Die Jäger des Schicksals » rgio Santos is leaving Tor

MELBOURNE, Australia - Rafael Nadal kept telling anyone who would listen that his fitness levels wouldnt stand up to the rigours of a two-week Grand Slam tournament. Tomas Berdych proved him right.Nadal, who had played only eight matches since last June coming into the Australian Open because of a right wrist injury and appendix surgery in early November, was knocked out in the quarterfinals 6-2, 6-0, 7-6 (5) on Tuesday by Berdych — who had lost 17 straight matches to the Spaniard.It is obvious that I needed something more to be more competitive, Nadal, a 14-time major winner, said. As I said when I arrived here, the process always is not easy. When you have injuries, comebacks are difficult. But without being at my top level of tennis, I was able to be here in quarterfinals. Is not a bad result at all for me.Berdych, while thankful for the win, was reminded of a quote from the late Vitas Gerulaitis after beating Jimmy Connors for the first time in 16 matches: Nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row.So no one, not even Nadal, could beat Berdych 18 times in a row?Ive heard that one already, Berdych said, smiling.The other mens semifinalists will be determined on Wednesday when top-seeded Novak Djokovic plays Milos Raonic and defending champion Stan Wawrinka takes on U.S. Open runner-up Kei Nishikori.Berdych will play sixth-seeded Andy Murray in the semis after the British player beat local hope Nick Kyrgios 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3. Kyrgios came back from two sets down and saved a match point in the fourth round Sunday before beating Italian Andreas Seppi, the player who eliminated Roger Federer in the third round, but there was no such comeback on Tuesday.The 19-year-old Kyrgios, who walked onto the court with his headphones on and gave two thumbs-up to the crowd, was at his crowd-pleasing best. After hitting a backhand drop shot at the net for winner in the second set, he spread out his arms for applause, and in the third set, he hit a between-the-legs shot that Murray easily returned.It was a tricky match, Murray said. I tried to start as quick as possible because I know how dangerous Nick is. Hes a huge hitter of the ball, so I tried to keep it out of his strike zone as much as possible. Thankfully it worked.Kyrgios, who beat Nadal in the fourth round at Wimbledon last year, likes Murrays chances now that both Nadal and Federer are out of the Scotsmans half of the draw.I said to him at the net, This is your time, go for it. I think hes got a really good chance of winning the whole thing, Kyrgios said.On the womens side, Maria Sharapova moved closer to another Australian Open title, defeating 20-year-old Eugenie Bouchard 6-3, 6-2.The Russian made all the big points look easy and advanced to play Ekaterina Makarova, who earlier beat third-seeded Simona Halep 6-4, 6-0.I felt pretty good from the start, didnt feel I had too many letdowns, Sharapova said, adding that her close call in the second round — facing two match points against a qualifier — sharpened her focus for the rest of the tournament.The last time Sharapova and Bouchard met — in the semifinals at the French Open last year — Bouchard won the first set before Sharapova came back to take the next two. The Russian then won the title at Roland Garros.This time, Bouchard, who made the finals of Wimbledon and two other Grand Slam semis last year, didnt come close to taking a set, looking flat from the outset while being broken in her opening service game. The Genie Army, a group of young Australian men who croon about the Canadian player, was left to sing another day.She didnt give me many chances, and against the great players you have to take any chances you can get, Bouchard said.The other womens semifinalists will be determined on Wednesday when No. 1-ranked Serena Williams plays last years finalist, Dominika Cibulkova, and Venus Williams, playing in her first Grand Slam quarterfinal in nearly five years, takes on 19-year-old American Madison Keys.If the Williams sisters play each other in the semifinals, it would be their first meeting in a Grand Slam tournament since the Wimbledon final in 2009 — won by Serena. Howie Morenz Jersey . (AP) -- The head of the committee that developed Major League Baseballs plan to expand instant replay says he is optimistic the system will be in place this season, even though owners and unions for players and umpires have yet to approve. Dickie Moore Jersey .com) - The Boston Bruins announced Monday that the team has signed goaltender Niklas Svedberg to a one-year contract. http://www.canadienssale.com/authentic-dominic-moore-canadiens-jersey/ . His head snapped back from the impact and hit the floor. The All-Star power forward was all right afterward, a relief for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Montreal Canadiens Jerseys . The Rays hope to stay alive for the postseason and salvage the finale of this series Sunday at Rogers Centre, where they dropped a 7-2 decision Saturday. Chris Archer lasted 2 1/3 innings in the no-decision, charged with a run and five hits, and Alex Torres suffered the loss in relief. Jacques Plante Jersey . Lupul injured the hand in a fall at practice on Thursday. He will wear a cast for a minimum of 10 days before he can put a glove back on it and get some mobility back, said Carlyle, who added the winger wont go on the teams upcoming road trip. TORONTO -- Sergio Santos is leaving Toronto, but the Blue Jays hope his absence is temporary. The Blue Jays designated the right-handed former closer for assignment Monday, which meant putting him on waivers because he was out of minor league options. General manager Alex Anthopoulos hopes the 31-year-old can get back into major-league form while pitching for triple-A Buffalo, provided he clears waivers Wednesday. "The way to get things worked out is to go throw some innings," Anthopoulos said. "We hope this is a quick move, get some innings, get hot and come back because we certainly could use the help." Santos hadnt been helping the Blue Jays much lately, giving up five earned runs on seven hits in 2 1/3 innings over his past four appearances. He issued four walks in that time, and Anthopoulos singled out a lack of command as the biggest issue. Because of that, and because Toronto is chasing down the American League East-leading Baltimore Orioles, there havent been many opportunities for manager John Gibbons to help Santos out by putting him into games. "Its tough to find spots to find that groove a little bit," Gibbons said. "Hes a little out of whack right now, but its tough to find him work." Santos is making US$3.75 million, which could deter other teams, even those searching for bullpen help, from claiming him off waivers. Anthopoulos didnt want to discuss the odds of Santos making it through. What the Blue Jays GM made clear was that Santos was still very much wanted, adding that he wouldnt explore trade options. Anthopoulos also said Santos, who has a 7.78 earned-run average in 24 appearances this season and briefly filled in for injured closer Casey Janssen, had not asked to be traded. "Hes a very accountable guy, he knows he hasnt pitched to his ability," Anthopoulos said. "He knows he can be a dominant closer, setup guy, whatever is needed. I think like anybody hes got all the belief in the world in himself and hell be fine. Hell get it back." In his place, the Blue Jays recaalled left-handed reliever Rob Rasmussen from Buffalo.ddddddddddddIn two previous call-ups this season, the 25-year-old allowed four earned runs in six innings while striking out seven. With Rasmussen on the 25-man roster in place of Santos, the Jays have just two right-handed relievers ahead of Janssen in Dustin McGowan and Todd Redmond. They have four lefties in Brett Cecil, Aaron Loup, Brad Mills and now Rasmussen, but Anthopoulos said he was not concerned about the lack of balance there. "We dont look at it that way," Anthopoulos said. "Were looking at just guys that can get outs for us. Right, left, submarine, whatever it is: If you can get three outs, its fine." Santos hadnt been able to do that effectively, which led to Mondays move. After a strong September that saw him post a 0.90 ERA in 10 appearances, Santos couldnt locate his fastball well enough to get ahead of hitters. "Theres no doubt it starts there. His sliders his out pitch, but you cant get to the slider if you dont get the fastball over," Anthopoulos said. "Theres very few guys ... that can just go slider, slider, slider the entire time." Anthopoulos said Santos would be a "priority guy" with the Bisons if he clears waivers so that he can throw a lot of innings and get his command back. Anthopoulos added there was no doubt Santos was healthy enough and that command problems were not a result of injury, even though Santos has some history of arm troubles. If its a matter of confidence, Gibbons isnt worried about Santos. "Everybody battles (a lack of confidence) when things get tough," he said. "But I think its more just putting it together again." Notes -- Workouts continued Monday for injured players Edwin Encarnacion, Adam Lind and Brett Lawrie. Encarnacion and Lind are in Dunedin, Fla., and Gibbons said each player took batting practice on the field while Encarnacion also fielded some ground balls. Lawrie, who is in Toronto, did throwing and agility drills. 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