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Law creating Davao airport authority signed

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte signed into law a measure creating the Davao International Airport Authority (DIAA) that will manage airports in the Davao Region, including the city’s Francisco Bangoy International Airport.

Mr. Duterte signed the bill that became Republic Act No. 11457 on Aug. 30. It is known as “An act creating the Davao International Airport Authority, transferring existing assets of Francisco Bangoy International Airport to the Authority, vesting the Authority with power to administer and operate the Francisco Bangoy International Airport and appropriating funds therefor.”

The new airport authority will manage Davao City’s airport and other airports to be established in Davao del Sur, Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental, Davao Occidental and Compostela Valley.

The DIAA’s mandate is to promote and develop air traffic in the Davao Region “as a means of making the region a center of international trade and tourism.”

The DIAA is controlled by the Department of Transportation (DoTr).

The law exempts the DIAA from realty taxes. It has the authority to raise funds, either from domestic or international sources, by way of loans, credit or securities and other financing instruments, subject to the prior approval of the President.

The law consolidates Senate Bill No. 2168 and House Bill No. 8691. It was passed by the Senate and House of Representatives on June 4 this year. — Arjay L. Balinbin

PHL cited as gender-equality leader in government hiring — ADB, OECD

THE Philippines is a regional leader in terms of gender equality in job hiring, specifically in the public sector, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Speaking to reporters at the launch of the Government at a Glance Southeast Asia 2019 report issued by the ADB and OECD, Chiara Bronchi, an ADB Chief Thematic Officer from the bank’s Thematic Advisory Service Cluster, said the study found that 53.7% of public sector jobs in the Philippines were occupied by women in 2016, up from 50.7% in 2009.

The Philippines outperformed the the Southeast Asian average of 47% in 2016, while also employing larger proportions of women than Japan or South Korea, where less than 50% of public sector employees were women,

“That makes actually Philippines a leader… in terms of hiring [with] a gender balance if you are in the public sector,” Ms. Bronchi said.

Edwin Lau, Head of the Reform of the Public Sector division at the OECD’s, Public Governance Directorate, said the findings reflect “meritocratic” hiring in government service.

“You also see that the types of recruitment systems that are used are very meritocratic, so they’re really built to ensure top-quality people are rising in the public service,” Mr. Lau said.

He said the Philippines is “far above” the Southeast Asian average in terms of performance management systems.

“It’s [Philippines] even using more performance management systems than OECD countries… (In) public employment… the systems are fairly well developed,” he added.

The study also found that women are underrepresented in parliamentary bodies, with only 20% of these seats across the region held by women in 2018, just 1.7 percentage point higher from a decade earlier.

The report is the first of its kind that looked into the latest available data on public administration in Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam. — Luz Wendy T. Noble

Peso weakens on US data bets

THE PESO declined on Tuesday on bets of positive US data and following a weak local trade report. — BW FILE PHOTO

THE PESO closed on a weaker note on Tuesday on the back of expectations of upbeat US producer inflation data.

The local unit depreciated to P51.98 against the greenback on Tuesday, shedding 11 centavos from its P51.865-per-dollar close on Monday.

The peso opened at P51.90 versus the dollar. Its weakest point was logged at P52.04, while its intraday best was at P51.84 against the greenback.

Dollars traded climbed to $1.495 billion on Tuesday against the $1.073 billion recorded on Monday.

“The peso weakened on market positioning ahead of likely upbeat US producer inflation reports [on Wednesday],” one trader said.

Meanwhile, Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. economist Michael L. Ricafort attributed the local currency’s decline to the wider Philippine trade deficit data in July.

“US dollar is also higher versus major global/Asian currencies after US Treasury bond yields went up recently to new two-week highs, thereby increasing US interest rate returns that increase the attractiveness/allure of the US currency,” Mr. Asuncion added.

US Treasury yields rose to three-week highs on Monday, in line with gains in the European bond market, as risk appetite improved amid easing US-China trade tensions and expectations of less-aggressive action from the European Central Bank (ECB) this week.

Yields on US debt, from two-year notes to 30-year bonds, all hit peaks after rising in two of the last three sessions, as investors grew less nervous about the US-China trade war.

Washington and Beijing have agreed to go back to the negotiating table.

Meanwhile, merchandise exports climbed 3.5% to $6.174 billion in July, faster than the 3.3% expansion in June and 2.3% growth in July 2018, preliminary data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed.

On the other hand, the merchandise import bill declined by 4.2% to $9.567 billion in July from $9.983 billion in the same month in 2018.

These results brought the country’s trade deficit to $3.393 billion in July, which is 15.5% less than the $4.016 billion shortfall in July 2018.

For today, the trader said the peso may continue to depreciate.

“The local currency might continue to weaken further amid expectations of similar upbeat US consumer inflation report later this week. Exchange rates might move within the P51.90 and P52.10 range,” the trader said.

The trader expects the peso to move within P51.90-P52.10 against the dollar, while Mr. Ricafort said the local unit could trade at around P51.80-52.10.

Most other emerging Asian currencies held tight ranges ahead of the European Central Bank meeting later this week.

A sharp decline in Chinese factory gate prices also subdued appetite for riskier assets as investors remained nervous about the prospects of a global economic slowdown.

Factory-gate prices shrank at the sharpest pace in three years in August, data showed on Tuesday, falling deeper into deflationary territory and reinforcing the urgency for Beijing to step up economic stimulus as the trade war with the United States intensifies.

Currency market focus now turns to the ECB meeting, which is widely expected to introduce a package of stimulus measures and monetary easing on Thursday to boost an ailing regional economy.

The US Federal Reserve is also expected to cut interest rates next week.

Among regional currencies, the Malaysian ringgit, which resumed trading after a holiday, advanced 0.2% against the greenback and was the top gainer in the region.

The South Korean won erased earlier gains to trade 0.1% higher, while China’s yuan was marginally higher.

The Taiwan dollar edged higher, after data on Monday showed the trade-reliant economy’s exports rose unexpectedly in August on strong demand for smartphones. — L.W.T. Noble with Reuters

Main index declines ahead of ECB, Fed meetings

By Arra B. Francia, Senior Reporter

THE main index snapped its four-day winning streak as investors waited for catalysts, such as policy moves of central banks abroad.

The bellwether Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) dropped 0.38% or 30.64 points to close at 7,929.48 yesterday, while the broader all-shares index likewise slipped 0.26% or 12.86 points to 4,786.45.

“Philippine shares finally fell to negative territory with the broader market notching slight losses as investors looked ahead to ECB (European Central Bank) and the Fed monetary policy moves,” Regina Capital Development Corp. Head of Sales Luis A. Limlingan said in a mobile phone message.

The US Federal Reserve will hold a meeting from Sept. 17 to 18, with Fed Chairman Jerome Powell signaling that they may cut interest rates for the second time this year. The central bank also said it is not expecting a recession, but will act appropriately to sustain the country’s economic growth.

Meanwhile, the ECB is also seen to cut rates during its own policy meeting this week.

“The index’s current sideways range could persist in the near-term on a lack of immediate catalysts for the PSEi,” Papa Securities Corp. Sales Associate Gabriel Jose F. Perez said in an e-mail.

“Bias remains upward because of technicals however, with initial resistance pegged at 8,000.”

Western markets were relatively unchanged on Monday as hopes on the Fed’s moves were offset by losses in tech and health care shares.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average went up 0.14% or 38.05 points to 26,835.51. The S&P 500 index dipped 0.01% or 0.28 point to 2,978.43, while the Nasdaq Composite index retreated 0.19% or 15.64 points to 8,087.44.

Asian markets were also mixed due to weak Chinese factory data, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 up 0.35% or 73.68 points to 21,392.10. The Hang Seng index added 0.01% or 2.28 points to 26,683.68, while the Shanghai Composite dropped 0.12% or 3.54 points to 3,021.20.

Sectoral indices were equally split between gainers and losers. Leading those that ended in positive territory was the mining and oil counter, which jumped 2.52% or 230.52 points to 9,353.88. Services climbed 0.72% or 11.67 points to 1,613.67, while financials eked out a gain of 0.05% or 1.06 points to 1,824.69.

In contrast, property fell 1.11% or 45.20 points to 4,028.19; holding firms shed 0.53% or 42.19 points to 7,847.62; and industrials lost 0.32% or 35.17 points to 10,892.96.

Foreign investors turned net buyers after four consecutive days of net sales. Net inflows reached P609.78 million yesterday against net sales of P342.75 million on Monday.

Some 613.73 million issues switched hands valued at P5.22 billion, lower than the previous session’s P7.67-billion turnover.

Decliners narrowly beat advancers, 92 to 91, while 56 names were unchanged.

Assessment, realization as PHL ends last in World Cup

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

THE Philippine men’s national basketball team ended its FIBA Basketball World Cup campaign on Sunday, a bid that turned out to be a whole rougher than what was expected by the team, eventually seeing itself finishing dead last in the competition.

In the aftermath, stakeholders found themselves in much realization and assessment over what happened and what needed to be done moving forward.

Gilas Pilipinas played a total of five games in this latest iteration of the global basketball spectacle, which hit the quarterfinal phase beginning yesterday, and all lost by an average margin of 29.8 points.

It had a chance to book a win against Angola in its final game in group play on Sept. 4 but could not complete it, losing a heartbreaker, 84-81, in overtime.

In the classification round, the Philippines tried its best to salvage what was left of its campaign but did not get the winning break it wanted, bowing to Tunisia and Iran, in that order.

The Philippines wound up with the worst point differential in the 32-team tournament at minus-147.

Ivory Coast (minus-74) was in 29th place with Senegal (minus-102) 30th, and Japan (minus-130) at 31st place.

Bowed out in a manner the way they did, Gilas Pilipinas coach Yeng Guiao said the World Cup was truly an eye-opener, something to take cue from for the country as it regroups and recalibrates its basketball program for future competitions.

“We’ve been playing Asian level basketball, but of course, the world level is different — several notches different. The expectations are different. When you get to the World Cup — or maybe the Olympics — the competition is just different. Totally different than the Asian level,” Mr. Guiao was quoted as saying by the official FIBA Website.

“We need certain types of players, and we need more exposure to this level of play. These are the things that I guess we need to work on, but it’s always long-term. I don’t think there’s any short-term solution to that,” he added.

In the World Cup, naturalized player Andray Blatche led the way for the Philippines, finishing with averages of 15.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.4 steals, albeit admittedly these were below the norms he set in the World Cup in 2014.

CJ Perez was a revelation in the tournament, posting numbers of 12.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists. For a while, he was the leading scorer of the squad.

As a team it shot just 38.3%, 29th in the tournament, and 25.2% from three-point land (31st). It committed 15 turnovers per game, third worst, and averaged 13.2 assists (29th).

But despite the heartbreaking campaign, Gilas is still grateful for the chance to have been able to play on such a stage even as it expressed hope that the hard lessons of it would be taken to heart by all concerned and used as motivation and inspiration to be better.

“Wasn’t the outcome we expected or wanted, but the lessons learned will help move Philippine basketball forward. Proud to carry the flag and go to battle with this group! I look forward to the changes that will be made to prepare the 2023 edition of Gilas!” Gabe Norwood, the longest-tenured Gilas player who saw action in the World Cup, wrote on Twitter after their campaign ended.

The Philippines, along with Indonesia and Japan, will host the 2023 edition of the World Cup.

Meanwhile, the knockout quarterfinals of the World Cup began yesterday with one bracket pitting Argentina against Serbia and the other having Spain versus Poland.

The other pairings have the United States of America against France and Australia versus the Czech Republic.

USA eases past Brazil as Australia edges France

BEIJING — Holders United States romped into the basketball World Cup knockout rounds with an 89-73 win over Brazil and booked a quarterfinal clash with France, who were edged by Australia 100-98 in a thriller on Monday.

The US win over Brazil also sent the Czechs through to the last eight despite their 84-77 defeat by Greece but they now face a daunting clash with the Australians, who stretched their perfect record to five successive wins.

Those two quarterfinals will be played on Wednesday while Serbia take on Argentina and Spain will start as strong favorites against Poland in Tuesday’s action.

Monday’s results also mean that the United States and Argentina qualified for next year’s Olympic Games in Japan as the two top-ranked teams from the Americas in the 32-nation tournament in China.

They joined Australia, who earlier booked their berth by advancing into the second group stage as Oceania’s best-placed team with New Zealand dropping into the 17-32nd place playoffs.

The top two teams from Europe will also qualify as well as one each from Africa and Asia.

Brazil held their own against the more athletic Americans in the opening half and were level 23-23 at the end of the first quarter before the champions engineered a 43-38 halftime lead.

A barrage of fast breaks coupled by Marcus Smart’s audacious three-pointer on the buzzer gave the US a 68-57 lead at the end of the third quarter and the Brazilians ran out of steam in the final 10 minutes.

Guard Kemba Walker and centre Myles Turner netted 16 points each for the US, who dished out 21 assists to Brazil’s 12 and racked up 11 steals.

Australia, who reached the 2016 Olympics last four, appear set to at least emulate the achievement after they garnished another impressive performance with a dramatic win in the last few seconds of a rip-roaring contest against the French.

The lead changed hands throughout with both teams trigger-happy from three-point range before Matthew Dellavedova and Mitch Creek sank a free throw each in the final few seconds to seal Australia’s win as France threw away their last possession.

San Antonio Spurs playmaker Patty Mills shone with 30 points for Australia, Joe Ingles added 23 and Aaron Baynes chipped in with 21 as the Boomers’ ironclad backbone carried them again.

Orlando Magic guard Evan Fournier nailed a game-high 31 points for France and Nando De Colo added 26 but the French will rue spilling a 70-61 lead in the third quarter when they appeared to be in the driving seat.

Greece needed to beat the Czechs by at least 12 points in the day’s opening fixture and hope that the US beat Brazil in order to advance, but came up short although they were 65-53 ahead early in the fourth quarter. — Reuters

Azkals bounce back, beat Guam, 4-1

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

THE Philippine men’s national football team bounced back from a previous loss in the second round of joint qualification for FIFA World Cup 2022 and Asian Cup 2023, beating Guam, 4-1, in Group A action on Tuesday in Dededo.

Wound up at the raw end of a 5-2 game against Syria in the opener of the second round of the qualifiers on Sept. 5, the Philippine Azkals made sure not to fall a second straight time by fashioning out a steady attack right from the start all the way to the end against the home side to get the win and the full three points that pushed them to third place, as of this writing, in their grouping with a one win and one loss record.

Angel Guirado got the Philippines on the board in the seventh minute off a header.

After five minutes. Patrick Reichelt made it 2-0 for the visitors.

The Azkals tried to add up to their lead for the remainder of the opening half but no more goals would be scored as the contest reached the halfway point.

In the second half, Guam came out with more fire on its home field.

It would manage to cut its deficit into half, 2-1, in the 67th minute as Marcus Lopez converted on a penalty kick.

But the Philippines nipped the rally in the bud, with Stephan Schrock handing the Azkals a two-point cushion anew in the 71st minute.

John Patrick Strauss put the game away for the Philippines when he struck in the 82nd minute to make it a 4-1 count.

With the loss, Guam dropped to two losses, currently at the bottom of Group A.

In the second round of qualification, the Philippines hopes to finish on top of the grouping, or at a least have one of the best four runner-up records among the eight groups, to advance to the next round of the World Cup qualifiers.

The Azkals return to action on Oct. 10 in an away match against China.

Lyceum stops losing skid, downs Arellano

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

THE Lyceum Pirates opened the second round of the eliminations of National Collegiate Athletic Association Season 95 on a winning note, beating the Arellano Chiefs, 93-90, on Tuesday at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.

Lyceum turned to a spirited run in the fourth quarter to extricate itself in a tight match before hanging tough in the end to get the win and in the process stop a two-game losing streak.

Earlier in the day, the defending champions San Beda Red Lions improved to 10-0 for the season dominating the Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals, 98-66.

It was tight at the beginning of the match between the Pirates and Chief before the former made a late push late in the opening quarter to go on top, 23-16.

Arellano came out of the second frame firing on the lead of veteran guard Kent Salado.

The Chiefs outscored the Pirates, 14-6 in the first four minutes to seize the lead, 30-29.

They built on that run after and maintained control, 48-41, by the halftime break.

In the third quarter it was Lyceum’s turn to make a run, going on an 11-5 run to come within a point, 53-52, by the 5:36 mark.

The two teams went back and forth after, fighting to a 67-all affair heading into the final canto.

With the outcome of the match still open, the teams jockeyed for position to begin the fourth quarter.

Mike Nzeusseu and Jayson David towed the Pirates to an early 10-4 run to go on top, 77-71, with six minutes to go.

But Archie Concepcion kept Arellano within striking distance, 81-79, at the four-minute mark with long bombs from the outside.

Jaycee and Jayvee Marcelino, however, instigated a 9-2 Lyceum run in the next two minutes to go on top, 90-81.

Salado tried to rally the Chiefs back, with Arellano coming to within two points, 92-90, with 20 seconds left on the clock.

Arellano still had an opportunity to send the game to overtime as a split from Lyceum’s Reymar Caduyac after opened the door for the Chiefs, 93-90.

But Salado’s desperation triple as time expired failed to connect, handing the win to the Pirates.

Nzeusseu led Lyceum with 23 points and nine rebounds with Jaycee and Jayvee Marcelino adding 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Salado, meanwhile, paced the Chiefs with 21 points and seven assists.

Concepcion and Dariel Bayla backstopped him with 12 markers each.

“We take the win even if it’s not a pretty one. It’s not going to be easy for us moving forward but we just have to keep improving and getting better,” said Lyceum coach Topex Robinson after the match.

SAN BEDA NOW AT 10 WINS
In the first game, San Beda raced to its 10th straight win by doubling up on EAC this season.

The Lions struggled early in the contest, up by only two points, 16-14, but picked up their game from the second quarter forward to leave the Generals behind and never looked back.

Evan Nelle, Donald Tankoua and Clint Doliguez led the balanced attack by San Beda with 13 points apiece.

AC Soberano and Calvin Oftana, meanwhile, added 12 points each for the Lions.

For the Generals (1-9) it was Marwin Taywan who top-scored with 19 points followed by JP Maguliano with 17.

“We still have to stay consistent and hungry. The goal right now is to get the top two and assure ourselves of a twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four,” said San Beda coach Boyet Fernandez after their win.

Ateneo vs UST in battle of unbeaten UAAP teams

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

EARLY LEADERS in Season 82 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines collide today as defending champions Ateneo Blue Eagles face off with the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers in league action today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Set for 10:30 a.m., Ateneo and UST, both sporting 2-0 records, stake their unbeaten cards against one another with an eye as well at extending their solid start to the new UAAP season.

Also playing today are the De La Salle Green Archers (0-1) and National University Bulldogs (0-1) at 12 noon and the Adamson Soaring Falcons (1-1) against the University of the East Red Warriors (0-2) at 4 p.m.

The Eagles enter today’s game fresh from its 80-69 triumph over rival La Salle on Sept. 8. Prior to it, Ateneo beat Adamson, 70-52, on opening day on Sept. 4.

Against the Archers, seniors Mike and Matt Nieto were instrumental in giving Ateneo a big enough cushion in the second quarter from which La Salle could not recover from.

The Blue Eagles, on the strength of a 28-point explosion in the second frame, took a 51-29 halftime lead.

Mike led Ateneo with 18 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals, while twin brother Matt added 15 points and three boards for Ateneo.

Gian Mamuyac also made his presence felt late, fending off La Salle after it got to within eight in the payoff period, burying timely buckets in the last three minutes before finishing with a career-best 14 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals.

While they are showing solid form early in their title defense, the Eagles understand that they have to stay on guard, especially against a team like UST.

“I love the way they play basketball. I really do. I mean, they just throw their heads back and go full steam. If they’re hitting shots, good luck. I don’t think you’ll beat them if they’re hitting shots. I think you gotta play unbelievable defense against their pace,” said Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin when asked for his thoughts on their game against the Tigers.

“Certainly we have to make some systemic adjustments before we play them. So obviously I’m expecting a really tough game … They (UST) buy into the system, the discipline is outstanding so I don’t expect anything easy on Wednesday,” he added.

Over at UST, it is coming off an upset of the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons, 85-69, on Sept. 7 in follow up to its victory against UE, 95-82, previously.

Mark Nonoy led the Tigers’ rampage as the super rookie unloaded 16 points, five rebounds, and two assists to steer his side to the win.

Beninese big man Soulemane Chabi Yo also did his part inside as he posted 18 points, 18 rebounds, two steals, one assist, and one block to help UST deliver a statement against last season’s runner-up.

“I just told the players to play as a team. Man-for-man UP has the advantage over us so we just prepared hard and stuck to our game plan. We made mistakes along the way but they gave their best and it worked for us,” said UST coach Aldin Ayo after their win.

Turning his attention to Ateneo, Mr. Ayo said they have their work cut out for them but they will try to win.

“Well, obviously they are the best collegiate team. We will try to stay close to them as possible and take it from there. This is a competition. Every time you compete, every time you play, of course, you always aim to win. And you are going to do your best, you are going to squeeze everything just to win. We’re going to do our best and hopefully the result is favorable to us,” he said.

Yanks oust Red Sox from division title hopes

BOSTON — Austin Romine and Gio Urshela homered, James Paxton threw 6 2/3 shutout innings and the New York Yankees blanked the host Boston Red Sox 5-0 in the finale of a four-game series Monday.

Paxton (13-6) won his eighth straight start, giving up four hits and three walks and striking out seven. The victory was the Yankees’ 14th in 19 meetings with the Red Sox this season, their most over Boston in a single year in the expansion era (since 1961).

New York won for the 12th time in its last 16 games, while Boston lost its third straight. The defeat officially eliminated the Red Sox from American League East division title contention.

The highlight of the night came before the game for Boston as beloved slugger David Ortiz threw out the first pitch in his first trip to Fenway Park since being shot in the Dominican Republic in June. Former teammate Jason Varitek caught the offering from Ortiz, and the local icon delivered a speech to fans thanking them for their support while he recovered.

Once the contest got underway, Eduardo Rodriguez matched zeroes with Paxton over the first four innings before Romine went yard with one out in the fifth to snap the scoreless tie. The blast was Romine’s seventh of the season.

Rodriguez (17-6) lost for just the second time in his last 17 starts, with both coming against New York. He allowed one run on five hits and a walk over six innings with nine strikeouts.

Urshela, making his first start since being activated from the injured list (groin) Sunday, led off the seventh against Darwinzon Hernandez with his 19th homer, and the Yankees added two more in the inning on a DJ LeMahieu RBI single and Gleyber Torres sacrifice fly.

Luke Voit’s RBI single in the ninth completed the scoring for New York.

Earlier Monday, the Red Sox announced they parted ways with president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. The team won the AL East from 2016-18 under his guide, including a 2018 World Series title, but is all but eliminated from the postseason this year. — Reuters

Barty reclaims no. 1 spot, Andreescu climbs to fifth

NEW YORK — Australia’s Ash Barty has reclaimed the number one spot in the WTA rankings less than a month after losing it while US Open champion Bianca Andreescu moved up to a career-high fifth after her maiden Grand Slam win in New York.

Andreescu beat Serena Williams 6-3 7-5 in Saturday’s final to maintain a 13-match unbeaten run, where she also won the Canadian Open, to break into the top 10 for the first time in her career.

“I don’t want to take anything for granted. These are the moments you live for and I’m just beyond blessed,” Andreescu, who moved up 10 places, told Reuters.

After taking the first set and leading 5-1 in the second, Andreescu was broken twice by 23-times Grand Slam winner Williams before eventually breaking back and winning the contest to become the first Canadian to win a major in the professional era.

“It definitely wasn’t easy in the final against Serena Williams,” the 19-year-old added. “I think I’m most proud of how I’m able to get into my zone and I was able to block out the crowd too because they were really, really loud.

“If I didn’t do that, I’m sure Serena would have won that second set so I’m really glad with how I handled everything.”

French Open champion Barty exited the tournament in the last 16 but regained the number one spot after last year’s champion Naomi Osaka was also knocked out at the same stage.

The Japanese, who also beat Williams in last year’s final, slipped to fourth in the rankings with Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova and Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina leapfrogging her to move up to second and third respectively.

Wimbledon champion Simona Halep fell two places down to sixth while Williams fell one spot to ninth despite her run to the final.

In the ATP rankings, there was no change in the top three with Novak Djokovic leading men’s champion Rafa Nadal, who won his 19th Grand Slam on Sunday, and Roger Federer but this year’s runner-up Daniil Medvedev moved up to a career-high fourth.

Medvedev has had a stellar record since a third-round exit at Wimbledon, reaching the finals of his last four tournaments, winning the Cincinnati Masters last month. — Reuters

Nadal motivated by love of game, not Grand Slam record

NEW YORK — Rafa Nadal moved within one Grand Slam title of tying Roger Federer’s all-time mark of 20 on Sunday but even after adding a fourth US Open to his collection the Spaniard said it was his love of the game, not records, that motivates him.

Nadal fended off a late comeback from Daniil Medvedev to win a five-set classic at Flushing Meadows, winning a 19th slam that also took him three clear of Novak Djokovic’s 16 titles.

“I am playing tennis because I love to play tennis,” Nadal told reporters.

“I can’t just think about Grand Slams. Tennis is more than Grand Slams. I need to think about the rest of the things.

“I play to be happy. Of course, the victory of today makes me super happy.”

It is anyone’s guess who among the ‘Big Three’ will finish their career with the most slams.

At 33, Nadal may have the edge on Federer, the 38-year-old Swiss crashing out of the US Open in the quarterfinals and failing to add to his Grand Slam titles since winning the 2018 Australian Open.

If nowhere else, Nadal will be a hot favorite at the French Open, where he has won a record 12 titles including the last three.

He said that while he was honoured to be part of the battle to be crowned the greatest of all time, and thrilled if it attracted more fans to the game, he would still sleep well if he comes up short.

“You can’t be all day looking next to you about if one having more or one having little bit less because you will be frustrated,” he said.

“All the things that I achieved in my career are much more than what I ever thought and what I ever dream.

“I would love to be the one who have more. But I really believe that I will not be happier or less happy if that happens or not happen,” he said.

“What gives you the happiness is the personal satisfaction that you gave your best.

“In that way I am very, very calm, very pleased with myself.” — Reuters

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