en

x-yard box and skirted past the goalkeeper for he from LAM's blog

It was a cathartic year in professional tennis with some notable drop-offs, flameouts, missteps and more than the usual supply of shenanigans. Ravens Youth Jerseys .Here are our 10 biggest disappointments of 2016:1.?Maria Sharapovas drug banAfter five consecutive years of finishing among the WTAs top 10 players, the long, cool Russian ended 2016 with no ranking at all. That followed a cathartic year that began with a trip to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, her only on-court action of the season, and ended in October when the Court of Arbitration for Sport reduced her two-year suspension to 15 months.Sharapova was caught with meldonium in her system, a drug she said was first prescribed for a heart condition 10 years earlier, but one that has shown recovery benefits and was added to the banned list in 2016. Sharapova and her team, apparently, never read that email. Thus, the second-most successful active womens player (five Grand Slams), and possibly the most successful off it (with more than $20 million annually in endorsements), was taken out of play.Shell return in time for next years French Open at the age of 30 but hardly contrite. I know who I am and I know how Ive played the sport since I was a young girl, with integrity, she said. Ive never taken the easy way out. Im one of the biggest fighters in the game. I love what I do and I will continue to keep doing it and forming my legacy.2. Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer lose a stepIn a case of cruel symmetry, the French Open represented the end of an era. Federer, struggling with knee and back injuries, was forced to pass on Roland Garros, ending his record streak of 65 consecutive Grand Slam appearances that dated to 1999, when he lost in the second round of qualifying for the US Open. Nadal won his first two matches in Paris and then withdrew before the third, citing a nagging left wrist injury.He had been seeking his unprecedented 10th French Open title. Nadal, now 30, finished the year ranked No. 9. Federer, 35, is at No. 16. Theyll both be in action for 2017, but few are willing to bet either will bring home another major title.3.?Novak Djokovics second-half flameoutHe won the seasons first two majors and the talk of a single-season Grand Slam seemed quite plausible. But after he completed his career Grand Slam, taking the French Open in a four-set final over Andy Murray, it all fell apart. He acknowledged private issues after losing to Sam Querrey in the third round at Wimbledon and then lost his first match in the Rio Olympics to Juan Martin del Potro, leaving the court in tears.There was a wrist injury that dogged him for months and an unnerving lack of confidence. Djokovic gamely reached the finals of the US Open and the ATPs year-end tournament in London, but he lost to Stan Wawrinka and Murray, respectively. The season couldnt end quickly enough for the 29-year-old Djokovic.4. Serena Williams surpassed by Angelique Kerber: Like her Serbian counterpart, Serena lost her grip on the No. 1 ranking in surprising fashion. In nine years of Grand Slam play, Angelique Kerber had never, ever reached a final. In Australia, the German had only reached the fourth round twice, but in 2016, she blew through to the final opposite Williams and emerged with a three-set victory, her first ever on the major stage.Serena won the rematch at Wimbledon but Kerber took the seasons last major, the US Open, and finished the season No. 1. Serena, who averaged two Slam titles for each of the past four years, looked all of her age - 34 - and her season ended abruptly in New York for the second straight year.5.?Garbine Muguruza doesnt back it upLike Djokovic, Muguruza saw her season essentially end after capturing her first French Open title. Before meeting Serena Williams in the 2015 Wimbledon final, the young Spanish player talked a good game, saying: She knows I can win against her, that Im not afraid, and I dont think shes used to this. Muguruza lost that match but returned the favor a year later at Roland Garros, winning her first Slam title by beating Serena in a straight-sets final.And then -- nothing. Muguruza got smoked 6-3, 6-2 in the second round at Wimbledon by qualifier Jana Cepelova. Then in her third match at the Rio Olympics, she lost 6-1, 6-1 to eventual gold medalist Monica Puig. Her US Open also ended badly, with a second-round loss to Anastasija Sevastova. Muguruza, now 23, has won all of three career titles. Its time to stop talking and start winning.6.?Nick Kyrgios checks outFirst, the 21-year-old Aussie took himself out of the running for Rio following a long-running feud with the Australian Olympic Committee. Kyrgios website explained in a statement the reason was, The AOCs unfair and unjust treatment and that the organization had chosen to publicly and privately disparage him.Then, three October days after winning the biggest title of his career in Tokyo, Kyrgios visibly tanked in a 6-3, 6-1 loss to Mischa Zverev in Shanghai. If you dont like it, I didnt ask you to come watch. Just leave, Kyrgios explained. He was fined $25,000 and suspended for the balance of the season. In a tweet, Kyrgios had the last word: Im better than that. I can go on about excuses but there are none. Sorry. Hes got all of 2017 to make up for it.7.?Eugenie Bouchard drops off the (tennis) radarIn 2014, the Canadian blew through to the semifinals of the Australian Open and French Open and the final at Wimbledon. It was an astonishing breakthrough for a player who turned 20 that season, suggesting there was a new competitor at the highest level of tennis. But then Bouchard lost 18 of 30 matches in 2015 and reportedly sustained a concussion in a fall in the US Open locker room.The 2016 campaign was better (31-24 and over $500,000 in prize money), but the record in majors was a so-so 4-4 after shed gone 19-4 two years earlier. Her social media skills, on the other hand, are stellar. Bouchard spends an awful lot of time sharing provocative shots of herself on Twitter and Instagram. Might time be better spent on the practice court?8.?Gael Monfils goes rope-a-dope?The 30-year-old Frenchman was one of the feel-good stories of the 2016 season, finishing with a personal-best year-end ranking of No. 7. He vaulted into the semifinals opposite Djokovic at the US Open, his best effort ever in New York, but was visited by a fit of Monfils Madness.He was booed in the second set of a four-set loss for an apparent lack of effort, moving ESPN analyst John McEnroe -- of all people -- to call Monfils sluggish behavior bizarre and unprofessional. Djokovic became so unstrung he ripped open the collar off his shirt. Monfils later defended his actions as strategy. Instead of being able to say this was finally the year Monfils won a Slam, people were saying it was the same old Monfils.9. Roland Garros still roof-lessThe record Paris rainfall forced the Louvre museum to move its lower-level art treasures to higher ground and left the Seine rising to dangerous levels. But at Roland Garros, the only Grand Slam venue without at least one roof-covered show court, there was no defense against the weather that wreaked havoc on the schedule.French Open tournament director Guy Forget, a popular rainy-day interview subject, said the schedule for a new roof was now 2020 -- at the earliest. In other countries, Forget acknowledged, things are quicker. Welcome to France.10. The Gong Show dooms Andy MurrayThe Wimbledon champion was facing Kei Nishikori in the US Open semifinals and looking good, leading two sets to one. And then, with the score tied 1-all in the fourth, a huge noise -- much like a gong -- rang through Arthur Ashe Stadium. The point was immediately stopped by chair umpire Marija Cicak, sending Murray into hysterics.He felt he was in command of the point and it should have continued, based on Cicaks earlier promise to play through such distractions. Later, the USTA said that a digital audio sound processor had malfunctioned. By then it was too late for Murray, who dropped the next five games to lose the fourth set and then lost the fifth set 7-5. Ravens Official Jerseys . The Islanders dealt Thomas Vanek to the Montreal Canadiens after less than a year on Long Island. Meanwhile, the Oilers dealt long-time sniper Ales hemsky to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday for a fifth-round pick in 2014 and a third-rounder in 2015. Authentic Ravens Jerseys . Reassurance came from Paul Tesori, his caddie and close friend whose newborn son is in intensive care in a Florida hospital. "Paul sent me a text this morning, just told me he loved me and wanted to go out and fight as hard as I would any other day," Simpson said Sunday after doing just that. http://www.authenticravensshopnfl.com/jordan-lasley-jersey/ . In the lead up - which seemed to begin the moment Mike Geiger blew the whistle in Houston last Thursday night - the Impact rumour mill went into overdrive. The speculation went into meltdown mode, of the golden nugget variety. COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The No. 11 Texas A&M Aggies dictated terms for most of the match and came out with a 2-0 decision over the Tulsa Golden Hurricane Sunday evening at Ellis Field.In a match which was 15 minutes late starting due to inclement weather and featured rain off-and-on, the Aggies held an overwhelming edge in shots (35-12), shots-on-goal (13-6) and corner kicks (8-2).Texas A&M broke the scoring seal with Brittany Crabtree notching her first goal of the season in the 35th minute. Ashlynn Harryman was the catalyst on the goal, booming a clearance from the top of the defensive penalty box. The service split two defenders and took the first bounce 15 yards on the offensive side of the center stripe. Crabtree tracked it down just outside the other penalty box and found herself one-on-one with goalkeeper Rebecca Defer. Shooting with a defender clawing at her back, Crabtree fired to the right of Defer from the penalty spot for the lid-lifter.The halftime margin belied the Aggies dominance in the first half as the Maroon and White owned a 21-8 edge in shots and an 8-2 advantage in corner kicks.Tulsa fought off several first-half barrages. In the 26th minute, Haley Pounds sent in a corner kick from the right arc. The offering settled at the feet of Sarah Shaw who hit the right post with a rocket from 12 yards. Ravens Womens Jerseys. The carom found Grace Cory who had her shot from 10 yards punched over the crossbar by Defer.In the 39th minute, Defer had to make two saves in a span of eight seconds as Mikaela Harvey and Jordan Hill peppered her with shots. The ball eventually came back to Harvey who sent the Aggies third shot in the combination just north of the crossbar from 10 yards.The Aggies kept the pressure on in the second half, outshooting Tulsa 14-4.Texas A&M finally broke through with an insurance goal in the 81st minute. Cienna Arrieta sent in a free kick from five yards off the endline and two yards off the right touchline. Her service was headed back to her by a Tulsa defender 10 yards off the right touchline and she sent another cross towards goal. The ball took a bounce inside the six-yard box and skirted past the goalkeeper for her second goal of the season and the 2-0 lead.Danielle Rice made six saves in goal, including five in the first half, to record her first shutout of the season.Texas A&M returns to action Friday when they host the Little Rock Trojans in a 7:30 pm contest at Ellis Field. White NFL Jerseys Cheap Disocunt Football Jerseys Wholesale NFL White Jerseys Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys 2020 Wholesale Throwback Jerseys Cheap NFL T-shirts ' ' ' 

The Wall

No comments
You need to sign in to comment