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17/12/2019 06:40 | Sujet du message:
PRAGUE, Czech Republic -- With Argentina | |
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PRAGUE, Czech Republic -- With Argentina missing leading player Juan Martin del Potro, defending champion Czech Republic has high hopes of winning their Davis Cup semifinal this weekend and reaching the final for a third time in five years. Brad Wieck Jersey . Also bolstering the Czechs confidence is the reunion of Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek for the first time this year. Moreover, both have been in good form recently. Berdych climbed to his career-highest world No. 5 place in August while Stepanek won the U.S. Open doubles together with Leander Paes of India, a huge confidence boost for the 34-year-old veteran who had to undergo a neck operation earlier this year. "Were the favourite," Berdych said. "We play at home, we play on the surface which we like. We have our home crowd which helps us a lot and we have the strongest team possible. For us the goal is to make three points." Berdych, who lost to Stanislas Wawrinka in the U.S. Opens fourth round, missed the 3-1 quarterfinal victory at Kazakhstan due to an injury, while Stepanek was not available for the first-round 3-2 victory in Switzerland. Lukas Rosol and Jiri Vesely are also on the team but unlikely to play if Berdych and Stepanek remain fit. They played all five rubbers in last years final in Prague, beating Spain 3-2 to give their country its first Davis Cup title as an independent nation.. Stepanek clinched the title with a 6-4, 7-6 (0), 3-6, 6-3 upset victory over Nicolas Almagro in the last reverse singles. "Im 100 per cent fit and ready to play all three days," said Stepanek who only returned from New York City on Monday. But even without the absent del Potro, Argentina wont be a pushover. Led by Juan Monaco, the team reached the semifinals for the fourth consecutive year, thrashing Germany 5-0 in the first round before overcoming nine-time champion France 3-2 in the quarterfinal. "We have chances for sure," Argentine captain Martin Jaite said with confidence. "Davis Cup is always difficult competition. Weve come here to win. So were working very hard to try to beat the Czechs and go to the finals," Jaite said. Argentina has never won the Davis Cup. Carlos Berlocq, Horacio Zeballos and Leonardo Mayer will play alongside Monaco, the highest ranked Argentine at No. 30. Del Potro skipped the Davis Cup this year. The Czech Republic won its last two encounters with Argentina, handing the South Americans particularly bitter 3-2 defeat in last years semis in Buenos Aires on clay. In the second opening singles match, Monaco took a 2-1 lead before Berdych rallied to win. "Last year, I missed a great opportunity, (I have) a new chance now," Monaco said. "On this kind of court, it will be harder for me, but its Davis Cup, you never know, every point is totally different," Monaco said. He also lost to Berdych in five sets in the Czech Republics 2009 victory at home to Argentina in the quarterfinals and is 0-6 overall against the Czech. With plenty of support from a capacity crowd of more than 13,000, who will see their team for the first time since last years triumph, the Czechs have another advantage. As in the final against Spain, they elected to play the series on their favourite fast surface to counter Argentinas clay court specialists. Monaco said he would like to emulate the success of his friend Rafael Nadal, having watched his U.S. Open victory over Novak Djokovic on television in Prague. "It was a match of high intensity. I was happy for him. He really deserved to win," Monaco said. "If youre close to him, you learn things all the time. Every day, you can learn something." Jake Arrieta Jersey .com) - Willie Cauley-Stein and Karl-Anthony Towns each scored 12 points in the top-ranked Kentucky Wildcats 70-55 victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide. Joe Maddon Jersey . The turf is scheduled to give way to actual grass that is bright green, so we dont have to complain any more—we just have to wait a few years. Instead, do feel free to complain if the roof is closed for any reason other than to allow a game to be played. http://www.customcubsjersey.com/custom-c-d-pelham-jersey-large-2070n.html .com Tours Nova Scotia Open. The 27-year-old Sloan, a former Texas-El Paso player from Calgary matched first-round leader Rodriguez at 10-under 132 on Ashburn Golf Clubs New Course.CLEVELAND -- With seven games still left this month, Jason Kipnis has already surpassed his statistics from last April. That wasnt hard to do. "I set the bar so low," he said. Kipnis drove in Nick Swisher from first base with a two-out double in the seventh inning, sending the Cleveland Indians to a 5-3 win over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night. Kipnis, who batted just .200 with one homer and four RBIs in the seasons first month in 2013, ripped his double off Kelvin Herrera (0-1) into the gap in right-centre, deep enough to easily score Swisher, who reached on a two-out single. "That was a real big hit," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "Sometimes you need a big hit at a big time and we got it tonight." Kipnis has become big time. After shaking off his horribly slow start last season, he made his first All-Star team, batted .284 and developed into one of the ALs top all-around players. So, when he came up in another clutch situation, it wasnt surprising to any of the Indians that Kipnis came through. Kipnis signed a six-year, $52.5 million contract on opening day and hes wasted no time in living up to the deal. "I think he has less far to climb this year," Francona said. "He really dug himself a hole last year. Hes always a threat, whether its against a left-hander or right-hander. He can hit the ball all over the field or out of the ballpark. He can beat you with his legs. "I dont really look up and see what Kips batting average is, we want him hitting all the time." The Indians tacked on an important insurance run in the eighth on pinch-hitter Lonnie Chisenhalls bloop RBI single. Bryan Shaw (1-0) finished the seventh and got one out in the eighth. Cody Allen retired two, and John Axford worked the ninth for his AL-leading eighth save. Michael Bourn had three hits and two RBIs for the Indians. Bourn, Nick Swisher and Kipnis, Clevelands 1-2-3 hitters, combined for six hits and three RBIs. Salvador Perez and Mike Moustakas hit back-to-back homers in the second for Kansas City. Indians starter Justin Masterson remained winless through five starts. The staffs ace, who turned down a contract extension during spring training, allowed two earned runs and eight hits in 6 11-3 innings. Custom Cubs Jerseys. "Ill take as many no-decisions as come as long as were winning," he said. Down 3-2, the Indians tied it in the sixth off lefty starter Jason Vargas when Michael Brantley scored from first on two Kansas City errors. Brantley singled with one out, and broke for second with two down and Yan Gomes batting. As Brantley slid safely into second, the throw from catcher Perez skipped into centre field. Brantley hustled toward third and centre fielder Jarrod Dyson took his eye off the ball, overrunning it and letting the tying run score. "I came in too hard," Dyson said. "I should have come in and played it off the hop because I probably didnt have a shot at him anyway. I have to remind myself to slow the body down. I came in crashing like that. When you have two outs and your pitcher up there doing his thing you kind of have to settle down and not make that mistake." Moustakas gave the Royals a 3-2 lead in the sixth, when an error by second baseman Kipnis helped set up Kansas Citys unearned go-ahead run. Eric Hosmer singled and was safe at second after Kipnis dropped shortstop Asdrubal Cabreras low throw. Hosmer moved to third on a fielders choice and Moustakas delivered his two-out RBI single. Bourn atoned for a baserunning blunder with a two-run triple in the second to tie it 2-2. Perez and Moustakas connected in the second off Masterson. With one out, Perez snapped an 0-for-22 slump with a drive over the centre-field wall for his first homer. Four pitches later, Moustakas made it 2-0 with a liner into the Royals bullpen, the same place he hit a three-run shot on Tuesday in Kansas Citys 8-2 win. NOTES: Sloppy play has been one of Clevelands main problems. The Indians came in tied for the AL lead with 20 errors. "As a team, we have not played very good defence yet," Francona said. "I think we will be better. We need to be better. Were that type of team where when we play clean baseball, we generally give ourselves a chance to win. When you give a team extra outs or extra opportunities, it certainly makes it tougher." ... Indians 3B/DH Carlos Santana is in a 2-for-46 (.043) slide. ... Cleveland relievers have stranded a major league-best 91 per cent (32 of 35) of runners inherited. ' ' '  |
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