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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 4 OCTOBER 2015 57 Sport FORMULA 1 TENNIS MOTOGP Venus Williams wins Wuhan Open title Venus Williams wins Wuhan Open title VENUS Williams claimed her 47th WTA singles title by win- ning the Wuhan Open after fifth seed Garbine Muguruza was forced the retire from the final due to injury. Seven-times grand slam singles champion Williams was leading 6-3 3-0 when her opponent was forced to pull out of the match with an ankle injury. Victory for Williams came af- ter she saved a match point dur- ing her semi-final tussle against US Open finalist Roberta Vinci and fought back from 5-3 down in the deciding set against Brit- on Johanna Konta in the quar- ter-finals. "I feel like everyone else on tour, I work hard, I do my best and as long as you continue to work hard and believe in your- self then you can have the re- sults you want," said Williams. "That's exactly what I've done and it hasn't been the easiest road but that doesn't mean that it isn't a road worth travelling. "I didn't think of quitting but it's definitely a lot of stress to play when you're in pain. But for me I focus on everything that I can accomplish and not on what's bothering me. "My opponent wasn't so lucky today. The pain was just too much for her and I was really sorry to hear that." Muguruza said: "I'm very sorry I had to retire today, but I had a really amazing week here in Wuhan. I felt so much support from the crowd - it was great. "Also, I really want to congrat- ulate Venus. She's always such a tough player and she had an amazing week, as well. On the prospect of playing in Beijing next week, the Spaniard added: "We're going to try and work some miracles now be- cause Beijing is also really im- portant. I'm going to see how I wake up tomorrow. I'm going to try, like today." Venus Williams of the serves Lotus excited by potential Renault reunion LOTUS Deputy Team Principal Federico Gastaldi says that it is "positive" for the outfit that it is nearing a reunion with Renault, which would secure its future in the sport. Lotus and Renault have been involved in negotiations in recent months and this week the French manufacturer signed a letter of intent regarding the potential acquisition of a controlling stake in the team. "It looks like we're engaged to be married again, which is in- teresting as we've had a few re- lationships together before," said Gastaldi, referring to Renault owning the outfit between 2002 and 2009. "It's positive for the sport and it's positive for Enstone that a company with the history and prestige of Renault is looking to strengthen its role in Formula 1. "It's true we've both experienced a few knocks over the years but we've also had some exceptional highs and that makes us all ex- ceptionally motivated to harness our resilience and show everyone what we can do." Lotus Technical Director Nick Chester is also encouraged by the developments. "It looks like there are exciting times ahead," Chester explained. "We've worked exceptionally closely with Renault for many years in our history so it's going to be exciting to embark on a new phase of our relationship. "There's a lot of work to do for next year so it's certainly never a dull moment at Enstone." Lorenzo sees Honda riders as title allies JORGE Lorenzo reckons that Honda riders Marc Márquez and Dani Pedrosa could aid his quest to beat Yamaha team-mate Val- entino Rossi to the 2015 MotoGP crown. Rossi and Lorenzo are the only two riders in realistic conten- tion for the title with four rounds of the season remaining, as the pair head to next weekend's Japa- nese Grand Prix separated by 14 points. Lorenzo won the most recent round in Spain while Pedrosa beat Rossi to second place, enabling Lorenzo to take nine points out of the Italian's lead. "I hope so, hopefully in my fa- vour," Lorenzo said when asked if the Honda riders could interfere in the title fight. "He [Pedrosa] was very strong and it was useful to recover the points lost earlier and it has given me more chances to recover with four races left till the end. "But Márquez or maybe the two Ducati riders could also stand in front of Valentino and take away some points. It is a real possibility, but very dangerous for us both." YOUR FIRST CLICK OF THE DAY www.maltatoday.com.mt