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Geregistreerd op: 18 Okt 2019
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 Geplaatst: 27-11-2019 09:16:15 Onderwerp: The quicker you can clinch |
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| ROME - Canadian Milos Raonic advanced to his first semifinal of the season Friday after a 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 quarter-final win over Jeremy Chardy of France at the Italian Open. Oakland Athletics Pro Shop . Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., will next play second-ranked Novak Djokovic of Serbia, who is back on track after a right wrist injury sidelined him last week. Raonic led by a set and a break at 6-3, 4-3 before losing his serve for the first time in the tournament. Chardy broke again at 6-5 to force a third set on an overcast day at the Foro Italico. Djokovic, who sat out last weeks Madrid Open, overcame a stiff challenge from David Ferrer before grinding out a 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 win. Djokovic double-faulted on his first match point but then won a 38-shot rally before eventually closing it out in just over 2 1/2 hours. Djokovic is aiming for third Rome title, having won the clay-court event in 2008 and 2011. Also reaching the last four was Grigor Dimitrov, who celebrated his 23rd birthday with a win when 36-year-old Tommy Haas retired after losing the first set 6-2 due to a right shoulder injury — spoiling a matchup between the youngest and oldest players in the top 20. Dimitrovs semifinal opponent will be either seven-time Rome champion Rafael Nadal or Wimbledon title-holder Andy Murray, who were playing later in the last key warm-up event before the French Open starts in nine days. "Its definitely one of the most memorable days of my life," Dimitrov said upon reaching his first Masters series semifinal. "Im just a happy birthday boy today." In womens play, Sara Errani took advantage of a supportive crowd to beat second-seeded Li Na 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 and reach the semifinals for the second consecutive year. Errani will next meet either 2007 and 2008 Rome champion Jelena Jankovic or third-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska. In the other half of the draw, 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic beat 13th-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 and will face either top-ranked Serena Williams or Zhang Shuai of China. The 10th-seeded Errani is attempting to become the first Italian to win the tournament since Raffaella Reggi took the title 29 years ago in Taranto. The last Italian man to win was Adriano Panatta back in 1976. Li was unusually inconsistent, committing 52 unforced errors to Erranis 21, and appeared rattled by a close call from the chair umpire early in the third set. Errani celebrated by waving her arms to incite the crowd. "I did well not to get carried away by the euphoria," Errani said. "Its difficult to describe how it felt at the end. The fans were incredible." ___ With files from The Canadian Press. Oakland Athletics Shirts . "This is my city," the Toronto native said upon his arrival Wednesday night. And the 35-year-old former league MVP says he is hoping to making 2014 a memorable year. Custom Oakland Athletics Jerseys . Louis against the Blues. The Canucks picked up their second straight victory in the swings opener on Tuesday in Calgary before getting routed in Minnesota last night, 5-1. https://www.cheapathleticsonline.com/ .Y. -- Nothing seems to phase No. ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Minnesota Wild found out during the second intermission their spot in the playoffs was secure. Satisfaction came only after they won their way in with a strong finish. Mikko Koivu had the only score in the shootout after Ryan Suters goal tied the game with 65 seconds remaining in regulation, and the Wild beat the Boston Bruins 4-3 on Tuesday night to clinch a wild-card spot in the Western Conference playoffs. "We wanted to get in the right way," said right wing Jason Pominville, who had two goals and an assist. "We stuck to it and found a way to score one late, and I think its a sign of a good team when you get in the right way against the best team in the NHL right now." Koivu, who had two assists, switched to his backhand to flip the puck past Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask in the second round. When goalie Ilya Bryzgalov stopped Brad Marchands try with his pad to end it, he pumped his arms as he skated out of the crease to celebrate with his teammates. The Wild will be the seventh seed and face the division winner with the fewest points. "The message was, Lets not wait for anything. Lets not back our way into anything. Lets not come through the back door. Lets go charging through the front door," coach Mike Yeo said. "And what a better way to do it against a team like Boston." As play was about to begin for the third period, the overtime loss by ninth-place Phoenix at Columbus that guaranteed a place in the post-season for Minnesota was announced to the crowd and received with a hearty cheer. The Wild then went a step further by assuring themselves of the top wild-card slot by rallying for the win. They kept up the pressure in overtime after Suters delivery, outshooting the Bruins 6-2 in overtime. Reilly Smith, Patrice Bergeron and Loui Eriksson scored for the Bruins, who fell to 16-1-3 in their past 20 games. The Bruins, who clinched the No. 1 seed for the Eastern Conference playoffs, held leading scorer Jarome Iginla out for the third time in the past four games because of a lower-body injury. Iginla became the biggest threat to the Wild during his days with then-division rival Calgary. His 677 points, including 37 goals, in 71 career games are the most by any Minnesota opponent. Athletics Jerseys China. "Try to get some rest for certain guys and still try to play good hockey," Rask said. "Theres still something to play for. But its not always easy to find that 100 per cent perfect game in these situations." Late in the second period, Zdeno Chara wound up from the point on a power play. Eriksson and Gregory Campbell were parked just outside the crease, and the puck appeared to deflect first off Campbells stick before Eriksson poked it in for the lead with 3:42 left before the break. That didnt mean they were playing their best, though. "I felt we were a little sloppy tonight. We werent very sharp in our passing and our playmaking," coach Claude Julien said. "We didnt have everybody really playing that well. Some of our big players were just very average." Bryzgalov, the latest unlikely leader to emerge for the Wild, made 44 saves over the past two games to blank Pittsburgh and Winnipeg and put Minnesota on the brink of the post-season. His shutout streak ended at 145 minutes and 15 seconds, when Smith sent in an unassisted power-play goal for his 20th score this season. But Bryzgalov, who took over for Darcy Kuemper when the rookie suffered an upper-body injury last month, improved to 7-0-3 since arriving at the trade deadline. "The quicker you can clinch, the better it is," an impressed Julien said. Last season, the Wild limped to the No. 8 seed by winning their final game to finish 5-8-1 in April. This time, theyll have more momentum. "We played ourselves into the playoffs the way that you want to. It says a lot about the guys in here, and hopefully we can keep this thing going here," Suter said. NOTES: Wild goalie Josh Harding, the winner of the NHLs Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy last year for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to the sport, was announced Tuesday as the teams repeat nominee for the award. Harding has been on injured reserve since Jan. 2, continuing to deal with multiple sclerosis, but returned to practice with the Wild last Wednesday. ... Bergeron has 10 goals in his past 11 games. ' ' ' |
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