Sonstiges » , NC - As the years second major tees

ISTANBUL, Turkey -- Li Na swept past the ailing Victoria Azarenka 6-2, 6-1 to earn a place in the semifinals of the WTA Championships at the expense of the second-ranked Australian Open champion on Friday. Kendall Fuller Jersey . The fourth-seeded Li will play 2011 champion Petra Kvitova, who came from behind to beat Angelique Kerber 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-3. Azarenkas loss meant Jelena Jankovic advanced to the semis before she had to play Sara Errani later Friday. Errani won that match 6-4, 6-4. Jankovic will play defending champion Serena Williams. Williams swept her group on Thursday. Williams has a 7-4 career edge over Jankovic, while Li and Kvitova are tied 3-3. Azarenka hurt her back while serving in the sixth game of the first set and was clearly in pain for the rest of the match. She took a medical timeout and received treatment during several changeovers but stayed on court despite being hardly able to move and wincing in pain, at one moment coming to tears. "I just wanted to try to do my best for the fans who came and watched our match, for respect for my opponent. It was just about trying to do the most you can out there," Azarenka said. She did win one game with some ferocious serving, but mostly stayed in the middle of the baseline and tried to hit quick winners if the ball came her way. "You know, in the end of the day, its my decision what Im going to do," Azarenka said. Azarenka said her back suddenly seized up as she tried to serve hard but that the trainers told her there was no structural damage. The fifth-seeded Kvitova, a former Wimbledon champion, led 4-1 before Kerber battled back to level at 5-5. In the tiebreaker, Kerber kept up the pressure on Kvitova, who double-faulted to set up three set points for her opponent. Kerber converted the first with a service winner. In the second set, Kvitova broke for the second time in the seventh game by first playing a crisp volley winner and then hitting a powerful return. "The beginning of the second set was really tough. She had a lot of chances," Kvitova said. "I just tried to play my game, play some winners, and go for the net." There were three straight breaks at the start of the third, before Kvitova fought off two break points to go up 3-1. She sealed the win thanks to two straight errors by Kerber. Kerber was seeded eighth after the withdrawal of third-ranked Maria Sharapova because of a shoulder injury. Kvitova had to withdraw from last years tournament with an injury after the first match. "I gave everything I could today," Kerber said. "Of course, Im a little bit disappointed, but Petra was playing very well in the important moments. My serve was not really the best today, but yeah, I was just trying everything." Li, who lost to Azarenka in the final of the Australian Open and in both previous round-robin matches at the WTA Championships 2012 and 2011, said her toughest challenge Friday was mental. "I mean, today the match is not about tennis, about fitness ... because I thought maybe after the first set she will give up or retire, but she still try to continue to play," Li said. "I think its tough because I have to focus, hope all time, because you never know what happen on the court." In the Australian Open final, it was Li who was in trouble. She twisted her ankle and hit her head in a stumble before losing in three sets. "Next time we both have to be healthy on the court," Li said. Li won the group 3-0, while Azarenka finished 1-2. Azarenkas loss meant Jelena Jankovic advanced to the semis before she had to play Sara Errani late Friday. Jankovic will play defending champion Serena Williams in the semifinals. Williams swept her group on Thursday. Although she did not play, Williams did appear on court, to collect the award for finishing the year as No. 1 in the world. Williams has clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking for the third time in her career after 2002 and 2009. Li is through to her first semis in three appearances in the elite event that brings together the top eight women. Despite failing to reach the semis, Azarenka said she was pleased with her year. "Im No. 2 in the world. I had great results in the big tournaments and I had injuries," Azarenka said. "So, its that balance of good and unfortunate. I think I can learn a lot from these little things to prevent maybe some of the injuries." Kvitova finished 2-1 in her group and Kerber was 1-2. Sammy Watkins Jersey .J. -- The New Jersey Devils are so bad in shootouts, coach Pete DeBoer doesnt mind seeing his team take chances in the five-minute overtime. Demarcus Robinson Jersey . But sometimes the way you lose takes precedence over the final score. And how the Jets lost the 5-4 game to the New York Islanders on Thursday is what had Coach Claude Noel hot after the game. http://www.thechiefsshoponline.com/Youth-Derrick-Nnadi-Chiefs-Jersey/ . Left back Armero opened the scoring in the fifth minute when his deflected shot rolled past Greece goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis. Striker Teofilo Gutierrez poked in Colombias second goal from a deflected corner in the 58th and James Rodriguez capped it off with a low shot in stoppage time after a slick backheel flick from Juan Cuadrado.PINEHURST, NC - As the years second major tees off on Thursday morning, here are a few things to consider: The Golf Course For the first time since the Second World War, there is no rough at the national championship. Instead, there is whats being called Native Areas. This is how Donald Ross created the course and this is how Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore restored it.Rather than being one-dimensional and having to hack it out of the rough, hitting it off the fairway now means a bit of a lottery. You might end up with a perfectly clean, if somewhat sandy lie or you could end up in a tangle of the wiregrass. If that happens, its like old times and youll be hacking out to the fairway. Depending on whom you talk to, its either a 50-50 or 60-40 or 80-20 situation that youll get a good result in the scrub.It will make for some interesting times. The Phil FactorWe all know that Phil has been runner-up at the U.S. Open six times and that the first of those came here, at Pinehurst back in 1999. We also know that he wants to win this tournament more than any other, to complete the Grand Slam. But we also know that Phil hasnt played very well this year and has struggled on the greens to the point that hes changed his grip coming into this week. Hell use the claw grip, which he says is better for the six to eight footers that will be key for this week. As much as Phil will tell you everything is great, that he loves the course, that his game is coming around, you have to think that the odds arent in his favour here. Oh CanadaGraham DeLaet will complete the Grand Slam here this week – not in terms of winning but just teeing it up in his fourth major. Sometimes we forget that hes still learning his chops in the majors and its a big step up to the majors. Yes, he is ultra-talented with a game that is suited well to this type of set up. In some ways, what he doesnt know may actually help him. In golf sense, DeLaet will always live and die by his putter and this week he is also going with a new putter grip, adopting a left-hand-low style that he says is working for him. History is not on his side this week – the last time a first-time entrant won the Open was way back in 1913. Of course sstreaks are made to be broken. Anthony Hitchens Jersey. WeatherRight now, Pinehurst No. 2 is baked out and dry. There is lots of run in the course and the greens are firm. But the weather forecast is for rain over the next four days, (although so far, predictions of rain havent materialized). If that comes true, it will, as Rory McIlroy said, take the fire out of the course. It will aid the longer hitters and, if there are delays, make it tougher on those who have little patience. In short, it will change the number of golfers who can win this tournament and thats why a handful of players are doing the rain dance here this week. ImaginationIts a buzz word in golf. Along with creativity. But here at Pinehurst, there really is a need to think about just how youre going to hit a shot. With so many run-off areas around the greens, youre going to have to find the right way to get the ball close to the hole. So that means a) putting it up; b) chipping it close; c) use a hybrid to bump it; or d) some other club to get it close.The guy who puts its beside the cup will be deemed the most imaginative golfer of the week (instead of the champion golfer of the year). GreensThe greens at Pinehurst No. 2 arent necessarily small in overall size, but the effective area that can be used is tiny. In fact, on some of them, less than 25 per cent of the overall space can be used for a pin. These are not unlike Augusta Nationals putting surfaces, where hitting the right area – not just the green -- is a requirement. Some are more generous than others while a few are absolutely diabolical. McIlroy said the second is just such a green. He estimated that less than 20 per cent of the field will hit that green in regulation. Who Will Win?The golfer who will win this week is one who can drive it long as the course has some length. And it will be the player who can loft it way up in the air, as youll need some height to hold the greens. And it will be the player who has some creativity (see above) for those missed green recovery shots, and it will be the golfer who has a hot putter. Put those all together and I think your winner will be . . . Sergio Garcia. (Second choice – Jason Day) Cheap Panthers Jerseys Cheap Bills Jerseys Cheap Dolphins Jerseys Cheap Patriots Jerseys Cheap Saints Jerseys Cheap Buccaneers Jerseys Cheap Cardinals Jerseys Cheap 49ers Jerseys Cheap Seahawks Jerseys Cheap Rams Jerseys Cheap Bears Jerseys Cheap Lions Jerseys Cheap Packers Jerseys Cheap Vikings Jerseys Cheap Bengals Jerseys Cheap Browns Jerseys ' ' '