Sonstiges » e can stop the freight train that is Jutanugar

WASHINGTON -- Ivo Karlovics big serve carried him to a second consecutive final at age 37, earning a 6-4, 6-4 victory over fifth-seeded American Steve Johnson at the Citi Open on Saturday.The 6-foot-11 Karlovic, a Croatian seeded 13th at the hard-court tournament, saved all five break points he faced in the semifinals. He has won all 43 of his service games this week.This is my game. This is my strength, Karlovic said in an on-court interview. I will never run like he does.He broke Johnson in the third game of each set, each time right after saving break points on his own serve.Its definitely frustrating when you have chances, you dont take them, and you lose your focus for a second and you lose serve, said Johnson, who eliminated top-seeded John Isner in the quarterfinals. And thats the margin when you play a guy (like) Ivo, (who) pretty much only has a serve.Karlovic will face No. 2-seeded Gael Monfils of France or No. 7 Alexander Zverev of Germany in Sundays final.Last week, at the grass-court tournament in Newport, Rhode Island, Karlovic became the oldest man since 1979 to win an ATP singles title.I believe its (because of) hard work and also because I didnt begin very young, said Karlovic, who was 21 when he turned pro. Im not as used up as my age would suggest.This has been something of a resurgence for the man whose biggest victory was a first-round upset of defending champion Lleyton Hewitt at Wimbledon in 2003. Since losing his first six matches of 2016, Karlovic has gone 16-7.Much of his success is based on his serve, which comes at opponents from way up high and gets quite a bounce on Washingtons hard courts, especially in the July heat.In the 25 years that ATP service stats cover, Karlovic leads the tour with more than 11,000 career aces and by winning 92 percent of his service games. He began Saturday averaging 22 aces per match at the Citi Open and finished the semifinal with 14, including a pair on the last two points at 134 mph and 132 mph.Johnson serves well, too, and he came into the semifinal having held in all 32 of his service games in the tournament, saving 7 of 7 break points.Those streaks did not last long against Karlovic, who isnt necessarily known for his prowess as a returner.In Johnsons second service game, less than 15 minutes into the match, he missed a shot at deuce to hand over a break point and angrily smacked a ball into the stands. Then, with both men at the net, Karlovic lunged for a backhand volley winner to go up 2-1.A game earlier, Karlovics first on serve, represented perhaps Johnsons best chance to steal a break.Struggling to see the ball on his toss because of a bright sun that brought the temperature near 100 degrees, Karlovic double-faulted three times, helping create two break points. But Karlovic erased the first with a 130 mph service winner, then came up with this sequence after the second: 130 mph ace, 128 mph service winner, 109 mph service winner.Similarly, in the second set, Karlovic broke right after saving a break point created by a double-fault. This time, Karlovic went up 2-1 by delivering a cross-court forehand return winner, followed by a down-the-line backhand return winner.When Johnson held a pair of break points at 15-40 in the next game, Karlovic responded by hitting three consecutive aces, then a service winner to hold for 3-1. And he was on his way.After the match, Johnson took to Twitter to respond to some of the meaner messages he received about his loss. Among Johnsons choice phrases: Learn English so we know what you are trying to say and you are an idiot.Asked at his news conference about the exchanges, Johnson said he doesnt take it seriously, whatsoever and considers those sending pointed messages his way useless human beings. cheap adidas nhl jerseys . Pirlo limped out of Sundays 1-0 win over Udinese after just 13 minutes. Juventus says Pirlo underwent tests on Monday which revealed he has "a second-degree lesion to the collateral medial ligament in his right knee. cheap nfl jerseys wholesale . Ferrer, trying to win his fourth title on Mexican soil, will next play South Africas Kevin Anderson, who eliminated American Sam Querrey,7-6 (2), 6-4. Also Wednesday, Gilles Simon (6) of France beat Donald Young of the United States 6-4, 6-3, Ukraines Alexandr Dolgopolov downed Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 6-4 and Croatias Ivo Karlovic defeated Dudi Sela of Israel 7-6 (4), 6-2. http://www.wholesalejerseyscheapchina.net/ .C. -- Glenn Howard needed an extra end to move into the Masters Grand Slam of Curling final. jerseys china . Neymar curled home a free kick from just outside the area to put the 2014 World Cup host ahead in the 44th minute. Three minutes after the break, a simple through pass from Paulinho freed Oscar and the Chelsea star rounded goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong to extend Brazils lead. jerseys nfl wholesale .875,000, avoiding arbitration. Clippards deal Monday means all eight Nationals players who filed for arbitration wound up settling before a hearing. The 41st Ryder Cup is a month away, which of course means one thing: endless speculation about the biennial matches.So who should Davis Love III select for Team USA? And will the new system for making those captains picks make a difference?Our panel of experts answers those questions and more in this weeks edition of Monday Four-Ball.1. What should Davis Love III be looking for with his Ryder Cup captains picks?SportsCenter anchor Jonathan Coachman:?For me, its simple. Love needs to pick players who are hot right now. I really dont care about points at all. I care about guys who are on point. Thats why I would put Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler on my list. And you cant go wrong with Bubba Watson and Matt Kuchar. The reason for the last two is because they showed me that the red, white, and blue means the world to them. And that means the world to me.ESPN.com senior golf analyst Michael Collins:?Captain Love should be looking for players that are great match play players. The key to winning the Ryder Cup is matching the 8 qualifiers with teammates that match with them the best. Who would Dustin Johnson want to play with in foursomes and four-ball? Look for guys under the radar who match well with this team instead of whos next on the points list.ESPN.com senior golf editor Kevin Maguire: Pairings. Of the eight qualifiers, who matches up well with his teammates in different formats? At this stage in the preparations, its time to map out different possibilities. Who will do well together in four-balls? Foursomes? Will their on-course personalities mesh? Id be surprised if Love goes strictly by the points standings, since hes alluded to an alternate points list in his head that takes into account guys being injured as well as other anomalies.ESPN.com senior golf writer Jason Sobel:?Experience and hunger; big hitters and great putters; guys who have enjoyed strong seasons and guys who are in form. See? Being the captain is easy. Just grab each of the players with all of those intangibles and youre all set.2. How would you rate the new system for captains picks?Coachman:?I love it. A captain should have more say in his team. Having four picks allows Love to really put his imprint on the team. It also makes the top eight players truly the top eight. And then he can base the rest of his picks to try and put legit teams together -- like pairing Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth possibly. When you respect and like your partner, I think it helps so much.Collins:?This year with the Olympics throwing a monkey wrench into the schedule, the way the choices will be made makes the most sense. I like having one pick held until the last minute, giving the captain the most time to grab the guy who is playing the best so we dont lose out on a player like Billy Horschel.Maguire: Its significantly better than previous iterations, holding back one pick for the night of the Tour Championship, since its the week before the Ryder Cup. The only negative is if someone wins at East Lake, how do you not pick that guy? Heres your trophy, but sorry, you didnt make the team. Doing two picks after the BMW Championship and two more aat the Tour Championship would give even more flexibility, which is really the key for any captain.ddddddddddddSobel:?I give it a 7. Or a B-. Something like that. While I like saving picks until post-BMW Championship, that last pick is going to go through a whirlwind week before getting to Hazeltine. I like the idea of being able to take a hot hand who might win at East Lake, but theres an excellent chance that it could be a guy who hasnt prepared to be on the team all along.3. Fact or fiction: Patrick Reed is top-5 talent golfer.Coachman:?Fact: The key word is talent. This guy also has guts for days. The biggest thing I like is that he appears to not have any friends to speak of. I love that. He wants to be at the top and isnt shy about showing it or saying it. And I love a guy who makes it obvious how much the moment means to him. And every round and every shot means something to Reed.Collins:?Fact. People laughed at him for saying he felt like he was a top 5 player in the world a couple years ago. When hes on his game can hang with anyone whos in the top 5 rankings right now. Plus, who doesnt want a guy like Reed in the top 5 world rankings? He aint boring. Isnt that the image golf and golfers have always fought?Maguire: Fact. He might not be statistically in the top-5 right now, but my definition of a top-5 golfer includes knowing exactly what has to be done to achieve a goal and going out and doing it under Sunday afternoons final pairing pressure. Thats exactly what he did to win the Barclays.Sobel:?Fiction. I like where were going here with the top-five question, but sorry, on a pure talent standpoint, I cant put him over Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson. Maybe a few others, too. But if youre asking me if hes in the top-five for guile and grittiness, I absolutely have him on my list.4. At the end of the year, whos No. 1 on the LPGA Tour, Lydia Ko or Ariya Jutanugarn?Coachman:?I have to be honest. I dont know if anyone can stop the freight train that is Jutanugarn. I love Lydio Ko, but it is only a matter of time before she loses the top spot and it will be no fault of her own. This feels like when Tiger started to bulldoze his competition. There was nothing they could do about it. Just like one of my favorite coaches used to say, sometimes the other person is just better than you.Collins:?Ariya Jutanugarn. Her length allows her to overpower courses Ko cannot. I expect at least two more wins from Ariya by the end of the year, putting her at the top of the rankings.Maguire: Jutanugarn does have five wins this year, but Ko has proved?to be more reliable over the long haul. Her four victories are nothing to sneeze at, mind you, but the 19-year-old from New Zealand still finishes in the top 10 on her off weeks. The edge goes to Ko.Sobel:?Not long ago, this wasnt even a question; it was Ko by a mile. Jutanugarn is making a strong case for herself right now, but Ill stick with Ko. By next year, though, we could have a new No. 1. ' ' '