Tuesday, September 15, 2009 NEW YORK: Juan Martin del Potro dethroned five-time defending champion Roger Federer 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 to capture the US Open on Monday, ending an era to win in his first Grand Slam final.Firing consistent winners, the 1.98m Argentine giant kept the pressure upon the player many hail as the greatest in tennis history, one he had never beaten in six prior attempts, and won a shocker after four hours and six minutes. "It's the best sensation in my life," Del Potro said. The stunner made Del Potro only the second South American to win the US Open men's crown, after countryman Guillermo Vilas in 1977, and denied Swiss world number one Federer a 16th career Slam crown and sixth US Open title in a row. "Life goes on. No problem," Federer said. "It has been an amazing run for me. Six would have been a dream too, but you can't have them all." Del Potro led Federer by two sets in the French Open semi-finals before the Swiss rallied for a dramatic five-set victory. But there was no such escape this time. Federer was pushed into a fifth set for only the third time since the start of his championship run, the other times being against Andre Agassi in the 2004 quarter-finals and in last year's round of 16 against Igor Andreev. Del Potro zipped a forehand crosscourt winner past Federer for a break and a 2-0 lead in the final set and denied the top seed on a break chance in the third game on his way to a 5-2 lead.
BEIRUT: Thousands of people converged Saturday on central Beirut to mark the fourth anniversary of the assassination of Lebanese former premier Rafiq Hariri.Waving Lebanese flags and carrying pictures of the slain leader, men, women and children gathered under sunny skies in Martyr's Square where members of the parliamentary majority were to address the crowd. The rally comes as final preparations are underway in The Hague for the launch of the international tribunal set up to bring Hariri's killers to justice. It also comes as the country prepares for legislative elections in June that will pit Western-backed political parties against a Hezbollah-led alliance backed by Syria and Iran.Hariri died in a massive car bombing on February 14, 2005 that also killed 22 others. The assassination was widely blamed on then Lebanese power-broker Syria, which has denied any involvement. The attack on the Beirut seafront was one of the worst acts of political violence to rock Lebanon since t...
Comments