Hobbies&TV » 1).SAN DIEGO - Same pitcher, different approach,

NEW YORK -- For years and years, a first-round victory by Venus Williams at a major tournament would hardly merit a mention. She is, after all, a seven-time Grand Slam singles champion. Shes been the runner-up another seven times. She was ranked No. 1, owns Olympic gold medals, and is second to her younger sister Serena among active women in several key categories, including Grand Slam match wins, with 215. And yet nowadays, at age 33, two years removed from being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that saps energy, hampered much of this season by a bad lower back, and her ranking down to 60th, Williams entered Day 1 at the 2013 U.S. Open having won a total of three matches over the past five Grand Slam tournaments. Plus, she was facing 12th-seeded Kirsten Flipkens, who was a semifinalist at Wimbledon last month and beat Williams on a hard court this month. Looking very much like the player she used to be, Williams smacked serves at up to 120 mph, returned superbly, covered the court well enough to hit a handful of swinging volley winners, and beat Flipkens 6-1, 6-2 Monday to reach the second round at Flushing Meadows. Flipkens, for one, was not surprised in the least to see Williams play that way. To Flipkens, this was not an upset -- no matter what the rankings indicate. "If Venus is there -- if shes fit, if shes focused -- shes a top-10 player," Flipkens said. "Everybody who knows a little bit of the game of tennis can see that. Today, she was like a top-10 player." Williams, who topped the WTA rankings in 2002, hasnt cracked the top 10 since she was No. 9 in March 2011. She hasnt been past the third round at a Grand Slam tournament since a fourth-round exit at Wimbledon later that year. Indeed, Williams lost in the first round in two of her previous four appearances at majors, including at the French Open in May; she sat out Wimbledon for the only time in her career in June. "I stay positive because I know I can play great tennis. Sometimes you just have to go through more than what you want to go through," the American said after winning the first four games and the last four games against Belgiums Flipkens. "Sometimes you have to have losses." Their match was the days second in Arthur Ashe Stadium, and owing perhaps to the early hour -- or the stricter security measures, including new metal detectors, that led to long delays for spectators entering the grounds -- there were thousands of empty blue seats in the 23,000-capacity arena. The place was full for the night session, when Serena Williams began her title defence with a 6-0, 6-1 victory, a performance so thoroughly impressive that her opponent, 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone, was prompted in a brief moment of levity to seek comfort by hugging a ball boy. "I dont need a hug in that moment, I need a game," joked Schiavone, who was trailing 6-0, 2-0 at the time. Asked which meant more on this day, her own victory or her sisters, Serena replied: "Theyre equal. I definitely was happy to see Venus win. I really was happy for her. I know shes been working hard. I know she had a tough opponent. For her to come through was just awesome. Obviously, I want to do well, too." The victory over Schiavone lasted exactly an hour, and light rain began falling right after it ended. Eventually, play was called off for the day, postponing 17-time major champion Roger Federers match against 62nd-ranked Grega Zemlja of Slovenia until Tuesday. Rain also ended Canadian Vasek Pospisils match against Brazilian qualifier Rogerio Dutra Silva early. Pospisil left the court leading 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (9), 0-4. Earlier on Ashe, 12-time major champion Rafael Nadal delivered a straightforward, straight-set victory over 21-year-old American Ryan Harrison, part of a series of smooth performances by top players. Flipkens was one of two seeded women to lose, along with No. 29 Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia. Three seeded men exited during Mondays afternoon session: No. 11 Kei Nishikori, No. 27 Fernando Verdasco and No. 30 Ernests Gulbis. Sloane Stephens, a 20-year-old American seeded 15th, very nearly was on the list of losers, dropping the opening set, then trailing 4-2 in the third and 3-1 in the closing tiebreaker, before coming back to edge 110th-ranked Mandy Minella of Luxembourg 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5). Stephens heard plenty of support from the crowd, of course. She also picked out one particular voice in the stands that tried to remind her of at least one reason to be motivated. "Someone yelled to me, If you dont get it together, this lady is going to take your second round prize money! I was like, Oh, God," Stephens recounted. Shes one of a crop of young women from the U.S. seen as potential successors to the Williams sisters as tennis standard-bearers for the country; the 19 Americans in the main draw are the most at a Grand Slam tournament in seven years. By reaching the semifinals at the Australian Open in January, then the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, Stephens only increased expectations -- particularly when competing on home turf. "Theres more eyes on me," said Stephens, who is based in Coral Springs, Fla. "Just the whole being here at the U.S. Open is a bit overwhelming. Literally everywhere you go, every single person knows who you are, as opposed to when youre at the French Open or when youre at Wimbledon." Venus Williams has spent 1 1/2 decades in the spotlight, from the moment she showed up at Flushing Meadows in 1997 as a 17-year-old with white beads clackety-clacking in her braids and made it all the way to the title match. She won Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 2000 and 2001, then added three more titles at the All England Club in 2005, 2007 and 2008. The only other time Flipkens played Williams came during that stretch, in the 2007 Fed Cup, and the Belgian lost in straight sets then. "Today, I didnt feel a lot of difference between this match and that match," Flipkens said. She was particularly troubled by Williams serving and returning. As is her wont, Williams stepped inside the baseline to receive second serves, putting pressure on Flipkens, who double-faulted six times. Wearing a black dress with a colorful flower print, and fuchsia-colored braids tied in a bun, Williams needed all of 13 minutes to wrest control, taking 16 of the opening 21 points. Williams power-based game was only occasionally bothered by Flipkens slices. There were bumpy patches early in the second set, when Williams faced a total of eight break points, but she saved seven. At 2-all, Williams faced the last significant test, a 16-point, 12-minute game with three break chances for Flipkens that were erased this way: 113 mph ace, 115 mph service winner, 116 mph serve that set up an errant forehand. As that shot from Flipkens sailed long, Williams shouted, "Come on!" Williams won the next point, a 15-stroke exchange, with a volley winner and shook her left fist. On a day that began with a retirement announcement by James Blake -- a former top-five player who also is 33 -- Williams showed shes still capable of big shots at big moments. "I realize that I havent had a lot of chances to play this year or a lot of chances to play healthy this year, have had injuries and what have you, so Im just going to have to keep working my way into it, maybe more than some of the other players," she said. "But I know I can do that." Montreals Eugenie Bouchard and Frank Dancevic of Niagara Falls, Ont., won their matches to advance to the second round. Bouchard downed Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 to win in her U.S. Open main draw debut. Dancevic, meanwhile, defeated Robin Haase of the Netherlands 7-6 (5), 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7). Earlier in the day, Torontos Sharon Fichman lost to Romanias Sorana Cirstea 7-5, 5-7, 6-1. Hugo Ayala Jersey Javier Aquino Jersey .com) - Former foes from the Mountain West Conference battle in the 23rd annual Las Vegas Bowl, as the 23rd-ranked Utah Utes clash with the Colorado State Rams at Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday. http://www.mexiconationalshop.us/Edson-Alvarez-Mexico-Jersey-Soccer/ . - First-timer Chris Harris Jr. Blank Mexico Jersey . -- Mike Shanahan gave Robert Griffin III a rest, and may have turned up the pressure on himself, too. Miguel Layun Jersey . So what happens? Stevenson lands a huge left to Dawsons temple only 76 seconds into the opening round and walks away with the championship belt. "I said Id knock him out," said Stevenson (21-1).SAN DIEGO - Same pitcher, different approach, and the Los Angeles Dodgers and pitcher Josh Beckett couldnt be happier. "Josh was good, and it was a lot of the same thing," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "Keeping guys off-balanced." Becketts reinvention continued Saturday night in the Dodgers 4-2 win over the San Diego Padres. His lively right arm which once produced one fastball after another has found new life by easing up. "Its a little easier the other way, but its been good," Beckett said. "Im locating my curveball, too. Its not like Im throwing curveballs down the middle. Im back-dooring them to lefties and getting them away to righties and getting them out front." Beckett (5-4) pitched seven strong innings, and Hanley Ramirez drove in two runs. Beckett, in his first start against San Diego this year, allowed four hits and two walks. No Padres reached second base, and San Diego never had more than one runner on base at a time against him. Kenley Jansen pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his 21st save in 24 chances, one night after allowing three runs for the loss. Tyson Ross (6-7) worked seven innings for San Diego. But the story was Beckett working over the Padres hitters. "(Beckett) had that tantalizing curveball all night long, all different counts," Padres manager Bud Black said. "He kept it down in the strike zone and he was throwing it for a called strike right at the knee. He threw enough fastballs to keep us honest." Beckett continued his stellar work against NL West teams, tying a season-high with eight strikeouts and lowering his ERA to 1.40 against divisional foes. "The way I pitch is different," said Beckett, who is 4-1 on the road with a no-hitter and a 1.88 ERA. "I never really felt like I had to give in." Becket had plenty of praise for Dodgers second baseman Dee Gordon, who reached base three times and scored two runs. "Any time he gets on base our chances of scoring go way up," Beckett said. "Hes special over there." Los Angeles, which collapsed in the ninth inning of a loss on Friday nigght, has won six of eight and nine of 12.dddddddddddd Mattingly said it was important to see Jensen return successfully after his meltdown. "That closer has to be able to clean the slate," Mattingly said. "You see them over the years, and guys are going to give up runs. That is just the way it is. "The key is to bounce back, and that has where Kenley has been pretty good. I think he has grown up into this role, to be able to clear the mind and go back out there the next day." Ross delivered a solid effort in his first start since walking seven in a loss at Seattle. He allowed three runs, two earned, and six hits with five strikeouts and one walk. Ross was again done in by the Padres weak offence, which failed to score him a run for the fourth straight outing. In five of Ross last seven starts, the Padres have produced nothing offensively. Beckett kept the Padres baffled with an assortment of offspeed pitches. He improved to 6-2 in nine career starts against him. The Dodgers took a 4-0 edge in the eighth inning on Adrian Gonzalezs run-scoring single. Ramirez put the Dodgers ahead 3-0 in the fifth inning. He lined a single to left to extend his hitting streak to nine games and score Justin Turner. With runners on the corners, Ross retired Yasiel Puig on a grounder to shortstop. The Dodgers broke the scoreless tie in the third on Gordons single, which scored Drew Butera after he opened the inning with a single. Gordon then stole his major league best 39th base and took third on second baseman Jace Petersons error. Matt Kemps sacrifice fly scored Gordon to give the Dodgers had a 2-0 lead. Kemps hitting streak reached nine games when he singled in the sixth. NOTES: Puig was in the starting lineup after leaving Fridays game with a strained left hip muscle. ... INF Juan Uribe (strained right hamstring) could rejoin the team for Sundays series finale. . Padres 3B Chase Headley (back) is expected to avoid the DL. With Headley sidelined, Rivera is taking ground balls at third. ... Dodgers LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (8-3, 3.13) faces Padres LHP Eric Stults (2-9, 5.76) on Sunday. 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