g extraordinarily well, and Harper hasnt even been Harper; as good as he has been,

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka were both still awake at 5 a.m., a mere nine hours before they would play for the Olympic bronze medal.Hlavackova had spent all night at the hospital, undergoing a CT scan after a volley to her face fractured an orbital bone. Yet she was more distraught the next day about her teammates plight: Their womens doubles match was scheduled less than 13 hours after Hradeckas mixed doubles quarterfinal ended past 1 a.m.Their bodies betraying them both Saturday afternoon, Hlavackova and Hradecka went from being so close to a guaranteed medal to leaving Rio de Janeiro without one.In Fridays semifinals, the Czechs were one point from victory when Switzerlands Martina Hingis crushed a swinging volley into Hlavackovas face. Hlavackova crumpled to the court in tears, and she and Hradecka went on to lose to Hingis and Timea Bacsinszky 5-7, 7-6 (3), 6-2.Hlavackova spent five hours at the hospital, and as of Saturday morning, she was 90 percent sure she couldnt play. But an hour before the matchs scheduled 2 p.m. start, Hlavackova warmed up and felt OK, and she went on court with three blue and white strips of medical tape radiating from her swollen left eye.Her compromised vision was a bigger problem than the pain. Still, the fear of straining her facial muscles too much meant she couldnt put the normal oomph into her strokes.I couldnt serve hard; I couldnt hit the balls hard, Hlavackova said. I was really worried I would damage my eye.Yet she and Hradecka were up a break in the first set, in position to serve it out. Thats when Hradeckas ailments became the greatest impediment.Her mixed doubles match with Radek Stepanek didnt start against Romanias Irina-Camelia Begu and Horia Tecau until nearly 11:30 p.m., because Tecau had played in the mens doubles final earlier in the night. Hradecka got to bed around 3:15 a.m. but couldnt fall asleep until about 6.Asked how she felt on court Saturday, she replied with a pained laugh: Totally dead.And it caught up to her when she tried to serve out the first set.I felt like my legs are so heavy, Hradecka said. From this moment, I couldnt move.They went on to lose 7-5, 6-1 to Czech teammates Lucie Safarova and Barbora Strycova.Hlavackova was incensed that tournament officials didnt schedule the bronze-medal match later in the day considering the timing of Hradeckas mixed doubles -- and she said she let them know.Theres no chance you can be ready for a match like that, she said. Its really a failure.Hradecka never considered pulling out of her mixed doubles quarterfinal.Radek is here just for the mixed, she said, so I have to be ready.After Fridays semifinals, Hlavackovas opinion of Hingis volley was: It happens. Hitting the ball into an opponents body is an accepted strategy in doubles.Then she watched a clip of the shot.Shes one of the greatest who knows where to put the ball, Hlavackova said of Hingis, a 12-time major womens doubles champion. When I saw the video and I saw the space which was around me, I have to admit that she could have put it away.Hlavackova, who said she has a good relationship with Hingis, was also troubled by the Swiss stars reaction to the injury.She was more worried about not getting a medical timeout for me than about my eye, Hlavackova said.Hlavackova may need surgery but is hoping she wont. Hradecka still has a chance at a medal in Rio, playing for bronze in mixed doubles Sunday against Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna of India.Hlavackova and Hradecka, who were seeded sixth, do already own a medal together, a silver in 2012 after losing to Venus and Serena Williams in the final. Theyve won two Grand Slam titles as a team.Hingis and Bacsinszky face Russians Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina for gold Sunday.The bronze medalists, Safarova and Strycova, werent even supposed to team up in Rio. When Safarovas original partner, Karolina Pliskova, withdrew, Strycova wasnt sure she would be allowed to replace her.Then we figure it out that we can, Strycova said, and then we have a medal. Its amazing.Strycova and Safarova had been 0-1 as a team, then they went out and stunned the three-time Olympic doubles gold medalist Williams sisters in the first round.Close friends who played together in juniors, Strycova and Safarova tend to finish each others sentences. If only the bronze didnt come at the expense of their teammates.It was awful, Safarova said.We know each other so well, she added. Especially after what happened as well to Andrea yesterday.At any other tournament, Strycova said, you would be kind of like, `Next week, guys, another chance.Not when the Olympics roll around just once every four years.This is the one and only, she said, and you want to get it so much. Vapormax Flyknit Triple Black . Toronto has dropped games to Indiana and Miami since a five-game winning streak and closed out a three-game road trip at 1-2. Nike Vapormax Wholesale China . Andreas Johnson had a goal and two assists while Jacob de la Rose also scored for Sweden (2-0-0). Esa Lindell and Rasmus Ristolainen replied for Finland (1-1-0) Lindell opened the scoring for Finland just 41 seconds into the game, but the hosts quickly regained their composure and tied the score less than four minutes later on Wennbergs first of the game. http://www.vapormaxcheapoutlet.com/ . 1 position. The Mustangs (6-0), who beat Queens 50-31 last weekend, earned 17 first-place votes and 287 points in voting by the Football Reporters of Canada. Western was last ranked first in the country in October 2011. Vapormax 2019 Black . The head of USA Boxing came out swinging Tuesday with an open letter to Tyson -- a former Olympic hopeful himself -- that accuses the former heavyweight champion of trying to poach fighters who might be candidates for the U. Vapormax Flyknit Light Violet . Louis. To which I would say two things: 1. Where there is smoke, there is or perhaps has been a little fire. Or, in other words, the two teams would appear to have at least spoken. And spoken is defined as one calling the other to inquire, no more, no less. The thing about the Washington Nationals is they didnt need that much help.Without question, 2015 was a disaster of a season, after many projected last years Nationals to be like this years Cubs. The clubhouse at some point became toxic, and that seemingly played a role in the Nationals falling short in their pursuit of a few of their offseason targets.But as much as the Nationals needed a culture change, that was almost as easy as saying goodbye to manager Matt Williams. And a year ago, the Nationals finished with basically the same run differential as the New York Mets. The Nationals remained a talented ballclub, and Bryce Harper makes for a heck of a starting point.So to make it clear: The first-place Nationals didnt come out of nowhere. They were supposed to challenge the Mets for the National League East title. That being said, the Nationals division llead is up to six games.dddddddddddd They have the second-best run differential in baseball, and theyre on a 97-win pace. The club is playing extraordinarily well, and Harper hasnt even been Harper; as good as he has been, hes off last years pace. Looking at the Nationals record, you wouldnt know it.To some extent, you have to give credit to new manager Dusty Baker, who has long been one of the games most effective unifiers. And when a team is succeeding, there tend to be dozens of different supporting factors. This years Nationals have been healthier. The pitching has been a little better. Yet on the offensive side, three big surprises stand apart. Two holdovers and one free agent have given the Nationals the boost they needed. ' ' '