and might be in the
Добавлено: 23 дек 2019, 08:58
PARIS - So unbeatable for so long until the closing days of Grand Slam tournaments, Roger Federer is suddenly accumulating early exits. Federers streak of nine consecutive quarter-finals at the French Open ended Sunday with a 6-7 (5), 7-6 (3), 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 fourth-round loss to 18th-seeded Ernests Gulbis of Latvia. "A lot of regrets," Federer said. "I just couldnt kind of figure it out." The 17-time Grand Slam champion had not left Roland Garros so soon since 2004, when he was beaten in the third round by Gustavo Kuerten. After that decade-old setback, though, Federer made at least the quarter-finals at a record 36 consecutive major tournaments, a streak that ended with a second-round loss at Wimbledon last year. Federer also put together record Slam runs of 10 finals and 23 semifinals in a row when he was at his dominant best. Now the 32-year-old Federer has bowed out before the quarter-finals at three of the last four majors. "I think it was the biggest, probably, win of my career," said Gulbis, who most certainly could have dispensed with the word "probably." Addressing spectators who sang Federers first name between points, Gulbis said: "Im sorry I had to win. I know all of you like Roger." The result fit with the topsy-turvy nature of this tournament: Both reigning Australian Open champions, No. 3 Stan Wawrinka and No. 2 Li Na, lost in the first round; No. 1 Serena Williams left in the second round. Gulbis now plays No. 6 Tomas Berdych, who eliminated the last American man, No. 10 John Isner. In another quarter-final, No. 2 Novak Djokovic will face No. 8 Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ont. Wimbledon champion Andy Murray and No. 24 Fernando Verdasco set up a fourth-round meeting by finishing off victories in matches suspended Saturday night because of fading light. In womens action, 2012 champion Maria Sharapova ran off the last nine games to come back and beat No. 19 Samantha Stosur 3-6, 6-4, 6-0 for a quarter-final berth against 35th-ranked Garbine Muguruza of Spain, the 20-year-old who stunned Williams last week. No. 18 Eugenie Bouchard, from Montreal, will face No. 14 Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain in another quarter-final. The fourth-seeded Federers resume includes the 2009 French Open title, and he was a four-time runner-up in Paris to Rafael Nadal. But Federer was hardly in top form Sunday, making 59 unforced errors and getting broken twice while serving for a set. That included at 5-3, 40-15 in the second, when Federer sent an overhead right to Gulbis, who whipped a backhand passing winner. "I was lucky, I have to say," Gulbis said about that point. "I was really lucky." Said Federer: "Things got tough from then on for, like, a half-hour for me." He lost the last five points of the second-set tiebreaker, then dropped the third set, too. Another key moment came when Gulbis left the court with a trainer to take a medical timeout while trailing 5-2 in the fourth. As he walked out, Gulbis motioned to Federer, as if asking for permission to go. When Gulbis returned, some fans jeered and whistled at him, and he pointed to his lower back as if to say, "Hey, I was injured." At his news conference, Federer alternated between sounding a little perturbed about the lengthy intermission — and resigned to the idea that what Gulbis did was within the rules. "In the past, I guess, its been abused much more than today, but still, what can you tell?" Federer said. "He didnt look hurt in any way. But if you can use it, you know, might as well do it." Gulbis strokes had momentarily gone astray before that break, but afterward, the 25-year-old Gulbis once again displayed the big-hitting tennis that had many marking him as a future star when he was a teenager. He won 10 of the next 12 points, punctuating shots with exhales that sounded like growls. The fifth set was all Gulbis, who hadnt been to the quarter-finals at a major tournament since the 2008 French Open. Hes spoken openly about focusing more on enjoying the nightlife than perfecting his craft, and drew attention last week for saying he wouldnt encourage his younger sisters to pursue professional tennis because a woman "needs to think about family, needs to think about kids." In the concluding set, Gulbis raced to a 3-0 lead, thanks largely to Federer miscues. In the second game, Federer netted backhands and forehands to offer up break points, then pushed a forehand wide to give Gulbis a lead he never relinquished. After that miss, Federer grabbed a ball and swatted it in anger straight up in the air, a rare sign of exasperation from him. "Hes Roger Federer, but he also gets tight, you know," Gulbis said. "Hes probably going to make (that forehand) seven out of 10 (times). Other guys are going to make two out of 10. Mistakes happen." Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку! . But its also a smart game. Theres more to the Kings than banging bodies. They take a toll mentally on their opponents. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку! . The hard-serving 22-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., became the first Canadian to be ranked in the Top 10 on the ATP World Tour thanks to his runner-up performance at Rogers Cup in Montreal. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку!. Groves signed with Cleveland as an unrestricted free agent last year after a season with Arizona. He was in the linebacker rotation and had a sack in the season opener against Miami. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку! .The Williams siblings, with 25 Grand Slam titles between them, will have a couple of Madisons joining them, too.Madison Keys had a 6-4, 7-5 upset win over two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova on Saturday night, and Madison Brengle beat Coco Vandeweghe 6-3, 6-2 in an all-U. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку! .The Canadian teenage golf sensation announced Thursday shell join the LPGA Tour in 2015 instead of attending the University of Florida.VAIL, Colo. -- Lindsey Vonn is energized by her progress in recovering from a knee injury and might be in the starting gate next week in Canada. Vonn spoke with The Associated Press on Friday after three early super-G training runs. This was her first big test since she crashed during training at Copper Mountain last week and partially tore a reconstructed ligament in her right knee. "Definitely, Im encouraged," she said. "Its looking a lot better than everyone expected. Things are going well." Wearing a brightly colored jacket over her speed suit, the reigning Olympic downhill champion took an easy opening run through the course on a crisp morning. On her second pass, Vonn got a little more aggressive, picking up more speed as she glided down the hill. For her third and final run, she opened it up even more to see how her knee responded. "So far, so good," she said after her workout. So much so she remains hopeful she might race in Alberta next week. Asked about her readiness for Lake Louise, Vonn said: "Im not sure yet. As it looks right now, yeah." She concedes theres plenty more work to do to get into shape. "Im taking it day by day. Im not pushing it that hard yet," Vonn said. "Today, I was just kind of feeling it out. But tthe last run was better.dddddddddddd It was more like normal. Im skiing in my clothes and seeing how things go so far. Im not taking unnecessary risks yet." Some say Vonn shouldnt push so soon, especially with the Sochi Games not until February. Why not come back in January to give her surgically repaired knee more time to heal? "Because I want to start in Lake Louise," Vonn said of a course she dominates so much its known as "Lake Lindsey." She laughed as she unbuckled her ski boots and stuffed them into her car. "Im just going to progress every day until Lake Louise," Vonn said. Vonn spent Thanksgiving Day squeezing in a little free skiing, posting on her Facebook page: "First day back on snow since my crash and it was awesome!" She also attached a picture of herself -- grinning -- on an empty slope in Vail. This, however, was a bigger step. The 29-year-old Vonn is not planning to attend the season-opening World Cup downhill on the new Beaver Creek course on Friday because "its too hard on me." Vonn had her sights set on returning for this race after tearing ligaments in her right knee during a high-speed accident at the world championships in February. She was on target, too, before her Copper Mountain crash. ' ' '