Kvitova, who was also the champion in Madrid in 2011 and 2015, has now claimed four titles in 2018 after triumphs in St Petersburg, Doha and last weekend in Prague.

Victory, on a chilly, damp night in the Spanish capital, took Kvitova two hours and 51 minutes against a gutsy, unseeded Bertens who had knocked out former world number ones Maria Sharapova and Caroline Wozniacki on her way to the championship match.

In a big-hitting, roller-coaster of a final, Kvitova claimed her 24th career title on the back of 39 winners and 58 unforced errors.

Bertens, who had won five of her previous six finals, including on clay in Charleston earlier this year, led 4-2 with a break in the first set before Kvitova roared back, retrieving the break in the next game.

The Czech claimed the 74-minute opener on a third set point.

Bertens carved out the only break in the seventh game of the second set to level the contest.

She then fell 2-4 down in the decider before bravely hitting straight back but in a thrilling finale, Kvitova dug deep to break again for 5-3 before a love service hold gave her victory and an 11th successive match win.

The fifth-seeded Austrian, who ended Nadal’s 21-match and 50-set winning streak on clay Friday, needed just 85 minutes to dispose of his South African opponent, seeded sixth.

Thiem, the runner-up to Nadal in the 2017 Madrid final and still chasing a maiden Masters title, will face either German second seed Alexander Zverev or Denis Shapovalov of Canada in Sunday’s championship match.

“I will try everything on Sunday. A Masters 1000 title would mean a lot to me because it’s obviously really tough to win one,” said Thiem.

“To be honest, I thought also myself that I was pretty far away before this week started. Now I’m in the finals again, which is amazing for me.”

Thiem is playing in just his third tournament since a right ankle fracture suffered at Indian Wells while US Open runner-up Anderson was competing in his first semi-final at Masters level, ending a run of 10 prior losses in quarter-finals at this level.

The 24-year-old Austrian broke Anderson in a nine-minute opening game which was enough to secure the first set in 49 minutes.

A double fault gave Thiem the decisive break to open the second set and he broke again for a 4-1 lead before securing victory with a service winner as he reached his 15th career final and fifth in a row on clay.

Thiem said he is feeling stronger after his ankle injury as he builds up to the French Open later this month and has tried to forget recent losses to Nadal in Monte Carlo and his shock exit at the hands of Greek teenager Stefanos Tsitsipas in Barcelona.

“There was a little bit of lack of confidence in Monte Carlo and Barcelona,” he said.

“It took me a while until I was moving my best again, until I was playing my best again. I think the level of my game increased especially in this week.”

Later Saturday, Zverev will be playing in his third straight Masters semi-final.

Coming off a successful title defence in Munich last week, Zverev has faced just one break point all week.

In the quarter-finals on Friday, he downed John Isner to avenge his defeat to the American in the Miami final earlier this season.

Canada’s Shapovalov became the youngest player to reach the Madrid semi-finals with a fiesty three-set win over Britain’s Kyle Edmund.

The 19-year-old Shapovalov, who lost to Zverev in the Montreal Masters semi-finals last year, is assured of breaking the world top 30 as a result of his efforts in Madrid.

Before this week, he had never won a main tour clay-court match.

In the main event of ONE: GRIT AND GLORY, Yoshitaka “Nobita” Naito of Japan reclaimed the coveted ONE Strawweight World Championship, edging out Brazilian rival Alex “Little Rock” Silva via razor-thin split decision. With both men flaunting their delicate expertise on the mat, it was a technical grappling display as Naito and Silva battled for leverage.

Naito showcased his overwhelming wrestling skills to consistently bring Silva down to the ground, controlling the action on the canvas. Silva defended well against Naito’s attacks by resorting to his world-class Brazilian jiu-jitsu pedigree, but it was not enough to earn him the win as his Japanese foe’s grappling proved too much to overcome.

With the drive to recapture the gold that he lost to Silva last December, Naito punctuated the final round in dominant position to emerge the victor on two of the three judges’ scorecards, earning him the split decision win.

In the co-main event of the evening, local martial arts superstar Stefer Rahardian of Indonesia sent the crowd into a rapturous chorus of cheers with a spectacular performance, clinching his ninth straight victory with a submission finish of Himanshu Kaushik of India to remain undefeated. After trading strikes with Kaushik to begin the bout, Rahardian shot in for the takedown, bringing his opponent to the canvas. On the mat, Rahardian quickly took the back and secured the rear naked choke to seal the deal.

Leandro Ataides of Brazil solidified his position as a top contender in ONE Championship’s talented middleweight division by defeating former world champion Vitaly Bigdash via third-round stoppage. From the first round to the last, the two middleweights employed efficient strategies. Ataides utilized his speed and power to connect on a handful of thudding strikes on Bigdash, who responded with counterpunches and kept the action standing. After going back-and-forth in the striking department, Ataides was able to connect on a superman punch, sending Bigdash crashing to the canvas. On the mat, Ataides relentlessly poured down harrowing blows to secure the finish and claim the GoDaddy Knockout of the Night award.

Making his ONE Super Series debut, Lithuania’s Sergej Maslobojev authored a stellar performance to the delight of the crowd by routing Croatian foe Antonio Plazibat in their highly-anticipated rematch. Although Plazibat sought redemption of the highest order and proved that he was a much different kickboxer than when they first met two years ago, Maslobojev showcased his trademark power, catching his opponent with powerful hooks while blasting his counterpart with thunderous high kicks. Maslobojev closed out the final round of the match on a strong note, unleashing a volley of punches that steered him to a unanimous decision win.

Local female martial arts star Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol continued her winning ways, taking her third straight victory in the ONE Championship cage with a submission finish of Rome “The Rebel” Trinidad of the Philippines. After a brief exchange of strikes at the center of the mat, Gaol grabbed a hold of Trinidad’s neck in a standing guillotine. As Trinidad tried to fend off the submission, action transitioned to the mat with Gaol still holding on to Trinidad’s neck and the tap came shortly after.

A gruelling featherweight showdown between Sor Sey of Cambodia and Victorio Senduk of Indonesia transpired inside the ONE Championship cage. Neither of the two would give each other any quarter for three whole rounds as both men traded their best offense all throughout the contest. However, Sor Sey was able to pull away in the third round, staggering Senduk with a series of solid overhand rights before dragging his foe to the canvas for a chain of ground-and-pound. In the end, Sor Sey’s gallant effort was rewarded by the three judges at cageside with a unanimous decision victory.

In a catchweight contest, Tetsuya Yamada of Japan claimed victory inside the ONE Championship cage, finishing veteran martial artist Eric “The Natural” Kelly of the Philippines by first round submission. Yamada traded strikes with Kelly to begin the match, and waited for the perfect time to take his opponent to the ground. On the mat, Yamada quickly took Kelly’s back and locked in the rear naked choke to force the tap.

In a ONE Super Series bout, hard-hitter Ognjen Topic of Serbia emerged triumphant against Stergos Mikkios of Greece via unanimous decision in a three-round Muay Thai clash. Featuring plenty of action and excitement, both men traded their best shots from bell to bell. However, it was Topic who showcased superior technique, plastering his Greek opponent with crisp elbow strikes and lashing kicks to the body. All three judges ruled the bout in favor of Topic.

Singapore’s Radeem Rahman made a successful return to the ONE Championship cage after a long three-year absence, making quick work of opponent Tang De Pan of China. Tang began the bout aggressively, looking to put together combinations, but Rahman’s superior grappling took precedence. After Rahman took Tang to the mat and secured the back, the Singaporean locked in the rear naked choke that forced the tap.

Indonesian national wrestling champion Elipitua Siregar figured in a brilliant professional debut, dominating countryman Dodi Mardian in the first round to score an exciting submission victory. Siregar was relentless with his takedowns, slamming Mardian to the ground on multiple occasions. On the mat, Siregar overwhelmed Mardian from start to finish, clinching the win with a rear naked choke barely four minutes into the contest.

Indonesian strawweights Riski “King Kong” Umar and Doan Birawa kicked off ONE: GRIT AND GLORY with a spirited exchange of strikes to the delight of the packed Jakarta Convention Center crowd. After an intense first round which saw both athletes have their moments, Umar took advantage of an exhausted Birawa in the second round, forcing the tap from a deep rear-naked choke.

Official results for ONE: GRIT AND GLORY

ONE Strawweight World Championship bout: Yoshitaka Naito defeats Alex Silva by Split Decision (SD) after 5 rounds

Strawweight bout: Stefer Rahardian defeats Himanshu Kaushik by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 2:25 minutes of round 1

Middleweight bout: Leandro Ataides defeats Vitaly Bigdash by TKO (Strikes) at 2:41 minutes of round 3

ONE Super Series Kickboxing catchweight bout (95kg): Sergej Maslobojev defeats Antonio Plazibat by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds

Women’s atomweight bout: Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol defeats Rome Trinidad by Submission (Guillotine) at 2:27 minutes of round 1

Featherweight bout: Sor Sey defeats Victorio Senduk by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds

Catchweight bout (72.0kg): Tetsuya Yamada defeats Eric Kelly by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 3:00 minutes of round 1

ONE Super Series Muay Thai bantamweight bout: Ognjen Topic defeats Stergos Mikkios by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds

Bantamweight bout: Radeem Rahman defeats Tang De Pan by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 1:19 minutes of round 1

Flyweight bout: Elipitua Siregar defeats Dodi Mardian by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 3:59 minutes of round 1

Strawweight bout: Riski Umar defeats Doan Birawa by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 1:22 minutes of round 2

When Mananchaya Sawangkaew was four years old, she accompanied her father and sister to a tennis court in Sing Buri province and enjoyed watching them play. She even enjoyed helping them to pick up the balls and so began her love affair with the sport.

Eleven years later, the diminutive teenager – she stands just 1.63m tall and weighs a mere 52kg –  won her first ITF title on Saturday, surviving three match points against top seed and last week’s winner Bunyawi Thamachaiwat to win the final of the US$15,000 Cal-Comp and XZY Printing ITF Pro Circuit week 2 in Hua Hin.

Although the match did not end the way the 15-year-old girl hoped it would – Thai No 4 Bunyawi, ranked 491st in the world, had to retire at 6-1 6-7 (3-7) 1-2 with cramps on her left calf – she couldn’t help feeling overwhelmed by her maiden ITF victory.

“I didn’t expect to win this early as I lost in the qualifying round just last week,” said the Thailand’s top junior, who is ranked 62nd in the world junior rankings outside the top 1,000 pro players. “I was not focused enough then but I worked things out this week.”

Mananchaya, or “Mai” as she is known by her family and friends, was in her first ITF Pro Circuit final but she did not hesitate to capitalise on her opportunity, despite wearing tape to protect an injured right knee and left ankle.

“I didn’t want to withdraw as it was my first time in the final. I wanted to take a chance,” said one of the youngest Thai winners on the Pro Circuit in many years.

Even when she faced three match points at 5-6 in the second set, she still believed she had a chance.

“I knew if I held that game and went into the tie-break, it would affect her concentration and I could turn the tide,” she added.

Growing up in admiration for current world No 1 Simona Halep, Mananchaya said she had to overcome her physical weakness and find ways to become stronger in order to achieve her goal of cracking the world’s top 50.

“I spent a lot of time in hospital as a kid because of hayfever,” said the girl who still regards Halep as her idol as the Romanian is also small in stature.

“I still get sick easily but it’s getting a lot better. That’s why I’m a bit small but I’m trying to adjust a new training programme to suit my condition.”

Despite the disadvantage, Mananchaya has a fine all-round game and a good sense of shot selection for someone her age. If she maintains her tactical and physical improvement she could become a force to be reckoned with on the WTA tour in a few years.

“I’m still young and still have a long way to go,” she concluded.” My focus is on a daily basis and I hope all the hard work will pay off one day.”

The 21-year-old Thai, who has led since round one, put himself in prime position for his first professional win. He leads on 18-under-par 192 at the award-winning Laguna Phuket course.

New Asian Development Tour (ADT) winner Nitithorn Thippong of Thailand, who was victorious last week, posted a 70 to sit in second place while Mathiam Keyser of South Africa returned with a 68 for third place, nine shots back of the leader.

Pawin Ingkhapradit registered a 67 for fourth place in a leaderboard which was mostly dominated by Thai golfers in the event sanctioned by the ADT and the All Thailand Golf Tour.

Varanyu played superbly in the first two rounds but he struggled with his tee shots and a cold putter in a round of two birdies against one bogey.

“I was struggling with my drives today and hitting it left and right. I couldn’t make any birdies in the first nine too so when I made the 15-footer for birdie on hole 10 I was very relieved. I hit a really good approach on hole 14 with my five-iron but I missed the five-footer for eagle. Overall my putting was not as good today,” said Varanyu.

“I think hole 16 was a tough hole because the pin position today was crazy. It was right behind a bunker so you had to hit it to the middle of the green and play it safe. I hit my shot left of the green and duffed my first chip, so I had to two-putt from off the green,” added the Thai who is nicknamed ‘Bank’.

Nitithorn was disappointed not to close the gap on his compatriot Varanyu after trading three birdies against as many bogeys. The young Thai currently sits in third place on the ADT Order of Merit and hopes to cement his position with a solid result on Sunday.

“A lot of the pins today were on slopes and I had to play it safe and hit it to the middle of the green a lot. I struggled with my driver today too and I only made six fairways,” said the 21-year-old Thai.

Nitithorn will apply the same game plan which helped him to victory on the ADT in Malaysia last week.

“I enjoyed playing and watching Bank today. He played so well and I am happy to be playing with him in the final group tomorrow. I just need to think like how I did last week and make as many pars as I can and we’ll see how it goes tomorrow,” added the Thai.

Thailand’s Phanuvich Onchu had reason to celebrate after acing the eighth hole from 188 yards with a six-iron. He returned with a round of 70 but his hole-in-one earned him a bottle of wine, a two-night stay at Cassia Hotel and a complimentary round of golf at Laguna Golf Phuket.

The Singha Laguna Phuket Open is the eighth leg of the 2018 ADT. Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points are offered on all ADT events with the winner earning a total of six OWGR points while the top-six players and ties earn points on a sliding scale.

The leading five players on the ADT Order of Merit at the end of the season will earn playing rights on the premier Asian Tour for the 2019 season.

Ends.

Leading Round Three scores:

192 – Varanyu RATTANAPHIBOONKIJ (THA) 62 61 69

200 – Nitithorn THIPPONG (THA) 64 66 70

201 – Mathiam KEYSER (RSA) 66 67 68

202 – Pawin INGKHAPRADIT (THA) 66 69 67

204 – Worrasorn SUWANPANANG (THA) 68 67 69

205 – Kasidit LEPKURTE (THA) 75 66 64, Kwanchai TANNIN (THA) 69 68 68, Hein SITHU (MYN) 68 68 69, John Michael O’TOOLE (USA) 65 71 69, Oscar ZETTERWALL (SWE) 64 67 74

Kokocinski, a regular on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) where he leads the current Order of Merit, overturned a three-shot deficit after returning with his best efforts of the week to cap a winning total of 14-under-par 270 at the Kurmitola Golf Club.

The 26-year-old Kokocinski, who is based in Thailand, takes home a winner’s prize purse of US$54,000, courtesy of his breakthrough win on the Asian Tour, which also marked his second professional victory since joining the play-for-pay ranks in 2012.

Overnight leader Jack Harrison of England endured two closing bogeys for a 71, settling for a share of second place with fellow Qualifying School graduate Ben Campbell of New Zealand, who carded a 69, in the US$300,000 Asian Tour event.

American John Catlin capped back-to-back top-10 finishes on the region’s premier Tour after closing with a 66 to finish five shots back in tied-fourth place with Zamal Hossain Mollah, who emerged as the highest-ranked local player following a 69.

The Bangladesh Open welcomed a new title sponsor in AB Bank, leading bank in Bangladesh, in its fourth consecutive edition on the Asian Tour this week. The highly-acclaimed Kurmitola Golf Club, which hosted two other events on the ADT this season, continues to provide top-class hospitality as the home of the Bangladesh’s National Open.

Conte has been the subject of constant speculation that his second season with Chelsea could well be his last.

The Italian has feuded with Chelsea’s hierarchy over their failure to back his transfer plans last year and has done little to quell the impression he would be willing to leave.

The equation is quite simple ahead of Sunday’s final day of the Premier League season; victory for Chelsea at Newcastle and defeat for fourth-placed Liverpool at home to Brighton would secure a Champions League berth for the west Londoners.

A Liverpool draw however would consign fifth-placed Chelsea to the dubious consolation prize of Europa League football.

Conte appears to have all but accepted that is the most likely scenario, but the Blues boss insists the club is still in a better position than when he arrived following a campaign that saw the departure of Jose Mourinho and a lowly position of tenth in 2015-16.

“There are six top teams at the start of the season ready to fight for a place in the Champions League,” Conte said.

“Failing to make the Champions League can happen. In the past, it happened the same.

“Don’t forget two years ago, Chelsea ended the season 10th and not in the FA Cup final, not in the semi-finals of the League Cup, and they were eliminated in the last 16 against PSG in the Champions League. It can happen.

“Are Chelsea are in a better place now? For sure, we worked two years and worked very hard to try to build something, to create a base.

“I have to work very hard with my players, and it’s for other people to see the situation, judge the situation, take the right evaluation after two years of work, and then understand which is now Chelsea’s position is in the panoramic of football.

“Now, probably, you can finish fifth and start with a bit of an advantage compared to when you finish 10th.”

– Conte speculation –

Despite appearing to write off his side’s top-four hopes, Conte will play his best available starting XI at Newcastle and will not consider resting players with the FA Cup final against Manchester United next Saturday in mind.

Conte is adamant that the constant talk over his position at Stamford Bridge has not upset him and has caused no issues for his side on the back of last season’s title success.

“I think I’m living with this speculation since the start of this season,” he said.

“My only thought is to do my job in the best possible way. This is my only worry. I think the time I start listening to the speculation about me, this is the moment I start to be worried.”

Conte expects to have goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois back available after his untimely absence from Wednesday’s frustrating 1-1 draw against Huddersfield with a back injury.

Newcastle are a side with little to play for but manager Rafael Benitez, a long-term rival of Conte’s especially from their Italy days, will be keen to finish in style after a defeat at Tottenham in midweek.

With three holes remaining, the Thai star was one shot outside the cut mark at THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, staring possibly at another weekend off in his second appearance in the PGA TOUR’s flagship tournament.

Then came the moment he had patiently waited for. With 199 yards to the pin on the par-5 risk-reward 16^th hole, which  has water hugging  the right side of the green, the burly Thai rifled a 5-iron approach that ended three feet of the hole for an easy eagle which helped him to a second straight one-under 71.

“It was one of the best shots all day. I’ve not played good golf for two days and if you look at the stats, I think I have only like six or seven greens in regulations,” said the 28-year-old Kiradech, who stands at 2-under 142 in T55 position.

“I had 182 yards over the bunker and I’ve been hitting poor shots all day. I had nothing to lose. After eight pars and one bogey on my front nine, I knew it was a tough day and to hit the second shot on 16, it was like having my back against the wall. I knew one under total might get through and 16 was only the hole to get two strokes as 17 and 18 are difficult.”

The long-hitting Kiradech enjoyed good support during his second round with fellow Thai sisters and LPGA stars Ariya and Moriya Jatunagarn walking all 18 holes with his group. “It was lovely to have Ariya and Moriya following me. They are amongst some of the best athletes in the world and to have them following all day was a nice thing,” he said.

Entering the weekend rounds some 13 shots off the pace behind runaway leader Webb Simpson, who fired a glorious 63 to lead on 15-under 129, Kiradech hopes to get his game dialled in to move up the leaderboard.

“I can’t get my A game out. After the first five holes, I was off with my game. I knew it was going to be a tough day to stay inside the cut. I just waited for my time and I think I’ve passed the test. It’s not even my B game, it’s my C game here so far. Two more days and I have to work hard and try to get some low numbers to jump up the leaderboard,” said Kiradech.

Defending champion Nadal, who came into the tournament having won both Monte Carlo and Barcelona for an 11th time, also saw his record 50-set winning streak on clay ended by the fifth-seeded Thiem.

Thiem, the runner-up to the great Spaniard in the 2017 Madrid final, had been the last player to defeat Nadal on clay at the 2017 Italian Open in Rome — 357 days ago.

The shock result also means that Roger Federer will reclaim the world number one ranking on Monday.

“A player like Dominic has a lot of potential. Whenever he plays really well, it’s very difficult to stop him,” admitted Nadal.

“He played well and I didn’t play well. We’re not playing a game where the differences are big or massive. The differences are very small.”

Five-time Madrid winner Nadal, who will be bidding for an 11th French Open title in Paris later this month, had won his previous 21 matches on clay.

That run included him surpassing John McEnroe’s 1984 record of 49 sets won in succession on the same surface during his last-16 duel with Diego Schwartzman on Thursday.

However, in their ninth career clash, Thiem put Nadal under pressure almost from the start on Friday and broke for a 4-3 lead in the first set.

A double fault and a long forehand allowed Nadal to retrieve the break at 5-5.

– ‘He killed me in Monaco’ –

It was a brief reprieve as a lazy forehand volley gave Thiem a 6-5 advantage and the set came the Austrian’s way in the 12th game off an ace.

Thiem, watched by his girlfriend — and WTA star — Kristina Mladenovic, turned the screw for a 3-1 lead in the second set but Nadal battled back to 3-3.

That was as good as it got for the Spaniard as Thiem broke again for 4-3, held to love for 5-3 and secured victory with another blistering forehand.

Thiem, who next faces South Africa’s Kevin Anderson for a place in Sunday’s final, joins Novak Djokovic and Gaston Gaudio as just the third man to have beaten Nadal three times on clay.

“It takes a really good match to beat Rafa on clay. But I think a very important thing also was today that I went in with the attitude that I can beat him,” said Thiem.

“Two weeks ago in Monte Carlo, he killed me love and two. It was very important I went in with a positive attitude, with an attitude to win. I should go into every match like this against him.”

World number eight Anderson battled into his first Masters semi-final with a 7-6 (7/3), 3-6, 6-3 win over Serbian qualifier Dusan Lajovic.

Anderson, the 31-year-old US Open runner-up last year, hit 15 aces and 35 winners.

Canada’s Denis Shapovalov became the youngest player to reach the Madrid semi-finals with a 7-5, 6-7 (6/8) 6-4 win over Britain’s Kyle Edmund.

The 19-year-old Shapovalov, ranked at 43 in the world, fired 29 winners past Edmund, a surprise semi-finalist at the Australian Open in January.

Shapovalov, who had never won a clay-court match on the main tour before Madrid, will be playing in his second Masters semi-final where he will on Saturday face German second seed Alexander Zverev.

Zverev defeated John Isner 6-4, 7-5 to gain revenge for his defeat to the American in the Miami Masters final in April.

Zverev has now reached five Masters semi-finals in the last year.

Dutchwoman Kiki Bertens continued her remarkable run at the Madrid Open by thrashing French seventh seed Caroline Garcia to reach the womens’ final.

The world number 20 will face Petra Kvitova after brushing aside Garcia 6-2, 6-2.

Bertens had already stunned world number two Caroline Wozniacki and five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova earlier in the week.

Two-time Madrid champion Kvitova reached the final with a 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 win over Czech compatriot Karolina Pliskova.

The 31-year-old boxer, who gained recognition around the world with a stunning win over Nicaragua’s Roman Gonzalez in New York last year, was described by Surachart Pisitwuttinan as “in mentally bad shape” after his split from girlfriend Patchareewan Kanha.

“He needs time to heal and is not ready for training,” said Surachart. “He will be asking for the next bout which is due in the US in August to be postponed.”

Srisaket, who was due to get married this month, has kept a low profile since Patchareewan posted news of the end of their affair to Facebook on Thursday.

“When he is ready, he will have a press conference and resume his training,” Surachart said.

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A third party is believed to be the reason for the break-up after Patchareewan posted a picture of her with a new man on social media, a post she later removed.

She claimed Srisaket also had a new crush but Surachart insisted there had been no “other woman” in Srisaket’s life.

The break-up has caused quite a stir among Srisaket’s fans, who have taken to social media to express their shock as the couple had been through tough times during their early years together. They even used to share packets of instant noodles when Srisaket still worked as a security guard.