PARIS -- Aleksandra Wozniak and Sharon Fichman went down to defeat on Tuesday in the French Open first round, leaving 18th-seed Eugenie Bouchard as the last Canadian in the womens draw. Wozniak wasted a match point in her 6-7 (3), 7-5, 6-2 first-round loss to Romanias Sorana Cirstea. Torontos Fichman, ranked 77th, lost to sixth-seed Jelena Jankovic 5-7, 6-1, 6-3 in a match interrupted by darkness last in the second set on Monday. The first meeting between qualifier Wozniak, the world No. 149 from Blainville, Que., and 26th-ranked Cirstea lasted for just over 90 minutes in dry but chilly conditions. Wozniak, who has struggled with rehabilitation from a 2012 shoulder injury, had her chances to close out a win as she led the second set 5-4 But she dumped a backhand into the net on her winning chance, allowing Cirstea to eventually hold serve and tie the set at five games apiece. "It was one point to win the match, Im disappointed that I didnt cover it," Wozniak said. Cirstea then broke Wozniak for a 6-5 lead and tied the match at a set apiece a game later. The third set was a disaster for Wozniak, who lost serve to start and was beaten with a forehand down the line. Wozniak said she was carrying a thigh injury from her second qualifying match and felt it during her loss. "The first two sets were real battles," Wozniak said, before giving credit to Cirstea. "She played well, shes a good player with a solid ground game, I knew what I was facing when I went into the match. Im disappointed it didnt go my way today. "Still, it was god experience to win three qualifying rounds. They helped me put in the work I needed. Its been two years since Ive played on real (European red) clay." Wozniak finished with 42 unforced errors and lost serve seven times while breaking Cirstea on four of eight chances. The Romanian won despite 51 unforced errors. Wozniak had her best Grand Slam result at Roland Garros in 2009 when she reached the fourth round. Fichman won her opening set on Monday against former No. 1 Jankovic but trailed 1-5 when darkness fell. When they came back, it was Jankovic in command, with the Serb winning the second set and breaking in the second game of the third. Fichman played catch-up all through the final set and saved a match point before taking the loss with 30 winners and 41 unforced errors. "At 3-all in the last set, I felt I got back into it, I played some good games," said Fichman. "Shes a tough player and is where she is for a reason. "She didnt give any free points; I knew I had to try and earn the match myself. I had a break point at 4-3 but I couldnt convert it. But the fact that I put myself into this position and had the chances is a positive thing. I hope to keep improving and take the good things from this match." . Various media outlets, including the Detroit Free Press, indicate a deal is close, while USA Today cited an unidentified person directly involved with the negotiations as saying the pact is for two years. . Gough finished in fourth, 0.433 seconds behind American Erin Hamlin, who took the bronze medal at the Sanki Sliding Center in Rzhanaya Polyana.
http://www.official76ersproshop.com/kid ... rs-jersey/. THE THUNDER & PACERS BENCHES: In a nutshell, not impressive at all. .Gasol had 16 points and 13 rebounds, and the Bulls beat the winless Orlando Magic 98-90 on Tuesday night.Jimmy Butler led the Bulls with 21 points and Taj Gibson added 16 for Chicago, which finally pulled away in the final minutes of a game that was tied after three quarters. . - A pitch clock will be used this season during minor league games at Triple-A and Double-A, but it has been ruled out for the major leagues this year.ABBOTSFORD, B.C. -- Gleason Fournier scored the shootout winner as the Grand Rapids Griffins defeated the Abbotsford Heat 4-3 Friday in American Hockey League action. Fournier was the eighth Griffins shooter and had a chance to win the game after Petr Mrazek came out to stop Abbotsfords Chad Billins. Fournier beat Olivier Roy stick side to clinch the win for the visitors. Teeumu Pulkkinen scored twice, giving him a team-leading 23 goals and four in two games. Calle Jarnkrok had a goal and two assists. Andrej Nestrasil had two assists. Mrazek stopped 31 shots in the win. Max Reinhart had two goals for Abbotsford (33-17-6), who have now lost three straight. Sven Baertschi had a goal and an assist, while Roy made 34 saves in the losing effort. Baertschi opened the scoring on the power play when Ben Streets wrist shot from the point was redirected between Mrazeks legs at 6:11. Pulkkinen tied the game at 16:44. After taking a pass at the blue-line, he stepped into a slap shot from the top of the face-off circle to beat Roy far side for his team-leadiing 22nd of the year.dddddddddddd The 22-year-old Finn gave the Griffins the lead at 3:49. Nick Jensens shot from the top of the circle was deflected by Pulkkinen, cruising through the slot. That was Jensens first professional point. Reinhart tied the game at 16:09, taking a pass from Brett Olson and wiring a wrist shot far side on Mrazek. Jarnkroks power-play goal gave the Griffins the lead heading into the second intermission. Nestrasil found Jarnkrok in the low slot and he beat Roy bar down with just 20 seconds to play. Grand Rapids thought they had doubled the lead eight minutes into the third, but the deflection in front was a high stick and was immediately waved off by referee Trevor Hanson. Reinhart tied the game with just under four minutes to go, redirecting a pass from Baertschi around Mrazeks left pad. Grand Rapids had the best scoring chance in overtime, but Ryan Sproul fired it off the crossbar midway through the extra frame and with 35 seconds to go, Cory Emmerton shot a one-timer from the slot right into Roys crest. ' ' '
