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ou can out of it to make yo
in Diamondcraft - Registration Thu Dec 19, 2019 3:50 amby yyys123 • 1.785 Posts
BRISBANE, Australia -- Serena Williams did a quick little dance behind the baseline to remind herself to move her feet. After a complete air swing at the net in the second set, she smiled ruefully and drew in some long, deep breathes. She netted a service return on her first match point. Top-ranked Williams first competitive match of the season, on New Years Eve, was by no means perfect, but the 6-4, 6-4 win over Andrea Petkovic at the Brisbane International was a decent start against a player who has been ranked as high as No. 9. She made 36 unforced errors, including the big miss on Petkovics floater in the fifth game of the second set, but hit 35 winners and fired 11 aces including one at 196 kph (122 mph) to bring up set point in the first. "It was an intense match, which was really good," Williams said. "Shes been in the top 10 before and she was on her way to being even better. It was a good match for me." Williams started 2013 in Brisbane with a title, the first of 11 for a year that included two major championships. Shes back with the aim of carrying the momentum into 2014. And shes already into the quarterfinals where shell meet ninth-seeded Dominika Cibulkova, who overcame 43-year-old Japanese veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm 6-3, 1-6, 6-3. Williams had a win-loss record of 78-4 last season and spent all but seven weeks atop the rankings, and she hasnt lowered her expectations for the year ahead. "I had a similar question in 2012. I had such a good year winning two slams and a (Olympic) gold and two doubles. It was a lot," she said. "I just didnt think I could do better. Arguably I may have done better (in 2013), so Im just going to be up for that challenge again." In other second-round matches, fourth-seeded Jelena Jankovic beat Elina Svitolina of Ukraine 6-1, 6-3. On the mens side, sixth-seeded Feliciano Lopez of Spain had a 6-4, 6-4 win over Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan, No. 8 Jeremy Chardy beat fellow Frenchman Adrian Mannarino 7-6 (4) 7-5, Australias Matthew Ebden beat American Alex Kuznetsov 6-3, 6-4 and Nicolas Mahut of France defeated Igor Sijsling of the Netherlands 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. At the WTA event in Auckland, New Zealand, former No. 1-ranked Ana Ivanovic overcame a sore shoulder and saved four set points on serve on her way to a 7-5, 7-6 (2) win over American Alison Riske. The second-seeded Ivanovic required treatment during the second set and played the latter stages with her right shoulder strapped. At 3-5 and 0-40 down in the second, she faced the prospect of a difficult third set but strung together a series of powerful serves to save the game, then broke Riske to force a tiebreak. "I was very happy to get through that second set after I was down," Ivanovic said. "There was a bit of wind and I had wind nerves, there were a few mis-hits and then this (shoulder injury) happened." Third-seeded Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium advanced 6-4, 7-5 over Monica Puig of Puerto Rico, but fourth-seeded Sorana Cirstea of Romania and former champion Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium both lost to qualifiers. China Jerseys For Sale . Unlike last year when nobody got in, there have been estimates of as many as five getting voted in this time around and as few as one, Greg Maddux. China Jerseys Fake . He did one better Sunday by holing out a pitching wedge from 142 yards for eagle, capping a remarkable 28 on the back nine to win The Championship at Laguna National. http://www.chinajerseyspaypal.com/ .com) - The Utah Jazz look to put an end to their five-game losing streak when the Denver Nuggets visit Salt Lake City Monday night. China Jerseys Replica . Needing to bulk up on both sides of the line, the Falcons agreed to terms with guard Jon Asamoah, defensive end Tyson Jackson and defensive tackle Paul Soliai. Asamoah and Jackson played last season with Kansas City, where Asamoah lost his starting job. China Jerseys Quality . Lynchs attorney, Ivan Golde, told The Associated Press on Thursday of the plea deal that was reached with the Alameda County District Attorney Office. The plea will be formally entered in court in Oakland, Calif.WINNIPEG -- Life in the NHL can begin anew at 30, at least for Winnipeg Jets defenceman Adam Pardy. After 58 games this season Pardy has five assists, is a plus three and logging upwards of 18 minutes a night. "I think its gone in the right direction, where I definitely wanted it to go" he said this week of his first season with the Jets. He never has been an offensive defenceman who posted big numbers. But his responsible style seems to be what the Jets need and the six-foot-four, 220-pound native of Bonavista, N.L., brings some much-needed size to Winnipegs blue-line. "This year its been an interesting year," he said. "From sitting out 15 games in a row, being a healthy scratch, to now playing some minutes and finally getting my game going." Pardy has had more than his share of hard luck since turning pro in 2005 and admits there were times when he wondered if he would continue. "It doesnt go back to the start of this year, it goes back to the day I left Calgary and when I blew my shoulder out and went to Dallas and things just didnt go well," he said. "You start thinking that youre not good enough and its really tough to play and I think thats where I was a while back . . . last year and the year before. Confidence is a tough thing to get, and once you lose it its hard to get back." Drafted by the Calgary Flames in the sixth round in 2004, he turned professional in 2005 and began the season with Calgarys AHL affiliate. It wasnt a great start, and he soon found himself in the Las Vegas Wranglers of the ECHL. After his play improved he went back to the AHL and made his NHL debut in the Flames season opener in 2008. He finished his second NHL season with two goals and seven assists in 57 games but a separated shoulder caused him to miss the first two months of the 2010-11 season. He missed the last two months as well because of injury. The following season as a free agent, he signed a two-yeear, US$4 million contract with the Dallas Stars but started on injured reserve list and ended up playing only 36 games before being traded to Buffalo.dddddddddddd Once again, Pardy split the lockout-abbreviated season between the NHL and AHL, and this season Winnipeg became his fourth team in four seasons when he signed a US$600,000 one-year deal. He also had to clear waivers and spent some time with Winnipegs AHL affiliate in St. Johns. "Its never an easy thing to deal with, being set down to the minors," Pardy said. "Pretty much every player has to deal with something like that as some point in their career. You learn from it and take whatever you can out of it to make yourself better the next day." An injury to Jacob Trouba, Winnipegs No. 1 draft pick in 2012 and one of their star rookies this season, saw Pardy brought back after only a few games. He says, in some ways, hes had to go back to that nervous kid who suited up for the first time with the Flames as he rebuilds his game. "As every games gone on, I feel a little more comfortable with the puck, a little more confident." Pardy also became the focus of attention for Winnipeg fans when he had his helmet ripped off by a Chicago fan after he was checked through the glass at the United Center, then had a beer poured over his head. "Its tough enough to get put through the glass, but then to get a beer thrown on my head, too, not a good thing," he said at the time. A radio host tried to promote a "helmet Pardy" and get fans to wear helmets when Chicago next visited Winnipeg but Jets co-owner Mark Chipman killed the stunt. For his part, Pardy not only kept his cool when he was subjected to the beer shower, he says hes tried to stop worrying about his future. "You stay patient, you stay confident and good things are going to happen and you know what, if not, then theres a lot more to life than just hockey," he said. ' ' '
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