Innere » Some great opportunities at the end

PARIS - Canadian Milos Raonic had 19 aces Wednesday in a 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (4) win over American Jack Sock in the second round of the Paris Masters tennis tournament.The win by the seventh-seeded Raonic means the 23-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., keeps alive his hopes of qualifying for the ATP finals.This match was very important in the sense of just getting my teeth into this tournament, giving myself another chance, said Raonic. I know Im going to have to play better.Fortunately I felt like I was playing better and better at the end of the match especially.Raonic would be guaranteed a spot in the season-ending tournament by winning the Paris title, though other scenarios are also possible depending on how his rivals do this week. The Canadian served as an alternate at London a year ago but never took to the court.Raonic took the match into a deciding tiebreaker and served his way out of danger in the end.That thought (of going out of contention with a loss) didnt really cross my mind, said Raonic, whose season could have ended with a loss. But, that (qualifying for the finals) obviously is a factor. I felt like I did a good job in that tiebreak. I got ahead on one point and then just really took care of my service points.Raonic pounded down a service winner to yield two match points, converting on the first with a crisp cross-court volley winner.After beating Sock for the fifth time this season, Raonic credited his serve with seeing him through repeatedly over the American.My serve helps me out of a lot of tiebreaks against him, he said. I think hes playing much better now than he was at the start of the year.Raonic needed two hours to hold off Sock, who also dropped a 6-1, 6-4 mens doubles decision with Vancouvers Vasek Pospisil. They fell to Stan Wawrinka and Leander Paes, knocking them out of contention for a London berth in mens doubles.Roger Federer was made to fight all the way by local favourite Jeremy Chardy before reaching the third round, while Andy Murray moved one match away from qualifying for the ATP Finals.The 17-time Grand Slam champion completed a 7-6 (5), 6-7 (5), 6-4 victory at the Palais Omnisports to keep his challenge for the year-end No. 1 ranking well on track.Federer could have sealed the win earlier but Chardy, who beat him earlier this year on clay at the Rome Masters, saved two match points at 5-4 in the second set before forcing a decider with a stunning crosscourt forehand winner.The 33-year-old Federer arrived in Paris undefeated in his past 12 matches on the back of consecutive titles in Shanghai and Basel, trailing top-ranked Novak Djokovic by 490 points.With 2,500 points up for grabs between Paris and at the ATP Finals in London, Federer is looking to clinch the year-end top spot for a record-equaling sixth time. He will also have a chance to earn points with Switzerland in the Davis Cup final against France next month.Federers Davis Cup teammate Stan Wawrinka joined him in the third round after winning his first match in more than a month.The third-seeded Wawrinka ended a three-match losing streak with a 6-4, 7-6 (6) win over 37th-ranked Dominic Thiem — the youngest player in the top 50 — before Murray dispatched Frenchman Julien Benneteau 6-3, 6-4.Following consecutive losses in Tokyo, Shanghai and Basel, Wawrinka put on an erratic display but prevailed on the important points.Im trying to find my confidence, the Australian Open champion said. I know things can change quickly. I can lose first round, and I can also go very far in a tournament.Wawrinka closed out the match on his second attempt after the 21-year-old Thiem failed to convert a set point at 6-5 in the tiebreaker.Murray converted all three break points and lost only four points on his first serve to claim a 19th win since losing in the U.S. Open quarterfinals. He will need to beat Grigor Dimitrov in the next round to qualify for the season finale.Four berths are left in the race to London, with six players, including Raonic and Dimitrov, still in contention to join Djokovic, Federer, Wawrinka and Marin Cilic from Nov. 9-16 at the O2 Arena.After missing last years tournament following surgery on his back, Murray is pushing hard to qualify for the indoor event for the seventh straight year. Over the past five weeks, the Scot has won three titles and climbed to fifth in the ATP Race.If I get in to London I deserve to be there, because its your results across the whole year, Murray said. My results in most of tournaments this year, most of the big tournaments, have been good enough to be in the top eight.Next up for Raonic is 11th-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut, who defeated former semifinalist Richard Gasquet 6-4, 6-2.Although disappointed, Gasquet was relieved to be able to turn his attention to the Davis Cup final against the Swiss next month in Lille.I will now be 100 per cent focused on the Davis Cup, Gasquet said, and Im happy it will be played on clay.In mens doubles, seventh seeds Daniel Nestor of Toronto and new Indian partner Rohan Bopanna opened with a 6-4, 6-0 defeat of Spaniards Fernando Verdasco and David Marrero. They needed just 50 minutes to complete the victory to move into the quarter-finals.———With files from The Associated Press. Air Max 97 Cheap Canada . As if the individual strands of grey hair or the increasing amount of joint pain werent reminders enough, the impending end of Jeters career is a slap-in-the-face indicator of a generations fleeting youth. Air Max Tavas Canada . According to a report from the Vancouver Province, the Lions are expected to replace former DC Rich Stubler with defensive backs coach Mark Washington. http://www.clearanceairmaxcanada.com/air...ada-sale.html.5 million, four-year contract with the Texas Rangers that could be worth $32. Air Max 90 Canada Mens . -- Patrick Kueng of Switzerland was nearly flawless as he captured his first World Cup and halted Aksel Lund Svindals streak of four straight super-G victories on Saturday. Nike Air Max 93 Canada . The team also announced Tuesday that the Braves will wear a commemorative patch on the right sleeve during the season. The patch, shaped like home plate, carries the number 715, Aarons autograph and a "40th Anniversary" banner. ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Not even some inside information from Olympic teammate Zach Parise could stop T.J. Oshie in a shootout. Oshie and Alexander Steen scored shootout goals and the St. Louis Blues took over the top spot in the NHL standings with a 3-2 win over the Minnesota Wild on Sunday night. In his first shootout since his memorable Olympic performance against Russia, Oshie beat Ilya Bryzgalov -- a Russian who wasnt on the team that lost to Oshie and Team USA in Sochi-- over his shoulder in the first round. Steen sealed the win in the following round after the Blues Brian Elliott turned away Parise and Mikko Koivu. "I think I was talking to Zach about that move tonight over in Sochi and he might have told Bryz what it was," Oshie said about his backhand-to-forehand move. "It seemed like he had me and I got a little lucky. It mustve just squeaked inside the post. I got a little fortunate on that one, but Ill keep taking them." The Wild fell behind 2-0 early, but tied it with second-period goals from Jason Pominville and Matt Moulson. Not many teams are able to come back on St. Louis, which only allows 26.4 shots and 2.22 goals per game. "I think that they thought they were going to take it to us physically and I think our guys responded to that," Wild coach Mike Yeo said. "I think we got into it, we started being physical on their defencemen. We really started to get in our game and from that point on, I thought we were the better team." Oshie and Carlo Colaiacovo scored on the second and third shots of the game for St. Louis. It was Colaiacovos first goal since Feb. 11, 2012, a span of 42 games. Bryzgalov had 21 saves in his first start for Minnesota since coming over in a trade with Edmonton on Tuesday. Like Oshie, Bryzgalov also thought he had the save in the shootout. "You know, pretty much I almost had it. I dont know how he raised it over the shoulder," he said. "I thought there was no way to go for him. I was completely surprised he scored on that one." The "legend" of Oshie in shootout situations continues to get bigger, even among teammates. "When I see Osh going in on a shootout, I kind of giggle," Blues centre David Backes said. "I tolld him afterward that the goalies are starting to play like soccer goalies because theyre just guessing left or right.dddddddddddd Hes got moves left, got moves right, got moves straight ahead. Its pretty special to watch and Ive seen it a lot." The momentum shifted in the second after Pominville scored at 3:11 to make it 2-1. Moulson tied it 4 minutes later with his first goal in a Wild sweater since being acquired in a trade with Buffalo on Wednesday. Mikko Koivu intercepted a clearing attempt and zipped the puck to Moulson, who was in front of the net and knocked it past Brian Elliott. Elliott stopped 17 shots and kept the game tied at 2 with a lunging stick save to deny Mikael Granlund with 13 minutes left in the third period. "I tried to kind of charge him because I thought he was going to tip it," Elliott said. "He managed to stop and pull it around me, so it was desperation. I try to rob the guys in practice and sometimes it pays off when you can make those stick saves in games." Granlund was again denied by Elliott from in close early in the overtime session. The Blues have won 16 in a row against the Central Division and are now 18-0-1 in division play. Theyve beaten Minnesota eight straight times, outscoring the Wild 25-10. The Wild are 14-6-2 since Jan. 2, but lost their second straight after a five-game winning streak. Both teams played Saturday night and appeared tired at the end of the third period and in overtime. Theres still a ways to go, but both teams could end up facing each other in the opening round of the playoffs. "Its a team that, in all reality, we could be squaring off against in the playoffs too," Parise said. "I know theres a long time until that, but I thought we matched up well against them. We like the way we played. Some great opportunities at the end, just wouldnt go for us." NOTES: Blues F Magnus Paajarvi was a healthy scratch and was replaced by Chris Porter, who was recently recalled from AHL Chicago. ... The Wild didnt register a shot on goal until 7:02 of the first period. St. Louis didnt get a shot for the first 12 minutes of the second period. ... Minnesotas Kyle Brodziak and the Blues Steve Ott fought 2 minutes into the game. ' ' '