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Do³±czy³: 23 Pa¼ 2019
Posty: 330
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 to Serbias Jaksic and Nina Stojanovic |
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MONTREAL -- Eugenie Bouchard did everything she could to help her country. Bouchard won both her singles matches, including the clincher on Sunday, to power Canada to a 3-1 victory over Serbia in its Fed Cup World Group II tie over the weekend. In beating Serbias Vesna Dolonc 6-0, 6-3, the Montreal native gave Canada a 3-0 lead in the best-of-five tie in front of her hometown fans at the Claude-Robillard Sports Complex. "I think I played two solid matches, and I helped Canada," said Bouchard, 19. "Im very proud of that. The whole team was very excited all week." Bouchard agreed to represent her country in the Fed Cup despite her busy international schedule. On Monday, she hops on a plane to Doha, Qatar, where she faces American Bethanie Mattek-Sands in the Qatar Open the following day. But Bouchard, whos represented Canada since 2011, thinks thats a small price to pay for wearing the Maple Leaf on her cheek, as she did over the weekend. "I fully embrace it. It comes with the job," she said. "This is where I want to be. I love playing for my country. I try to enjoy every moment when I play for Canada." On Saturday, Bouchard beat the No. 149-ranked Jovana Jaksic 6-1, 6-0 in a dominant performance to give Canada a 2-0 advantage, after her teammate Aleksandra Wozniak of Blainville, Que., defeated Dolonc 7-5, 2-6, 6-4. Canada will now advance to the World Group playoffs, giving the team a chance to advance from the World Group II to a higher division that includes the worlds eight best teams. A draw on Tuesday will determine Canadas next opponent, and whether that tie will be held at home or on the road, when the Fed Cup resumes on April 19. Canadian team captain Sylvain Bruneau had nothing but praise for the rising-star Bouchard. "Shes very patriotic, and people need to recognize that," said Bruneau. "It wont be easy for her (in Doha), but she did it to represent her country. Shes always been there for us." Joining Bouchard (ranked No. 19 in the world) and 274th-ranked Wozniak on the Canadian team were Torontos Sharon Fichman (No. 112) and Ottawas Gabriela Dabrowski (No. 224). Fichman and Dabrowski lost to Serbias Jaksic and Nina Stojanovic 6-2, 3-6, (10- in doubles play on Sunday afternoon. Because Canada had already defeated Serbia in the tie, the match was simply a formality. After each team took a set, and with the 10-point tiebreak tied 8-8, Fichman missed her final two shots to hand Serbia the doubles triumph. But the story of the day was Bouchards singles match. Leading 5-3 in her second set, Bouchard sent the No. 117-ranked Dolonc the wrong way to secure the advantage. She then cemented the victory emphatically with an ace. "I was happy I could stay with her and fight," said Bouchard. "When it counted, I did what I needed to do." She needed less than 20 minutes to take the first set, surrendering just seven points in the process. But Dolonc put up a fight in the second set, breaking Bouchard in the first game. She then held serve to force a 2-2 tie. "It was a closer battle (in the second). She came up with some good points, and I had a few unforced errors," said Bouchard, who settled down after a number of uncharacteristic mistakes. "I tried to win one point at a time and stay in the moment. And that helped me." Bouchard went on to win four of the next five games to seal the victory. "The tempo was very high," said Dolonc of the 59-minute match. "There was constant pressure on me. I was too late all the time. It was really quick. It was tough for me to find my game." Bouchards victory meant that Wozniak could skip her singles match. "They deserved this win," said Serbian captain Dejan Vranes of Canadas overall victory. "Simply, they were the best. I wish them luck. They deserve to be in the World Group next year." Vranes team took to the court minus such established stars as Jelena Jankovic (ranked eighth in the world), Ana Ivanovic (No. 12), and Bojana Jovanovski (No. 41). While Ivanovic and Jovanovski are dealing with minor injuries, Jankovic recently chose to retire from international play. Bruneau doesnt think the absence of those great Serbian players diminishes what Canada did over the weekend. "These players played with all their heart on the court," said Bruneau. "They played for Canada, they played for themselves, and they played for the team. And they gave it their all." MLB Jerseys China . 5 Trade Deadline is drawing closer and teams will be deciding on whether to buy or sell while figuring out which players can make the biggest difference and hold the greatest value. Fake Nike MLB Jerseys . - Kevin Labanc and Joseph Blandisi were a potent combination for the Barrie Colts on Friday night. https://www.mlbjerseyschina.us/ . -- Augusta James of Bath, Ont. Wholesale Baseball Jerseys . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Wholesale Nike MLB Jerseys . Weise will have his hearing with the NHL head office over the phone, while the league has requested an in-person hearing with Kassian. Oilers centre Sam Gagner suffered a broken jaw after getting hit with a high stick from Kassian in Edmontons 5-2 win.Kimi Raikkonen says Ferrari should take heart from the fact their speed is there, despite reliability problems meaning they are already playing catch-up to Mercedes in the World Championship. Ferrari have finished on the podium at each of the opening two races but power unit-related failures mean they are yet to get two cars to the chequered flag.Mercedes, meanwhile, won both races and already hold a 50-point lead over their Italian rivals in the Constructors Championship. But despite Ferraris early-season concerns, Raikkonen, who finished second in Bahrain, is pleased with the SF16-Hs competitiveness - although acknowledges the cars reliability must improve.We are still positive with what the team has built over the winter, it hasnt changed, said Raikkonen in the Drivers Press Conference ahead of the Chinese GP. Natalie Pinkham is joined by former McLaren driver John Watson and F1 historian and author Roger Smith to preview the Chinese Grand Prix It hasnt been an ideal first two races as a team - weve had two podiums but two non-finishes, and thats not what we want.Obviously there is quite a bit of worrk to be done on that side, but the speed is there.dddddddddddd. Its not in qualifying exactly if you take the last race, but until then it was pretty okay. We just have to improve it and make it even better. When is the Chinese GP on Sky? All the broadcast times you need for this weekends exclusively live race. Having seemingly cut Mercedes pace advantage, Raikkonen says the car has improved in all areas and they now have to push the development even further.The engine has improved, the car itself, and its still not as good as we want it to be, but it is definitely a good car and we go from there, the Finn added.Ferraris chances of challenging Mercedes in Bahrain have been boosted by the news Lewis Hamilton - the pole-setter in Australia and Bahrain and winner of the last two Chinese GPs - will start no higher than sixth in Shanghai this weekend after a gearbox change penalty. The potential for a more unpredictable weekend has also been heightened by the fact rain is forecast for Saturdays qualifying day. However, the famously phlegmatic Raikkonen said: We have had quite often here some rain, so its nothing new. We had it in Australia.Get Sky F1: Every race liveIf it rains in qualifying and practice it changes the game a little bit, but I dont think it will affect the final result an awful lot. It will be more exciting, more difficult, but we will see how it pans out.Watch the Chinese GP weekend - LIVE ONLY on Sky Sports F1. The race starts at 7am on Sunday, with build-up underway from 5.30am. Or watch without a contract for £6.99 on NOW TV. Also See: Merc: More to come from Ferrari Chinese GP talking points ' ' '
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