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2015 Miami Open Masters: Rafael Nadal & Andy Murray Sunday Headliners

Jackie Warner
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2015 Miami Open Masters: Rafael Nadal & Andy Murray Sunday Headliners

rafael nadal headlining sunday 2015 miami open masters

It’s now Day 5 of the 2015 Miami Open Masters, and Rafael Nadal is looking to break Novak Djokovic winning streak at this open and take his first trophy from here. He’ll be going up against fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, and all eyes will be watching to see if he can get back on track this year. Yes, I know he’s at number 3, but it’s been a struggle over the past couple years with injuries, and we know that tennis is very much a mental game that can take you out before you even know it. It’s had it’s ups and downs for Nadal, but he’s pulled through before, and he’s that one you just push for. He reminds me of the days when Andre Agassi was on a winning streak and then suddenly losing matches surprising everyone but then rebounding again.

Also headlining today’s Sunday matches are Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka and Tomas Berdych.

andy murray slamming through 2015 miami open masters

Four of the world’s Top 10 players feature on Day 5 of the Miami Open: No. 3 Rafael Nadal, No. 4 Andy Murray, No. 8 Stan Wawrinka and No. 9 Tomas Berdych. Nadal continues his push for a maiden title against compatriot Fernando Verdasco; two-time champion Murray takes on Santiago Giraldo; Wawrinka clashes with the in-form Adrian Mannarino; and Berdych faces off against a resurgent Bernard Tomic.

NADAL CHASING A FIRST: Nadal is visiting Miami for the 11th time, but is still chasing his first title here. He is a four-time runner-up: 2005 (l. to Federer), 2008 (l. to Davydenko), 2011 and 2014 (l. to Djokovic in both). This is the only tournament he has not won with this many attempts.

CLOSING IN ON 500: Murray is closing in on a significant landmark. The Scot needs just two more victories to join the ‘500 Wins Club’ (498-155). He would become the ninth active player and the 46th man in the Open Era to achieve the feat. Murray surpassed Tim Henman’s haul of 496 career match wins with his QF victory over Feliciano Lopez in Indian Wells last week, taking sole ownership of Britain’s Open Era match-win record.

CARRYING THE FLAG: Jack Sock is one of two American men in the 3R (also John Isner) and the only one on today’s order of play. The world No. 45 returned to competitive action at Indian Wells for the first time since undergoing hip surgery in mid-December. In the Californian desert, Sock reached the 4R at an ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time and he will be looking to replicate the feat when he takes on Dominic Thiem today.

RANKING RISERS: Viktor Troicki, Bernard Tomic and Juan Monaco are all into the 3R, with the latter two in action today. They are among the biggest ranking risers in the Top 50 this year. Tomic’s jump of 27 spots in the Emirates ATP Rankings puts him at World No. 29, while Monaco’s leap of 16 spots places him at World No. 46.

DAY 5 FEDEX ATP HEAD2HEADS

STADIUM

[27] Santiago Giraldo (COL) vs [3] Andy Murray (GBR)

FedEx Head2Head: Murray leads 2-1
Last meeting: 2014 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madrid  Clay  R16  Giraldo  6-3 6-2

•    Giraldo finished strong to see off Robin Haase 6-2, 3-6, 6-0 in his opening match.
•    Giraldo is making his seventh main draw appearance in Miami. This is the first time he has reached the 3R here.
•    Giraldo’s best showing this season was a SF run on clay in São Paulo (l. to Cuevas).
•    Giraldo has a 1-21 record vs. Top 10 opponents with his lone victory coming against today’s opponent, Murray, on clay in Madrid last year.
•    In 2014, Giraldo finished in the Top 50 for the first time at a year-end high No. 32, highlighted by reaching a second career ATP World Tour final in Barcelona (d. 3 Top 30 players, l. to Nishikori).
•    Murray opened his account with a 6-4, 6-2 defeat of Donald Young, converting on four of his seven BP opportunities during the 83-minute encounter.
•    Murray is making his 10th appearance in Miami. He has reached the final three times, winning the title in 2009 (d. Djokovic) and 2013 (d. Ferrer) and finishing runner-up in 2012 (l. to Djokovic).
•    Last week at Indian Wells, Murray advanced to an ATP Masters 1000 SF for the first time in two years with wins over Vasek Pospisil, Philipp Kohlschreiber, Adrian Mannarino and F. Lopez (l. to Djokovic).
•    Murray’s victory over Lopez last week was the 497th match win of his career, giving him sole ownership of the British Open Era match wins record, putting him clear of Tim Henman (496).
•    Murray opened his season by reaching the Australian Open final for the fourth time (l. to Djokovic). He fell to 2-6 in Grand Slam finals.
•    In February, Murray lost in the QF of Rotterdam (l. to Simon) and Dubai (l. to Coric).
•    In 2014, Murray finished in the Top 6 for the seventh year in a row after extending his run of winning at least one title to nine straight years. He advanced to the QF or better 15 times, winning three titles.

[29] Fernando Verdasco (ESP) vs [2] Rafael Nadal (ESP)

FedEx Head2Head: Nadal leads 13-1
Last meeting: 2012 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madrid  Clay  R16  Verdasco  6-3 3-6 7-5

•    Verdasco advanced to the 3R with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 victory over James Duckworth. The Spaniard had been on a three-match losing streak in Miami.
•    Verdasco is making his 13th appearance at the Miami Open. He is a two-time quarter-finalist here, reaching the final eight in both 2009 (l. to Murray) and 2010 (l. to Berdych).
•    Verdasco’s best showing of the year came at the inaugural event in Quito last month when he made the SF (l. to F. Lopez in 2 TB sets). He also reached the 3R at the Aus Open (l. to Djokovic).
•    Verdasco has an 18-77 career record vs. Top 10 opponents. His last Top 10 win came at Indian Wells last year when he saw off world No. 9 Richard Gasquet in the 3R.
•    In 2014, Verdasco finished in the Top 40 for an 11th year in a row with a sixth career ATP World Tour title in Houston in April (d. Almagro), ending a four-year wait for a trophy.
•    Nadal kick-started his bid for a maiden Miami crown with a 6-4, 6-2 defeat of compatriot Nicolas Almagro. The world No. 3 saved all three BPs he faced during the 90-minute clash.
•    Nadal is making his 11th visit to Miami. He is a four-time runner-up at this tournament, losing the final in 2005 (l. to Federer), 2008 (l. to Davydenko), 2011 and 2014 (l. to Djokovic in both).
•    At Indian Wells, Nadal saw off Igor Sijsling, Donald Young and Gilles Simon to reach the QF before losing to Milos Raonic after holding three MPs. It was his first loss to a Canadian.
•    Nadal lost his opening match of the season, 1R in Doha (l. to Michael Berrer), before reaching the QF of the Australian Open (l. to Berdych).
•    After reaching the Rio de Janeiro SF (l. to Fognini), Nadal won the 46th clay court title of his career in Buenos Aires (d. Monaco), just three short ofGuillermo Vilas’ record clay court title haul of 49.
•    Nadal’s victory in Buenos Aires ended a nine-month trophy drought dating back to Roland Garros 2014 (d. Djokovic). His last hard court title came in January 2014 in Doha (d. Monfils).
•    In 2014, Nadal finished in the Top 3 for the ninth time in the past 10 years (except 2012), capturing four titles in seven finals. The Spaniard extended his streak of winning at least one Grand Slam title per year to a record 10th year in a row with his ninth victory at Roland Garros. His 14 Slam titles are tied second all-time with Pete Sampras, behind Roger Federer(17).

stan wawrinka at sunday 2015 miami open masters

GRANDSTAND

[7] Stan Wawrinka (SUI) vs [28] Adrian Mannarino (FRA)

FedEx Head2Head: First ATP World Tour meeting

•    Wawrinka took two hours and 51 minutes to get past Carlos Berlocq in his opening match, defeating the Argentine 6-7(9), 7-5, 6-2 despite landing only 38% of his first serves.
•    Wawrinka celebrated his 30th birthday yesterday.
•    Wawrinka is making his seventh appearance at the Miami Open. He has never gone past the 4R.
•    Wawrinka is looking to bounce back this week after an opening round loss to Robin Haase in Indian Wells.
•    Wawrinka captured the eighth and ninth ATP titles of his career, in Chennai (d. Aljaz Bedene) and Rotterdam (d. Berdych) either side of a SF appearance at the Australian Open (l. to Djokovic). In his last event before Indian Wells, he was beaten in the Marseille QF (l. to Stakhovsky).
•    In 2014, Wawrinka finished in the Top 10 for the second year in a row at a year-end high No. 4. He captured his first Grand Slam crown at Australian Open (d. Nadal), first ATP Masters 1000 title in Monte-Carlo (d. Federer) and won the Davis Cup with Switzerland for the first time.
•    Mannarino got his tournament under way with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 win overAdrian Mannarino. The rain-interrupted match was played across Friday and Saturday.
•    Mannarino is back in Miami for the third time. This is the first time he has gone beyond the 2R.
•    Mannarino reached the 4R at an ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time at Indian Wells with wins over Mischa Zverev, Fabio Fognini and Ernests Gulbis (l. to Murray).
•    Mannarino rose to a career-high world No. 32 in the Emirates ATP Rankings on Monday.
•    Mannarino opened his season in Auckland where he reached a maiden ATP World Tour final (l. to Vesely). He also reached the Delray Beach SF in February (l. to Karlovic), dropping to 1-3 in SFs.
•    Mannarino has an 0-12 record vs. Top 10 opponents.
•    In 2014, Mannarino finished in the Top 50 for the first time, winning 16 tour-level matches during the year – the second-most in his career.

[17] Gael Monfils (FRA) vs [11] Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA)

FedEx Head2Head: Tsonga leads 4-1
Last meeting: 2013 Tokyo  Hard  R32  J-W Tsonga  6-3 7-6(8)

•    Monfils returned from a three-week injury lay-off with a 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(4) win over Filip Krajinovic.
•    Monfils is making his eighth appearance at the Miami Open. The Frenchman, who has reached the 4R here twice, fell to Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in his opening match last year.
•    After a 2R loss to Jerzy Janowicz at the Australian Open, Monfils reached the QF-or-better at all three tournaments he contested in February: Montpellier (l. to Gasquet in SF), Rotterdam (l. to Berdych in QF) and Marseille (l. to Simon in final).
•    Monfils’ last competitive outing came at the beginning of March, when he defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber in France’s Davis Cup World Group 1R win over Germany.
•    In 2014, Monfils finished in the Top 20 for the first time since 2011 and fifth time overall, winning a fifth career title in Montpellier (d. Gasquet). Also advanced to QFs at Roland Garros and US Open.
•    Tsonga came through his first match of the season unscathed on Saturday, seeing off American Tim Smyczek 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
•    Tsonga is back at the Miami Open for the eighth time. He is a three-time quarter-finalist here: 2009 (l. to Djokovic), 2010 (l. to Nadal) and 2012 (l. to Nadal).
•    Tsonga returns to competition this week for the first time since falling toStan Wawrinka in the Davis Cup final. He missed the opening 10 weeks of the season with a right arm injury.
•    In 2014, Tsonga finished in the Top 15 for a seventh year in a row, highlighted by winning a second career ATP Masters 1000 title in Toronto. He became the seventh active player to win multiple ATP Masters 1000 titles (also Paris ‘08) and the first to beat four straight Top 10 opponents at that tournament level since Guillermo Canas in Toronto 2002.

tomas berdych on sunday 2015 miami open masters

[8] Tomas Berdych (CZE) vs [25] Bernard Tomic (AUS)

FedEx Head2Head: Berdych leads 3-0
Last meeting: 2015 Australian Open  Hard  R16  Tomas Berdych  6-2 7-6(3) 6-2

•    Berdych notched his 20th match win of the season, overcoming teenager Hyeon Chung 6-3, 6-4.
•    Berdych is returning to Miami for the 11th time. He was a beaten finalist here in 2010 (l. to Roddick) and a semi-finalist in 2008 (l. to Nadal) and 2014 (w/o vs. Nadal).
•    Berdych arrived in Florida after a QF defeat to Roger Federer at Indian Wells.
•    Berdych finished runner-up in Doha in the opening week of the season (l. to Ferrer) before putting together a SF run at the Australian Open, where he defeated world No. 3 Nadal in the QF, ending a 17-match losing streak against the Spaniard (l. to Murray).
•    In February, Berdych advanced to the final in Rotterdam (l. to Wawrinka in 3 sets) and the semi-final in Dubai (l. to Djokovic in 3 sets).
•    All five of Berdych’s losses this season have come against Top 10 opposition.
•    In 2014, Berdych finished in the Top 10 for the fifth year in a row, winning two titles – Rotterdam and Stockholm – in a career-best five finals.
•    Tomic advanced to the 3R at the Miami Open for the first time thanks to a 7-6(6), 7-5 victory over American qualifier Austin Krajicek.
•    Tomic is making his fifth appearance in Miami. He had never gone beyond the 2R before this year.
•    Tomic advanced to an ATP Masters 1000 QF for the first time at Indian Wells last week before withdrawing ahead of his clash with Djokovic, citing a back injury.
•    Tomic has a 4-26 record against Top 10 opponents. He posted his first Top 10 win in almost two years at Indian Wells, defeating world No. 8 David Ferrer in the 3R.
•    Tomic has reached the QF or better at six of the seven tournaments he has contested this year, with his best showing a SF appearance in Delray Beach (l. to Young). The only exception was the Australian Open where he fell in the 4R (l. to Berdych).
•    In 2014, Tomic put together a fourth Top 60 season in succession after winning a second ATP World Tour title in Bogota in July (d. Karlovic) – his first off Australian soil. He was the lowest-ranked winner of the year (No. 124) and the youngest (21).

Kentucky vs Notre Dame Looking To Be Lopsided For Bettors: March Madness 2015

Jackie Warner
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Kentucky vs Notre Dame Looking To Be Lopsided For Bettors: March Madness 2015

kentucky taking on notre dame march madness 2015

It’s already been broken down from an odds makers perspective, but after the Kentucky Wildcats ran roughshod over the West Virginia Mountaineers, it’s expected for them to do pretty much the same thing to Notre Dame. Notre Dame’s entry into the Elite 8 came as a big shocker, but they still have the ability to shock even more if they can take on the Wildcats. That’s not what looks to be in the future though.

Saturday night’s Elite Eight matchups feature one game that’s expected to be incredibly close and another that is supposed to be a lopsided affair. The Arizona Wildcats (34-3; 16-2) will take on the Wisconsin Badgers (34-3; 16-2), followed by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (32-5; 14-4) facing the Kentucky Wildcats (37-0; 18-0).

arizona vs wisconsin march madness 2015

Arizona and Wisconsin projects to be a tight game, similar to the overtime matchup the two squads played in last year’s Elite Eight. Coach Bo Ryan’s Wisconsin team won that game 64-63 and advanced to the Final Four. The No. 1-seeded Badgers and No. 2-seeded Wildcats should once again play a close contest. Senior Center Frank Kaminsky will try to lead Wisconsin to victory in Staples Center in Los Angeles, while Arizona will counter with freshman swingman, and likely NBA lottery pick, Stanley Johnson.

Both teams are stingy defensively so it shouldn’t be a high-scoring affair, but rather a tense, hard-fought battle. Wisconsin allows just 57.2 points per game and Arizona allows 59 points per game. Coach Sean Miller’s Wildcats likely have the more dynamic offense, but Wisconsin often slows the pace of the game to counter high-scoring teams.

Vegas agrees that the game will be close, with Arizona a one-point (-1) favorite, according to bovada.lv. The over/under is set at 132, according to bovada.lv.

The other Elite Eight matchup on Saturday is not expected to be a tight one. The No. 1-seeded Kentucky Wildcats ran over the West Virginia Mountaineers in the Sweet 16, winning in dominant fashion 78-39.  They are expected to handle Notre Dame at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. Kentucky’s dual seven-footers, Willie Cauley-Stein and Karl-Anthony Towns, will be tough to defend in the post for Notre Dame. Kentucky Coach John Calipari’s squad, deep and supremely talented, appears to playing its best basketball.

The No. 3-seeded Irish rely heavily on star senior guard Jerian Grant (16.8 ppg, 6.6 apg), who will have to go against a deep Kentucky backcourt rotation. Junior forward Zach Auguste played well in Notre Dame’s Sweet 16 win over Wichita State, scoring 15 points and grabbing six rebounds. The Irish rely on a great perimeter attack but Auguste is their best true post player and he will need to step up against the elite UK frontcourt. ND Coach Mike Brey will likely do his best to keep his team in the game early. As the West Virginia game proved, if Kentucky gets up early it is supremely difficult to beat.

Vegas isn’t giving Notre Dame much of a shot, with the point spread set with Kentucky as an 11.5-point favorite, according to bovada.lv. The over/under projects the game to be a bit higher-scoring than the first game of the night. It’s set at 137 points, according to bovada.lv.

The Wisconsin-Arizona game will start at 6:09 p.m. EDT and the Kentucky-Notre Dame game will begin at 8:49 p.m. EDT.

2015 March Madness: Craziest Long Shot With Kentucky Could Pay Off Huge

Jackie Warner
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2015 March Madness: Craziest Long Shot With Kentucky Could Pay Off Huge

university of kentucky could make money for march madness 2015

We already know that the World Cup is one of the biggest sports people place bets on, but 2015 March Madness and the Super Bowl are right behind it, and a lot, I mean a whole lot, of money is lost and won during this. Here’s a close look at the University of Kentucky and how some long sited or just plain lucky people might make a small fortune if the odds hold out for them.

Before the college basketball season started, at least 39 people placed a bet at a Nevada sportsbook with 50:1 odds. It’s looking like quite a brilliant wager right about now.

Because the season is so long, and because no team has gone undefeated in nearly four decades, gamblers were initially given long-shot odds that Kentucky could accomplish the feat in 2014-2015. Last summer, the William Hill sportsbook in Nevada began accepting bets that would pay off 50-to-1 if Kentucky won every game, including the tournament. According to ESPN, at least 39 people took those odds, including one $500 bet that will pay off to the tune of $25,000 if Kentucky wins its final three games.

 Another gambler bet $2,550 on Kentucky to zip through this year with zero losses, but that wager was placed in September, when the odds had shrunk to 20:1. That bet will pay off $51,000 if Kentucky comes through.
ncaa march madness betting halls for kentucky

Kentucky has had some close games this year, including back-to-back overtime games in January, against Ole Miss and Texas A&M. So it’s indeed possible that John Calipari’s super-talented squad could lose. But as NCAA March Madness entered the Sweet Sixteen this week, sportsbooks listed Kentucky as the overwhelming favorite, with 1:1 odds. Arizona was a distant second at 13:2, and all the other contenders were even bigger long shots. In other words, casinos have been practically begging gamblers to bet on any team other than Kentucky.

Yet even if Kentucky does run the table, there are those who will argue—fairly convincingly—that this year’s team is not the best ever. Not by a long shot. In fact, Vegas oddsmakers say that the 2014-15 Kentucky team would be the underdog in theoretical matchups against several notable college squads from the past, including the undefeated 1976 Indiana team, UNLV circa 1991 with Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon, and Greg Anthony, and even the 2012 Kentucky team that won the national championship and had six players drafted into the NBA—but that didn’t go undefeated for the entire season.

2015 NCAA March Madness: Spartans & Michigan State Join Elite 8

Shane Lambert
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2015 NCAA March Madness: Spartans & Michigan State Join Elite 8

2015 march madness elite 8 images

The 2015 NCAA March Madness basketball tournament continued on Friday night as eight teams took to the courts in four games. For the most part, the seedings held up however one lower seed managed to advance to this weekend’s regional finals.

michigan state beats oklahoma sooners ncaa march madness 2015

In the east region Michigan State ousted the Oklahoma Sooners 62-58 in what was the closest game of the night on Friday. While the Spartans, seeded seventh, were looking at a higher seeded team in the draw many still had the Spartans as the favorite in the contest (source: bet365). Tom Izzo‘s crew, in living up to those expectations, advanced to the Elite 8, marking the thirteenth appearance in the regional finals for the school.

duke beats utah utes march madness 2015

In their upcoming contest the Spartans will face Louisville. The Cardinals, seeded fourth in the east region, took out N.C. State in Syracuse to improve to 27-8 on the season. The final score in the game was 75-65 as Terry Rozier posted a double-double with 17 points and 14 rebounds.

The Louisville/Michigan State regional final will not feature a team expected to win the 2015 March Madness tournament. However it still promises to be a blockbuster contest as two of the best coaches in NCAA basketball will square off for a spot in the Final Four. Rick Pitino, Louisville’s coach, and Tom Izzo both have their share of tournament wins and Final Four appearances. Therefore Sunday’s final promises to be an interesting chess match between two coaches that have proven ability at winning big games.

cardinals beat nc state march madness 2015

In the south regional semifinals both Duke and Gonzaga advanced. The Blue Devils defeated the Utah Utes 63-57 to advance to the south regional final on Sunday in Houston, Texas. The Bulldogs of Gonzaga, now 35-2, also advanced as they eliminated the UCLA Bruins 74-62 in what was a fairly comfortable victory.

Between Mike Krzyzewski, the coach of Duke, and Mark Few, Gonzaga’s coach, the former is the only one with experience winning games in the Elite 8. Coach K. has numerous victories in regional finals, some of them dating back more than 25 years now. However Mark Few, conversely, will only be making his debut in the Elite 8 as Gonzaga has not made the regional finals since they were coached by Dan Monson in 1999.

The south and east regional finals will take place on Sunday at 5:05pm and 2:20pm respectively (all times ET). Of the four teams that will play on Sunday you would probably expect Duke to make the final of the tournament, that is if you were looking for the team with the best players. Justise Winslow, Jahil Okafor, Quinn Cook, and Tyus Jones have made the Blue Devils a top seed in the tournament and the current second favorite (source: Betway).

rick pitino ncaa best coach 2015

However if you were picking a team to make the final according to who has the strongest coach then you’d be in for a bit of a debate. Of the quartet remaining in the south and east regions it is safe to say that Mark Few is the clear dark horse with perhaps Rick Pitino the most talented coach.

Prediction: Duke and Louisville advance to the Final Four.

2015 Miami Open Masters Update: David Ferrer & John Isner Advance; Fabio Fognini Out

Jackie Warner
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2015 Miami Open Masters Update: David Ferrer & John Isner Advance; Fabio Fognini Out

While everyone waits for the Novak Djokovic match with Martin Klizan, here’s some updates here at the 2015 Miami Open Masters to tide you over. The Djokovic match is highly anticipated as he is very focused and ready to hold on to his four-time open legacy. He didn’t fare so well yesterday in doubles, but you can be sure he’ll make up for that tonight.

Sixth seed David Ferrer raced through his opener in 58 minutes, dismissing Federico Delbonis 6-1, 6-1. The Spaniard converted five of his 11 break points and won 56 per cent of points on Delbonis’ serve as he claimed his 20th win of the season.

The 32-year-old Ferrer has already won three ATP World Tour titles this season in Doha (d. Berdych), Rio de Janeiro (d. Fognini) and Acapulco (d. Nishikori). He reached the final in Miami two years ago, squandering a match point as he finished runner-up to Andy Murray.

john isner beats andrey rublev at miami open masters 2015

Top American John Isner beat teenage wild card Andrey Rublev 6-3, 6-4 in just over an hour. The 29-year-old Isner lost just six points on serve as he secured his sixth win of the season. The right-hander is coming off his best showing of the year so far in Indian Wells, where he lost to Novak Djokovic in the fourth round. He goes on to face either Grigor Dimitrov or Vasek Pospisil.

“I knew it was a match I needed to be focused for,” said Isner. “I needed to come out ready to play, because he’s a talented, very talented kid. Anything can happen. It was a tough match, but I played pretty well. I did what I needed to do.”

fabio fognini loses to jack sock at miami open masters 2015

American Jack Sock kept up his good run of form with a 7-6(4), 6-1 victory over No. 21 seed Fabio Fognini. The 22 year old made his return from pelvis surgery last week in Indian Wells by winning the doubles title with Vasek Pospisil and reaching the singles fourth round (l. to Federer). He advances to an enticing third-round clash with fellow young gun, Dominic Thiem of Austria.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was victorious on his comeback from an arm injury on Saturday at the Miami Open presented by Itaú, reaching the third round with a hard-fought 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 victory over Tim Smyczek.

Playing his first match of the season, Tsonga advanced in one hour and 51 minutes, hitting 11 aces and breaking his American opponent twice. “I didn’t expect to play my best tennis today, but I’m happy the way I managed my match,” said the Frenchman.

“I played pretty solid. I just had a little hole in the second set. But, it’s normal when I haven’t played in a couple of months now. I hope it’s going to be better and better, but for the first match it was already something good for me.”

A three-time quarter-finalist in Miami, Tsonga set up an all-French third-round clash with Gael Monfils after the 17th seed edged Serbian qualifier Filip Krajinovic 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(4) in just under two hours. Tsonga leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 4-1.

Gilles Simon finished strongly to defeat Mikhail Kukushkin 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-0 and he was joined in the third round by fellow Frenchman, Adrian Mannarino, who battled past Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.

Juan Monaco claimed his 10th win of the season as he upset 14th seedErnests Gulbis, 6-2, 6-4. The 30-year-old Argentine recently reached the Buenos Aires final (l. to Nadal) and is a former semi-finalist in Miami (2012, l. to Djokovic).

Fernando Verdasco set an all-Spanish third-round clash with second seedRafael Nadal after overcoming Australia’s James Duckworth 4-6, 6-2, 6-1. The 31-year-old Verdasco trails their FedEx ATP Head2Head 1-13, but his lone victory came in the pair’s last meeting, three years ago on clay in Madrid.

Elsewhere, 26th seed Lukas Rosol beat 17-year-old qualifier Alexander Zverev7-6(0), 6-3 in 90 minutes. Zverev was one of four teenagers to reach the second round in Miami.

Fourth seed Kei Nishikori made an emphatic start to his Miami Open presented by Itaú campaign on Saturday, dismissing Mikhail Youzhny 6-2, 6-1 in 69 minutes to reach the third round of this ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament.

The Japanese star won 70 per cent of his service points and converted five of his 16 break point chances to level his FedEx ATP Head2Head series with Youzhny at 1-1. The 25-year-old Nishikori claimed his 19th win of the season, highlighted by winning the Memphis title (d. Anderson) and reaching the Acapulco final (l. to Ferrer).

“I felt really good on the court,” said Nishikori. “Really confident. It was a little windy, but the weather was actually good. It wasn’t too hot or too humid. It was easy to play. And also I was almost dictating the court against Misha, and serving well. Everything was good. So really happy the way I’m playing today.”

Novak Djokovic Takes On Martin Klizan To Defend Miami Open Crown

Jackie Warner
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Novak Djokovic Takes On Martin Klizan To Defend Miami Open Crown

novak djokovic ready to take on martin klizan at 2015 miami open

Novak Djokovic might have gotten shut out of the doubles competition at the 2015 Miami Open, but he’s ready to hold on to his four-time champion crown along with the World No. 1 ranking this evening against Martin Klizan.

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic opens the defence of his Miami Open crown on Day 4 at Crandon Park. The four-time champion goes up againstMartin Klizan for the first time in the night session. The other two matches on Stadium see Grigor Dimitrov clash with Vasek Pospisiland Jo-Wilfried Tsonga take on Tim Smyczekin a match which was pushed back from Friday due to rain. American No. 1 John Isneralso opens; he takes on Andrey Rublev.

Martin klizan goes against novak djokovic mimai open 2015

MARCHMASTERS: Djokovic is bidding to become the first player to complete the Indian Wells-Miami title sweep three times. Since 1991, seven players have achieved back-to-back success at these events – Jim Courier (1991), Michael Chang (1992), Pete Sampras (1994), Marcelo Rios (1998), Andre Agassi (2001), Roger Federer (2005-06) and Djokovic (2011, ‘14).

CLOSING IN ON NADAL: This is Djokovic’s 139th week at world No. 1 and he is now just two weeks away from tying Nadal for the sixth-most weeks at the summit of the Emirates ATP Rankings (since August 23, 1973). Here are the players who have ranked No. 1 for at least 100 weeks:
PLAYER        WEEKS AT NO. 1
1    Roger Federer        302
2    Pete Sampras         286
3    Ivan Lendl             270
4    Jimmy Connors      268
5    John McEnroe        170
6    Rafael Nadal          141
7    Novak Djokovic      139
8    Bjorn Borg             109
9    Andre Agassi          101

•    YOUNG GUNS: Some of the world’s top-ranked teenagers are in action today: Borna Coric, Alexander Zverev and the current junior world No. 1Andrey Rublev. With Hyeon Chung also reaching the 2R (l. to Berdych on Friday), this is the first time four-or-more teenagers have advanced to the 2R in Miami since 2007, when Murray (19, SF), Djokovic (19, Won), Querrey (19, 2R), Korolev (19, 2R) and Del Potro (18, 4R) all advanced beyond the 1R. Rublev, at 17y 5m, is the third-youngest player to win a match in Miami history, behind Fabrice Santoro (17y 3m) in 1990 and Boris Becker (17y 2m) in 1985.

DAY 4 FEDEX ATP HEAD2HEADS

STADIUM

Tim Smyczek (USA)            vs        [11] Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA)

FedEx Head2Head: First ATP World Tour meeting

•    Smyczek kicked off his week with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 defeat of qualifierAdrian Menendez-Maceiras.
•    Smyczek fell in the 1R on his only previous main draw outing in Miami in 2013 (l. to Tursunov).
•    Smyczek followed up his 2R exit at Indian Wells (l. to Kohlschreiber) with a runner-up showing at the Irving Challenger in Texas (l. to Bedene).
•    In January, Smyczek came through qualifying to reach the 2R at theAustralian Open, where he fell to Nadal in five sets. He went on to win a fourth career Challenger title in Dallas (d. Ram).
•    Smyczek has an 0-3 record vs. Top 10 opponents.
•    In 2014, Smyczek put together a second Top 125 season in a row after compiling a 7-12 record.
•    Tsonga is back at the Miami Open for the eighth time. He is a three-time quarter-finalist here: 2009 (l. to Djokovic), 2010 (l. to Nadal) and 2012 (l. to Nadal).
•    Tsonga is set to contest his first competitive match since falling to Stan Wawrinka in the Davis Cup final. He missed the opening two months of the season with a right arm injury.
•    In 2014, Tsonga finished in the Top 15 for a seventh year in a row, highlighted by winning a second career ATP Masters 1000 title in Toronto. He became the seventh active player to win multiple ATP Masters 1000 titles (also Paris ‘08).

[9] Grigor Dimitrov (BUL)        vs            Vasek Pospisil (CAN)

FedEx Head2Head: Dimitrov leads 1-0

•    Dimitrov returns to the Miami Open for the fifth time. His best result here was a 4R appearance in 2012 (d. No. 7 Berdych in 3R, l. to Tipsarevic).
•    Dimitrov will be hoping to bounce back this week after a 3R loss toTommy Robredo at Indian Wells. The Bulgarian began the year with runs to the Brisbane SF (l. to Federer) and 4R at the Australian Open (l. to Murray) before back-to-back 2R exits in Rotterdam (l. to Muller) and Acapulco (l. to Harrison).
•    Dimitrov’s defeat by then-world No. 169 Harrison in Acapulco was his first loss to a player ranked outside the Top 100 since February 2013 (l. to No. 130 Karlovic in Zagreb).
•    In 2014, Dimitrov finished a year-end high No. 11, winning a personal-best 50 matches and three titles on as many surfaces: Acapulco (d. Anderson), Bucharest (d. Rosol) and Queen’s Club (d. F Lopez).
•    Pospisil clinched his first ever match win in Miami, overcoming Juan Martin del Potro 6-4, 7-6(7).
•    Pospisil is back at the Miami Open for the second time. He fell in his opening match last year (l. to Bedene).
•    Pospisil clinched his first match win at Indian Wells last week when Kukushkin withdrew while trailing 6-4 4-2 in the 1R (l. to Murray in 2R). The Canadian captured a maiden ATP Masters 1000 doubles title alongside Pospisil at Indian Wells, defeating Bolelli and Fognini in the final.
•    Pospisil advanced to the 3R at this year’s Australian Open (l. to Garcia-Lopez). He also clinched the decisive fifth rubber in Canada’s 3-2 win over Japan in Davis Cup earlier this month, defeating Go Soeda in straight sets.
•    In 2014, Pospisil finished in the Top 60 for the second season in a row and contested the first all-Canadian ATP World Tour final in Washington in early August (l. to Raonic).

[1] Novak Djokovic (SRB)        vs            Martin Klizan (SVK)

FedEx Head2Head: First ATP World Tour meeting

•    Djokovic returns to the Miami Open for the 10th time. He is a four-time champion here, winning the title in 2007 (d. Canas), 2011 (d. Nadal), 2012 (d. Murray) and 2014 (d. Nadal). He also finished runner-up in 2009 (l. to Murray). The Serb’s last loss in Miami came against Tommy Haas in the 4R in 2013.
•    Djokovic clinched a fourth Indian Wells title last Sunday, bringing his career haul to 21 ATP Masters 1000 crowns and 50 titles overall. He became the 11th player in the Open Era to win 50 titles, surpassing Rod Laver and coach Boris Becker, who both finished their careers on 49.
•    Djokovic arrived in Indian Wells after helping Serbia reach the Davis Cup World Group QF with victory over Croatia. The world No. 1 defeated Mate Delic before teaming up with Nenad Zimonjic to clinch the doubles points.
•    In January, Djokovic became the first man in the Open Era to win fiveAustralian Open titles, defeating Murray in the final. It was his eighth Grand Slam crown, putting him level with Agassi, Connors, Lendl, Perry and Rosewall in eighth place on the all-time list for most major titles.
•    Djokovic also reached the Dubai final last month (l. to Federer in final).
•    In 2014, Djokovic finished the season at No. 1 for the third time in four years, winning an ATP World Tour-high seven titles in eight finals. His season was highlighted by capturing a second Wimbledon crown, four ATP Masters 1000 titles and the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London.
•    Klizan clinched his first ever match win in Miami, defeating Paolo Lorenzi6-3, 6-4 in the 1R.
•    On his only previous visit to Miami in 2013, Klizan fell in his opening match to Jarkko Nieminen.
•    Klizan’s best results this season have been QF showings in Brisbane (l. to Dimitrov) and Quito (l. to Estrella Burgos).
•    Klizan has a 3-8 career record against Top 10 opposition.
•    In 2014, Klizan returned to the Top 100, rising 77 ranking spots during the year to finish No. 34. His season was highlighted by winning a second ATP title in Munich as a qualifier (d. Fognini). He was one of two qualifiers to win titles during the year. He also posted a career-best win over world No. 2Rafael Nadal en route to the SF in Beijing as a qualifier.

GRANDSTAND

[4] Kei Nishikori (JPN)            vs            Mikhail Youzhny (RUS)

FedEx Head2Head: Youzhny leads 1-0

•    Nishikori returns to Miami for the sixth time. He reached the SF last year for the first time with wins over world No. 4 David Ferrer and No. 5Roger Federer, but was forced to withdraw ahead of his clash with Novak Djokovic due to a groin injury.
•    At Indian Wells, Nishikori fell in straight sets to Feliciano Lopez in the round of 16.
•    Nishikori advanced to the QF or better at his first four tournaments this year, winning an eighth title in Memphis (d. Anderson) and reaching the final in Acapulco (l. to Ferrer), the SF in Brisbane (l. to Raonic 7-6 in the 3rd) and the QF at the Australian Open (l. to Wawrinka).
•    Ahead of Indian Wells, Nishikori defeated Pospisil and Raonic in Davis Cup in Vancouver but couldn’t prevent Japan falling 3-2 to Canada in the World Group 1R.
•    Nishikori rose to a career-high No. 4 in the Emirates ATP Rankings on March 2. He is the highest-ranked Asian player in ATP history. He has since dropped back down to No. 5.
•    In 2014, Nishikori ended the season at a year-end best No. 5 after registering a career-high 54 wins. His year was highlighted by four titles and maiden final appearances at Grand Slam and ATP Masters 1000 level (US Open and Madrid).
•    Youzhny overcame a slow start to open with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory overAndrey Golubev.
•    Youzhny returns to Miami for the 11th time. He reached the QF here in 2010 (l. to Soderling).
•    Youzhny’s highlight this season was a QF appearance in Zagreb (l. to Baghdatis). He fell in the 1R in his other four outings: Doha (l. to No. 171 Basilashvili), Australian Open (l. to Nadal), Dubai (l. to Federer) and Indian Wells (l. to No. 146 Hanescu).
•    Youzhny has a 30-78 record vs. Top 10 opponents with his most recent win coming against No. 10 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Cincinnati last August.
•    In 2014, Youzhny finished outside the Top 40 for the first time since 2005. His best result was a SF in Stuttgart in July (l. to Rosol).

[WC] Andrey Rublev (RUS)        vs            [22] John Isner (USA)

FedEx Head2Head: First ATP World Tour meeting

•    Rublev clinched his second ATP match win in the 1R, recovering from a slow start to beat Pablo Carreno Busta 1-6, 6-1, 6-4. At 17y 5m, Rublev is the third-youngest player to win a match in Miami history, behind Fabrice Santoro (17y 3m) in 1990 and Boris Becker (17y 2m) in 1985.
•    Rublev captured his first ATP World Tour match last month in Delray Beach, overcoming Dudi Sela in the 1R before falling to Steve Johnson. His other two tour-level wins came in Davis Cup.
•    Since August 2013, Rublev has won four Futures titles in six finals.
•    Rublev is the current world No. 1 in the ITF Junior rankings. He is the reigning Roland Garros junior champion.
•    Isner is set to make his eighth appearance in Miami. He has reached the 4R here twice, in 2011 (l. to Anderson) and 2014 (l. to Berdych).
•    Isner arrives in Florida off the back of a 4R loss to Novak Djokovic at Indian Wells.
•    Isner went into Indian Wells on a four-match losing streak having fallen in the Memphis QF (l. to Querrey), the 1R at Delray Beach (l. to Matosevic) and in both his singles rubbers at Davis Cup (l. to Ward 15-13 in the 5th, Murray).
•    Isner ended 2014 as the top-ranked American for the third straight season, finishing in the Top 20 for the fifth year in a row. He won two titles in Auckland (d. Lu) and Atlanta (d. Sela).

Teymuraz Gabashvili (RUS)        vs            [5] Milos Raonic (CAN)

FedEx Head2Head: First ATP World Tour meeting

•    Gabashvili pulled off a 0-6, 7-6(4), 6-3 comeback win over Pablo Andujar in the 1R.
•    Gabashvili is making his fifth appearance in the Miami Open main draw. He reached the 2R on all four of his previous outings also, but has never gone beyond this stage.
•    Gabashvili arrived in Florida with an 0-6 record this season after falling in the 1R in Doha (l. to Verdasco), Australian Open (l. to Baghdatis), Memphis (l. to Dodig), Delray Beach (l. to Dolgopolov), Acapulco (l. to Karlovic) and Indian Wells (l. to Monaco).
•    In 2014, Gabashvili finished in the Top 70 for the second time (also 2008) with a career-high 19 match wins. He reached three QFs.
•    Raonic is back at the Miami Open for the fifth time. His best showing was a QF appearance last season (l. to Nadal in 3 sets). He pulled out ahead of his 3R match here in both 2012 and 2013.
•    At Indian Wells, Raonic saved three MPs en route to a first win over Rafael Nadal, putting the Canadian into a fifth career ATP Masters 1000 SF (l. to Federer). He was the first player from his country to beat Nadal.
•    Raonic has now reached the QF or better at eight of his last 10 ATP Masters 1000 events.
•    Raonic opened his season with a run to the Brisbane final (l. to Federer). He also reached SFs in Rotterdam (l. to Wawrinka) and Indian Wells, and the QF at the Australian Open (l. to Djokovic).
•    Five of Raonic’s six defeats in 2015 have come at the hands of Top 10 opposition. His only defeat that didn’t was a three-set loss to Simone Bolelli in his opening match in Marseille.
•    In 2014, Raonic became the first player from his country to end a season in the Top 10 after winning a personal-best 49 matches and capturing a sixth career title – and first at ATP 500 level – in Washington (d. Pospisil in first all-Canadian ATP final).

[19] Pablo Cuevas (URU)        vs            Thomaz Bellucci (BRA)

FedEx Head2Head: Cuevas leads 1-0

•    Cuevas returns to Miami for the fourth time and for the first time since 2011. On his last visit, he reached the 3R for the first time with a win over world No. 8 Andy Roddick (l. to Simon in 3 sets).
•    Cuevas advanced to the 3R at Indian Wells for the first time with a win over Jarkko Nieminen (l. to F. Lopez in 3 sets).
•    Cuevas impressed during the Golden Swing last month, clinching a third ATP World Tour title in São Paulo (d. Vanni in a 3rd set TB) and reaching the QFs in Rio de Janeiro (l. to Nadal in 3 sets in the second-latest finish on the ATP World Tour – 3:18am) and Buenos Aires (l. to Monaco).
•    Cuevas rose to a career-high world No. 21 this week. He is the highest ranked Uruguayan in Emirates ATP Rankings history.
•    In 2014, Cuevas returned from a right knee injury to finish at a year-end high No. 30, climbing 191 places during season. He won his first two ATP World Tour titles within a 3-week span in July, capturing trophies in Båstad (d. Sousa) and Umag (d. Robredo). He was the first Uruguayan winner on tour since Marcelo Filippini in St. Poelten in May 1997.
•    Bellucci overcame former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt 7-5, 6-7(2), 6-4 in his opening match.
•    Bellucci is making his sixth appearance at the Miami Open. His best run came in 2010 when he reached the 4R (l. to Almagro in a 3rd set TB).
•    Bellucci arrived in Florida after a 1R loss to Sergiy Stakhovsky at the Irving Challenger. He also fell in the opening round at Indian Wells (l. to Bolelli in 3 sets).
•    Bellucci’s best showing this year was a SF outing at the inaugural tournament in Quito at the beginning of February (l. to Estrella Burgos).
•    In 2014, Bellucci finished in the Top 75 for the fifth time in the past six years (except ’13) with his best result a SF on home soil in São Paulo (l. to Delbonis). He also reached five QFs.

COURT 1

[12] Gilles Simon (FRA)            vs            Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ)

FedEx Head2Head: Simon leads 1-0

[21] Fabio Fognini (ITA)            vs            Jack Sock (USA)

FedEx Head2Head: First ATP World Tour meeting

Federico Delbonis (ARG)        vs            [6] David Ferrer (ESP)

FedEx Head2Head: Ferrer leads 1-0

Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR)        vs            [16] Tommy Robredo(ESP)

FedEx Head2Head: First ATP World Tour meeting

COURT 2

[17] Gael Monfils (FRA)            vs            [Q] Filip Krajinovic (SRB)

FedEx Head2Head: First ATP World Tour meeting

•    Monfils will contest his first match in three weeks after recovering from the knee injury that forced him out of Indian Wells.
•    Monfils is making his eighth appearance at the Miami Open. The Frenchman, who has reached the 4R here twice, fell to Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in his opening match last year.
•    After a 2R loss to Jerzy Janowicz at the Australian Open, Monfils reached the QF-or-better at all three tournaments he contested in February: Montpellier (l. to Gasquet in SF), Rotterdam (l. to Berdych in QF) and Marseille (l. to Simon in final).
•    Monfils’ last competitive outing came at the beginning of March, when he defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber in France’s Davis Cup World Group 1R win over Germany.
•    In 2014, Monfils finished in the Top 20 for the first time since 2011 and fifth time overall, winning a fifth career title in Montpellier (d. Gasquet). Also advanced to QFs at Roland Garros and US Open.
•    Krajinovic clinched his first ever win at the Miami Open in the 1R, defeating Dusan Lajovic when his fellow Serb withdrew while trailing 4-2 in the deciding set. Krajinovic saved four MPs in the second set.
•    Krajinovic’s only other Miami appearance came in 2010 when he fell in the 1R to James Blake.
•    Krajinovic’s 1R victory was his first ATP World Tour match win of the season. His other win came over Franko Skugor in the dead rubber of Serbia’s Davis Cup win over Croatia.
•    Krajinovic came through qualifying at Indian Wells only to fall to Igor Sijsling in the 1R.
•    In 2014, Krajinovic finished at a year-end best No. 101 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, climbing 125 places from the previous season.

[31] Jeremy Chardy (FRA)        vs            Jurgen Melzer (AUT)

FedEx Head2Head: Melzer leads 2-1

[18] David Goffin (BEL)            vs            Borna Coric (CRO)

FedEx Head2Head: Goffin leads 1-0

COURT 6

[26] Lukas Rosol (CZE)            vs            [Q] Alexander Zverev (GER)

FedEx Head2Head: Rosol leads 1-0

[29] Fernando Verdasco (ESP)    vs            [Q] James Duckworth(AUS)

To be finished: 1-0

FedEx Head2Head: Verdasco leads 1-0

[Q] Alejandro Falla (COL)        vs            [20] Ivo Karlovic (CRO)

FedEx Head2Head: Series tied 1-1

[Q] Steve Darcis (BEL)            vs            [30] Gilles Muller (LUX)

FedEx Head2Head: Muller leads 1-0

COURT 7

Albert Ramos-Viñolas (ESP)        vs        [28] Adrian Mannarino(FRA)

To be finished: 4-6, 6-3, 1-1

FedEx Head2Head: Ramos-Viñolas leads 1-0

[14] Ernests Gulbis (LAT)        vs            Juan Monaco (ARG)

FedEx Head2Head: Monaco leads 3-2

•    Gulbis is making his sixth appearance at the Miami Open. Since winning his opening match here in 2008, defeating Dominik Hrbaty, the Latvian has gone on a five-match losing streak at this tournament.
•    Gulbis clinched his first win of the season at Indian Wells, defeating Daniel Gimeno-Traver before falling in the next round to Adrian Mannarino.
•    Gulbis opened the season 0-5, suffering opening round losses in Auckland (l. to Vesely), Australian Open (l. to Kokkinakis after holding 4 MPs), Rotterdam (l. to Thiem), Marseille (l. to Chardy) and Dubai (l. to Istomin).
•    In 2014, Gulbis finished a season in the Top 20 for the first time at a year-end high No. 13, reaching the QF or better 11 times and winning a career-high 41 matches. He improved his record in ATP finals to 6-0 with titles in Marseille (d. Tsonga) and a first on clay in Nice (d. Delbonis).
•    Monaco opened his campaign with a 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-4 win over qualifierRuben Bemelmans.
•    Monaco is returning to Miami for the 12th time. He reached the SF here in 2012 with wins over world No. 14 Gael Monfils and No. 8 Mardy Fish (l. to Djokovic).
•    Monaco posted his first hard-court wins of the year at Indian Wells, edging past Teymuraz Gabashvili before upsetting Marin Cilic on the Croat’s return from injury (l. to Kokkinakis in 3R).
•    Monaco advanced to his 20th ATP World Tour final in Buenos Aires last month (l. to Nadal). He also made the QF in Rio de Janeiro (l. to Ferrer). The Argentine opened the season 0-4.
•    In 2014, Monaco finished a season outside the Top 50 for the first time since 2006 after compiling a 22-20 record.

COURT 8

Simone Bolelli (ITA)            vs            [32] Viktor Troicki (SRB)

FedEx Head2Head: Troicki leads 2-1

Jerzy Janowicz (POL)            vs        [13] Roberto Bautista Agut(ESP)

FedEx Head2Head: Janowicz leads 1-0

Minnesota Timberwolves Sign Sean Kilpatrick With Amazing Results

Chris Maurice
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Minnesota Timberwolves Sign Sean Kilpatrick With Amazing Results

sean kilpatrick signed by minnesota timberwolves 2015

Former Cincinnati Bearcats superstar Sean Kilpatrick made his NBA debut with the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 19th, 2015, against the New York Knicks. A projected second-round pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, Kilpatrick went undrafted and was unable to make a roster come the start of the season.

Well the Timberwolves finally recognized the talent available in the free agent market, picking up the young superstar; and since then the team has turned things around.

The Wolves were on a six-game losing skid before bringing in Kilpatrick, leaving them with a 14-53. In Kilpatrick’s first four games with the team, the Timberwolves have gone 2-2—2-1 in games he has actually played in.

It wasn’t until his three game with the Timberwolves that Sean Kilpatrick really had a chance to show off his skills. In his 20 minutes against the Utah Jazz, Kilpatrick notched 13 points in the game which stretched into overtime. Kilpatrick was 4-7 overall from the field, including an impressive 3-4 from beyond the arc and 2-2 from the free throw line. He also recorded three rebounds, two assists, and a steal. Needless to say, Sean Kilpatrick has proved that he belongs in the NBA and is more than capable of competing with the big dogs.

sean kilpatrick picking up with minnesota timberwolves 2015 images

Back at Cincinnati, Kilpatrick averaged over 20 points per game his senior season. At 6’4 and 210 pounds, Kilpatrick is the perfect size for an NBA shooting guard. No one can say for sure why he wasn’t given a chance until now, but being denied his dream has clearly served as even more motivation for Kilpatrick to get his start as a pro.

It is very rare for players in Kilpatrick’s position to get a chance like he did; but it is even rarer for a player like that to then come through with a solid performance in just his third professional game.

Kilpatrick has always been a top-tier scorer and all-around player. Although he may not make an All-Star Game any time soon, Sean Kilpatrick has proved his value as a scoring threat coming off the bench both to the Minnesota Timberwolves and the NBA as a whole.

Big Changes Helped Valencia CF

Adam Mcenroe
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Big Changes Helped Valencia CF

valencia cf la liga changes 2015

For years, La Liga has been criticized as being a bit of a closed shop. Until last year, we had gone a decade without seeing the title captured in Spain by somebody other than Barcelona or Real Madrid, until Atletico Madrid put an end to the duopoly. While last year it was the Rojiblancos turn to make the headlines and separate a title that was beginning to become quite dull, the last time the title went elsewhere it was to Valencia CF.

Historically the third club of Spain, although Atletico fans may argue with you on that, Valencia are a genuine giant. If you were unlucky enough to not be a part of the European football scene in the mid-90s, or even before 2004, then you will have missed one of the most genuinely exciting football sides of recent years. The Valencia side that Hector Cuper and then Rafa Benitez assembled was truly outstanding, and the arrival of Benitez saw the introduction of the 4-2-3-1 formation that we see so prominently today.

However, after a trophy-laden era that witnessed two La Liga titles and a UEFA Cup among various other pieces of silverware, Spain’s third giant has very much been asleep. Barring a Copa del Rey win in 2008, the giants who play out of the Mestalla have suffered a barren decade. Outrageously poor management of the club as well as a badly run stadium project that see’s the club left with more than €200m of debt and a half-built stadium while the current one deteriorates.

valencia cf celebrate la liga changes 2015

Star players have left constantly, and the club are now down on some of the finest names to play in La Liga in recent years – the Silva, Villa, Mata trio probably being the three most damning sales. However, 2014 has seen a fresh wave of optimism hit the Mestalla. After a disastrous 2013-14 season which still almost took in a UEFA Europa League final, the club looks to be reborn. The investment of tycoon Peter Lim, who has held an interest in the sports world for many years and indeed nearly bought Liverpool FC of England once upon a time, looks set to become the new owner.

An on/off deal between Lim and current owners, Bankia, has become slightly problematic. So has the way in which transfers have been handled. Lim effectively owns the rights to new of the new star recuirts, Andre Gomes and Rodrigo. He bought them from Benfica, and they essentially play at Valencia on loan for the season, from Lim. If Lim becomes the owner, as is expected, they should be permanently Valencia players.

Other signings include the likes of Nicolas Otamendi from Porto and Alvaro Negredo from Manchester City. These signings are making a significant impact on the La Liga season so far, and even though Negredo is yet to kick a ball the youth prodigy of Paco Alcalcer is making the difference. Setting up a goal at the weekend, in a 3-1 win against the La Liga champions Atletico Madrid, Valencia are in good condition at the moment.

The young home-bred star is firing up front, the rest of the team looks well-balanced and many of the positions in the squad are filled with players of genuine quality. Here is a much finer balance to the Valencia squad at the moment and with the new manager in charge, Nuno Santo who arrived from little Rio Ave in Portugal, there is something to really be noticed at the Mestalla.

Can they win La Liga? Probably not at the moment, but if Lim does indeed invest in the club as well as clear the debts and continue the stadium project, then the days of La Liga having three to four genuine contenders for the title may not be too far away. And after the difficulty that Valencia fans have suffered through in recent years, it’s nice to see the club unbeaten after seven rounds of games.

Celebrity Gossip Roundup: Chris Brown’s Tamar Muppet Madness

The Curvy Girl Diva
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Celebrity Gossip Roundup: Chris Brown’s Tamar Muppet Madness

chris brown bullying tamar braxton for muppet madness 2015 gossip

Your Friday celebrity gossip rumor mill is here so let’s dive right in. It’s like being back in high school, but with no brains, too much money, and way too much loose stupid talk! Seems like Chris Brown can’t ever not stir something up, and now he’s joined force with K. Michelle in bullying on Tamar Braxton causing her to breakdown on air.

tamar braxton hates muppet chris brown with k michlle 2015 gossip

Tamar Breaks Down on Air

So if you ever really wondered how alike us regular folks are from celebrities, look no further than Tamar Braxton. This week, she broke down crying on her talk show The Real about how bullying has affected her self-esteem. She was speaking in particular about Chris Brown and K. Michelle calling her a Muppet and the discussion got very emotional for her.

“I was just asking my husband the other day… People say it so much that sometimes, I start to believe it. And so, I even asked Vince, ‘Do I look like a Muppet?’ and he said ‘Absolutely not,’”

When Jeannie Mai asked her what she would tell her son about how to handle bullies, that’s when Braxton lost it and said she doesn’t have any advice to give her son and before she could finish, her tears got the best of her and Tamera Mowry, Housely  finished her statement for her by saying, “she’s still dealing with it.”

Let me just say here for the record that while I do think that Tamar is way over the top in how she does things, I do think that the hurt she feels from the “bullying” is real and it is something that people don’t think about when they say things about celebrities. And when it comes from other famous people and two of the most controversial and self centered celebrities at that, it makes it all the more impactful.
k michelle over tamar braxton muppet melee 2015 gossip

Michelle to Tamar Braxton: Every Action Warrants a Reaction

Speaking of K. Michelle, with every situation, there are always two sides to every story. Tamar is obviously hurt by the comments made by Chris Brown and K. Michelle, but there is the question of why they even wen in on her in the first place. For the most part, people don’t just start bullying others for the fun of it (well at least regular, sane adults don’t). There is usually a reason behind it.

That is the case for K. Michelle who responded kind of on the low but not really, to Tamar’s break down. She posted on her twitter page:

“Every action warrants a reaction. You can’t go and start a fight with someone then when they reply cry and play victim.”

This is a very true statement and I totally agree that some people are just asking for their feelings to be hurt when they do and say certain things, but my question with that is when is it too far. People do have to be able to take what they dish out realizing that they will sometimes get a little more than they bargained for.

Natural Women have Low Self Esteem

There was a study that recently came out whose results are getting a lot of attention about black women who have natural, untreated hair. According to research conducted by cosmetic company Bountiful Hair, natural hair women have lower self-esteem than women with treated hair.

I am not quite sure what black women they interviewed, but it is obvious that whoever they are, they clearly are suffering from a form of self-hate. The study goes on further to say that natural hair is viewed, by black women, as messy and that makes women who wear their hair naturally to feel inadequate and less desirable than women who get their hair relaxed or wear weave. In turn that inadequacy causes natural hair women to lash out at other women, which inevitably lowers their self-esteem.

There is so much to be said here but I will point out a couple of things. First of all, a natural haired woman is natural by choice so if she felt that having unprocessed hair made her feel ugly or not attractive, she would just get a relaxer. Secondly, society is the main divider of women who are for natural hair and those that aren’t. Much like the whole light skinned dark skinned conversation, the media constantly shows only woman with long, straight, flowing, silky hair. Does this mean that natural hair women see this and long to have hair like that too? No. Furthermore, if a natural hair woman has low self-esteem because of her hair, than she is defeating the whole purpose of being natural in the first place. It is about embracing and celebrating your hair just the way it is. Not feeling compelled to wear it a certain way because you are black.

I think the study is a load of crap and just makes it hard for black women of all shades, sizes and hair textures to get along.

jesse jackson jr out of prison in halfway house 2015 gossip

Jessie Jackson Jr. Released from Prison… Heads to Halfway House

Remember Jessie Jackson Jr. and the trouble he ran into with stealing more than $750,000 in campaign cash, which he spent on luxury goods vacations and other non permitted items? Well, he is out of prison and has been committed to a half-way house in Baltimore.

All of this happened not too long ago and it is surprising that he is out as soon as he is. His wife will serve her time for her involvement in the whole situation a month after he is released in September. The judge staggered their sentences for the sake of their children, who are 15 and 11. How sweet.

Of his misconduct, Jackson has says, “I’ve made mistakes, and I’m prayerful and hopeful that we’re a country of second chances, that the American people and the people of the city of Chicago will consider me for a second chance.”

2015 Miami Open Doubles Don’t Do Well By Novak Djokovic

Jackie Warner
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2015 Miami Open Doubles Don’t Do Well By Novak Djokovic

novak djokovic bumpbed from miami open 2015 images

Novak Djokovic might be the current number one king of tennis singles, but the 2015 Miami Open humbled him for doubles as Robert Lindstedt and Jurgen Melzer bumped him and Janko Tipsarevic out.

Janko Tipsarevic made his return to competition on the doubles court alongside countryman Novak Djokovic, but pairing with the World No. 1 wasn’t enough to claim a first-round victory on Friday at the Miami Open presented Itaú.

Robert Lindstedt and Jurgen Melzer edged the Serbian duo 6-4, 3-6, 10-7 to book a second-round meeting against the winner of Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan versus Benjamin Becker and Scott Lipsky.

Tipsarevic, a former World No. 8, has been sidelined since October 2013 with a lingering foot injury.

Americans Ryan Harrison and Rajeev Ramtook advantage of their wild card entry with a 1-6, 6-4, 10-4 first-round win over Eric Butorac and Sam Groth. They will meet seventh seeds Nicolas Mahut andEdouard Roger-Vasselin who led 6-3, 1-0 when Roberto Bautista Agut andViktor Troicki retired.

dominic thiem comeback at miami open 2015

They may be separated by 12 years and 50 Emirates ATP Ranking spots, but 21-year-old Dominic Thiem managed to close the gap on Friday with a 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-3 upset of World No. 12 Feliciano Lopez at the Miami Open presented by Itaú.

Thiem out-aced the left-hander 11 to 10 in the two hour, seven-minute match, saving five of the seven break points he faced. In just his second appearance in Miami, the Austrian has improved on last year’s result, where he reached the second round as a qualifier (l. to Robredo).

Thiem, who also beat Lopez in the 2014 US Open third round, improves his record this season to 5-6 as he sets a third-round clash with the winner of American Jack Sock and No. 21 seed Fabio Fognini.

World No. 8 Stan Wawrinka bounced back from his opening-round loss in Indian Wells with a 6-7(6), 7-5, 6-2 defeat of Argentine Carlos Berlocq just before the rain started to fall in Miami.

Though he expressed frustration after dropping the first set, the Swiss overcame a 39 per cent first serve percentage by breaking Berlocq’s serve five times in the nearly three-hour contest.

Wawrinka extended his FedEx ATP Head2Head record over the World No. 68 to a perfect 4-0 as he attempts to move beyond the fourth round at this event for the first time in seven attempts. He’ll face the winner of Albert Ramos-Vinolas and Adrian Mannarino.

Rafael Nadal Beats Nicolas Almagro at 2015 Miami Open

Jackie Warner
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Rafael Nadal Beats Nicolas Almagro at 2015 Miami Open

rafael nadal wins miami open beatst nicolas almagro 2015

Rafael Nadal hasn’t had the best year, but he’s made his presence know at the 2015 Miami Open by taking on and beating Nicolas Almagro pretty quickly. Andy Murray did pretty much the same earlier today when he took out Donal Young in a fast 2 sets. The Spaniard is looking to get a sixth straight title, and he’s on the road with today’s game.

Rafael Nadal is a man on a mission at the Miami Open presented by Itaú, as the four-time finalist attempts to capture his first title in South Florida.

He got off to a positive start on Friday afternoon in his 11th appearance at the event, ousting Nicolas Almagro 6-4, 6-2 and extending his FedEx ATP Head2Head record against his countryman to 11-1.

Rafael Nadal shows muscles for miami open win 2015

In his four trips to the championship match in Miami, Nadal has fallen at the final hurdle toRoger Federer (2005), Nikolay Davydenko(2008) and Novak Djokovic (2011, ’14). This is the only tournament he has not won in this many attempts.

Nadal’s title run in Buenos Aires earlier this month ended a nine-month trophy drought dating back to Roland Garros2014 (d. Djokovic). His last hard-court title came in January 2014 in Doha (d. Monfils).

He will face the winner of another Spaniard, Fernando Verdasco, and Australian James Duckworth in the third round.

Peyton Manning Continues Standing Alone As Touchdown King Plus AFL Stats

Shane Mclendon
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Peyton Manning Continues Standing Alone As Touchdown King Plus AFL Stats

peyton manning touchdown passing king nfl 2015

Peyton Manning now continues to own the all time record for touchdown passes. He went past big media favorite Brett Favre, who apparently is working full time on a farm in the deep south after his NFL retirement. Manning owns many a regular season passing record and it is fitting that he is now number one on the list of touchdown passers. His regular season play has been better than any QB in history and as long as he wants to stay in the game, he will claim one record after another. The question now is how many touchdown passes will he put between him and the rest of the quarterbacks that are even close to him. Favre isn’t going to throw anymore except in Wrangler commercials, so he is no threat.

What is most impressive about Manning’s TD record is the list of receivers he has connected with along the way. Some of these guys are lucky to have had such a quarterback to throw to them. Who knows how many receivers have spent an extra few seasons in the NFL as a result of having Manning delivering them the ball perfectly. There are 13 such players that Manning threw at least one touchdown to for part of his 530 TD record. Eric Decker had 13 scores from Manning in their short time together. Care to guess how many Decker has with Geno Smith in New York? Marvin Harrison was the biggest part of Manning’s touchdown record with 112 connections for six points. Those two will remain an all time tandem in the NFL, similar to Montana and Rice.

No matter the receiver, Peyton made them better. If a player was just another guy, then #18 made him good enough to make the team. A mid-level player seemed closer to top tier and very good receivers appeared as great. Great players like Harrison moved to Hall Of Fame worthy.

Manning didn’t get this record by being the freakiest athlete ever to call audibles. He is not a quarterback with scrambling ability or a decent 40 yard dash time. Obviously he has the frame of an NFL prototypical QB and is a decent athlete. But he has piled up records by using that big brain and Manning DNA. He is a student of the game and a master of his craft. That is how he got to 509 touchdowns and beyond. The fact that he is a grinder certainly helps as well. He has put in the time to be one of the best NFL quarterbacks ever. That should be a good lesson for any young athletes out there. You can outwork people that may be more talented than yourself. Manning is proof positive of that fact.

The debate on Peyton will now go back to what it has always been. Has he done enough in the postseason to earn the title of best ever. In my opinion, no. What he has done in the regular season has been unmatched. But he had some bad losses to the Patriots back in the day. And make no mistake, his Colts teams were more talented than New England at that point. Indy had better players period. Manning just couldn’t get past the Pats when it counted most. But to his credit, he finally did bury them in an unlikely come from behind playoff win that led the Colts to their eventual Super Bowl win against the Bears.

Peyton does need another Super Bowl win to erase any doubts about his ability to win when it counts the most. That may not hold true for Manning himself, but it is true for us pundits that like to go over these “what ifs” and “who is the greatest” debates. Football is the ultimate team sport. No other game depends so much on each player doing his job. There are eleven guys that can make or break a play, drive, or game. Football is a game of inches and it only takes one guy slipping up to cost a team the game. I put a lot of emphasis on how many Super Bowls that guys have in order to rank them historically. That is why I have Joe Montana at QB1 all-time. But at the same time, I realize what kind of team effort it takes to get through the playoffs then actually win the Super Bowl. Manning didn’t lose all those playoff games by himself, even though he did have some pretty bad performances.

How far out of reach this touchdown record will get is up to how long Manning chooses to keep playing. As long as he is healthy I am sure he can play at a high level for at least four more years. If he just averages 30 TDs a year that would be 135 more touchdown passes, including the rest of this season. That would likely put the mark out of the reach of Drew Brees and Tom Brady who are both at 377 touchdowns right now. Those are the only two active players within a reasonable distance of Manning’s numbers. The next closest guy is Peyton’s little brother, Eli. He is a million miles from the record with just 243 touchdowns.

I am glad to see Peyton get this record over Brett Favre. I was not a fan of old #4. I felt like the major media gave Favre a pass on being too reckless with the ball. From John Madden on down the line, they all loved Favre to a fault. Sure he threw lots of touchdowns and made some exciting plays, but he threw tons of interceptions. 336 of them in fact. Manning only has 222 picks with the same number of touchdowns. That tells me that Peyton is clearly better than the old gunslinger. I would take a guy with 114 fewer interceptions every time.

Discussions about Manning’s legacy will go on for a few years. This year’s Super Bowl outcome will be a big decider on how Peyton is viewed in the short term. If he and the Broncos are fortunate enough to get back there and actually win this time, then he will be pronounced best ever by many. But if they fail to become world champions again, he will still be in the best QB ever discussion long term. Dan Marino never got a NFL title, but everyone considers him one of the best quarterbacks to live. These are just subjective discussions that are fun for fans and analysts. But make no mistake, Peyton Manning studies the history of this great game as well. He knows full well how he is perceived and how he wants to be remembered. I am sure he appreciates the record he just broke. But he knows that it pales in comparison to leading his team to the ultimate goal come February 1, 2015.

peyton manning continues run as nfl touchdown king 2015

Since the AFL doesn’t get nearly as much coverage as the NFL, below are a few impressive states from that league after Manning’s impressive success.

Career passing touchdowns

Arena: Aaron Garcia tossed 1,336 touchdown passes in 18 AFL seasons from 1995-2008 and 2011-12.

NFL: Peyton Manning broke the record last season and now has 530 touchdown passes.

Single-season passing yards/touchdowns

Arena: Tommy Grady passed for 5,870 yards and 142 touchdowns for the Utah Blaze in 2012.

NFL: Peyton Manning threw for 5,477 yards and 55 touchdowns in 2013.

Single-season receptions/yards

Arena: Rod Windsor notched 193 receptions and 2,372 yards for the Arizona Rattlers in 2010.

NFL: Marvin Harrison had 143 receptions for the Colts in 2002, and Calvin Johnson had 1,964 yards for the Lions in 2012.

Career receiving touchdowns

Arena: Damian Harrell is the all-time leader with 357.

NFL: Jerry Rice scored 197 receiving touchdowns from 1985-2004.

Career touchdowns

Arena: Barry Wagner played 16 AFL seasons and scored 410 touchdowns.

NFL: Rice holds the record with 208 total touchdowns.

Single season all-purpose yards

Arena: PJ Berry racked up 3,708 all-purpose yards for the New Orleans Voodoo in 2011.

NFL: Darren Sproles had 2,696 all-purpose yards for the New Orleans Saints the same season.

Single-season interceptions

Arena: Orlando’s Rayshaun Kizer set the record with 16 picks in 2011.

NFL: Dick “Night Train” Lane’s record of 14 interceptions in 1952 still stands.

Most combined points in single game

Arena: The record stands at 167 points, and it’s happened twice. New York beat Carolina, 99-68, in 2001, and Oklahoma City beat Shreveport, 88-79, in 2010.

NFL: The Redskins beat the Giants, 72-41, (133 points) in 1966. The highest scoring game since the NFL/AFL merger happened in 2004, when Cincinnati beat Cleveland, 58-48 (106 points).

Most points by team in single season

Arena: Arizona scored 1,203 points in 2013. Spokane scored 1,198 points the same season.

NFL: Denver scored 606 points in 2013.

 

 

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