MASON, Ohio -- Venus Williams left her winning touch in Canada. Dwight Howard Jersey . Williams knocked off sister Serena while reaching the finals in Montreal on Sunday, finishing runner-up. She lost to Lucie Safarova 6-7 (2), 6-3, 6-4 in the first round Tuesday. "I wish I could have felt today like I did in Montreal, just to make it more competitive," Williams said. The tournament lost its other defending champion when Victoria Azarenka withdrew because of an injured right knee. Williams had an energizing week in Canada and hoped to keep their momentum going in Cincinnati, using it as a springboard to the U.S. Open. But her successful week came with a cost. Williams arrived Sunday night and opened Tuesday morning, leaving little time to recover from her deep tournament run. "Yeah, it was definitely a quick turnaround," she said. "Maybe it would have been a little better to play a little later in the day. But I think she just played so well. No matter what shot I hit, she hit a winner." Safarova led 5-2 in the third set and appeared to have won a match point, but Williams challenged and the call was overturned. Williams rallied to win the set and then another. "Thats a terrible feeling," Safarova said. "You think youve won and you have those emotions, and suddenly, youre back in the match against a great player. Then she broke me, and I thought, Uh, oh. Ive lost matches on challenges before. I told myself, Im not losing this one." Azarenkas withdrawal is the latest setback in a season full of injuries. Shes been sidelined for much of the year with an ailing left foot. She aggravated an injury to her right knee at Montreal, where she lost in the quarter-finals, and hoped a few days of rest would take care of it. She decided to withdraw after practising Tuesday morning. "I started to feel a little bit better and did everything I could, but its just not enough time for me to feel good to play a full match," she said. "Im going to get more treatment and get more work done and should be good for the U.S. Open." Fifth-seeded Maria Sharapova broke Madison Keys to go up 3-0 in the final set and held on for a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 win that was gratifying. She was coming off a loss in the third round at Montreal. "I didnt have a great week last week," she said. "No matter who is across the net, its never easy going out in the first round because you want to change that result around. You want to change your attitude and your performance and obviously the result." ------ Freelance writer Mark Schmetzer contributed to this report. Cody Zeller Jersey . UCI President Brian Cookson said Wednesday the commission will investigate allegations "that the UCI has been involved in wrongdoing in the past -- allegations which have done so much to hurt the credibility of the UCI and our sport. Kemba Walker Jersey . Neither striker Demba Ba nor Fernando Torres came close to scoring as Chelsea was left unsuccessfully appealing for penalties in this drab penultimate game of the season. "Our strikers are good strikers, no doubt about that, but players with some specific qualities," Mourinho said. http://www.basketballhornetsauthority.com/alonzo-mourning-hornets-jersey-c-10/ . Maria Silvia Bastos Marques, president of the EOM (Municipal Olympic Company), will be leaving her post but will remain as an advisor, a city hall statement said Tuesday.KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. -- Roger Federer made a victorious return Friday to the Sony Open after skipping last years tournament, and then was treated to a tribute on the stadium video screen. "It looks like a farewell video," Federer told the crowd with a laugh. "I miss one year, and you make me feel guilty." Federers back, as he showed by beating big-serving Ivo Karlovic 6-4, 7-6 (4). The Swiss star lost just three points on his serve to his 6-foot-11 (2.11-meter) opponent, and in a match with few rallies, he committed only three unforced errors. Three-time champion Novak Djokovic followed Federer onto the stadium court and into the third round, defeating Jeremy Chardy 6-4, 6-3. Defending champion Andy Murray, playing for the first time since he parted with coach Ivan Lendl, rallied to beat Matthew Ebden 3-6, 6-0, 6-1. Another three-time champ, Venus Williams, defeated Anna Schmiedlova 6-3, 6-3. Williams, the oldest player remaining in the womens draw at 33, is competing at Key Biscayne for the 15th time. "Its good to be here still as an oldster," Williams said. At 32, Federer has looked rejuvenated recently, and was the runner-up to Djokovic last week at Indian Wells. The 17-time Grand Slam champion says his new racket gives him more power, and hes moving as he did in the old days. After falling out of the top five last year for the first time since 2002, Federer returned to No. 5 this week. He led from the start against Karlovic, making the surprising choice to receive after winning the toss and earning the lone break of the match in the opening game. "I just felt like, you know, let him go first and see how it goes," Federer said. "It worked well today because I got the early break right away. That relaxed me for the rest of the first set clearly, but still he hung around." While Federer had trouble with serves from Karlovic that peaked at 138 mph (222 kph), the Croat had no cchance when returning. Larry Johnson Jersey. Federer won 49 of his 52 service points. Federer improved to 11-1 in their head-to-head -- or, in this case, head-to-shoulder. He said playing Karlovic presents unique challenges that he enjoys. "Physically its super easy. There are no long rallies," Federer said. "Its just more like a penalty shootout in soccer." The longest point was the last one, and when Karlovic pushed a backhand into the net on the 10th stroke, Federer hopped happily in celebration and threw a fist. The show of exuberance might be a hint hes keen to do well in a tournament he hasnt won since 2006. "Im very relieved and happy to be through," he said. Djokovic converted all three of his break-point chances against Chardy, who was hobbled after hurting his right ankle in the penultimate game. "When I was supposed to play my best and come up with some good serves and good shots, thats what I did in both sets," Djokovic said. On the womens side, No. 2-seeded Li Na reached the third round when Alisa Kleybanova withdrew because of a viral illness. Kleybanova, who won in doubles Thursday, is a former top 20-player mounting a career comeback from Hodgkins lymphoma. No. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska, the tournament champion in 2012, defeated Romina Oprandi 6-0, 6-4. The Pole was hampered by a knee injury in her loss to Flavia Pennetta in the final at Indian Wells on Sunday, but showed no ill effects in her match Friday. "I feel much better now, obviously," she said. "Its not perfect yet, but I think those few days I had of rest in between Indian Wells and Miami really helped me." No. 6 Simona Halep, who lost to Radwanska in the semifinals at Indian Wells, withdrew because of a right toe injury. Former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki advanced with a 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 win over Monica Puig, but No. 7-seeded Jelena Jankovic was upset by American Varvara Lepchenko. Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping Wholesale NFL Camo Jerseys NFL Jerseys From China China NFL Gear Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping Wholesale Jerseys Stitched NFL Jerseys ' ' '
