01-02-2020, 06:30 AM
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- Third-seeded Victoria Azarenka tumbled out of the BNP Paribas Open on Friday night in her first match in more than a month, falling 6-0, 7-6 (2) to American Lauren Davis. Azarenka, from Belarus, had been sidelined since the Australian Open because of a left foot injury that required her to wear a boot for several weeks. The two-time Australian Open champion, hampered by nerve damage between her toes, limped visibly at times, had trouble serving, fell to her knees several times, broke a racket after double-faulting to fall behind 4-3 in the second set, and fought back tears. "Basically, all I had was my fighting spirit," Azarenka said. "When Im on the court I try to give as much as I can, even on one leg. I try to do my best in tough situations. Thats part of our job." She isnt sure if shell try to play in the Sony Open in Florida in 10 days. "I want to be pain-free because its not to the most fun to be out there like that," Azarenka said. Most of the other second-round matches were routine. Second-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland got it started by beating qualifier Heather Watson of Britain 6-4, 6-3. Later in the day session, No. 6 Simona Halep, No. 7 Jelana Jankovic, No. 9 Sara Errani and No. 10 Caroline Wozniacki were straight-set winners. Two-time tournament champion Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, seeded 29th, fell to American Varvara Lepchenko, 6-3, 6-2. No. 18 Eugenie Bouchard of Montreal downed Chinas Shuai Peng 6-2, 6-2, and Toronto-born Sharon Fichman fell to Italys Sara Errani 6-1, 6-1. Meanwhile, with the men finishing their first round, Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka, the 2008 Olympic doubles gold medallists for Switzerland, teamed up again for a 6-2, 6-7 (4), (10-6) victory over Rohan Bopanna of India and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi of Pakistan in a match played in the new 8,000-seat Stadium 2. "I dont know if it was sold out, but it felt like very, very full," said Federer, a four-time singles champion at Indian Wells. "Youre not probably going to achieve that on centre court (where capacity is 16,100) for a doubles. But that was a perfect setup, a feeling, and we can thank the tournament and (owner) Larry Ellison for building such a court so quickly. "Its nice to see the game grow and seeing people coming out and enjoying it. Its great. I really had a great time out there with Stan today." Wawrinka is the Australian Open champion. "It took me time to realize really what I did in Australian Open," said Wawrinka, who is the No. 3 seed and could meet No. 7 Federer in the quarterfinals and top-seeded Rafael Nadal in the semifinals. "Still when Im saying that I won a Grand Slam its still strange for me, but thats why it was good to be home during three weeks. It was good to be with the family, to take more time for myself. Wawrinkas second-round opponent will be Ivo Karlovic of Croatia, and Federer will open his title bid against French qualifier Paul-Henry Mathieu. Wawrinka and Federer both will play Saturday afternoon. In other first-round doubles action, Americans Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears downed Fichman and her American partner Megan Moulton-Levy 7-6 (4), 6-2. Spaniards David Marrero and Fernando Verdasco defeated Vernon, B.C., native Vasek Pospisil and his partner Pablo Andujar of Spain 7-6 (4), 6-3. On Saturday night, Nadal will take on Radek Stepanek. Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Juan Martin del Potro, Richard Gasquet and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga are the other top-10 players competing in doubles. Francois Beauchemin Jersey . Both of Padakins goals came in the second period while Zane Jones added a single in the first period for Calgary (13-6-4). Hitmen goaltender Chris Driedger finished with 30 saves for the shutout. Adam Oates Jersey . -- Alex Anthopoulos spoke volumes with what he didnt say on right-hander Ervin Santana. https://www.cheapducks.com/ .Y. -- Phil Jackson lost out on his preferred coach, but hes working hard on keeping his star player. Ryan Getzlaf Jersey . "Its amazing to do this coming from such a small island, where tennis isnt necessarily recognized as one of the main sports," Puig said. "Im just happy Im able to be here playing tennis not only for myself, but for my country too. Ruslan Salei Jersey .Patterson marked his anniversary by proving his worth — once again.Lou Williams poured in 26 points, and Patterson drained two huge three-pointers late in the fourth quarter, as the Raptors topped the Denver Nuggets 112-107 in overtime Monday.BUFFALO, N.Y. -- As if the worst start in franchise history isnt bad enough, Buffalo Sabres President Ted Black braced his teams win-starved fans for potentially more tough times. Thats the message Black issued Thursday during his weekly show on WGR-AM, by emphasizing the Sabres intention to stay the course in developing their prospects this season. "When were in a transition year like this, it is going to be difficult. Its going to be difficult to stomach the short run," Black said. "The fans that follow this team, they signed up for this team, they signed up for a rough road." Rough as it has been so far, Black isnt shying from the frustration and criticism directed at management. "Im not going to go anywhere and hide under a bed and wish I didnt have to do this or that," he said. "Im going to do my damndest to turn this thing around." The Sabres are essentially at Square 1 after making the decision last season to overhaul an aging, high-priced roster. At 1-9-1, Buffalo has surpassed its worst start to a season, previously a 1-7-1 start in 1993-94. They Sabres cant score, having managed two or more goals just four times. Theyve yet to score first, and have been outscored by a combined 14-1 in the first period. And Buffalo cant even manage to get a lead. The teams one win came in a 4-3 shootout over the New York Islanders on Oct. 15, in a game Buffalo never led in regulation. Otherwise, the Sabres have held a lead once, in a 3-2 overtime loss to Tampa Bay, for a combined total of 9:35 of ice-time, which is by far the shortest span of any NHL team this season, according to STATS LLC. The Florida Panthers (3-6-1) are next, having held a lead for a combined total of 58:53. Add it up, and these are among the reasons the Sabres have been routinely booed off the ice by a once-loyal fan-base thats grown increasingly frustrated. Chants of "Fire Darcy!" directed at general manager Darcy Regier, have become familiar during home games, where Buffalo is 0-6-1 following a 5-2 loss to Boston on Wednesday night. "No one in here is proud of our record or proud of what weve accomplished this season or havent accomplishhed this season," co-captain Steve Ott said.dddddddddddd "We knew the transition was going to be coming on. Obviously, its hit us to start, and its hit us hard." This essentially amounts to the "suffering" Regier cautioned Sabres fans might be in store last spring in outlining his strategy to rebuild from the ground up. The Sabres lineup features six rookies. And they are the first NHL team since 1995-96 to play at least four teenagers. The roster could get even younger. The team hasnt ruled out trading its two most marketable stars -- goalie Ryan Miller and leading scorer Thomas Vanek. Both are in the final year of their contracts, and its unclear whether they fit in the teams long-range plans or are interested in staying. Vanek has already indicated he has no interest enduring a long-term rebuilding project. He suggested it might be better off for the Sabres to deal him to get draft picks or prospects in return as they did last season by trading three veterans, including captain Jason Pominville. Vanek acknowledged Thursday this season has been the lowest point of his nine-year NHL career in Buffalo. "I knew going into this year that this is what we were doing, and this is what we were going to have," Vanek said. "It is frustrating? Is it fun to go home each and every night? No. Its not, because you want to win. But at the same time, youve got to be realistic." The reality is that the Sabres could very well end up with the NHLs worst record. And that, according to Black, might not be a bad thing in the long run. Black reflected to his days in Pittsburgh, when the Penguins struggled through several woeful seasons. In bottoming out, the Penguins stockpiled several high draft picks, lucked out in winning the Sidney Crosby draft lottery, which helped transform them into Stanley Cup contenders. "For us to get back to where we want to be, and thats building a championship, its going to come through the draft," Black said. "Were going to get through this. There is light at the end of the tunnel. I dont know how long its going to take us to get there, but we are going to get there." ' ' '