01-18-2020, 02:18 AM
ROME - Local favourite Francesca Schiavone eliminated Canadian Eugenie Bouchard from the Italian Open on Monday. Calgary Flames Shirts . Schiavone defeated the Westmount, Que., native, who was the 17th seed, 6-4, 6-2 in the first round. Meanwhile, Grigor Dimitrov overcame a slow start and sweaty hands to beat 45th-ranked Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the first round of the Italian Open on Monday. The 14th-ranked Dimitrov, a Bulgarian who at 22 is the youngest player in the top 20, did not take well to the red-and-white towels at the Foro Italico. "Theyre new and they dont absorb any sweat," he said. "Three or four times I was about to lose my racket. I asked several times (for all-white towels) but they told me, We dont have it." Dimitrov will next face big-serving Ivo Karlovic, who beat Spanish qualifier Pablo Carreno Busta 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4). In an upset, 13th-seeded Fabio Fognini, the top Italian hope, was handily beaten by 56th-ranked Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-2. Also, 11th-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga saved two set points in the second set before eliminating Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine 6-3, 7-6 (5). In womens play, Sam Stosur beat Wimbledon runner-up Sabine Lisicki 6-3, 6-3; 11th-seeded Ana Ivanovic defeated Italian wild-card entry Karin Knapp 6-1, 6-1; 12th-seeded Flavia Pennetta got past Yvonne Meusburger of Austria, 6-2, 6-3; and 16th-seeded American Sloane Stephens rallied past Bojana Jovanovski of Serbia 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. Also, 1999 champion Venus Williams cruised past Annika Beck of Germany 6-3, 6-1. The eight top-seeded players have first-round byes. Second-ranked Novak Djokovic is back after withdrawing from last weeks Madrid Open with a right wrist injury and Roger Federer was out on the practice courts after also taking last week off to welcome the birth of his second set of twins. Top-ranked and defending champion Serena Williams, however, wouldnt commit to playing as she waits to see how her injured left thigh feels. "Im taking it a day at a time. Well see as the week goes on. I have the rest of the day off and Ill see how I feel tomorrow," Serena said. "I hit some balls today a little bit so Im going to see later tonight how it feels." Serena withdrew before her quarterfinal match in Madrid, where she had her thigh heavily bandaged and said the injury occurred during a first-round victory over Belinda Bencic. One of the only top players not in Rome was Kei Nishikori of Japan, who retired midway through Sundays Madrid final against Rafael Nadal citing a lower back and hip injury. Rome is the last key clay-court warmup before the French Open starts in two weeks. Fake Flames Jerseys . -- Falcons running back Steven Jackson, who has missed the last four games with a hamstring injury, is expected to practice on Wednesday. Custom Calgary Flames Jerseys .com) - The Carolina Hurricanes hope to remain perfect at home in January on Friday night as they welcome the Vancouver Canucks to PNC Arena. https://www.cheapflames.com/ .C. - Steve Clifford isnt exactly singing his teams praises after the Bobcats won for the sixth time in seven games.The Miami Heat once again have a chance to make history, but this time it will be at home. The Heat are one win away from becoming the fourth team in NBA history to reach four consecutive finals appearances and all that stands between them and the record books is the pesky Indiana Pacers. Watch the game live on TSN and TSN GO at 8:30pm et/5:30pm pt. The two teams rekindle the Eastern Conference Finals Friday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. The Boston Celtics made a whopping 10 in a row from 1957-66, then the Los Angeles Lakers turned the trick from 1982-85. The Cs did it once again, battling those same Lakers a few times, from 1984-87. Miami lost the championship in 2011, then won back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013. The Heat are a perfect 7-0 in South Beach this postseason and had a chance Wednesday to advance and get plenty of rest before the NBA Finals begin Thursday. The Pacers werent ready to call it a season. Indiana staved off elimination with a 93-90 Game 5 victory at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in one of the most entertaining playoff games in recent memory. All it took was a Herculean effort from Paul George, a foul-plagued LeBron James and crazy antics from Lance Stephenson, which included, but was not limited to, pinching and blowing in James ear. George was magnificent as he scored 31 of his 37 points after the break, including 21 in the fourth quarter. "I just came out firing. My teammates found me and I got hot," said George, who shot 15-of-28 from the floor. "I felt in rhythm, regardless of who was guarding me. I was just in the zone." The Heat essentially played the entire second and third quarters without James, who battled foul trouble throughout and finished with a career playoff- low seven points on 2-of-10 shooting. "Its not something Im accustomed to," James said of sitting with foul trouble. "I wasnt able to make plays and help our team win." Then, there was Stephenson. The wild-card played a pivotal role in Indianas Game 5 success, despite the silly instance where he blew in James ear, or when he pinched James side, or even when he listened in on a small huddle between Heat coach Erik Spoelsttra and two of his players. Calgary Flames Pro Shop. "Just trying to help my team win, whatever it takes. Theres a lot on the line now. Just trying to win games," Stephenson explained. Lost in the bizarre nature of his ways, Stephenson proved to be a huge catalyst in the Pacers comeback. Indiana trailed by nine at the half, then ratcheted up the defensive intensity over the final 24 minutes. Stephenson picked up full court and George manned the passing lanes. They forced turnovers and George finished with six steals. The defensive pressure created easy shots for the Pacers, who scored 31 in the third quarter after posting only 33 in the first half. A George slam off a steal pushed Indianas lead to 77-66 early in the final stanza, but nine consecutive Miami points in less than two minutes brought the Heat right back. Miami never got over the hump -- thanks to George countering nearly every Heat basket with one of his own -- but the visitors closed within 91-90 following Rashard Lewis sixth 3-pointer with 16 seconds to go. The Pacers went 1-for-3 from the foul line over the closing seconds and the Heat had a chance for the tie or the lead. James knifed through the lane, encountered Indiana center Roy Hibbert, kicked it out to an open Chris Bosh in the corner. Bosh missed and the Pacers live to see another day. "Weve been able to win a road game in each playoff series weve been involved in the last two years, and we have a confidence that this series will be the same, that we can go into Game 6 and be able to get a W." Pacers coach Frank Vogel said after practice Thursday. The world will likely see a different Heat team on Friday, one with James making an impact and not in warmups. "Hes going to come out and play with a lot of energy. Im sure hes got a lot built up from not playing much in Game 5," said George. And despite James foul woes, the Heat had a good look at a shot to win the game. But, the Heat werent interested in how close it was without the best player in the world. "Aint no moral victories for us. We win or we lose. Thats it," said James. If the Pacers survive, Game 7 would be Sunday in Indianapolis. ' ' '