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25.01.2020 13:03
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NEW YORK -- Andy Murray was the defending champion in 2014 when his 23-year-old opponent swept him out of Wimbledon.Grigor Dimitrov stormed into his first major semifinal that day, and surely many more would be to come.More than two years later, though, Dimitrov has yet to make it past the round of 16 at any Grand Slam since. His ranking, once in the top 10, plummeted all the way to 40th this summer, not long after he lost his opening match at five straight tournaments.So it was quite the reversal when he won four times in the same event at Cincinnati shortly before arriving at the U.S. Open. And they all came against players ranked among the top 31 in the world -- most notably Stan Wawrinka. Dimitrov wound up losing in three sets in the semifinals there to 2014 U.S. Open champ Marin Cilic.Now the 22nd-seeded Dimitrov is in the round of 16 at a major for the first time since the 2015 Australian Open. As it happens, he lost to Murray then, and the two meet again Monday at that stage of the U.S. Open.As it also happens, Dimitrov recently joined up with coach Dani Vallverdu, who used to work with Murray.Once nicknamed Baby Fed for his games resemblance to that of Roger Federer, Dimitrov has acknowledged that he slogged through a stretch when he wasnt liking the sport too much.Not anymore.I fell in love with tennis again. Its simple as that, Dimitrov said. Its not only because Ive been winning matches or anything like that. Its because I started to enjoy the process again.Im enjoying the work again. Im enjoying waking up in the morning early to come to practice. Im enjoying doing the ice baths again.Dimitrov has yet to face a seeded player here and now meets an opponent who has won 36 of his last 38 matches. Murray has also won his last 26 meetings with players ranked outside the top 20. As it happens, the last such opponent to defeat him was Dimitrov. That came in Miami in March before Murray found his current form in winning his second Wimbledon title and second Olympic gold medal.He had some shaky moments Saturday, though, splitting the first two sets against Paolo Lorenzi -- who was playing in the third round at a major for the first time and coming off a five-hour match.Ill need to play better than today if I want to win that, Murray said after that four-set victory about his upcoming meeting with Dimitrov.Other matches to watch on Day 8 of the U.S. Open:WILLIAMS WATCHING: The Williams sisters play back-to-back in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday afternoon. Venus is up first, facing 10th-seeded Karolina Pliskova, who is in the round of 16 at a major for the first time. For Venus, its the 45th time.Then Serena meets 52nd-ranked Yaroslava Shvedova. The last time she lost to a player outside the top 50 at a Grand Slam was to No. 111 Virginie Razzano at the 2012 French Open, after which she started working with coach Patrick Mouratoglo. Shes won nine of the 17 majors since.COPYING CONNORS: A quarter-century after 39-year-old Jimmy Connors rode raucous crowds to an improbable U.S. Open semifinal appearance, perhaps its only appropriate that Juan Martin del Potro could become the lowest-ranked quarterfinalist at Flushing Meadows since then.The 142nd-ranked del Potro has been willed along by fans in New York who fondly remember his 2009 title and respect his comeback from three left wrist surgeries. Hes yet to play any marathon matches, though, with three straight-set wins.He takes on eighth-seeded Dominic Thiem, who turned 23 on Saturday and is grappling with the wear and tear of a long season.Speaking of Connors, 37-year-old Ivo Karlovic is the oldest man to make the round of 16 at a major since that magical 1991 run. He meets sixth-seeded Kei Nishikori. Third-seeded Stan Wawrinka, who saved a match point in a five-set win Saturday, faces Illya Marchenko, whos in his first Grand Slam round of 16.CRYING GAME: When Croatian teen Ana Konjuh played Agnieszka Radwanska in the second round at Wimbledon, she had three match points -- and many more tears. Konjuh accidentally stepped on a ball and injured her right ankle in the next-to-last game of the 2-6, 6-4, 9-7 loss. Now they meet in the round of 16 under the lights at Ashe, where the fourth-seeded Radwanska will be seeking her first U.S. Open quarterfinal. The 92nd-ranked Konjuh is already on her deepest run at a major.Fifth-seeded Simona Halep faces No. 11 Carla Suarez Navarro in the other womens match.Cheap Jerseys . -- Former San Diego Chargers safety Paul Oliver was found dead at his Atlanta-area home Tuesday night, and a medical examiner said Wednesday that the ex-player committed suicide. Wholesale Jerseys 2020 . The players spoke Jan. 13 during a Major League Baseball Players Association conference call after Rodriguez sued the union and Major League Baseball to overturn an arbitrators decision suspending him for the 2014 season and post-season. https://www.wholesalejerseysaaa.com/ . - Levi Browns tenure at left tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers is over before it even began. Wholesale Jerseys . -- Yogi Ferrell orchestrates pretty much everything in Indianas offence. Wholesale Jerseys China . Now tied for second in the league in shootout goals, the 24-year-old likes to see what the opposing goaltender has in store before he ultimately lands on a move.UNCASVILLE, Conn. -- Jantel Lavender scored a career-high 25 points and the Los Angeles Sparks beat the Connecticut Sun 98-92 in overtime Friday night to tie the 1998 Houston Comets for the best start in WNBA history.Lavender added a season-high 10 rebounds, and Kristi Tolliver scored eight of her 24 points in overtime for the Sparks (20-1). Theyve won nine in a row and are 9-0 on the road.Tolliver made the last of her four 3s to give the Sparks a 93-92 lead with 1:31 left in overtime and ignite an 8-0 run to close the game.Connecticut (6-15) missed its final three field-goal attempts and committed turnovers on three consecutive possessions after Tollivers clinching 3-pointer.The Suns Alyssa Thomas maade 1 of 2 free throws with 10 seconds left in regulation to force overtime.dddddddddddd Tolliver missed a 3-pointer as time expired.Connecticut led 62-46 with 8 minutes left in the third quarter, but Nneka Ogwumike scored nine points during a 16-2 run that pulled the Sparks within two. Los Angeles took its first lead, 81-80, on a 3-pointer by Ogwumike with 1:37 remaining in regulation.Ogwumike finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds.Thomas had 17 points and a career-high 12 rebounds for the Sun. Chiney Ogwumike, Nnekas sister, added 16 points and a season-high 13 rebounds. ' ' ' |
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