry that this happened. I didn’t mean to upset anybody – that’s all I can say, sorry.”
Meanwhile, Jamie Murray’s bid to reach a maiden final at the ATP Finals was thwarted by American duo Jack Sock and Mike Bryan.
Britain’s Murray and Brazilian partner Bruno Soares were semifinalists for the third straight year at London’s O2.
They hauled themselves level after dropping the first set, but Sock and Bryan won the match tie-break 10-4 to reach today’s final.
ANGLING
This Orange Pheasant Tail Nymph is a clever version of the original PTN, but tied on a longshank hook.
The hook is a size 12-16 longshank and the tying thread orange silk. The tail is cock pheasant centre-tail fibres and should measure half the body length.
The rear two thirds of the body is wound cock pheasant fibres, ribbed with gold wire and the thorax is hot orange seal’s fur.
The thorax cover is cock pheasant tail fibres and the pattern is finished with a beard hackle of red game hen.
▪ The Dancer, Hot-head Damsel, Ace of Spades, Viva, Cat’s Whisker, Woolly Bugger, Cormorant, Diawl Bach and Buzzers were the most successful patterns last week at Stirling’s Swanswater Fishery, with the favourite colour being black.
Over two visits Robert Park from Glasgow bagged six for 19lb 8oz including a gold at 6lbs, Stewart MacKay (Bonnybridge) took five for 16lb 4oz, Danny Doherty (Denny) had5 for 14lb plus four on C&R, Ian Whitelaw (Dunipace) five for 12lb 8oz and Marius Botezatu from Stirling took four for 11lb, returning a further four.