The Original Game » just have to get better, Turner Thorne

Defending champion Andy Murray guaranteed he will play for another Olympic medal after battling past Steve Johnson to reach the semifinals. Manuel Neuer Jersey .Thursdays swirling wind, which contributed to Murray almost crashing out to Fabio Fognini, had died down and the world No.2 initially found the conditions much more to his liking.But, after a dominant opening set, he faltered in the second and again found himself in a real fight before recovering from a break down in the decider to win 6-0, 4-6, 7-6(2).He said: Its obviously been difficult, Ive been in tough positions after great starts and I was close to going out.Sometimes that can work in your favour as the tournament goes on. You start to feel a little bit better, maybe loosen up a bit and hopefully I can play better.It feels different [playing at the Olympics] because its special. We dont get this opportunity all of the time. Competing, trying to win medals for your country adds pressure, obviously.For me, its got nothing to do with having won the gold medal in London. Its just about trying to win more medals for your country and the team, and Ill give it my best shot to do that.Murray will now face fourth seed Kei Nishikori?after he defeated Frances Gael Monfils?7-6(4), 4-6, 7-6(6).The last four showdown will take place on Saturday and Murray will surely need to play much better to make the final.The 29-year-old is very much the form man of world tennis having now won 27 of his last 28 matches, 16 in a row and 10 in succession at the Olympics.American Johnson has quietly climbed to 22nd in the world rankings but Murray won their only previously meeting in Shanghai last year comfortably.Rain delayed the start of play for half an hour and Murray seemed keen to make up for lost time, immediately breaking Johnsons serve and racing through the first set in just 26 minutes.Murray was pinning the American on his weaker backhand wing and showing off his full repertoire of shots. The second set was where it all went wrong for Murray against Fognini and Johnson ended the Scots run of 12 straight games across the two matches with a break in the opening game.The 26-year-old does not possess Fogninis extravagant talent but his serve and forehand were combining effectively while Murrays game, particularly his backhand, had gone off the boil.The second seed missed his only break point and Johnson served out the set to love. The Americans response after his first-set mauling had been very impressive and he made the first breakthrough in the seventh game of the decider with a Murrayesque lob.Murray could barely contain his frustration at the way he was playing but his fighting spirit can never be questioned and he hit straight back before saving another break point in a very tense exchange.Johnson twice successfully served to stay in the match, forcing a deciding tie-break -- introduced as a rule change for this Olympics. But Murray secured the early mini-break and never let his advantage slip, finally clinching one of the tenser wins of his career after two hours and 12 minutes.Rafael Nadal made it to the semifinals in his bid for a second Olympic singles gold, overcoming his Brazilian opponent and a raucous, flag-waving home crowd in the Rio Games main tennis stadium.Spains Nadal, the No. 3 seed, came back to beat 54th-ranked Thomaz Bellucci 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 in two hours Friday.Nadal was the singles champion at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, then missed the London Games four years ago because of a knee injury.These Olympics represent the left-handers first competition since sitting out for over two months with an injured left wrist he says is not fully healed.Nadal will face Juan Martin Del Potro in the semifinal after he defeated Roberto Bautista Agut 7-5, 7-6(4).The Associated Press contributed to this report, Jerome Boateng Jersey . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team. James Rodriguez Jersey . Clarkson had been dealing with an elbow injury in early January and will be out of action for at least one week. He has three goals and five assists through 36 games with the Leafs this season. http://www.fcmunichpro.com/Kids-Javi-Martinez-Jersey/ . Peter Holland and Brad Staubitz were sent to Toronto on Saturday as the Maple Leafs traded defenceman Jesse Blacker and draft picks to the Anaheim Ducks. LAS VEGAS -- No. 6 Maryland cruised to a 4-0 start by averaging 102 points and winning by an average of 49 points against inferior opponents.No. 23 Arizona State was supposed to provide the first true yardstick. Only the Terrapins press quickly turned it into another eye-popping rout.Shatori Walker-Kimbrough scored 20 points and Maryland led by as many as 32 points in the first half in an 83-42 victory over Arizona State on Friday.Its early, but I love the competitiveness, Maryland coach Brenda Frese said. It was a big test for us early to see where were at. Its a great sign.Brionna Jones added 14 points and 10 rebounds and Brianna Fraser scored 11 points for the Terrapins (5-0). They shot 55 percent from the field and used a stifling defense to race to leads of 10-0, 24-4 and 38-6 in the South Point Thanksgiving Shootout.Were growing. I dont think were at our peak at all, Walker-Kimbrough said. But you can see that were coming together.The Terrapins hit 13 of their first 17 shots while their press forced Arizona State into a 1-of-17 start from the field with nine turnovers.I love our length, our athleticism, Frese said. Were able to throw a lot of different looks. Thats something weve really been able to build upon as a team. I thought we really made them have to work for everything.Kaila Charles had 10 points and seven rebounds and freshman Destiny Slocum scored 10 points for Maryland.Relli Richardson scored 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting for the Sun Devils (2-2), They shot 28 percent from the field in their second straight loss.Early in the second quarter, Arizona State coach Charli Turner Thorne had taken more timeouts (2) than her team had field goals (1). She later picked up a technical foul in the Sun Devils most lopsided defeat since falling to Stanford 82-35 on Jan. 8, 22011. Juan Bernat Jersey. Weve obviously got really young guard play. But our front line has not really started the season strong, Turner Thorne said. Those are our veterans and those are the ones that need to carry the day for us.Senior Sophie Brunner, who was held to four points, committed six of Arizona States 20 turnovers.BIG PICTUREArizona State: The loss to Marquette a week ago doesnt look as bad after the Golden Eagles then won Tuesday at No. 22 Oregon State. But this one-sided defeat was a wakeup call for a team that starts two freshmen guards.Maryland: The Terrapins entered with a Sagarin schedule strength of 342 out of 349 Division I teams. But Arizona State proved no match either ahead of December nonconference showdowns against No. 4 Louisville and No. 2 UConn.POLL IMPLICATIONS:Arizona State: The rout could mean a Top 25 exit for a program that was a No. 2 seed in last seasons NCAA Tournament.Maryland: Voters had a tough time judging the Terrapins after playing four low-major teams. Could this dominant victory give them a chance to leapfrog No. 5 Baylor?UPSET COACHTurner Thorne spent a fourth quarter timeout yelling and stomping the floor as her players circled her in silence.I havent been in this situation for many years. You just have to get better, Turner Thorne said. When your senior gets scored on and just jogs down the floor, what does that say? Thats just not a winning mentality. Thats not what we do.UP NEXTArizona State faces St. Johns on Saturday to conclude the two-game, fixed-matchup event at the South Point Hotel, Casino and Spa.Maryland plays Washington State on Saturday to conclude its first trip to Las Vegas since the 1978-79 season. 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