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ISTANBUL, Turkey—Victoria Azarenka of Belarus made sure of finishing the year
as the top-ranked player in the world by beating Li Na of China 7-6 (4), 6-3 at
the WTA Championships on Friday. Red Matt Ryan Jersey . Azarenka secured a
spot in the semifinals and will next play Maria Sharapova. “Its kind of
difficult to believe that a little girl from Belarus is on that list,” Azarenka
said. “Its really incredible achievement. When I started to play tennis I had
this big picture in my head that I want to be there. Back then its so far away.
Its like pretty much touching the sky. “Im here sitting kind of in the sky, so
its really incredible feeling.” Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland advanced to the
semifinals when she edged Sara Errani of Italy 6-7 (6), 7-5, 6-4 in a match that
lasted nearly 3 1/2 hours. The fourth-ranked Radwanska will now play Serena
Williams on Saturday. Sharapova swept past Sam Stosur 6-0, 6-3 on the final day
of round-robin play but Azarenkas win means that the Russian will not be able to
wrest the No. 1 ranking form her. Azarenka won the Australian Open in January
and had been ranked No. 1 for most of the year, except for a brief period after
Sharapova had won the French Open. Sharapova had already qualified for the
semifinals of the elite, eight-woman event and has won all three of her
round-robin matches. The Russian rolled through the first set, allowing Stosur
only five points. Stosur was an alternate who replaced defending champion Petra
Kvitova, who withdrew because of illness. “I certainly didnt want to play as
long a match as I did in the previous round. I wanted to do a better job of a
few things and I think I did,” said the second-ranked Russian. Stosur put up
more of a fight in the second set, but Sharapova ended it with a smash. Errani
finished the tournament with one win and two defeats. The seventh-seeded Italian
won a game in the middle set that went to nearly 15 minutes but was not able to
use that momentum and dropped her serve to fall behind 6-5. Radwanska served out
the set and opened up a decisive 3-0 lead in the final set to secure a place in
the semifinals. “I had to play my best tennis until the end of the match because
every game was a big fight,” Radwanska said. Williams was undefeated in three
matches in her Red Group and didnt play on Friday. The match between Radwanksa
and Errani lasted 3 hours, 29 minutes and was the longest recorded
best-of-three-set match in WTA Championships history. The previous record was
3:24, set in the 2007 final when Justine Henin defeated Sharapova 5-7, 7-5, 6-3.
The event, however, also used a best-of-five format for a while and had longer
matches. “Altogether I am exhausted,” said Radwanska, who had another
three-hour-plus match in the previous round. “I really need to be ready for
tomorrow.” Womens Tony Gonzalez Jersey . The deal was
announced as the Riders prepared to take on the Stampeders in Calgary in Sundays
CFL West division semifinal. Black Julio Jones Jersey . That reality cast
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.M. —Former boxing champion Johnny Tapia died from heart disease and high
blood pressure and not from a drug overdose, his widow said Wednesday. Julio Jones Jerseys . Another win for the
Atlanta Falcons will make the pain a lot easier to take. Falcons
Jersey . —The Chiefs put centre Rodney Hudson on injured reserve
Wednesday with a broken bone in his left leg and signed offensive linemen
Russ Hochstein and Bryan Mattison to provide depth.NEW ORLEANS —Chris Paul
wanted out of New Orleans for a better chance to win. In his first trip back, he
received a mix of a cheers and boos, and left with a loss. Chris Kaman scored 20
points and the Hornets rallied for a 97-90 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers
on Thursday night, spoiling Pauls return. Jarrett Jack and Jason Smith each
scored 17 as New Orleans snapped a five-game home losing streak. “There was a
lot of emotions going through my head,” Paul said. “But as soon as they threw
the ball up, all of that was out the window.” The Clippers were held to 11
points in the fourth quarter as they shot 4 for 23 from the field. Los Angeles
also missed its last 19 3-point attempts. After trailing throughout the first
three quarters, the Hornets went ahead with an 11-2 run at the start of the
fourth and led the rest of the way. “We just wanted to come out there and play
aggressive, no matter if they got a dunk,” Smith said. “Theyre going to get
highlight dunks and highlight this and highlight that.” Blake Griffin had 21
points for Los Angeles, which has lost three in a row for the first time this
season. Paul, who forced a trade from New Orleans before the season, added 16
points on 5-for-14 shooting. “Theres frustration, theres no question,” Clippers
coach Vinny Del Negro said. “But, hey, youve got come ready to play every night
and you cant take plays off.” Jack, Pauls replacement as the starting point
guard in New Orleans, put the Hornets ahead for the first time, 80-79, with a
jumper in the lane. After the Clippers tied the score at 81, Xavier Henry hit a
fall-away buzzer-beater to put New Orleans ahead for good, Smith dunked off a
beautiful bounce pass from Greivis Vazquez and Smith sank an outside shot to
give the Hornets a six-point lead. The game took an ugly turn with 4:06 left
when Smith body-slammed Griffin to the floor on a fast break. Paul followed
Smith into the concourse behind the basket and had words with him as several
players jawed at each other. “It was a terrible foul,” Paul said. “I dont know
what Jason was thinking. He probably better be ready to sit out a game or two
for that one. Im just glad Blake controlled it.” Smith was assessed a flagrant 2
foul, which carries an automatic ejection, but left the court to a loud ovation.
“I think it looked a lot worse than what it was, but thats still not a play that
you ever want to do to another player like that,” Smith said. “I apologize to
Blake Griffin. I didnt want to hurt him at all. I just wanted to try aand cut
off his lane to the basket. Pink Gonzalez Jersey. .” Griffin hit both
free throws, but the Clippers failed to score on the ensuing possession and
never caught up. Typical of their frustration, DeAndre Jordan shot an air ball
from three feet that turned into a shot clock violation with the Hornets leading
93-89. Griffin cut the gap to 93-90 on a free throw with 54.2 seconds left, but
Randy Foye missed a 3 that would have tied it on Los Angeles next possession.
Marco Belinellis two free throws with 14.9 seconds left sealed if for New
Orleans. Paul, a four-time All-Star with the Hornets, drew a mixed reaction. He
was greeted with cheers and boos in the introductions. A tribute that ran on the
video screens above the court at the end of the first quarter—focusing on his
off-court projects with kids in New Orleans—drew a loud ovation, and he waved
his acknowledgement while standing in front of the Clippers bench. But fans
cheered again when he picked up his third foul late in the second quarter and
even started screaming “Beat L.A.,” a chant normally reserved for the Lakers.
Paul needed only 16 seconds for his first assist, a pass to Randy Foye for a
3-pointer. He had three assists on the Clippers first four baskets and also
scored on a driving layup and a wide open 3-pointer from the top of the key in
the first 8 minutes. That was part of the Clippers 35-point outburst—the most
points the Hornets have allowed in the first quarter all season—and Los
Angeles led by six. They had three dunks, including one by Young over Smith
immediately after Smith blocked a dunk attempt by Jordan. But the Clippers
slowed down dramatically from there, failing to score 100 points for the ninth
consecutive game. Paul had five assists in the open quarter and only four more
the rest of the way. He also did not have a rebound. “We came out with a lot of
energy, but playing hard is not going to win it in this league,” Paul said. “You
have to play effective, youve got to play smart, weve got to play better.” Jack
outscored him by 1 and matched his nine assists. NOTES: This was the only game
the teams will play in New Orleans this season. They meet two more times, both
in Los Angeles. ... The Hornets shot 71 per cent in the first quarter. ...
Clippers guard Mo Williams was carried off the court with a left big toe injury
in the second half. Hornets starting forward Trevor Ariza left in the third
quarter with a sore right ankle and did not return. ... Actor Samuel L. Jackson,
in town for the filming of a Quentin Tarantino movie, announced the starting
lineups. ’ ’ ’
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