06-24-2019, 12:30 AM
MELBOURNE, Australia -- The scorching weather finally brought play to a halt on the fourth day of the Australian Open when the temperature topped 43F (109F), but not soon enough for some players who criticized officials for not stopping matches earlier. The Extreme Heat Policy was enacted at Melbourne Park just before 2 p.m. Thursday, suspending all matches on outer courts until the early evening and requiring the closure of the retractable roofs at Rod Laver and Hisense arenas before play could continue on the show courts. It was the first time since 2009 play had been halted due to heat at the Australian Open. For Maria Sharapova, playing at Rod Laver Arena, the call came too late. The rule dictates the roof cant be closed until the end of a set in progress, so she was forced to finish a grueling third set against Italian Karin Knapp under the blazing sun. "Everyone knows there is no tiebreaker in the third set (at the Australian Open), so once you start that set, youre going to be out there until youre done," she said after closing out the 3 1/2-hour match, 6-3, 4-6, 10-8. Other players wilted in the heat. American Varvara Lepchenko received medical treatment during her match against 11th-seeded Romanian Simona Halep, lying flat on her back during a changeover as trainers rubbed iced on her body. "At first I didnt understand what was going on but then my legs, my arms started to get heavier. I couldnt focus at one point and started feeling dizzier and dizzier," she said. She continued but only won one more game in a 4-6, 6-0, 6-1 defeat. "They definitely should have just not started the matches in the first place," she said. "And the same goes for a couple of days ago when I played my (first) match." The heat wave began Tuesday when the temperature peaked at 42C (108F). The tournament referee did not halt play then because the Extreme Heat Policy also takes into account other factors, such as humidity and wind speed. The distinction is lost on the players, who have grumbled all week about the conditions which some have described as inhumane and dangerous. On Tuesday, Canadian Frank Dancevic blacked out and hallucinated during his match, while Chinas Peng Shuai vomited and suffered cramps. No. 25-seeded Alize Cornet of France sobbed on court Thursday after her draining 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory over Italian Camila Giorgi, then blasted officials for not halting play sooner. "On Tuesday, I dont know why they didnt stop matches," she said. "It was an oven. An oven. It was burning. Why today and not Tuesday?" The heat hasnt just affected players -- its also kept fans away. Total attendance was just 49,860 on Wednesday, down from Mondays high of 63,595. The unshaded seats on the outer courts were virtually empty Thursday, with spectators congregating under trees or in the upper reaches of stands where temporary covers provided a little relief. New Zealander Helen Naylor escaped the sun after watching fellow Kiwi Marina Erakovic play for a bit on Court 13. "Even the seats are really hot -- God knows how (the players) are running around out there." Relief is as least in sight. Friday will be another scorcher, with an expected high of 44C (111F), but Saturday it will only reach 23C (73F). That may feel downright chilly by comparison. Cheap Swingman Pistons Jerseys . Bozak and Clarkson suffered the injuries in pre-training camp workouts, according to Carlyle, who said they made "small amounts of improvement" from Friday to Saturday. After the players were deemed less than 100 per cent by doctors after Thursdays medical testing, the Leafs held them out of on-ice testing and are being cautious. Cheap NBA Jerseys . 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They kick things off Friday against the Buffalo Sabres and then head to Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs on Saturday.OKLAHOMA CITY -- Thunder guard Derek Fisher has played more playoff games than anyone in history. He says the Western Conference finals between the Thunder and San Antonio Spurs, filled with major strategy shifts and home blowouts, has produced one of the wildest series hes been involved in. San Antonio leads 3-2 and can close out it out Saturday in Oklahoma City. "Theres no script for this," Fisher said. "You can try to set expectations, and everybody can sit around and try and predict whats going to happen and which team is going to come out on top, and its just impossible. Thats what makes sports sports, and why people are so excited about either being there or watching it, because you never know whats going to happen." San Antonios Gregg Popovich and Oklahoma Citys Scott Brooks have one-upped each other with shrewd moves during the series, and the scoreboard has tipped dramatically with each change. Oklahoma City came up with the first major lineup changes in Game 3. Defensive wiz Serge Ibaka returned to Oklahoma Citys starting lineup after suffering what was thought to be a season-ending left calf strain and Reggie Jackson moved into the starting lineup to help the Thunder win Game 3, 107-96, and Game 4, 105-92. In Game 5 in San Antonio, the Spurs decision to go with perimeter-shooting post players alongside Tim Duncan helped the teams floor spacing, and the Spurs rolled to a 117-89 win. Matt Bonner got his first start of the season, and his presence helped Duncan get off to a fast start. Boris Diaw started the second half and scored seven points in the third quarter to help the Spurs take a 20-point lead at the end of the period. Popovichs move forced Ibaka, the leagues leading shot blocker during the regular season, away from the basket, and the Spurs perimeter players had an easier time getting to the hoop. "The adjustments that the coaches made were very efficient tonight," Diaw said after the game. "We tried to space the floor a little more. We camee back to the way we were aggressive in the first two games.dddddddddddd Going from good to great. Thats what Pop has asked all year, thats what weve been doing all year." When Brooks was asked if he might start Ibaka at centre to prevent the Spurs from pulling him away from the basket, Brooks ruled nothing out. "Anythings possible," he said. "We just have to, whoever we put out there, we just have to play better." Thunder forward Kevin Durant said lineup changes, though important, are secondary to effort. He said Oklahoma City did not play with enough intensity in Game 5. "Schemes and Xs and Os, it all goes out the door," he said. "Weve just got to play harder. They did last game, so weve got to match up." Brooks said the key for Oklahoma City is defence. San Antonio has shot at least 50 per cent from the field in all three of its wins. If the Thunder dont get stops, they cant get into their dangerous fast break attack. "We know their plays, they know our plays, and we just have to be able to execute with maximum effort to give ourselves a chance to get a stop," Brooks said. "Thats what it comes down to." The lineup changes have coincided with venue changes. The home teams have won every game in the series by at least nine points, and by an average of 20.4 per game. Popovich was at a loss to explain why the series has played out this way. "It seems like the home team each time looks to have the greater passion or physicality," he said. "Thats hard to measure because both teams want to win just as bad as the other." Durant said the effort must be there Saturday night or the trend of home blowouts -- and Oklahoma Citys season -- will end. "We know that its a situation where we lose, we go home, and nobody wants to do that, so we just leave it all out there and whatever happens we live with," Durant said. "Most of the time when we play extremely hard, play well, play together, we come out on top." 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