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    Showing posts with label Sports News. Show all posts

    Eugenie Bouchard looking to finally get one up on childhood idol Maria Sharapova at Australian Open

    She was Eugenie Bouchard's childhood hero, but the Canadian will be out to ensure Maria Sharapova doesn't become her grand slam villain when the pair meet in the Australian Open quarter-finals.

    Bouchard, who progressed with a three-set victory over Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu on Sunday afternoon, has never beaten Sharapova. In what is being dubbed the battle of the glamour girls of women's tennis, Bouchard will have to overcome a 0-3 record against the Russian, which includes the semi-final heartache at last year's French Open.

    "I kind of just remember a grind," Bouchard said of the 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 loss to Sharapova at Roland Garros in 2014. "I didn't feel like I was playing great tennis the whole time. Sometimes here and there. But that's what it's about: trying to win and trying to always play better, get through it, even if you're not playing your best. I felt like I was close with her. She probably wasn't - we were both maybe a bit off. You're never really playing amazing. Maybe 10 per cent of the year. So I remember that, and I remember I had chances and stuff. I just remember a tough match. I was pretty disappointed after, so that's motivating."
    Bouchard has often been compared to Sharapova since her breakout performance at last year's Australian Open. Sharapova is one of the most marketable sportswomen in the world, and while Bouchard still has a long way to go before reaching such heights, it's believed she is on a similar path.

    However Sharapova, who was often compared to Anna Kournikova at the start of her career, said it was important to create your own identity. "I think we all want to go through our own paths ... when I was coming up, I was compared to Kournikova for many years in my career and still occasionally name always comes up in interviews and articles," Sharapova said. "That's just part of it, part of the game, part of the business. It's understandable. It is what it is. As I have said, I believe I was still a teenager, I don't want to be the next anyone. I want to be the first Maria Sharapova. And that's how I've been throughout my whole career. And we all want to create our own path and go through our own career. And we're all destined for some sort of thing. We work extremely hard at a sport, and that's what we want to be known for."

    In three meetings, Bouchard has only managed to take one set off Sharapova. The 20-year-old won just two games in their first encounter in Miami in 2013, and failed to take a set at the French Open later that year. She did manage to win the first set in the semi-final at Roland Garros last year, but the experienced Sharapova finished strong to topple Bouchard, going on to win the tournament with a victory over Simona Halep in the final. But Bouchard has welcomed the clash with the world No.2, admitting she was going to be aggressive in her approach to the quarter-final.

    Woody Austin Penalty Extra Club Costs Golfer Four Strokes At PGA Championship

    Woody Austin couldn't decide whether he should keep his 3-iron or go with a hybrid for the second round of the PGA Championship. He accidentally went with both, which cost him four shots and likely the chance to play this weekend at Oak Hill.

    Austin was assessed a four-stroke penalty Friday when he discovered he had 15 clubs in the bag. His 71 became a 75 and put him at 4-over 144.

    "Can't say I was angry because it was more of a shock, so you're like pretty bummed," Austin said. "I think after 20 years, you do one stupid thing of each, and that's the first time I've ever done something like that. Now all I've got to do is figure out how to get DQ'd."

    Rule 4-4 allows for only 14 clubs. The penalty is two shots for each hole the extra club is in the bag with a maximum of four shots. That was a moot point because it was on the tee at the 215-yard third hole that he looked into his bag and realized he still had the hybrid in there.

    Austin gave it to his son, who carried it the rest of the front nine.

    It was the first time a player had been penalized in a major for 15 clubs in the bag since Ian Woosnam at the 2001 British Open. The difference was Woosnam was tied for the lead going into the final round and make birdie on the opening hole. He had an extra driver in the bag, and because Royal Lytham & St. Annes starts with a par 3, Woosnam didn't discover it until the second hole.

    Austin has made his share of blunders during his career.

    He is most famous for once getting so angry about missing a putt that he repeatedly banged his putter against his head, a video sensation. At the 2007 Presidents Cup, he tried to play a shot from the bank of a lake and fell backward into the water, earning the nickname, "Aquaman."

    Austin, who qualified for the PGA Championship only by winning in Mississippi last month, said this might not have happened in better weather.
           

    Oak Hill already is long for him, and two of the par 3s are over 200 yards to elevated greens. He was using both clubs on the range and decided to stick with the 3-iron because he was hitting it better.

    In a light rain, caddies had covers over the clubs to keep them dry. He did not blame his caddie, Dave Lawson.

    Maria Sharapova Dishes About 'Refreshing' Relationship With Grigor Dimitrov

    Maria Sharapova hasn't been too keen on letting the press into her relationship with fellow pro Grigor Dimitrov, but in a surprisingly open interview with USA Today, she uncharacteristically gushes about Dimitrov -- and says dating a younger man (Dimitrov is 22 years old) is "refreshing."

    "Maybe it makes me really young, too, inside, which is good," Sharapova, 26, told the newspaper.

    As for what she's looking for in a man, she says: "It's about finding the person where you can be yourself all the time, where you're comfortable with being younger girl, the older girl, the mature girl, and the person that understands you and look at you and say you're completely off your rocker!

    "I have so many things going on in my life and I really love them. Of course I want someone to be by my side to enjoy them. You know, I can jump on a plane tomorrow and go somewhere because I want to do it. And it's really important that that person respects me for the decisions that I make and the things that I do in my life."

    She did not, however, offer any of her tips about outrunning the paparazzi.

    The two were first spotted cozying up on a Madrid street earlier this month. Sharapova ended her engagement to basketball player Sasha Vujacic last year.

    Dwyane Wade Buzzer Beater: Heat Top Pacers 93-91 In OT

    Dwyane Wade's jumper with 0.1 seconds left in overtime gave Miami a 93-91 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night, extending the Heat home-court winning streak to 12 games. Wade scored 28 points and LeBron James led two late comebacks by Miami, finishing with 27 for the Heat. James helped force regulation by hitting a game-tying 3-pointer with 10.2 seconds left in regulation, then not allowing Indiana's Darren Collison to get a potential game-winning shot off at the other end. Danny Granger's runner with 2:01 left in the extra session gave Indiana a 91-86 lead. The Pacers didn't score again, getting outscored 7-0 the rest of the way. Chris Bosh scored 13 for the Heat. Granger led the Pacers with 19 points. James made another 3-pointer in overtime to start Miami's rally, Bosh tied it with a jumper with 1:03 left to play, and an offensive rebound gave Miami the ball and a chance to take the last shot of the extra period. Wade waited, waited, waited – then delivered. Moments after the final buzzer, most of the power in AmericanAirlines Arena was gone. Good timing. It was finally over. David West finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds for Indiana, which got 14 points from Darren Collison and 12 from Paul George. Over the last 101 minutes of play, spanning three games, Miami had gone 1 for 21 from 3-point range. But James coolly drilled one from the right corner with 10.2 seconds left, tying the game at 85.

    Jeremy Lin Struggles As Knicks Lose To Heat, 102-88

    Jeremy Lin collided with LeBron James shortly after tip-off, stumbling backward.

    With that, the tone was set.

    And Lin's rise from unknown to stardom hit its first major snag.

    Chris Bosh scored 25 points, Dwyane Wade added 22 and James put up 20 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, five steals and two blocks – the first such stat line in the NBA since James himself had a night like that four years ago – as the league-leading Miami Heat stopped Lin and the New York Knicks 102-88 on Thursday night.

    It was Miami's eighth straight win, all coming by at least 12 points.

    "A learning experience," Lin said afterward, before heading to Orlando for his role in All-Star weekend. "A tough one."

    Lin's final line: 1 for 11 from the field, eight points, three assists and eight turnovers – a long way from the 23.9 points and 9.2 assists he had been averaging over his first 11 games in the Knicks' rotation, when he breathed immeasurable life into a team that was floundering.

    Not this time. Lin paid the Heat a great compliment, saying their defense made it tough to even dribble.

    "First of all, he deserves all of the credit he's been given," Wade said. "We knew it was going to be a tough task guarding him. ... He's a good player, but we put a lot of pressure on him and it was a success."

    The scene was electric, and for much of the night, the game matched the hype.

    Spike Lee, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Chad Ochocinco all sat within seven seats of each other on one sideline, Mike Stanton and Logan Morrison of the Miami Marlins were on another sideline, and members of the New York Mets' front office reportedly jumped aboard a helicopter for the quick trip from the team's spring-training home in Port St. Lucie down to Miami.

    Even the First Fan took note of the hubbub surrounding the game.

    "In another life, I would be staying for the Knicks-Heat game tonight, then going up to Orlando for NBA All-Star weekend," President Barack Obama told cheering students at the University of Miami earlier in the day. "But these days, I've got a few other things on my plate. Just a few."

    When Air Force One was headed to Orlando for a Thursday night fundraiser, yes, there were televisions tuned to Heat-Knicks on board.

    Erin Andrews Confronts Kid Over Peephole Video Comment

    If you're trying to get Erin Andrews' autograph, it's probably not a good idea to mention the peephole video.

    That is exactly what happened at the NCAA College World Series when a couple of fans kept calling out for Andrews to sign an autograph. After spending a few minutes calling her name and trying to grab the ESPN reporter's attention, one of the kids shouted, "I’m gonna watch your video tomorrow."

    That didn't sit well with Andrews, who immediately looked over to the fans and stared them down.

    She walked over to the stands and confronted the fan. She asked him to repeat himself, but he refused.

    "If you are going to be cool enough to say that, man up to it," she said.

    In the summer of 2009, Andrews was secretly videotaped while she was naked in her hotel room. The video was posted on the internet by a man named Michael David Barrett.

    Barrett, 49, admitted to stalking Andrews for 18 months and was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in federal prison.

    Robert Ross, Music Producer, Claims He Was Kidnapped Due To Shaquille O'Neal Sex Tape

    A Los Angeles music producer testified that gang members kidnapped him in 2008 and told him the reason was an "issue" with Shaquille O'Neal and his business partner, according to transcripts from a preliminary criminal hearing.
    In the transcripts, producer Robert Ross – who has claimed the attack came because he said he had a sex tape featuring O'Neal – testified that his kidnappers beat him and demanded a "videotape."
    Excerpts from the Monday preliminary hearing for seven gang members accusing of kidnapping, robbery, assault and conspiracy in the attack on Ross appeared early Sunday on the Los Angeles Times' website.
    Ross testified that at one point he had a tape from his home security system of then-NBA star O'Neal having sex with a woman, but it had been recorded over.
    Asked by a prosecutor if he really had such a video at the time of the attack, Ross replied, "It was over. It was gone."
    O'Neal and business partner Mark Stevens have denied involvement in statements to investigators, and neither has been charged or named in the criminal complaint.
    Attorney Nicholas Tonsich, who represented O'Neal and Stevens, did not immediately responded to a phone message left early Sunday morning by The Associated Press.
    According to a sheriff's report, Ross told investigators he was kidnapped at gunpoint by Main Street Crips gang members in West Hollywood in February 2008 and taken to the home of the gang's alleged leader Ladell Rowles. He said the gang members beat him, stole $15,000 in cash and some jewelry.
    He said another of the defendants, James Harbin, told him he needed to clear up an "issue" with O'Neal and Stevens, and threatened him.

    Seahawks Player Busted For Walking Out On Bar Tab

    The latest NFL player to have a run-in with the law is.. Raheem Brock of the Seattle Seahawks!

    According to MyFOXPhilly.com, Brock was arrested in Philadelphia on Thursday night for allegedly walking out on a $27 bill at the Copacabana.

    The 33-year-old was questioned by police and there reportedly was a struggle.

    He was charged with theft and resisting arrest. Brock was released without bail on Friday morning.

    In November, Brock was arrested on suspicion of DUI.

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