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who are a combined 17-7. The Dolphins
DOHA, Qatar -- Top-seeded Li Na, playing her first match since winning the Australian Open last month, beat Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 in the second round at the Qatar Open on Wednesday. Cleveland Cavaliers Gear . Third-seeded Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic outlasted Venus Williams of the United States 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (7) in a match lasting 2 hours, 32 minutes. Li raced to a 5-0 lead in the opening set but couldnt keep her momentum going in the second when, at 5-5, Rybarikova won the next two games. With a 3-2 lead in the decider, Li won the final three games of the match. The 48th-ranked Williams wasted a match point in the third set tiebreaker. "I put myself in a great position to win the match, which for me is the positive that I take out of this match," said Williams, who was leading the set 4-1 and had three break points on Kvitovas serve in the sixth game, but couldnt secure the 5-1 advantage. Kvitova, playing her first match since being upset in the Australian Open first round, refused to give in. "I felt more confident on the court and was really fighting hard for every ball," Kvitova said. Serving for the match at 5-4, Kvitova squandered one match point at 40-30, and then double-faulted away the game. Also, second-seeded and three-time tournament semifinalist Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland defeated Sorana Cirstea of Romania 7-5, 6-0. Angelique Kerber (6), Caroline Wozniacki (8), Ana Ivanovic (9) and Samantha Stosur (12) all lost their second round matches on Wednesday. Cheap Cavaliers Jerseys . City has reached new heights under manager Manuel Pellegrini as they transition from big spending/immediate impact to perennial contender. Yaya Toures seeming discontent Tuesday may complicate that, as does the little issue of Financial Fair Play. Wholesale Cavaliers Jerseys . The Marlies surrendered two power-play goals and failed to score on six man-advantage opportunities en route to a 4-1 defeat in American Hockey League action on Saturday.DAVIE, Fla. - Heres a list of Miami Dolphins coaches who never won a game by 37 points or more:Jimmy Johnson. Nick Saban. Tony Sparano. Dave Wannstedt. Cam Cameron. Todd Bowles. Jim Bates. George Wilson.Now Joe Philbin has done it. One day after a stunning 37-0 victory over San Diego, Philbin offered this message: Dont get used to it.We cant anticipate were going to shut out our next eight opponents, Philbin said Monday. Thats not real life in the National Football League. And its hard to average 37 points a game in the NFL over an eight-game stretch. Were going to have to find new ways to win, and just keep improving.The Dolphins improved to 5-3 with their most lopsided victory since 1995, when Don Shula was still in charge. That was eight coaches ago.After 2 1/2 years in Miami, Philbin is at .500 (20-20), his job future beyond this season still uncertain. But with three consecutive victories, Philbin is on the verge of a breakthrough, because he has never had a team win four in a row.A lack of sustained success is one reason Miami hasnt been to the playoffs since 2008.The Dolphins won three in a row in 2012, Philbins first season, then lost three in a row. They enjoyed a 3-0 start in 2013, then lost the next four. They won three in a row last December, then endured a late-season meltdown and lost their final two games.How will this team handle success?Its a good question, Philbin said. Its one weve got to answer.The win over San Diego was an emotional one, with Philbin receiving a game ball from owner Stephen Ross. The coach missed two days of practice last week to be with his father, who died Friday, and Philbin will be absent again Tuesday and Wednesday to attend the funeral.When it comes to the more mundane matter of wins and losses, Philbin appears to have things headed in the right direction. Stitched Cavaliers Jerseys. Were a better team today than we were Oct. 1, or than we were in September, Philbin said. The challenge every week is to find ways to improve.Miami is an underdog Sunday at NFC North leader Detroit (6-2), and still off the radar with many playoff prognosticators. Receiver Mike Wallace said hed prefer the rest of the league not take note of the latest win.Hopefully not, so we can do the same thing next week, Wallace said. Hopefully, nobody ever catches on. Hopefully, people just keep taking us easy, so we come away with wins like this.The Dolphins look like more than one-game wonders. For the first time since 1997, theyve scored at least 24 points in five consecutive games, according to STATS. Theyve outscored opponents during that span 153-68. The lone loss during that stretch came in the final seconds against Green Bay, leaving them one play from a five-game winning streak.Midway through his third season, Ryan Tannehill is blossoming at quarterback. He ranks only 28th in the league in yards per attempt, but over past five games he has completed 68 per cent of his attempts while averaging 8.2 yards per pass, with a rating of 104.1.Meanwhile, the defence leads NFL in yards allowed per play, yards allowed per pass and first downs. Miami ranks second in pass defence, third in total defence and fourth in rushing.Nows not the time to savour statistics, defensive co-ordinator Kevin Coyle said.Were only halfway through, he said. You look down the road, weve got a few dicey ones on the horizon.The next three games are against teams who are a combined 17-7. The Dolphins might just be built for the challenge.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL___Follow Steven Wine on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Steve_Wine ' ' '
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