Djoker in semis of ATP Finals
LONDON: Marin Cilic defeated American John Isner in three sets 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-4 to keep alive his chances of qualifying for the semifinals of the ATP Finals in London. The Croatian dealt well with Isner’s powerful serve and errors towards his victory in two hours and 14 minutes. The decisive spell in the match came when Cilic scored three consecutive breaks against Isner at the end of the second and the beginning of the third set and was able to serve out to claim the win. The fact Cilic won in three sets means that world No. 1, Novak Djokovic becomes the first player to book his place in the semifinals after he continued his winning streak with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Alexander Zverev in an hour and 16 minutes earlier in the day. Djokovic, who is attempting to win the trophy for a record equalling sixth time, may have only hit one ace in comparison to Zverev’s nine, but still won a decisive 75 percent of his first serves. “I thought I played well from mid-way through the second set. I started to swing through the ball. I haven’t served that great. He obviously made a lot of unforced errors that allowed me to win easier than expected,” said Djokovic. (UNI)
Man City defender out with injury until end of 2018
LONDON: Manchester City’s French international defender Benjamin Mendy faces another spell on the sidelines following an operation on his left knee. It is thought Mendy has undergone an operation on his left meniscus ligament, which will leave him out of action until at least the end of 2018. The defender played all 90 minutes of his side’s 3-1 win over Manchester United on Sunday, but withdrew from the French national team squad at the start of the week in order to travel to Barcelona to undergo scans on the injury. These scans showed he needed an operation which was carried out by the renowned surgeon, Dr Ramon Cugat. Dr Cugat had previously operated on Mendy in 2017 after he damaged the cruciate ligament on his right knee, two months after joining Manchester City from Monaco. That injury caused him to miss a total of 43 games, although he was able to return to action before the end of the 2017-18 season and form part of the French World Cup squad which triumphed in Russia during the summer. (UNI)
VAR to star in 2019 Asian Cup quarter-finals, says AFC
Kuala Lumpur: The Asian Football Confederation on Thursday said the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system will be implemented from the quarter-finals of next year’s Asian Cup. The AFC which is the regional governing body, said VAR will be used in seven matches and at four venues. The system allows referees to review video footage of key decisions such as the awarding of goals, penalties and red cards during matches. It was used at the 2018 World Cup in Russia but with mixed results. VAR is already in use across the majority of Europe’s major leagues including La Liga, the Bundesliga and Serie A. “The decision to include VAR was only made on September 26 and that has meant a tremendous amount of work has been required to ensure that it can play a role at the tournament from the quarter-final stages,” Windsor John, the AFC general-secretary said in a statement. The bigger 2019 Asian Cup will feature a record 24 teams from all corners of Asia, up from 16 that participated in the previous four editions. The 2019 tournament will be the second time the UAE has hosted the event, after successfully staging the finals in 1996. (AFP)
Bayern’s James Rodriguez ruled out with knee injury
BERLIN: Bayern Munich’s attacking midfielder James Rodriguez will be out of action for several weeks, the German record champions confirmed in an official statement on Wednesday. The Colombian international suffered a partial tear of his lateral collateral ligament in his left knee during a trainings session on Tuesday, a medical examination by club doctor Hans-Wilhelm Mueller-Wohlfahrt revealed. James’ knee will be immobilised for the next 10 days before he starts with rehabilitation training. The 27-year-old joined the “Bavarians” on a two-year loan deal in the summer 2017 and has provided 10 goals and 12 assists in overall 31 Bundesliga appearances ever since. Defending champions Bayern Munich sit currently on the 5th place of the standings. (UNI)