The exhibition match in Abu Dhabi against Jelena Ostapenko was the American’s first match for 11 months.

Williams struggled with her movement at first but played some fine shots in a 6-2 3-6 (10-5) defeat.

Australian Open director Craig Tilley has said Williams is “very likely” to defend her title at the 2018 tournament, which starts on 15 January.

Ranked 22nd in the world, Williams would not need a wildcard to play in the first Grand Slam tournament of the new season.

“I’m excited. It’s good to be back on court, this is such a good time for me,” Williams, 36, told Eurosport.

“Motherhood is phenomenal. I was a little worried out there – I looked at my camp and asked, ‘Is Olympia OK?”
Williams, who gave birth to her daughter in September, had not played since winning her 23rd major singles title at last year’s Australian Open.

She initially struggled to get enough power behind her serve and missed several straightforward shots as French Open champion Ostapenko claimed the first set.

The Latvian pushed her opponent wide, with Williams’ movement looking sluggish at first.

However, she found more timing as the match progressed, increasing the speed on her serve and moving well inside the court.

A fine lob over Ostapenko was the highlight of the second set but the Latvian, who stunned Simona Halep at Roland Garros in June, overpowered her in the tie-break.

–

Source: BBC

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The Frenchwoman, 33, quit the sport in August 2013 citing persistent injury problems, less than six weeks after winning her only Grand Slam title.

“It’s going to be a huge challenge,” said Bartoli, who will make her comeback at the 2018 Miami Open beginning on 19 March.

“I still have a lot of practice ahead.”

Speaking on Instagram, she added: “I’m really looking forward to being on the court again, especially in Paris at Roland Garros in my home country, but also for the Fed Cup and Wimbledon.”

Bartoli has won eight WTA titles and reached a career-high world ranking of seventh in 2012. She was also Wimbledon runner-up in 2007.

She won her first Grand Slam at the 47th attempt – the longest wait in women’s tennis – by beating Germany’s Sabine Lisicki 6-1 6-4 in the final.

In 2016, she revealed she had “feared for her life” after contracting an unknown virus that caused dramatic weight loss.

–

Source: BBC

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Sharapova, 30, came back to the tour in April following a 15-month ban for taking the banned drug meldonium.

The Russian beat defending champion Peng in 78 minutes and maintained her record of not dropping a set this week.

She will play 19-year-old world number 102 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, who beat Italy’s Sara Errani 6-1 6-3.

Sharapova, ranked 86th in the world, made the last 16 at the US Open in September and also reached the last 16 in Beijing last week, before losing to world number one Simona Halep.

It is her first final since May 2015, when she won the Italian Open.

In June the following year she received a two-year ban for a prohibited substance but in October 2016 that was reduced to 15 months after an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

She lost to Peng in China in 2009 but that remains her only defeat in seven meetings with the third seed and world number 25.

Sharapova will now face Sabalenka for the first time after the teenager fired 10 aces in a 58-minute straight-sets victory over Errani, winner of nine WTA titles.

Sabalenka seized her chances in clinical fashion against the 30-year-old world number 280, claiming a 100% record on break point opportunities.

–

Source: BBC

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The world number one powered to a 6-3 6-3 6-4 victory in Sunday’s final at Flushing Meadows.

The Spaniard, 31, has now won two Slams in the same year for the first time since 2013, having won the French Open in June.

“It’s just unbelievable what happened this year,” said Nadal.

“After a couple of years with some troubles, injuries, sometimes playing not good – since the beginning of the season it has been very, very emotional.”

The US Open was the last Grand Slam where he was working alongside his uncle Toni, with Carlos Moya taking sole charge of coaching from 2018.

“I can’t thank him enough for all the things he did for me,” Nadal said of his uncle.

“Probably without him I would never be playing tennis and it’s great I had somebody like him pushing me all the time.”

The result means this year’s major titles are shared between Nadal, at the French and US Opens, and Roger Federer, at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

Federer remains at the top of the men’s all-time Grand Slam list with 19 titles, three ahead of Nadal, who has now won 10 French titles, three US, two Wimbledon and one Australian.

Nadal went into the final with a 4-0 head-to-head record against Anderson, and he dominated once again.

The 2010 and 2013 champion lost just 15 points on serve in the entire match, did not face a break point and won all 16 points he finished at the net.

It was a ruthless demolition job by a man playing his 23rd Grand Slam final, up against an opponent in his first.

Anderson, 31, was the tallest player ever to feature in a Grand Slam final at 6ft 8in, and with a tournament-leading 114 aces was always going to rely on his serve to get a foothold in the match.

The signs were not good, therefore, when he had to fight through six deuces in his second and third service games as Nadal pressed hard.

Anderson clearly felt the need to play to his limits from the outset, attacking the net more than normal to try to keep the points short, but it brought mixed results at best.

The pressure told in game seven when the South African pulled a forehand into the tramlines facing a sixth break point.

Nadal would break again to seal the set with a wonderful backhand drop volley, and Anderson ended the set with just eight winners from 19 trips to the net.

The second set followed a similar pattern, with Nadal again untroubled on serve and this time making the breakthrough in game six with some sharp volleying.

By the time he whipped a forehand cross-court winner to take a two-set lead, Nadal had lost just seven points in nine service games.

A wild Anderson forehand on break point at the start of the third hastened the end of the contest, and Nadal would clinch the title on his second match point with a clinical serve-volley.

The South African praised Nadal as one of his idols, saying, “I know we’re the same age but I feel like I’ve been watching you my whole life.

“You’re one of the toughest competitors in the game and one of the greatest ambassadors of our sport.

“This isn’t the result I always wanted but I’ll keep fighting and I’ll be back.”

–

Source: BBC

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The Mercedes driver equalled the tally of Scot Jim Clark and Frenchman Alain Prost with his fourth home win in a row to add to his first win for McLaren in 2008.

Hamilton’s victory cut his deficit to Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel to just one point in the championship as the German suffered a front-left tyre failure when running third with two laps to go, dropping to seventh.

The same problem had hit Vettel’s team-mate Kimi Raikkonen the lap before, costing the Finn an almost certain second place, promoting Hamilton’s team-mate Valtteri Bottas to a Mercedes one-two. Raikkonen recovered to finish third.

Following the podiums celebrations, Hamilton went down to see the crowd, surfing on their outstretched hands and high-fiving as he ran past the adoring throng.

“The support has been incredible this weekend,” he said. “I am so proud I could do this for you all. Now the plan is to win the championship.”

What an easy way to make history

The drama all unfolded behind Hamilton, whose 57th career victory was among the most straightforward, on a weekend which he started 20 points behind Vettel and needed everything to go his way.

The 32-year-old converted pole position – earned with a spectacular lap on Saturday afternoon – into a first-corner lead and simply drove off into the distance.

Hamilton was 1.6 seconds clear after the first lap before the race was neutralised by a safety car following a collision between the Toro Rosso drivers.

After the restart on lap five, Hamilton edged clear, building a 3.1-second lead after 12 laps and five seconds after 18, before he began to cut loose as the pit stops approached.

Suddenly Hamilton was lapping a second faster than Raikkonen, pulling out five seconds behind Raikkonen made his pit stop on lap 24, Mercedes calling Hamilton in for his stop on the next lap.

Hamilton returned to the track with a 10-second lead over Raikkonen and cruised to the flag as attention now turned to the battle for the remaining podium positions.
Bottas and Vettel battle hard – with differing results

Bottas was on an inverted tyre strategy, starting on the soft tyre from ninth place after a five-place penalty for changing his gearbox.

He ran long on his first stint, battling past the cars in front of him and up into fifth place by lap five and then not stopping until lap 32 and rejoined 4.2 seconds behind Vettel with 18 laps to go.

Bottas was soon setting fastest laps and was on Vettel’s tail by lap 42.
A first attempt to pass around the outside of Stowe ended with Vettel forcing him wide, but the Ferrari driver then locked a wheel into the tight Vale corner, damaging a front tyre.

Bottas swept by on the Hangar Straight a lap later and set off after Raikkonen. It looked as if the Ferrari driver would hang on until his tyre lost its tread on lap 48, Vettel’s going the same way a lap later.

Vettel in the early laps of the race had had a tense fight with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, the two banging wheels out of Stowe corner, Vettel forcing the Dutchman wide and the having the favour returned.

Verstappen hung on but was passed at the pit stops, but he came home fourth after Ferrari’s problems.

What happens next?

The Hungarian Grand Prix on 28-30 July is the final race before F1’s four-week summer break. It’s a tricky circuit with a lot of long corners, and a place where Mercedes might be expected to again have an advantage over Ferrari.

It is the perfect opportunity for Hamilton to take the championship lead outright for the first time this year.

And Hungary is a race where Hamilton already holds the record for most wins in the history of the sport with five. Bodes well.

–

Source: BBC

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Russian Sharapova beat Roberta Vinci on Wednesday at the Stuttgart Open on her return from a 15-month doping ban.

In October, the Court of Arbitration for Sport said Sharapova was not an “intentional doper”.

However, Canadian Bouchard said: “She’s a cheater and I don’t think a cheater in any sport should be allowed to play that sport again.”

Bouchard, 23, now ranked 59th in the world, told TRT World: “I think from the WTA it sends the wrong message to young kids: cheat and we’ll welcome you back with open arms.

“I don’t think that’s right and she’s not someone I can say I look up to any more.

“It’s so unfair to all the other players who do it in the right way and are true.”

Five-time Grand Slam winner Sharapova, who was suspended in March 2016 after testing positive for meldonium, was given a wildcard for the tournament.

The 30-year-old has also received wildcards for the tournaments in Madrid and Rome and will find out if she has been given one for the French Open on 16 May – 12 days before the competition.

That decision has been defended by WTA chief Steve Simon, who said it was in keeping with how former dopers were treated in other sports.

–

Source: BBC

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The 35-year-old Swiss won 6-4 3-6 6-1 3-6 6-3 to claim his fifth Melbourne title and extend his lead at the top of the all-time men’s major winners’ list.

Nadal, 30, remains tied in second with Pete Sampras on 14 Grand Slams following his first final since 2014.

Federer’s previous major title came at Wimbledon in 2012.

“I’ve been coming here for almost 20 years now,” he said. “I’ve always enjoyed it and now my family does too.

“Thanks again for everything, to everybody. I hope to see you next year. If not, this was a wonderful run here and I can’t be more happy to win.”

He becomes the first man in history to win five or more titles at three different Grand Slam events – five Australian Opens, five US Opens and seven Wimbledons.

Nadal was also on the way back from injuries that curtailed his 2016 season, but the Spaniard could not improve his winning record against Federer – the Swiss has now won 12 of their 35 matches and three of nine major finals.

“I worked very hard to get where I am,” said Nadal. “I fight a lot, probably Roger deserved it a little bit more than me.

“I’m just going to keep trying. I feel I am back at a very high level.”

The return of one of the great tennis rivalries to the Grand Slam final stage led to huge anticipation, and it lived up to the billing over three hours and 37 minutes.

A match of wild momentum swings ended with a purple patch from Federer that saw him win the last five games, and clinch the title thanks to confirmation from a Hawk-Eye challenge.

Federer leapt in the air in celebration and, after consoling close friend Nadal, broke down in tears as his wife Mirka and his team celebrated in the stands.

“Tennis is a tough sport,” said Federer. “There are no draws. If there were I would have been happy to accept one and share it with Rafa.

“Everybody says they work very hard – I do the same – but I try not to shout about it. I’d like to thank my team. It’s been a different last six months. I didn’t think I’d make it but here I am.”

The injury lay-offs meant Federer was seeded 17th in Melbourne and Nadal ninth, but the Swiss will now return to the world’s top 10 and Nadal will move up to sixth.

Federer finishes with a flourish

There were moments of genius from both players – a stunning forehand angled winner from Nadal as he dominated the fourth set, a breathtaking 26-stroke rally in the fifth that ended with a crushing Federer forehand – but in the end the attacking instincts of Federer held sway.

He dropped just four points on serve in the first set, breaking serve after a brilliant drive volley in game seven, only for Nadal to race 4-0 clear in the second.

Federer recovered one of the breaks but it was not enough as Nadal served out to love to level the match, and then heaped on the pressure early in the third.

With the momentum slipping away, Federer came up with three aces on break points to nudge ahead in the first game – and it proved to be a decisive moment.

A magical half-volley forehand helped Federer get the break in the next game and he rolled through the set for the loss of just one game.

Neither had been able to produce their very best consistently and it was Federer’s turn to leak forehand errors as he fell behind in the fourth set, and Nadal appeared the stronger as they headed into a decider.

Federer needed an off-court medical time-out, just as he had before the fifth set of his semi-final against Stan Wawrinka, and he had treatment to his thigh on the changeover as he fell 3-1 behind.

Despite his physical issues, Federer continued to press on the Nadal serve, earning break points in each game until he finally converted a sixth to level at 3-3.

The Rod Laver Arena crowd roared as the Swiss swept through a service game and then broke again in a dramatic game, winning a 26-stroke rally that will rank among the best ever.

Closing out a Grand Slam final was never going to be easy after five years, and Federer had to recover from 15-40 before firing a forehand onto the line and waiting for Hawk-Eye to confirm it was a historic winner.

–

Source: BBC

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Mr.  Naabu in a Citi News interview said he would not allow any of the flag bearer hopefuls’ interest to supersede that of the party’s overall interest.

He also threatened to sanction any party executives in the region who will flout his directive and grant audience to any of the flag bearer hopefuls ahead of the opening of nominations for the contest.

He further admonished the flag bearer hopefuls to avoid smear campaign against their opponents saying, “We are one family and we must not give our political opponents the weapon to fire at us.”

He reiterated the need for the party to hold an early congress to elect its Presidential candidate for 2016.

According to him the NPP must re-strategize to wrestle power from the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) in 2016.

Bugri Naabu noted that the NDC has nothing new to offer Ghanaians and opined that the NPP would be the best alternative.

“We need power in 2016 and is only unity that can guarantee us power; Ghanaians are looking up to us to come to power and fix the economy,” he claimed.

By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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This decision was taken at the NPP’s heated National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held on Thursday at the party’s headquarters in Accra.

However, there will be another meeting next week to discuss and approve modalities for the nominations and the way-forward.

Information available to Citi News indicated that some of the national executives proposed opening nominations December this year or early next year.

But majority of the NEC members especially from the various regions strongly disagreed and called for early flagbearership congress.

The majority side was convinced that organizing early flagbearership contest will create room for unity.

This in their estimation will boost the party’s electoral fortunes in 2016 as the leadership is desperate to wrestle power from the governing  National Democratic Congress (NDC) “at all cost?”

The meeting which was expected to be a happy Krukrudites meeting turned gaga when some of the national executives appeared autocratic.

Citi News also gathered that the NPP got broke after the Tamale congress.

High profile NPP bigwigs who attended Thursday’s crunch NEC meeting were the party’s two times Presidential candidate, Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Ado and his trusted twice running mate, Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia and former President John Agyekum Kufuor.

By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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