Posts Tagged ‘novak djokovic’
Sunday, April 21st, 2013
Novak Djokovic (Wikimedia Commons)
Novak Djokovic has put an end to Rafael Nadal’s remarkable winning streak in Monte Carlo.
This morning, Djokovic, the number one player in the world, defeated Nadal in straight sets 6-2, 7-6.
What is remarkable is that prior to Nadal’s loss in Monte Carlo today, he had not lost at the tournament since losing to Argentina’s Guillermo Coria in 2003. Nadal won the event eight consecutive years from 2005-2012.
Djokovic dominated the first set after it was postponed because of a rain delay. The second set was significantly closer as Djokovic and Nadal broke each other twice to force a tiebreak, which was completely dominated by Djokovic.
Djokovic, the reigning Australian Open champion, won easily 7-1. Another major reason for Djokovic’s victory is that he won 60% of points on his second service, while Nadal only won 31% of the possible points.
The Monte Carlo Masters is the first of three Masters Series events on clay leading up to the French Open. There are significant events scheduled still for Madrid and Rome.
Tags: french open, guillermo coria, monte carlo masters, novak djokovic, RAFAEL NADAL
Posted in ATP World Tour, More |
Saturday, April 20th, 2013
It looks more and more like the Edmonton Oilers will not make the postseason in 2013. However, there is a still a mathematical chance after their impressive 4-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night.
The Oilers played a complete hockey game Friday night at the Pepsi Center in Denver. Jordan Eberle scored one goal and two assists, while Justin Schultz and Magnus Paajarvi had multi-point games.
The Oilers are now eight points back of the Columbus Blue Jackets with five games to go in the season. The next game on their schedule will be Sunday night against the Anaheim Ducks (Sportsnet, 6:00 p.m.). It is basically simple. Their remaining five games, of which four are at home, are mandatory for the Oilers to win.
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Tags: boston celtics, brad richards, bryce harper, carmelo anthony, Chicago Blackhawks, colorado avalanche, denver nuggets, detroit red wings, dwight howard, Edmonton Oilers, george karl, gio gonzalez, golden state warriors, John Buck, jordan eberle, justin schultz, los angeles lakers, magnus paajarvi, manu ginobili, mark jackson, monte carlo masters, new jersey devils, New York Knicks, new york mets, new york rangers, novak djokovic, phoenix coyotes, RAFAEL NADAL, san antonio spurs, stephen curry, tracy mcgrady, ty lawson, Vancouver Canucks, washington nationals
Posted in ATP World Tour, MLB, More, NBA, NHL |
Monday, April 8th, 2013
Milos Raonic (Christopher Johnson, Wikimedia Commons)
It was an historic weekend for Canada in Davis Cup. For the first time since 1913, Canada is off to the semi-finals of this extremely interesting annual tennis team event.
On Sunday at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre in Vancouver, Milos Raonic, the top Canadian in the world at no.16 defeated Andreas Seppi, the top Italian in the world at no. 18, 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5.
Canada defeated Italy on the weekend three matches to one and will now play the mighty Serbian squad in September. The Serbs are led by Novak Djokovic, the number one ranked player in the world.
A major reason for the Canadian success was the surface. The fast court that Tennis Canada selected for the weekend paid dividends as Seppi and Fabio Fognini had a difficult time adjusting.
Czech Republic, the defending champions, will take on Argentina in the other semi-final.
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Tags: davis cup, milos raonic, novak djokovic
Posted in ATP World Tour, More |
Saturday, March 16th, 2013
Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir (David Carmichael, Wikimedia Commons)
The 2013 World Figure Skating Championships wrap up in London, Ontario today with the ice dance competition (CBC, 2:00 p.m.) an the ladies’ long program (www.cbcsports.ca, 8:00 p.m.).
Canada has a very good shot at two more medals Saturday. Olympic champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of London, Ontario are in second place in the ice dance, while Sherwood Park resident Kaetlyn Osmond is in fourth place after the women’s short program.
If you watched the championship on Friday, you would know that the quality of skating has been poor for a World Figure Skating Championship.
Patrick Chan of Ottawa was completely dreadful last night in winning the men’s competition, but came away with the gold medal. After a great start where he executed the quad, he fell on two triples, double footed another jump and seemed exhausted in the latter half of his performance. At the end of the day, Chan defended his world title.
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Tags: aliona savchenko, boston bruins, brandon sutter, carey price, caroline wozniacki, Edmonton Oilers, eric radford, eve muirhead, kaetlyn osmond, Kobe Bryant, los angeles lakers, maria sharapova, maxim trankov, meagan duhamel, michel therrien, mike d'antoni, montreal canadiens, nashville predators, new jersey devils, novak djokovic, patrick chan, Pittsburgh Penguins, rachel homan, RAFAEL NADAL, robin szolkowy, sacramento kings, scott moir, tatiana volosozhar, tessa virtue, women's world curling championship, world figure skating championships
Posted in Amateur Sports, ATP World Tour, Curling, More, NBA, NHL |
Tuesday, January 29th, 2013
Novak Djokovic (Wikimedia Commons)
Novak Djokovic of Serbia is the 2012 Australian Open champion. On Sunday from Melbourne, Djokovic defeated Andy Murray of Great Britain 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 6-2.
After a relatively even first two sets, Djokovic took complete control of the match by dominating the third and fourth sets to win his third consecutive Australian Open title. Djokovic beat Murray in 2011 and Rafael Nadal of Spain last year. It was also Djokovic’s fourth Australian Open win of his career as he beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France in 2008, and the sixth grand slam title of his career, as he also won Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 2011.
There should be great excitement on the Canadian tennis scene because Canada has a very good chance to beat Spain in the first round action at the Davis Cup in Vancouver. The top four ranked Spaniards won’t be there, leaving Albert Ramos and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez as the players leading Spain, who lost in the 2012 Davis Cup Final to the Czech Republic. Canada will counter with Milos Raonic and Vasek Pospisil, who missed the Australian Open due to mononucleosis.
Tags: albert ramos, andy murray, australian open, davis cup, guillermo garcia-lopez, milos raonic, novak djokovic, vasek pospisil
Posted in ATP World Tour, More |
Friday, January 25th, 2013
Victoria Azarenka (Wikimedia Commons)
This is one of the few weekends every year that I get up in the middle of the night to watch sports, but have done so annually when Australian Open organizers moved their men’s and women’s finals to the night session.
On Saturday morning (TSN, 1:30 a.m.), the world number one Victoria Azarenka of Belarus takes on 2011 French Open champion and world number six Li Na of China. Azarenka, who is also the defending champion, defeated American sensation Sloane Stephens 6-1, 6-4 in a controversial semi-final while Na beat Maria Sharapova 6-2, 6-2. A couple of notes here. First, it has been amazing the number of times I have heard from ESPN the last two weeks projecting a Serena Williams/Maria Sharapova semi-final. Second, the crowd will probably be supporting Na after Azarenka took a questionably lengthy timeout in her win over Stephens on Thursday.
In the men’s final, world number one Novak Djokovic of Serbia will take on world number three Andy Murray of Great Britain (Sunday, 1:30 a.m.). Djokovic is no question the fresher of the two. He steamrolled past David Ferrer of Spain 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 on Thursday, while Murray needed four and a half hours to beat Roger Federer in five grueling sets on a fewer day of rest. Djokovic beat Murray in the 2011 Australian Open title 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 and is looking for his third straight Australian Open Championship.
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Tags: alex beaulieu-marchand, alex bellemare, andy murray, anna segal, australian open, calgary flames, Edmonton Oilers, james woods, jessie kaufman, kaya turski, kevin durant, kevin martin, kristie moore, laura crocker, li na, los angeles lakers, mark mcmorris, max parrot, novak djokovic, oklahoma city thunder, ralph krueger, renee sonnenberg, shannon kleibrink, sina candrian, slopestyle skiing, snowboarding, spencer o'brien, valerie sweeting, victoria azarenka, winter x games
Posted in Amateur Sports, ATP World Tour, Curling, More, NBA, NHL |
Wednesday, January 23rd, 2013
Sloane Stephens (Keith Allison, Wikimedia Commons)
I know Serena Williams was not 100% percent last night. She was having immense back and ankle issues, and lacked positivism on the court as portrayed by her slamming her racket in the second set.
But even though Williams was not at a hundred percent, she was still unable to beat the 29th ranked player in the world, fellow American Sloane Stephens in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.
Stephens showed significantly more patience and poise in downing the more experienced veteran, 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 in Melbourne last night. However, the schedule will remain difficult for Stephens, as she plays world number one and defending Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in the semi-finals tonight and then either Li Na of China or Maria Sharapova in Saturday’s final.
In men’s action, it should come as no surprise that David Ferrer of Spain is playing Novak Djokovic of Serbia in one semi-final and Roger Federer of Switzerland is playing Andy Murray of Great Britain in the other semi-final. However I strongly believe Ferrer has the speed, experience and footwork to upset Djokovic in the middle of the night.
Tags: andy murray, australian open, david ferrer, li na, maria sharapova, novak djokovic, ROGER FEDERER, sloane stephens, victoria azarenka
Posted in ATP World Tour, More |
Monday, January 21st, 2013
Roger Federer (Vinod Divakaran, Wikimedia Commons)
Milos Raonic may be ranked 13th at the Australian Open, but he has a lot of work to do to crack the top five in men’s tennis.
On Sunday, Raonic lost 6-4, 7-6, 6-2 in straight sets to the great Roger Federer in the fourth round of the Australian Open.
Federer made Raonic run and exploit his weak backhand. The bottom line is Federer’s experience and maturity paid off and despite Raonic’s 19 aces, Raonic was unable to win many long points against the four time Australian Open champion.
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Tags: agnieszka radwanska, andy murray, australian open, david ferrer, ekaterina makarova, jeremy chardy, jo-wilfried tsonga, li na, maria sharapova, milos raonic, nicolas almagro, novak djokovic, ROGER FEDERER, serena williams, sloane stephens, svetlana kuznetsova, tomas berdych, victoria azarenka
Posted in ATP World Tour, More |
Saturday, January 12th, 2013
Eric Decker (Jeffrey Beall, Wikimedia Commons)
Some call this weekend the best weekend during the NFL season. Others call it the elite eight. There are great expectations for excellent football this weekend after last week produced anti-climactic contests.
In the AFC, the Denver Broncos (13-3) will host the Baltimore Ravens (10-6) in a divisional playoff game (Saturday, CBS, 2:30 p.m.). The Broncos had no problems beating the Ravens in the regular season, beating them 34-17 in Baltimore on December 16. Eric Decker had 133 yards receiving and Knowshon Moreno had 115 yards rushing in a game the Broncos once led 31-3 after three quarters. The Broncos have won 11 straight, while the Ravens beat Indianapolis 24-9 last week.
Sunday’s AFC game could see another blowout as the New England Patriots (12-4) face the Houston Texans (12-4) (CBS, 2:30 p.m.). In the regular season, the Patriots hammered the Texans 42-14 on December 10 as Tom Brady had four touchdown passes. Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski led the NFL with 153 points and Texans defensive end J.J. Watt led the NFL with 20.5 sacks. The Patriots had a NFL best +226 this season, while the Texans beat the Bengals 19-13 last week in the AFC Wildcard.
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Tags: alex smith, atlanta falcons, australian open, baltimore ravens, colin kaepernick, denver broncos, eric decker, frank gore, green bay packers, houston texans, j.j. watt, knowshon moreno, maria sharapova, new england patriots, novak djokovic, olga puchkova, paul-henri mathieu, san francisco 49ers, seattle seahawks, stephen gostkowski, tom brady
Posted in ATP World Tour, More, NFL |
Tuesday, September 11th, 2012
Andy Murray (Wikimedia Commons)
Andy Murray of Great Britain is finally a grand slam champion. On Monday he defeated Novak Djokovic of Serbia in five grueling sets, 7-6, 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2 in the men’s final of the U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows, New York.
The term finally is used here because Murray has received an immense amount of hype the last couple of years but has never seemed to close it out. Monday was his fifth final and until Monday was never really been able to play the necessary tennis in the championship required to be a grand slam champion.
Things yesterday however. Murray was dominant in the fifth and final set, when it mattered the very most. He becomes the first man from Great Britain to win a grand slam tennis tournament since Fred Perry won the U.S. Open in 1936.
There were also two interesting statistics. Murray’s win came in four hours and fifty-three minutes. That ties the longest match in U.S. Open history for a men’s final. Also, Murray’s 12-10 win in the first set tiebreak was also the longest tiebreaker for the men’s final at the U.S. Open.
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Tags: andy murray, fred perry, novak djokovic, RAFAEL NADAL, ROGER FEDERER, tennis, u.s. open
Posted in ATP World Tour, More |
Monday, September 10th, 2012
Serena Williams (James Boyes, Wikimedia Commons)
Serena Williams won the 2012 U.S. Open on Sunday in Flushing Meadows, New York by defeating Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 6-2, 2-6, 7-5.
But it is the way that Serena Williams won Sunday that will go down in history as one of her greatest victories ever. Down 5-3 in the third and final set, Williams won the final four games, breaking Azarenka twice en route to the three set win.
The men’s final takes place today. Novak Djokovic of Serbia, the number one player in the world and defending champion, will take on fourth seeded Olympic champion Andy Murray of Great Britain.
Head-to-head Djokovic has a 8-6 advantage. This will be the second time they would have played in a Grand Slam final. Djokovic won the 2011 Australian Open 6-4, 6-2, 6-3. Murray won their last meeting however, in the semi-final of the 2012 Olympic Games in London 7-5, 7-5.
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Tags: andy murray, filip peliwo, novak djokovic, serena williams, u.s. open, victoria azarenka
Posted in Home |
Saturday, September 8th, 2012
Serena Williams (Sascha Wenninger, Wikimedia Commons)
Serena Wiliams just might be playing the very best tennis of her entire career. Tonight she will be facing top seed Victoria Azarenka in the women’s final of the United States Open.
In yesterday’s semi-final, Williams, the Olympic Gold medallist, pounded Sara Errani of Italy 6-1, 6-2 in just over an hour. Azarenka meanwhile defeated the tougher opponent in Maria Sharapova in three tough sets to set up tonight’s match.
The power in Williams’ game right now is so huge, she could be considered the most powerful female athlete in sport today. The match can be seen on CBS at 6pm tonight.
Here are the other events I’ll be watching:
Saturday–U.S. Open men’s semi-final–(3) Andy Murray–Great Britain vs. (6) Tomas Berdych–Czech Republic–CBS–9am–Murray, the men’s Olympic gold medallist is playing what could be considered the best tennis of his career at the moment. His victory over Milos Raonic was sensational. He will be in tough on Saturday however against Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic, who has a ton of momentum after his four set win over Roger Federer on Thursday. Berdych is 4-2 all-time against Murray.
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Tags: andy murray, barry zito, brandon lloyd, brandon whitaker, british columbia lions, cedric benson, clayton kershaw, david ferrer, denver broncos, green bay packers, jake locker, los angeles dodgers, montreal alouettes, new england patriots, novak djokovic, peyton manning, pittsburgh steelers, randy moss, san francisco 49ers, san francisco giants, Saskatchewan Roughriders, serena williams, Tennessee Titans, tomas berdych, victoria azarenka, winnipeg blue bombers
Posted in ATP World Tour, CFL, MLB, More, NFL |
Thursday, September 6th, 2012
David Ferrer (Jose Porras, Wikimedia Commons)
We now know who are in the final four at the U.S. Open.
On Thursday in a riveting afternoon and evening of tennis, David Ferrer of Spain and Novak Djokovic of Serbia booked their tickets for Saturday.
Ferrer won what could be considered one of the best matches of the year in defeating Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia, 6-3, 6-7, 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 in five outstanding sets.
Djokovic meanwhile beat Juan Martin del Potro in three straight sets, 6-2, 7-6, 6-4. The second set will go down in the history books as one of the greatest sets ever played, with Djokovic winning in 85 minutes. The long rallies and degree of difficulty in shot making by both players was legendary and historic.
Djokovic will now play Ferrer in one semi-final while Andy Murray of Great Britain will play Tomas Berdych in the other semi-final. Berdych beat the great Roger Federer last night.
In women’ action Friday, Serena Williams will play French Open finalist Sara Errani of Italy, while Victoria Azarenka of Belarus will play Maria Sharapova of Russia.
Tags: andy murray, david ferrer, janko tipsarevic, juan martin del potro, maria sharapova, novak djokovic, ROGER FEDERER, sara errani, serena williams, tomas berdych, u.s. open, victoria azarenka
Posted in ATP World Tour, More |
Saturday, August 18th, 2012
The log jammed Western Division in the Canadian Football League continues to get tighter. After Edmonton’s blow out loss to the Montreal Alouettes last night, the Calgary Stampeders can tie the Eskimos with a win against the Toronto Argonauts at 4-3 (Saturday, TSN, 5pm).
The Stampeders acquired offensive lineman Obby Khan this week. Khan was part of the 2011 Eastern Division champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers before announcing his retirement.
In Toronto meanwhile, the Chad Kackert experiment as the Argonauts’ number one running back begins with Cory Boyd off to Edmonton.
The Argonauts management must know something special from Kackert, who has -3 yards rushing this season.
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Tags: british columbia lions, calgary stmpeders, chad kackert, josh hamilton, juan martin del potro, novak djokovic, obby khan, ROGER FEDERER, Saskatchewan Roughriders, stanislas wawrinka, texas rangers, toronto argonauts, toronto blue jays
Posted in ATP World Tour, CFL, MLB, More |
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