FINALLY… Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova celebrates after beating Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro to win the Portugal Open title, in Lisbon yesterday. (EPA)DPA/Paris French Open officials yesterday declined to delve into a potential can of worms, refusing to consider lifting the seeding of Rafael Nadal when the clay court Grand Slam starts in just over a fortnight. The Spanish ‘King of Clay’ is currently ranked fifth, mainly due to his seven-month injury absence from last summer until February. Since returning, he has played the final in every event he has entered, winning four of six. Talks had suggested that, like Wimbledon on grass, that Roland Garros seed him higher in the draw to avoid what is now a looming quarter-final clash with world number one Novak Djokovic in Paris. But tournament director Gilbert Ysern told French sports daily l’Equipe that Nadal would remain where his ATP ranking dictates. He added that the Spaniard had not asked for any favours over his seeding either. “Considering what Nadal represents in Paris, (best player in the tournament’s history), it seemed incongruous that he arrives in Paris with the number 4 or 5 bib,” Ysern said. “But it (improving his seeding) was said to be fiddling.” Nadal stands second in the Spanish pecking order, behind David Ferrer, the world number four.
Pavlyuchenkova wins Portugal Open titleOeiras: Third seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova won her first title under the new tutelage of Martina Hingis as she posted a 7-5, 6-2 defeat of Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro at the Portugal Open yesterday. The 19th-ranked Russian has been working with five-time Swiss Grand Slam champion Hingis for just a few weeks on an official basis. The victory in 96 minutes marks her first trophy on clay. She now owns five titles with the latest victory duplicating the 2012 heartbreak for Suarez Navarro in the Portugal final. At that time, the Spaniard failed to hang onto a lead over Kaia Kanepi to lose the title bid. Pavlyuchenkova becomes the first Russian women’s champion in Portugal since Maria Kirilenko five years ago. All-German final Munich: Veteran Tommy Haas rolled back the years yesterday to enjoy a straight sets semi-final win over Croatia Ivan Dodig and set up an all-German final at the ATP clay-court tournament in Munich. Haas, 35, needed just 89 minutes to claim a 6-4, 6-3 win over the 28-year-old Dodig and will now face either of his compatriots — Daniel Brand or fourth-seed Philipp Kohlschreiber, who meet later — in today’s final.