U TENNIS:


Nadal vs. I
3 things t
No.I -seeded
 is bidding for
 championship
Garros today again
Djokovic, who is ey
- which would co
Grand Slam. Whoev
ranked No. I on Mo
should be few surp
be their 42nd matc
any other pair of ME
era, which began in
their 12th Grand Sl
another record -
Nadal and Djokovic
played Roger Feder
Nadal leads t
 including 8-3
 5-0 at the Fr

But Djokovic won t
matches, including
final at Rome last n
coaches of both dis
significance of that,
Toni Nadal, Rafael's
coach: "It's true tha
Rafael in Rome, bu
Rafael has won ma
in this court"His ne
at the French Open
wins a row. The onl
the fourth round in
Soderling.
From 2006-W
 Federer a car
 by beating h
Open final (Federer
his hands on the tr
defeating Soderlinc
Djokovic's first shot
a set of major titles
from Paris came in
which was spread o
because of rain. Na
one 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 7
semifinals, Djokovi
break in the fifth se
at 4-3, 40-all, whei
smash winner, but
pushed him into th
are not allowed to
Djokovic who a
had cleared the coui
be reached by Nada
point. Nadal went o


apova helps




If to 2nd title


Djokovic: C

o watch Shari
d Rafael Nadal
ra ninth
ip at Roland
st No. 2 Novak
eing his first hr e
complete a career
ver wins will be By HOWARD FENDRICH
onday. And there ASSOCIATED PRESS
rises. This will
hup, more than PARIS Nothing came
nen in the Open easily for Maria Sharapova
n 1968. It's also in the French Open final.
lam meeting, Serves hit by her
one more than surgically repaired
c each have shoulder often missed
rer. the mark, resulting in
 12 double-faults. Shots
the series 22-19,
 that would be winners
3 at Slams and against most opponents
rench Open.
their last four were retrieved by Simona
Ion clay in the Halep and sent right back.
montcl the Leads that usually hold
nonth. The
 up vanished in a blink.
 On a muggy afternoon,
 though. Said with the temperature in
 Uncle and the high 70s, points were
t Novak beat
it's true that lung-searing struggles.
 Sharapova was up to the
ny matches here task. In an entertaining
1phew is 65-1 and undulating champi-
,including 3 onship match the first
lo1ss came in women's final at Roland
2009 to Robin Garros in 13 years to go
 three sets Sharapova
08, Nadal denied showed that she's as tough
reer Grand Slam as they come, particularly
him in the French on the red clay that used
r eventually got to flummox her. She
rphy in 2009, edged Halep 6-4, 6-7 (5),
g in the final). 6-4 Saturday to win a
t at completing second French Open title
s with one in three years.
the 2012 final, "This is the toughest
over two days Grand Slan final I've ever
dal won that played," Sharapova said.
7-5. In last year's It is her fifth major tro-
c was up a phy in all. Sharapova owns
et and serving twice as many from Paris
n he hit volley as the one each she won
his momentum at Wimbledon in 2004, the
ie net. Players U.S. Open in 2006, and the
touch the net, so Australian Open in 2008.
argued his shot The 3-hour, 2-minute
urt and couldn't tangle featured too many
al -lost the momentum swings to
on to win 9-7. count, filled with lengthy
 baseline exchanges,
-Associated Press
 and terrific defense and


 AT A GLANCE
 WHAT: Year's second Grand Slam
 WHERE: Roland Garros, Paris
 WHEN: Men's final, 9 a.m.
 WHO: No. 1 Rafael Nadal of Spain
 vs. No. 2 Novak Djokovic of Serbia
 TV: NBC
 FORECAST: Clear, high in the 80s.
 QUOTE OF THE DAY: "It's the
 most emotional victory for me'
 Maria Sharapova.
 STAT OF THE DAY: 20
 Consecutive three-setters on clay
 won by Sharapova, including four
 in a row this week.
 INSIDE: More French Open results
 in Scoreboard, PAGE 5


shotmaking by both.
 Not bad for someone
who once famously de-
scribed herself as feeling
like a "cow on ice" when it
came to playing on clay, a
slow, demanding surface
that requires excellent
footwork.
 Since 2012, she is 54-4
with seven titles on clay
and 20-1 the last three
years at Roland Garros.


 Sharapova had an oper-
ation on her right shoul-
der in October 2008. That
joint troubled the Russian
again in 2013, when she
played one match from
July to December. She
now travels with a physio-
therapist, Jerome Bianchi,
and she thanked him "for
keeping me healthy."
 Each time it appeared
Sharapova was ready to
pull away, she was forced
to do extra work. When it
ended, she dropped to her
knees and folded her body
forward, burying her face
in her hands.
 "I had good tactics.
Also, I was hitting the ball
strong," Halep said. But,
she added, But Sharapova,
"was moving really well."
 Cow on ice?
 More like Queen of Clay.

 French team wins men's
doubles: Julien Benneteau and
Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France
won their first Grand Slam title by
defeating Spaniards Marc Lopez and
Marcel Granollers 6-3,7-6 (1) in men's
doubles.


BELMONT
FROM PAGE 1
 "It's all or nothing,
because this is not fair
to these horses that have
been running their guts
out for these people and
for the people who believe
in him. This is a coward's
way out."
 Tonalist paid $20.40
to win, $9.60 to place
and $7.00 to show.
Commissioner was at
$23.20 and $13.20 for
place and Medal Count
paid $13.20 to show. The
winning margin was a
head. California Chrome
finished about three
lengths back.
 It wasn't the first time
jockey Espinoza has had
a chance to win the Triple
Crown. He was aboard
War Emblem in 2002
when the horse stumbled
out of the gate, had to
rush to the front, but
faded in the stretch and
finished eighth.
 Sir Barton won the first
Triple Crown in 1919. He
was followed by Gallant
Fox in 1930, Omaha in
'35, War Admiral in '37,
Whirlaway in '41, Count
Fleet in '43, Assault in '46,
Citation in '48 and then
three superstars in the
'70s Secretariat ('73),
Seattle Slew ('77) and
Affirmed.
 The trick to winning
the Belmont often lies in
surviving three races in
five weeks rather than 112-
mile distance, a race rarely
run on the dirt in the U.S.
The Triple Crown starts on
the first Saturday in May
with the Kentucky Derby
over the classic 11/4 miles
and the Preakness Stakes
is two weeks later over
116 miles. The Belmont
follows in three weeks.
Only 11 horses have ever
won all three races.
 Still, while the dream
ends it makes the story
nonetheless amazing.
 California Chrome was
bred with all the regality of


BELMONT CHART
11th Race at Belmont Park, Saturday I


Horse Wgt
Tonalist 126
Commissioner 126
Medal Count 126
California Chrome 126
Wicked Strong 126
Samraat 126
General a Rod 126
Matterhorn 126
Commanding Curve]126
Matuszak 126
Ride On Curlin 126
Time
11 (U1)Tonalist
8 (8) Commissioner
I ()Medal Count


5-hd
 1-1
 6-11/2
 2-I/2
 4-hd
 10-1/2
 3-1
 8-I/2
 9-11/2
 11
 7-I/2
24.06


$2 Pick 3 1-8-11 (3 correct) $288.50
$2 Pick 65-5-1/6-8-11 (5 correct) $814.00
$2 Daily Double 8-11 $116.00
$2 Exacta 11-8 $348.00
$2 Superfecta 11-8-1-9 $11,467.00
Trainer: Christophe Clement.
Scratched: None.


1/2 Miles. Purse $1,500,000-Added 3 Year Olds Grade 1: 146th Running
 1/2 iM 11 Str Fin Jockey To$1
 3-1 3-11/2 3-1 2-hd 1-hd Rosario 9.20
 1-hd I-I I -1/2 1 -11/2 2-1 Castellano 28.00
 7-11/2 5-11/2 5-2 4-hd 3-34 Albarado 24.75
 4-1 4-I/2 4-hd 5-2 4-214 Espinoza 0.85
 5-1/2 6-1/2 7-11/2 6-11/2 4-214 Maragh 5.30
 11 11 8-1 7-1/2 6-114 J.Ortiz 19.50
 2-1 2-hd 2-1/2 3-1/2 7-434 Napravnik 34.00
 9-1/2 8-3 6-1 8-2 8-234 Bravo 40.75
 8-1 7-hd 9-15 9-20 9 Bridgmohan 8.90
 10-3 10-1 10-5 10 Smith 34.50
 6-hd 9-1 11 Velazquez 8.30
 48.52 1:12.84 1:37.13 2:02A3 2:28.52
 20.40 9.60 7.00
 23.20 13.20
 13.20


 $2 Pick4 5-1/6-8-11 (4 correct) $425.25
 $2 Pick 65-5-1/6-8-11 (6 correct) $90,671.00
$2 Daily Double GOLD CUP-BELMONT 3-11 $127.00
 $2 Su perfecta 11-8-1-2 $7,616.00
 $2 Trifecta 11-8-1 $6,781.00
 Winner: B C, 3, byTapit-Settling Mist


 APP ITIU
Jockey Joel Rosario is congratulated after winning the Belmont
Stakes atop Tonalist on Saturday in Elmont, N.Y.


an equine Oliver Twist.
 Coburn and co-owner
Perry Martin bought a
broodmare Love the
Chase for $8,000 and
paid a $2,500 stud fee
to the owners of Lucky
Pulpit, and out came
California Chrome.
 Stud fees for the very


best horses can go in
excess of $50,000.
 And the horse was bred
in California. In breeding
circles, California is to
Kentucky as New Jersey
is to New York for theater.
Only four Cal-bred horses
have won the Kentucky
Derby and five have won


the Preakness. A Cal-bred
hasn't won the Belmont
since 1903.
 One person who knew
of the mating called the
owners a pair of dumb
asses. So, Coburn and
Martin named their racing
group DAP for Dumb Ass
Partners.
 The trainer is 77-year-
old Art Sherman, whose
only brush with greatness
was as an exercise rider
for Swaps in 1955. He had
never entered a horse in
a Triple Crown race until
now. His humble nature
and unflappability has
made him a media star
throughout this agonizing
race to stardom. And if
that's not enough, the
horse trained at the
near-bucolic Los Alamitos
Race Course in Orange
County. It's primarily a
quarter-horse track that
exists mostly so that
satellite wagering places
can have something to bet
after 10 p.m. on the East
Coast.
 California Chrome
was the 13th to try to
win the three races over
a five-week stretch since
Affirmed won in 1978.


 AP PHOTO
Russia's Maria Sharapova falls to the ground after winning the
women's final of the French Open on Saturday in Paris.


The Sun /Sunday, June 8, 2014


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