Allgemeines » top-10s going back to March; Rya

NEW YORK -- If it seems Serena Williams versus the field isnt a fair fight, these statistics back up that astute perception:Williams has won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, five more than the other 127 women who lined up here at the beginning of the tournament.And wonder of wonders, a record No. 23 remains a distinct possibility after Wednesday nights dramatic 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 defeat of No. 5 seed Simona Halep.The match, which captivated the near-capacity crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium, required 2 hours, 14 minutes to complete.I knew I could play a lot better, Williams said in her on-court interview of the second set. I felt I lost my rhythm, and Simona started playing better. I knew I had to step it up in the third set.Some takeaways from the highly competitive match:The shoulder is holding up: Serena pulled out of Cincinnati three weeks ago after accepting a late wild card into the draw; a right shoulder injury was the culprit. Against Halep, she had a tournament-high 18 aces, and blasted one serve 123 mph. In addition, Serena hit a 110-mph second serve -- on the line.Halep digs down deep: Serenas depth and power puts incredible pressure on service games. In the second game of the second set, Halep fought off no fewer than seven break points. A Serena backhand into the net, the 18th point, ended a 10-minute game, and sent off Halep on a second-set tear. For the set, Halep saved all 12 of the break points she faced.Celebrity Watch: In terms of depth and marquee, the best of the fortnight -- Pharrell Williams, Tony Bennett, Queen Latifah, Michael J. Fox, Rod Laver, Jimmy Arias, Jennifer Capriati.History still beckons: For another two days at least, Williams quest for an Open era record of 23 Grand Slam singles titles, a record seventh US Open title and a new mark for consecutive weeks (187) at No. 1 remains alive.Get your popcorn ready: Williams faces No. 10 seed Karolina Pliskova in a Thursday night semifinal that will feature the two women with the most aces among WTA players. Wow, Serena said, there will be a lot of aces in that match. Regardless, I look forward to it. Salomon Baratas España .C. -- Todd Fiddler scored a hat trick, including the overtime goal, as the Prince George Cougars survived an 8-7 win against the Kamloops Blazers in Western Hockey League play Sunday. Zapatillas Salomon Baratas España . The Barrie Colts defenceman, who impressed many with his play for Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship, is the top-ranked skater in the February rankings. He has 19 goals and 24 assists for 43 points in 45 games with the Colts this season. http://www.baratassalomon.es/ . Cote was eligible to become a free agent Feb. 15. Cote helped running back Jon Cornish run for a league-high 1,813 rushing yards en route to being named the leagues most outstanding player. Zapatillas Salomon España .Y. - Nelson Mandela will be honoured by the New York Yankees with a plaque in Monument Park. Salomon Baratas Chinas . It was the second consecutive win for the Pacers (2-5), who lost their first five preseason games. Jeff Teague led the Hawks (1-5) with 17 points and eight assists and Al Horford had 12 points and seven rebounds. Mike Scott scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half. CARMEL, Ind. -- The journey started in Rio de Janeiro, where Rickie Fowler played for the United States in the mens Olympic golf tournament. From there, he went to Greensboro, New York, Boston and Indianapolis in search of FedEx points and brownie points.He didnt earn enough of the former to secure a place in Atlanta in two weeks for the PGA Tours season-ending, 30-man field at the Tour Championship.Whether he got enough of the latter will be determined Monday -- or perhaps not until Sept. 25 -- when captain Davis Love III makes his at-large selections for the U.S. Ryder Cup team.Playing in his fifth straight week, Fowler admitted he was running out of energy. The result was a lackluster performance at the BMW Championship, in which he tied for 59th and was forced to watch the wildly fluctuating projections that had him in and out of the top 30 all afternoon.As it turned out, when J.B. Holmes parred the final hole to shoot 2-over-par 74 -- making a testy 3-footer -- he secured the 28th position. Fowler was bumped to 31st, just behind Charl Schwartzel,?who shot a final-round 64 to move into a tie for fourth and jump up from 43rd in FedEx Cup points.Theres nothing I can do, Fowler said after finishing with an even-par 72; he was long gone when those on the golf course determined his fate. Im not going to go heckle the ones that I need to miss or anything like that. I want to see guys play well, and theyre all my buddies. You never root against anyone.And like I said, all I can do is go play golf today and Im done. So whatever happens, happens.Fowler can point to a nine-tournament stretch that began at the Players Championship that led to his inability to qualify for the Tour Championship.Starting at the PGA Tours flagship tournament, Fowler missed three straight cuts and had just one finish inside the top 10. While competing at the mens Olympic golf tournament, in which he finished tied for 37th, Fowler decided to add the Wyndham Championship to his schedule in an effort to make the U.S. Ryder Cup team on points.The following weeks Barclays was the last qualifying event, and Fowler was in good shape to make the team, only to falter on the lasst day and tie for seventh after holding the 54-hole lead.dddddddddddd That tournament ultimately cost him his spot at East Lake; had he finished one place higher, he would have easily advanced.Now he may or may not have put his place on the U.S. Ryder Cup team in jeopardy.There are arguments for and against Fowler, to be sure. He is ranked ninth in the world and has played in two Ryder Cups with a 0-3-5 record; but he did little over the past six months in which he could have easily wrapped up a spot.Ive done basically everything I can do as far as schedule and playing, and obviously it would have been nice to play better to make the pick a lot easier on him, but whether he has his mind made up or is still thinking, thats up to him, Fowler said. Im just looking forward to having an off week at home this coming week.Hell have the week of the Tour Championship off as well, but Fowler can take solace in knowing that others being considered for a pick didnt exactly distinguish themselves, either.Holmes tied for fourth, but it came after a five-tournament stretch in which he missed three cuts; Bubba Watson tied for 20th and has just two worldwide top-10s going back to March; Ryan Moore won the John Deere Classic last month, then had two top-10s in the playoffs, only to tie for 64th at Crooked Stick this week.There are arguments for and against just about every player who is in the running for one of the four picks.As for the Tour Championship, it will play on without Open champion Henrik Stenson, who was bumped out of the top 30 because he took this week off to rest his ailing knee. Sergio Garcia didnt make it to East Lake, either, leaving Rory McIlroy as the only European Ryder Cup team member to play in Atlanta.BMW championship winner Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Jordan Spieth, Jimmy Walker, Brandt Snedeker and Phil Mickelson are the U.S. team members who will be in Atlanta, as will several of the potential at-large picks in the field, including Justin Thomas, Moore, Matt Kuchar, Watson, Daniel Berger and Holmes. ' ' '