Valencia, Spain (SportsNetwork.com) - Fourth-seeded Spanish favorite Feliciano Lopez moved on, while fifth-seeded American John Isner lost to Spains Tommy Robredo in first-round action at the $1.9 million Valencia Open tennis event. The left-handed Lopez handled Slovakian qualifier Norbert Gombos 6-4, 6-4, while the former top-10 star Robredo drove out the 6-foot-10 Isner 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 on the indoor hardcourts at The City of Arts and Sciences. In other action involving seeds, No. 7 South African Kevin Anderson doused German Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3, 6-4 and Ukrainian 2012 runner-up Alexandr Dolgopolov ousted No. 8 Frenchman and 2006 Valencia runner-up Gilles Simon 6-0, 6-3. Also on Day 2, Frances Jeremy Chardy whipped Tunisian qualifier Malek Jaziri 6-2, 6-1; Spaniard and 2004 Valencia champion Fernando Verdasco held off Argentine Leonardo Mayer 6-4, 3-6, 6-3; Italian Fabio Fognini dismissed Spanish qualifier Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-4, 6-2; and Serb Dusan Lajovic erased Portuguese Joao Sousa 6-3, 7-6 (10-8). Top seeds David Ferrer, Tomas Berdych and Andy Murray will all take to the courts for opening-round matches on Wednesday. Murray beat Ferrer in last weeks final in Vienna, while Berdych titled in Moscow last week. The three-time champion and former runner-up Ferrer was last years Valencia runner-up to Russian Mikhail Youzhny. Murray was the champion in Valencia in 2009. The 2014 champion here will claim $500,000. . -- Kurt Buschs Sunday at Martinsville Speedway, in some ways, was like his career wrapped into one afternoon. . The Sochi organizing committee said in Fridays statement that the torch relay reached the North Pole on Oct. 19. Russian Polar explorer Artur Chilingarov, who led the mission, lit a special bowl at the North Pole sign.
http://www.cheapeaglesjerseyssale.com/? ... ersey-sale. It led to his downfall on Tuesday. The Major League Soccer club fired Rennie after a second straight up-and-down season that saw the Whitecaps start strong before limping across the finish line. . In this weeks Leaf Report podcast, James Mirtle and Jonas Siegel debate whether Toronto can continue their shootout dominance and discuss what Dave Nonis game plan should be heading into the trade deadline. . The team also announced Tuesday that the Braves will wear a commemorative patch on the right sleeve during the season. The patch, shaped like home plate, carries the number 715, Aarons autograph and a "40th Anniversary" banner.CHICAGO -- The contending Atlanta Braves bolstered their bench and bullpen on Thursday, acquiring utilityman Emilio Bonifacio and left-hander James Russell in a trade with the Chicago Cubs. The Braves also got cash back from the Cubs in exchange for catching prospect Victor Caratini. Bonifacio and Russell did not play in the Cubs 3-1 win over Colorado on Thursday afternoon. "These are two pieces that we really like," Atlanta GM Frank Wren said on a conference call. "In Bonifacio, we got a really versatile bench player who can do a lot of things well. In Russells case, its another veteran bullpen arm." Russell was in the home bullpen at Wrigley Field when the trade was made. He hugged several of his teammates and coaches -- and slapped hands with a few fans -- as he exited while the game was going on. "Its kind of hard to wrap your head around it," Russell said. "Its obviously a shock. I knew things were gonna happen. Theres really nothing you can do to prepare yourself for this. Its still kind of weird. I dont know how to feel. Theres a lot of excitement, a lot of mixed emotioons.dddddddddddd" The 29-year-old Bonifacio hit .279 with 14 steals in 69 games for the Cubs this season. He previously played for Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez when they were both with the Marlins. "Hes a guy who gives you a lot of versatility. You can play him anywhere on the field," Gonzalez said in Los Angeles. "You can bring him off the bench or start him if the matchup is right. Hes a nice National League player." The 28-year-old Russell is 0-2 with one save and a 3.51 ERA in 44 games. "Hes not your traditional left-handed reliever," Gonzalez said. "You can let him run through some right-handers. Hes durable." Atlanta is in the chase for the NL East title, and the Cubs are last in the NL Central. The 20-year-old Caratini was selected by the Braves in the second round of the 2013 draft. He hit .279 with five homers and 42 RBIs in 87 games with Class A Rome this season. "Hes a guy we liked in the draft a lot," Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer. "Weve said it all along, catching is a weakness in our system and we dont have enough of it." ' ' '
