| uldnt be coming that far in this tourname | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Dec 18 2012, 09:00 AM (15 Views) | |
| lingzi | Dec 18 2012, 09:00 AM Post #1 |
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WASHINGTON -- No. Brandon Marshall Youth Jersey . 3 seed Sloane Stephens and James Blake survived three-set fights in their opening matches at the Citi Open on Monday. Fellow Americans Melanie Oudin and Brian Baker werent so fortunate. Stephens defeated Sesil Karatantcheva 6-3, 2-6, 6-1, while Blake rallied from a set down for only his second tour win of the year, advancing to the second round with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 triumph over No. 5 seed Pablo Andujar. Up an early break in both the first and third sets, Oudin fell 6-4, 6-7 (2), 7-6 (5) to Aravane Rezai. Baker, who made a surprising run to the round of 16 at Wimbledon in June, couldnt capitalize on a good start in losing 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to Florent Serra. No. 2 Chanelle Scheepers and fifth-seeded Barbora Zahlavova Strycova also lost first-round matches at the Citi Open, a staple on the ATP schedule that is combining with the WTA Tour for the first time. Stephens lost the final three games of the second set, including two on her own serve, but opened the third by breaking Karatantcheva twice for a 3-0 lead. The 19-year-old American tacked on two more breaks to advance. "It was just a matter of a couple of loose points and some weird calls and things that happened," Stephens said of the rough middle set. "I was just a little more consistent in the end and I think thats what carried me through." Stephens reached the fourth round at the French Open and the third at Wimbledon this year. The Floridian narrowly missed a berth on the U.S. Olympic team, and since Wimbledon has made first-round exits in her last two tournaments. There was no denying that avoiding an unwanted hat trick crossed her mind. "You just cant ever lose three in a row, thats all," Stephens said. "Thats not even an option." The 32-year-old Blakes 2012 campaign had been a losing one entering Washington, site of his first title 10 years ago. Coming off knee surgery in November, he lost eight of his nine matches this year. "I think I was a little falsely optimistic earlier in the year," Blake said. "I really thought I was able to get out there and compete. I dont have the ability to compete with these guys unless Im 100 per cent. . My legs feel great now." That showed starting in the second set as Blake used his return of serve and eight aces to carry the day. "Second set, right from the start I started feeling good, got a rhythm and never let go of that," Blake said. "I felt like I was in the games. I was sort of dictating most of the time and thats the way I want to play." Mardy Fish, the top-seeded man, is scheduled to play his opening match on Tuesday. Fish, the No. 13 ranked player, skipped the Olympics after missing several weeks on tour earlier this year following a procedure to correct a heart problem. Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova is the top seed in the womens draw. Scheepers, ranked No. 42 in the world, fell 6-2, 6-1 to Magdalena Rybarikova. Zahlavova Strycova was beaten by Edina Gallovits-Hall, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3. No. 7 seed Coco Vandeweghe beat Olga Govortsova 6-4, 6-1 and No. 8 seed Olga Govortsova topped Karolina Pliskova 6-2, 6-2 to advance to the second round. Sixth-seeded Jeremy Chardy defeated Edouard Roger-Vasselin 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4. Playing his first full season on tour season since 2005 after missing time with an assortment of injuries and surgeries, the 27-year-old Baker started the year ranked No. 456. His success at Wimbledon combined with solid performances on clay courts helped propel the former juniors star into the top 100 this month. Since then, he has had three straight opening-round losses, all on hard courts. "Fitness wise I was fine today. It was not an issue," said Baker, who already has earned a place in the upcoming U.S. Open. "I definitely took some time off after Wimbledon, had some aches and pains. It hasnt been the physical aspect of it. Its just been maybe more the mental aspect, coming back from such a high." Baker broke Serras serve twice in the opening set to take a commanding 5-2 lead, but lost his own serve at 3-4 in the second en route to losing that set. In the third, Serra needed just five points on Bakers serve for a 1-0 lead, broke again to make it 4-1 and won as Bakers final backhand sailed wide. "All summer I played pretty clean matches and was still able to be aggressive when I should have," Baker said. "Today was definitely not my day." Brian Urlacher Jersey . Set to become a free agent, the 33-year-old third baseman hit .236 with 15 homers and 46 RBIs in 80 games for the White Sox after being acquired from Boston on June 25. Julius Peppers Youth Jersey . Victorias Hesjedal led the final climb to tear apart the leading group of breakaway riders on the 182-kilometre stage, but neither he nor Cummings could threaten Omega Pharma-QuickSteps Martin for the overall victory. http://www.nflbearsprostore.com/jay-cutler-jersey . The victory gave the 22-year-old Nishikori his second career ATP tour title and first in more than four years. Nishikori, ranked No. 17, put on a fine all-around display before a packed house at Ariake Colosseum to record the triumph against the sixth-seeded Raonic, whos 21 and hails from Thornhill, Ont. Brandon Marshall Black Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. Major Wright Jersey . -- Perhaps Dwayne Bowe was just waiting for the Chiefs to break training camp to finally sign his franchise tender.PARIS -- If it seems Roger Federer breaks one record or another every time he wins a match, thats because he does these days. Then again, good as Federer is, he cant top this: His next opponent at the French Open, Belgiums David Goffin, is unbeaten in Grand Slam main-draw matches. (OK, so the kids only 3-0, but still.) Yes, before Federer can take on Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros this year, hell need to defeat Goffin, the first "lucky loser" -- a player beaten in qualifying who sneaks into the field via someones withdrawal -- to reach the fourth round at any Grand Slam tournament in 17 years, and only the seventh to make it that far. "Now Im playing against Roger," the 109th-ranked Goffin said after beating Lukasz Kubot of Poland 7-6 (4), 7-5, 6-1 on Friday, "and I cant believe it." A fresh-faced 21-year-old whose voice was barely a whisper and whose hands fidgeted during an extended interview session with reporters, the slender, 1.80-meter (5-foot-11) Goffin matter-of-factly discussed displaying photos and posters of 16-time Grand Slam champion Federer in his bedroom as a child. "Since I was little, Ive watched Roger play on TV. To me, he plays almost perfect tennis. His technique is perfect. I also like him at the human level; hes a very good person on and off the court," said Goffin, who was able to make his Grand Slam debut because Gael Monfils pulled out with a knee injury. "I expect a very tough match on Sunday, of course. I dont really know how Ill prepare for it, but Ill try to have fun." Informed that his next opponent is an unabashed fan, Federer grinned and replied, "Not the first time it happens.. Devin Hester Womens Jersey. " Probably so. After all, the 30-year-old Federer has been winning major titles since 2003, when Goffin was 12. Hes been winning Grand Slam matches since 2000, and Fridays 6-3, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 victory over Nicolas Mahut was Federers 235th, adding to his Open era record. Federer happened to catch a bit of Goffins second-round matchup against Arnaud Clement, the 2001 Australian Open runner-up who said this would be his final French Open. The condensed scouting report? "Nice game. Smooth ball-striker. And talented, obviously," Federer said. "Otherwise, he wouldnt be coming that far in this tournament." That match against Clement went five sets, as did Goffins first-round victory over 23rd-seeded Radek Stepanek -- the only five-setters of his career. Against Kubot at intimate, 1,559-seat Court 7, Goffin was raucously cheered by flag-waving, chorus-singing supporters who made the short trip from Belgium. "It gave me wings," Goffin said. "I felt as if I was playing at home." Coincidentally, the last "lucky loser" to make it this far at a major tournament was also Belgian, Dick Norman, who did it at Wimbledon in 1995. Now comes by far the toughest test of Goffins young career. Or, looked at another way, a "bonus," as he put it: the thrill of standing across the net from his favourite player and seeing how he stacks up. Asked whether he believes he can defeat Federer, Goffin said, "If I say yes, it might sound pretentious. And if I say no, it will look like a lack of ambition. Well see. Ill prepare like I do for other matches. Ill try to go for my shots and have fun on a big court." ' ' ' |
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3:43 PM Jul 11