So Farsø good for revitalised Horsey
WORLD No 1 Novak Djokovic reached the semi-finals of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati by dispatching fifthseed Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 6-1 last night.
It was a measure of revenge for Djokovic, who lost to Wawrinka in the French Open final in May.
Top seed Djokovic, the reigning Australian Open and Wimbledon champion, has never won the Cincinnati event. He is hoping to become the first man to win all nine ATP Masters 1000 championships in his career.
Swiss Wawrinka, who needed three tiebreakers and two hours, 37 minutes to get past seven-foot Ivo Karlovic on Thursday, committed 27 unforced errors to eight for Djokovic.
At 4-4 in the first set, Serbia’s Djokovic broke Wawrinka and went on to win the next five games, taking command of the match before closing it out in just 63 minutes.
“I think maybe I’m a little bit empty mentally to stay at my top,” Wawrinka said. “I’m generally happy with my tournament. I know where I am. There is a lot of positives to take from this week – winning two tough matches without playing my best tennis, fighting, staying there.
“I think my level is there. I know and I can see where I am. I’m happy with the way and what I did this week. I’m excited for US Open.”
The win meant Djokovic improved his career record against Wawrinka to 18 wins and four losses.
In the last four Djokovic will face qualifier Alexandr Dolgopolov, who upset world No 6 Tomas Berdych 6-4, 6-2. Dolgopolov is the first qualifier to reach the semi-finals in Cincinnati since 1994.
Serena Williams is the women’s top seed but she, too has struggled to win in Cincinnati in the past. She reached the semi-finals, though, by beating Ana Ivanovic 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, despite struggling with her serve, and needing a second-set rally to stave off defeat.
Williams won the tournament for the first time on her sixth try last year, beating Ivanovic in the final. She lost in the semi-finals in Toronto last week and is using her week in Cincinnati as a final tune-up for the US Open, where she will be trying to complete a rare Grand Slam sweep. Last night, Williams got only 46 per cent of her first serves in play and had 36 unforced errors.
After dropping the first set, she fell behind 3-4 in the second set. At that point, she turned it around, breaking Ivanovic’s serve five times while pulling away. Ivanovic said: “Against top players, it’s not over until you shake the hand.
“You have to fight for each point. Especially Serena – every time she was down and her back against the wall, she came up with the best shots.” DAVID Horsey opened up a three-shot lead at the Made in Denmark tournament after shooting a four-under-par second-round 67 in Farsø.
The Cheshire 30-year-old, who led by one overnight, was knocked off the top of the leaderboard by fellow Englishman John Parry before he started play but he hardly looked back after a birdie at the first.
He followed with another birdie at the fourth and an eagle three at the sixth. He did also drop three shots in the first ten holes but three more birdies on the back nine cancelled them out as he reached the halfway point at 12 under at the Himmerland Golf and Spa Resort.
Parry also carded a 67 and ended the day in a tie for second on nine under alongside Australian Richard Green.
Welshman Bradley Dredge, last year’s runner-up, and another Australian, Terry Pilkadaris, were joint-fourth on eight under after shooting 68s.
Horsey, who is chasing a fourth European Tour win but has had just one top-ten finish this year, put his charge down to the reinvigorating effects of a recent break.
He told www.europeantour. com: “It was nice to get away, put the clubs away for a week and just forget about golf. I really enjoyed that. I’ve just been trying to stick to my own strategy and not be distracted by things going on around me and it seems to be working so far.”
Parry made a superb start to his second round and reached 11 under after sinking six birdies in his first 15 holes. He slipped up with bogeys on two of three.
Green moved up the leaderboard with a bogey-free 65 that featured six birdies.
Welshman Oliver Farr, who began the day second, finished with two birdies to shoot levelpar 71 and sit on seven under alongside Ireland’s Peter Lawrie, who signed for a 69.
Further down the leaderboard, Scotland’s former Open champion Paul Lawrie was on five under with European Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke three under. Clarke was actually in serious danger of missing the cut – level par – after four bogeys in his first nine but he recovered dramatically after the turn. Four birdies and an eagle took him to six under before he dropped three shots on his last two.
Meanwhile, at the USPGA Tour Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, American Tom Hoge was the early clubhouse leader last night after adding a second-round 67 to his opening 62. Tiger Woods went out in 34 for the opening nine holes of his second round and was four shots adrift of Hoge at the turn.
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