Jim Mallinder confirmed after the game that his player s

NEW YORK -- A year after one of the most significant and stunning losses of Serena Williams illustrious career, shes made it back to the same stage of the same tournament: the U.S. Open semifinals.The stakes and opponent are different. Once again, there is history in the offing.At Arthur Ashe Stadium in 2015, two wins shy of completing the first calendar-year Grand Slam in more than a quarter-century, Williams was upset in three sets by unseeded Roberta Vinci of Italy. At Ashe on Thursday night, two wins shy of claiming a record 23rd major singles title and earning a record 187th consecutive week at No. 1 in the WTA rankings, Williams faces 10th-seeded Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic.Vinci never had participated in a Grand Slam singles semifinal. Neither has Pliskova, who hadnt even been past the third round at major until now.The 24-year-old Pliskova grew up watching the Williams sisters play on TV and she already eliminated one in this tournament, beating Venus in a third-set tiebreaker after saving a match point in the fourth round.Asked whether she expected to get some advice from her sibling before facing Pliskova, the younger Williams said: Im sure she will tell me something. But Ill be there. Ill be ready tomorrow.Pliskova will be trying to become only the fourth woman to beat both Williams sisters at the same major, joining Martina Hingis at the 2001 Australian Open, Justine Henin at the 2007 U.S. Open, and Kim Clijsters at the 2009 U.S. Open.But Pliskova, who leads the tour in aces this season, realizes what a daunting task awaits her against Williams.Shes a big hitter and she can have 50 winners -- and you cannot do much about it, said Pliskova, whose twin sister is also a tennis player. But Im still going to hope that there is going to be some chance in the match where I can get my chance and be the one who is playing aggressive.The other womens semifinal Thursday is No. 2 Angelique Kerber of Germany against 74th-ranked Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, a former No. 1 who is a two-time runner-up at Flushing Meadows.Kerber, who is 7-5 against Wozniacki, has a chance to overtake Williams atop the rankings after the tournament.This would mean a lot to me, Kerber said. I mean, when I was a kid, I was always dreaming (of) being the No. 1. Lets see. I mean, there are still matches to go.Williams overcame a real challenge in the quarterfinals, her first of the these two weeks, by getting past No. 5 Simona Halep 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 with the help of 18 aces and by winning the point on 26 of her 32 trips to the net.The sore right shoulder that developed in the days after the American won Wimbledon to tie Steffi Grafs Open-era mark of 22 major championships does not appear to be a problem any long.I feel OK. Im not at 100 percent, but Im OK, Williams said. Nothing to complain too much about.During the difficulties she encountered in the second set of her quarterfinal -- Williams went 0 for 12 on break points -- there never was the sort of emotional display she is famous for. A cracked racket, say, or screams of anger or self-encouragement.I was rather positive today, and thats not normal. Im just going to go with it, Williams said with a smile.Asked later to explain her mental state more, Williams replied: I was really rather calm today and not trying to be. I guess thats just how I got out of bed this morning. I definitely wanted to do some more `Come ons. I dont know why. Thats weird.---Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich Wholesale Shoes UK Free Shipping . -- Jaye Marie Green shot a 4-under 68 on Thursday to increase her lead to five strokes after the second round of the LPGA Tours qualifying tournament. Shoes UK Online Store . How great will be revealed in the next couple of days at the board of governors meeting in Pebble Beach, Calif. https://www.shoesukonline.com/ . 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. Shoes Online UK Review .com) - The game was all punts and field goals before Kodi Whitfields catch. Shoes UK From China . Robredo, ranked No. 16, bounced back from an upset loss to Leonardo Mayer in the second round of the Royal Guard Open in Chile last week to down Carreno Busta in 1 hour, 25 minutes. On a day filled mostly with qualifying matches, fifth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain also entered the second with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 win over Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia, while Guido Pella of Argentina defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6 (6), 6-4 to advance. ARCADIA, Calif. -- Mike Smith knows plenty about riding undefeated female horses. He was aboard superstar mare Zenyatta for most of her 19-race winning streak.Now hes on unbeaten Songbird, who takes an 11-race winning streak into the $2 million Breeders Cup Distaff, Fridays headline race on the opening day of the two-day world championships at Santa Anita, which is hosting for a record ninth time.Shes got stiff competition from fellow champions Beholder and Stellar Wind.Songbird is the early 6-5 favorite, with Beholder and Stellar Wind as the co-second choices at 5-2 among the eight fillies and mares chasing the prize in the 1 1/8-mile race.Smith won the 2008 Distaff aboard Zenyatta, and he later guided her to a thrilling victory against males in the 2009 BC Classic at Santa Anita. Her winning streak was snapped in the 2010 Classic at Churchill Downs, where Zenyatta ended her career losing by a head to Blame.The Hall of Fame jockey took the defeat hard, crying and barely able to speak afterward.The pressure of Zenyattas run of victories kept him awake at night. This time, the 51-year-old rider isnt carrying the mental burden of Songbirds streak.For some reason Im more comfortable than I was the last time Zenyatta ran. You learn little things, he said. She has to do her job; I have to do mine. If given the opportunity to do that, I think were going to see something special.With the exception of fellow 3-year-old Land Over Sea, Songbird is challenging older horses in the Distaff.Shes always been above average about everything, Smith said. The way she thinks, she gets it. Shes smart. Mentally, shes ready for it. You hope physically she is. She looks like it.Zenyatta was known for her come-from-behind style, often spotting rivals huge leads before overtaking them down the stretch. Songbird runs at or near the lead. The only time she wasnt first or second in the early going was in her first two races, when she rallied from fourth and sixth, respectively.You really cant plan for how to run the race, because the moment the gates open it could all change, her Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said. We know she can go to the front or sit off the pace; were comfortable with her versatility. TThis really becomes a riders race so you need to have confidence in your jockey.dddddddddddd Mike has ridden her in all of her starts and knows her very well.Beholder won the 2013 Distaff at Santa Anita. She has never won outside of her Southern California base, losing both times she traveled to New York and Kentucky, and last year she failed to make her scheduled start in the BC Classic at Keeneland after spiking a fever.Everything is right, right now, so my job is to see if there is anything wrong between here and there, Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella said. Hopefully, I am not going to find it or there is nothing to find.Beholder, a 6-year-old, three-time Eclipse Award winner, will be making her 26th and final career start Friday.On paper, this is the best Distaff Ive ridden in, her jockey Gary Stevens said. Beholder is the best horse I have ever ridden.Trained by John Sadler, Stellar Wind has won seven of 11 career starts. She beat Beholder in her previous two starts under Victor Espinoza.She needs a good trip, Sadler said. I dont know what that trip is, but just a nice, smooth one and she should do well.In Fridays other Breeders Cup races:- Oscar Performance is the early 4-1 favorite for the $1 million Juvenile Turf which drew a full field of 14.- Dortmund is the early 6-5 favorite for the $1 million Dirt Mile. Trained by Bob Baffert, the 4-year-old colts five losses in 13 career starts have been to California Chrome (three times) and Triple Crown champion American Pharoah (twice). The nine-horse field includes Gun Runner, third in this years Kentucky Derby, and last years BC Sprint winner Runhappy.- Roly Poly is the early 4-1 favorite for the $1 million Juvenile Fillies, a one-mile race on turf that pits father and sons against each other. Trainer Aidan OBrien saddles Roly Poly and 6-1 shot Hydrangea, while his 23-year-old son Joseph sends out 6-1 shot Intricately, who will be ridden by his brother Donnacha. Joseph OBrien could become the youngest trainer of a Cup winner. His father is the leading international trainer in Cup history, with 10 wins. ' ' 'Roberta Vinci of Italy beat top-seeded compatriot Sara Errani 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 Sunday to win the Italiacom Open for the first time. The second-seeded Vinci was broken in the first game but she broke back twice before serving out the opening set. Errani, who won this tournament in 2008 and 2012, seemed to recover and raced into a 5-1 lead in the second set before levelling the match. But Vinci stormed into a 4-0 lead in the final set and then held off the sixth-ranked Erranis comeback attempt to secure her ninth career victory. The win also ends a streak of five successive victories for Errani over her close friend, with whom she also tops the world doubles rankings. Vapormax Flyknit Vente . After a replay, the winner will meet Sunderland in the quarterfinals. Sagbo did well to control Sone Alukos right cross and fire past Brighton goalkeeper Peter Brezovan. Aluko was making his first start in four months after recovering from an Achilles injury. Vapormax Homme Promo .C. -- Manny Malhotra had two goals and an assist, leading the Carolina Hurricanes to a 6-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. http://www.vapormaxsolde.fr/ . Robinson finished with 17 points, all but two in the second half, and Lawson had 14 after halftime and finished with a game-high 11 assists as the Nuggets handed Dallas its first home loss in eight games this season. J.J. Hickson led Denver with 22, and Kenneth Faried added 10 points and 10 rebounds. Vapormax Solde . Didier Drogba gave away the penalty that put Senegal one goal away from a major upset, but the veteran striker will get another chance -- probably his last -- at the World Cup after Salomon Kalous injury-time strike sealed the Ivorians place in Brazil next year. Nike Vapormax Promo .ca. Hey Kerry, big fan of yours, just finished reading your book. I think that we all saw the Canucks/Flames line brawl just after puck drop. It was obvious that something was about to happen, even to the referees because the fourth lines were on to start. Saracens winger Chris Ashton could face a lengthy ban after being charged by the Rugby Football Union with two acts of biting.The 29-year-old, capped 39 times by England, is alleged to have bitten Northampton prop Alex Waller during Saturdays 27-12 Aviva Premiership victory, and will appear before a disciplinary panel in London on Tuesday, the RFU said in a statement.The two incidents occurred in the 24th and 25th minutes of the clash at Allianz Park, with Ashtons mouth appearing to make contact with Wallers hand during a tangle on the floor.The RFUs recommended sanctions state that the minimum ban for biting is 12 weeks for a low-end offence, up to an entry point of 24 weeks for a top-end offence -- with a maximum suspension of 208 weeks.Northampton director of rugby Jim Mallinder confirmed after the game that his player said he had been bitten on the hand.He [Waller] just repeated what he said to the referee [Greg Garner], in that he had been bittten on the hand, Mallinder said.ddddddddddddAlso asked about it during his post-match press conference, Saracens boss Mark McCall added: I have heard the accusation.I havent seen the incident. These things will run [their] course. I suppose there is a good chance that Chris will be cited as a result, so we will see what happens.Ashton received a 10-week ban last season for making contact with the eye area of Ulster back Luke Marshall during a European Champions Cup game, although he protested his innocence throughout.If the biting charge is proved, another long lay-off would be another blow to his England chances.Ashton was ruled out of this years Six Nations because of suspension and was left out of the 2015 World Cup squad on home soil. His last England appearance came back in the summer of 2014, against New Zealand. ' ' '