News » ward made a dramatic leaping stop, Everton answered when Steven

LONDON -- For the second time in about six months, a protégé and near doppelganger of retired German star Steffi Graf will try to prevent Serena Williams from claiming a place alongside Graf as the all-time Grand Slam singles champ with 22 titles.The hopeful spoiler in the Wimbledon final once again is 28-year-old No. 4 seed German Angelique Kerber, who plays Williams on Saturday at 9 a.m. ET on ESPN. Despite never having appeared in a Grand Slam final, Kerber foiled Williams attempt to equal Graf in Januarys Australian Open final.I made a lot of errors in that match, Williams said of the match in Melbourne. [Kerber] made little to no unforced errors. She played great. She came out swinging, ready to win. She was fearless. Thats something I learned. When I go into a final, I, too, need to be fearless like she was.Williams comment is juicy, composed of equal parts humility and warning. Call it a sequel -- and more. Its the fourth episode of The Hunt for Grafs Record and the second that features Williams and Kerber as co-stars.As much as players avoid words like grudge match, how could they not be operative? Melbourne was nothing less than an upset by a championship-match neophyte. Its time to even the score.Williams has prepared well. Shes played commanding, cant-touch-me tennis ever since Christina McHale gave her a scare in a three-set, second-round battle. But the familiar emotional outbursts and cries of desperation that marked Williams progress -- and flameouts -- in recent tournaments have yielded to quiet confidence like thunder and lightning giving way to refreshing, washed-out silence.Right now I feel like its pretty good, Williams said. I felt great in other tournaments as well. But I feel a little different. I just feel more relaxed and more at peace than I may have been in the past.Williams greatest assets are her monstrous serves and the blazing pace of her returns and groundstrokes. Williams crushed Elena Vesnina in the semifinal in under an hour. The beaten Russian spoke of Williams with awe afterward. She acknowledged she could do nothing with Williams overpowering serve but reminded the media that there was far more to the six-time champions game.Vesnina praised Williams variety of spins and said of her serve return: Its so fast, you cannot even finish your serve, then the balls already passing you with a clear winner.Kerber is feeling just as calm and centered as Williams. Serial slumps followed two or three good tournaments after her breakout. Shes restored her status here.I think that I should play my game, being aggressive, just going for it, trying to win the match, not hoping that, yeah, she will miss, Kerber said. She will not [be] missing the ball. She will go out there trying to winning. I think this for me will be very important to take the match in my hands.At 5-foot-7, Kerber is an inch shorter than Graf, who played an athletic game based on speed and a punishing forehand. Kerber is mobile with a low center of gravity and a far more versatile game. She can use her wrists as effectively as flippers on a pinball machine.The two great resources Kerber hopes to draw on with grass instead of cement underfoot are her mobility and her serve. Shes not a sprinter, but shes a great mover who gets to a lot of balls and plays low ones especially well. Grass also likes left-handers; the southpaw slice is a particularly tough serve for right-handers to handle on grass.When I have not too many nerves, I can serve a little bit better, Kerber said. This makes me much more dangerous than on hard.Note the caveat about nerves that Kerber attached to the comment about her serve. In Australia, she overcame a history of growing and throwing in puffball serves under pressure. If she can reproduce that performance and resist the jitters, Williams will have to call on all her resources in her quest for No. 22.I expect, for sure, a really tough match, Kerber said. I know that she will go out and try to beat me, especially because she lost against me in Australia. Cheap Air Max 270 Wholesale . -- Sergey Tolchinksy scored his second goal of the game 3:56 into overtime as the Sault Ste. Air Max 270 Cheap Authentic . While hell be dialed in to that tournament on a course he loves, you can forgive him if his eyes glance down the calendar just a bit, towards April. http://www.cheapairmax270.net/ . Aside from the trilogy main event title fight, there are a number of intriguing matchups in the heavyweight, welterweight and lightweight divisions. Cheap Air Max 270 Free Shipping . Halladay signed a one-day contract with the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday that allowed the veteran right-hander to retire as a member of team with which he broke into the majors and spent the bulk of his distinguished 16-year career. Cheap Air Max 270 Mens . 10 Texas Rangers jersey for one last time. Young formally announced his retirement Friday after returning to Rangers Ballpark, his baseball home for all but the last of his 13 major league seasons.LOS ANGELES -- The first soccer game played at Dodger Stadium finished with one of the sports most familiar results: an impressive victory for Real Madrid. Cristiano Ronaldo scored in the 17th minute and set up Mesut Ozils goal 14 minutes later, leading Real Madrid to the final of the International Champions Cup with a 2-1 victory over Everton on Saturday night. Ronaldo and Ozil starred in soccers debut at the 51-year-old stadium, keeping Real Madrid unbeaten in preseason friendlies this summer. In preparation for soccers arrival in Chavez Ravine, the Dodgers flattened their pitchers mound and spread temporary grass over the infield and warning track, creating a workable pitch for a doubleheader in front of an enthusiastic Southern California crowd that enjoyed a well-played exhibition. "It was a little bit strange because we didnt play in a football stadium, but the atmosphere, the tradition of this stadium is outstanding," Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. "To be in this stadium with such fantastic history is a great thing for us ... and I was pleased with our performance." Second-half substitute Nikica Jelavic scored in the 61st minute for Everton, which gave a solid challenge to the Galacticos. Tim Howard, Evertons American goalkeeper, made a handful of brilliant saves to spark chants of "U-S-A" in the crowd. "Both teams were trying to feel each other out, and its tough to assess results this early," Howard said. "It felt good out there, though. It felt loud. It felt electric. We had a good time." The inaugural International Champions Cup matches seven European teams and MLS Los Angeles Galaxy in an exhibition tournament. The final is Wednesday night in Miami, where Real Madrid will face the winner of Chelseas meeting with AC Milan outside New York on Sunday. Just two weeks away from the season opener in La Liga, Real Madrid had more than enough talent to overcome Everton. The Toffees reached the semifinals earlier in the week with a surprise win in San Francisco over two-time defending Serie A champion Juventus, which faced the Galaxy in the second game. Dodger Stadium has hosted the Beatles, a papal Mass, eightt World Series and 52 Dodgers seasons, but had never converted its baseball-specific field into a soccer pitch.dddddddddddd One sideline began just outside the right-handed batters box and stretched right to the edge of the warning track near the right-field pole, 330 feet away from home plate. Even with nearly every good seat in the majors largest ballpark selling for $85 or much more, a solid fan contingent greeted both teams. Evertons Catalan coach, Roberto Martinez, acknowledged the game was a valuable chance to test the Toffees against the worlds best. While his team looked good for stretches, particularly around Reals net, they repeatedly were caught scrambling when their offside trap was beaten. "It was a fantastic game for us," Martinez said. "We were very disappointed in the first half, how effective we allowed Real Madrid to be on the counterattack, but thats about the only area where we were disappointed. I thought we kept the ball very well against one of the best teams in the world." While Ronaldo was the crowds favourite, German national team midfielder Ozil was named the man of the match. Ronaldo broke between two defenders for a golden chance in 10th minute, but the Portuguese star tried to volley Sergio Ramos long lead pass and booted it well over Howards goal. Ronaldo scored when poor marking and a sharp pass from Ozil left him alone in Evertons end, where he faked Howard to the ground and tapped home a long shot for the first goal in Chavez Ravine history. Everton had plenty of early chances as well. Marouane Fellainis header glanced off the post in the 24th minute, and Sylvain Distins apparent goal on a header six minutes later was waved off for a foul in the box. Ronaldo and Ozil then slipped behind Evertons defence again to retrieve an excellent chipped pass from Luka Modric, with Ronaldo putting a pass on Ozils right foot for another goal. Ronaldo left for a substitute 13 minutes into the second half. Moments after Howard made a dramatic leaping stop, Everton answered when Steven Naismith headed a crossing pass back into the middle for Jelavic, whose flying kick rattled between goalkeeper Diego Lopez and the post. ' ' '