including titleholders Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia, | Forum
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Jun 25 '18
LONDON -- After two days filled with rain, the sun actually made an appearance at Wimbledon on Thursday, allowing for plenty of play all around the grounds, a chance to finally conclude the first round -- and several surprises, the biggest of which was French Open champion Garbine Muguruzas exit. Authentic Tampa Bay Rays Jerseys .No. 2 Muguruza, who reached her first Grand Slam final at the All England Club a year ago and won her first Grand Slam title less than a month ago, was one of 18 seeded players who lost on Day 4, including 11 women.Admittedly lethargic, and displaying none of the verve or confident shotmaking shes known for, Muguruza lasted less than an hour in the second round Thursday, beaten 6-3, 6-2 by Slovakias Jana Cepelova, a qualifier ranked 124th.My energy was not really there, Muguruza said. I was trying, but (it) didnt work at all.That same sentiment might have been expressed by some of the other players who joined her on the way out of the tournament, including No. 31 Kristina Mladenovic in a weather-delayed first-round match, and No. 7 Belinda Bencic, No. 14 Sam Stosur, No. 15 Karolina Pliskova, No. 16 Johanna Konta, No. 17 Elina Svitolina, No. 20 Sara Errani, No. 22 Jelena Jankovic, No. 30 Caroline Garcia and No. 32 Andrea Petkovic, all in second-round matches.That group includes a Grand Slam champion (Stosur), major finalists (Errani, Jankovic), the first seeded British woman at Wimbledon since 1984 (Konta, eliminated by 2014 runner-up Eugenie Bouchard) and a top-10 player considered a possible future star of the sport (Bencic, who retired because of a left wrist injury while trailing American qualifier Julia Boserup).There was nearly another big name gone. But No. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska, the 2012 Wimbledon runner-up, saved three match points, then took advantage when her opponent, 18-year-old Ana Konjuh of Croatia, twisted her right ankle by accidentally stepping on a tennis ball during a point. That happened at 7-all in the third set and, although Konjuh continued to play after a medical timeout, Radwanska was able to finish off a 6-2, 4-6, 9-7 victory.The seven seeded men who lost, all in the second round, were No. 8 Dominic Thiem, No. 13 David Ferrer, No. 16 Gilles Simon, No. 23 Ivo Karlovic, No. 25 Viktor Troicki -- who launched an epic tirade at the chair umpire because of a call two points from the end of his five-set defeat -- No. 26 Benoit Paire and No. 30 Alexandr Dolgopolov.Muguruza was never able to get going, making 22 unforced errors and managing to produce only nine winners.She said she felt tired and on the verge of an illness.She also wished she had taken more time to rest after the grueling two weeks at Roland Garros that culminated with a victory over Serena Williams in the final.Asked whether coming into Wimbledon as the owner of a major trophy made her feel a weight on her shoulders, Muguruza replied: No, not pressure. I think, for sure, more expectations from other people.Honestly, for me, I just had very clear it was going to be a rough tournament for me after winning a Grand Slam and coming here, she continued. Everybody, you know, like, looking at me.Cepelova equaled her best showing at a major by reaching the third round, but this was not her first significant result. She beat Simona Halep in the first round at Wimbledon a year ago, also on No. 1 Court, and defeated Serena Williams at a tournament in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2014.Yeah, Cepelova said, I like to play on the big courts.As the owner of seven Grand Slam singles titles, including five at Wimbledon, Venus Williams is accustomed to being -- and succeeding -- on those stages. But on Thursday, she found herself on Court 18, with its seating capacity of 782 -- a far cry from the nearly 15,000 at Centre Court.Williams, seeded eighth, had some trouble and needed 2 1/2 hours, but wound up getting past 20-year-old qualifier Maria Sakkari 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 -- one of 10 singles victories for Americans on Thursday.Afterward, Williams did not complain about her placement at that venue. But she did offer some thoughts on the topic.Its not the ideal schedule for the women. Wed like to see equal amount of matches. We dont want more, just the same amount, thats all, said Williams, who was a leading voice in the push to get Wimbledon to offer equal prize money to men and women.Asked whether she could imagine a five-time mens champ being on a smaller court, Williams replied: I havent seen that in the scheduling yet.---Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich ;Cheap Rays Jerseys Free Shipping . Its the second straight game Bell has scored in extra time for Kelowna, which beat the Brandon Wheat Kings 6-5 on Friday, and he now has four game-winning goals on the season. Discount Rays Jerseys .B. -- The Baie-Comeau Drakkar took over sole possession of first place atop the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League on Thursday with their sixth straight win. http://www.cheapraysjerseys.us/ . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. Timothy Bradley Jr., the former two-division world titleholder who has been in one big fight after another in recent years, has signed a two-year contract extension with his longtime promoter, Top Rank.Weve had a wonderful relationship over the years with Tim Bradley, and its been a relationship that has been very successful for all of us, Top Rank president Todd duBoef told ESPN.com. Tim has been one of the pound-for-pound best fighters in the world for about the last 10 years, and he and [wife and manager] Monica [Bradley] have been wonderful partners. We look forward to continuing our great relationship.Bradleys existing contract was coming to an end, and he could have sought offers from other promoters who surely would have been interested in one of the biggest names in the deep welterweight division. But Bradley, who has won five world title belts between welterweight and junior welterweight, elected not to pursue free agency, preferring to remain with the company that has consistently provided him with major fights and paid him tens of millions of dollars.It was strictly up to Tim, Monica Bradley told ESPN.com. Hes been with Top Rank for the second half and the most important half of his career, so why wouldnt he stay? Weve built a great relationship, and theyve been good to him. Why would we go anywhere else? Top Rank has delivered everything weve worked for, and its only right to be with the right people.Monica Bradley said her husbands next fight will be the first one of the new agreement and that they are talking with Top Rank about a fight later this year or in early 2017.Were working on that now with Todd, she said. We were talking about a fight for Tim in the fourth quarter, probably December. But were not sure if thats going to be possible. If its not, the latest it would be is in January. Start off the new year with a fight.Bradley (33-2-11, 13 KOs), 32, of Palm Springs, California, is coming off a one-sided decision loss in his third fight against Manny Pacquiao on April 9. Authentic Matt Duffy Jersey. Pacquiao knocked him down twice and cruised. In 2012, Bradley won a welterweight world title when he was awarded a highly controversial decision against Pacquiao in their first meeting. Then Bradley lost a decision in their rematch in 2014.Although Bradley has had his difficulties with Pacquiao, he owns several wins against top opponents, including Juan Manuel Marquez, Ruslan Provodnikov, Brandon Rios, Jessie Vargas, Devon Alexander and Lamont Peterson. His 2014 collision with Provodnikov, a hellacious fight that Bradley won by decision to retain a welterweight title, was the consensus fight of the year.Its unclear whom Bradley will fight when he returns to action, but Monica Bradley said he is interested in a fight with former four-division titleholder Miguel Cotto, one of boxings biggest stars. Cotto intends to fight in December and is in need of a viable opponent for a planned pay-per-view card. Bradley would certainly fit the bill.Thats one of the fights Tim would like before he is done with his career, Monica Bradley said.She also said that because Top Rank and powerful manager/adviser Al Haymon have settled a $100 million lawsuit that Top Rank filed against Haymon, Top Rank chairman Bob Arum said he and Haymon can do business together. Haymon represents several top welterweights who would make attractive dance partners for Bradley, including titleholders Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia, as well as Errol Spence Jr., Shawn Porter, Adrien Broner and Amir Khan.Maybe a fight with one of Haymons fighters is also possible, Monica Bradley said. Top Rank said it could be possible. Cheap NFL Autographed Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys 2020 Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Store Black China NFL Jerseys Jerseys NFL Cheap China NFL Jerseys ' ' '
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