PARIS - Rafael Nadals back is giving him more trouble than his opponents so far at the French Open. Cheap Authentic Vans Shoes . After pushing his winning streak at Roland Garros to 31 matches with a 6-2, 7-5, 6-2 victory over 65th-ranked Leonardo Mayer of Argentina in the third round Saturday, eight-time champion Nadal said his bothersome back is forcing him to cut back on the velocity of his serves. Nadals back also acted up in January during his loss to Stan Wawrinka in the Australian Open final. "During my career, I had (a) few problems. ... Hopefully will not be (the) case" the rest of the way in Paris, the No. 1-ranked Nadal said. "I served more slowly since I started feeling the pain," he said, noting that hes worn tape on his back for extra support. Against Mayer, Nadal averaged only 102 mph (165 kph) on first serves, with a top speed of 114 mph (184 kph). That was down from an average of 111 mph (179 kph) and top of 122 mph (197 kph) in the first round against Robby Ginepri last Monday. Through six sets across his first two matches, Nadal faced only five break points and lost serve only twice. He needed to deal with eight break points against Mayer, losing two. Still, Nadal made only 10 unforced errors all match — two in the first set, three in the second, five in the third — and equaled his longest run at Roland Garros. But the last time Nadal won 31 in a row in Paris, he failed to get No. 32, losing in the fourth round in 2009 to Robin Soderling. That remains the Spaniards only defeat in 63 matches at the tournament. Nadal has dropped 19 games heading into his match against 83rd-ranked Dusan Lajovic of Serbia, who is in the second major of his career and beat Jack Sock of the United States 6-4, 7-5, 6-3. Another American, Donald Young, lost in five sets to Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain, leaving No. 10 John Isner as the last U.S. man in the field. Before this French Open, the 23-year-old Lajovic had a 10-21 career record in tour-level matches, never winning two in a row. "I saw him play a few times on TV. Sure, its great to have new players on tour, young players on the tour that are coming strong. Hopefully not too strong," Nadal said with a smile. "Well see on Monday. I hope to be ready." Asked whether he would seek advice from another Serbian, No. 2 Novak Djokovic, before facing Nadal, Lajovic joked: "Yeah, I will try to ask everybody (for) some tips." That wont help if Nadal produces shots of the sort he did when Mayer served at 5-all in the second set — a stretching, scooping backhand lob to break. As Mayer watched the shot sail overhead, he waved his left hand to signal to the ball to go out, then rolled his eyes when it curled in. At the other end, Nadal pumped his fist, ahead 6-5 and well on his way to reaching the fourth round for the 10th time in 10 trips to Roland Garros. Roger Federer is the only other man to make it to the final 16 in Paris that many years in a row. The man Nadal beat in last years final, No. 5 David Ferrer, defeated No. 32 Andreas Seppi of Italy 6-2, 7-6 (2), 6-3. Ferrer now plays No. 19 Kevin Anderson of South Africa. No. 23 Gael Monfils of France put together a 5-7, 6-2, 6-4, 0-6, 6-2 win over No. 14 Fabio Fognini of Italy in a wild match that included a point penalty for Fognini when he threw his racket and it landed near a ball boy. Monfils and Fognini combined for more than twice as many unforced errors, 137, as winners, 66. Earlier Saturday, No. 15 Sloane Stephens moved into the fourth round for the sixth major in a row. The American now meets No. 4 Simona Halep of Romania. Other fourth-round matchups: 2009 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova against No. 23 Lucie Safavora; 2012 runner-up Sara Errani against No. 6 Jelena Jankovic; No. 28 Andrea Petkovic against 148th-ranked qualifier Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands. As the sun came out and the temperature topped 70 degrees (20 Celsius) after several days of overcast skies and occasional rain, Stephens eliminated No. 22 Ekaterina Makarova of Russia 6-3, 6-4, while Halep beat 55th-ranked Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor of Spain 6-3, 6-0. Halep is the highest seeded woman left, because of losses by No. 1 Serena Williams, No. 2 Li Na and No. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska. Said Halep: "Thats a surprise for everyone." Cheap Vans Shoes Wholesale . Lineup news, Fantasy and more in Scott Cullen’s Statistically Speaking. HEROES St. Louis Blues – After rolling the San Jose Sharks for seven goals, for the second time in a week, the Blues have a bunch of players on hot streaks. Wholesale Vans Shoes From China . He had spent 16 days on the disabled list before being activated Thursday. He was batting just .203 when he came to bat in the 11th inning on Sunday.ORLANDO, Fla. -- Orlandos last-second victory over Western Conference leader Oklahoma City on Friday had the potential to be a season highlight for a team seemingly already holding a one-way ticket to the lottery. It turns out the Magic werent quite done turning heads. Victor Oladipo had 23 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter, and the Magic rallied to surprise East-leading Indiana Pacers 93-92 on Sunday night. Indiana stole Orlandos inbounds pass with nine seconds left and Paul George was able to get off a 20-foot jumper. But it came up short and was rebounded by the Magic, who ran out the clock. "Today going into the fourth quarter (coach Jacque Vaughn) just simply told us whoever plays hard is going to win the game. If you really want to win youll play harder than them," said Oladipo, who played the entire fourth quarter for the second consecutive game. "That second unit played hard, played together, and most of all we just played D, let our defence juice our offence." Orlando has now beaten the top teams in both conferences in back-to-back games, following its 17-point comeback against the Thunder. The victory ties the Magics season-high win streak of three games. It also extends their home win streak to five consecutive games. Nik Vucevic added 19 points and 13 rebounds. Vaughn praised the energy that Oladipo played with late. "It starts with his enthusiasm for basketball, and its really infectious to his teammates," Vaughn said. "They want to play for him, they want to play with him and Im sure glad hes in a Magic uniform." Before the game, Pacers coach Frank Vogel said that he didnt think his team was taking any games for granted prior to the All-Star break. He went as far as to recite Chuck Dalys old line to "never trust happiness in the NBA." There wasnt much Sunday as the Pacers had multiple defensive lapses in both halves which helped the Magic to hang around and eventually steal the game late. George led the Pacers with 27 points. Lance Stephenson added 16. The loss ends Indianas win streak at four games. Vogel said his teams inability to stave off a third quarter push by the Magic was the difference. "They piccked up their energy," he said. Vans Shoes Clearance. "Weve got to handle it. There was a stretch there in the third where we could have put them away. We were a little careless with some possessions ... and it was costly." The Pacers carried over some of their momentum from the first half and built as much as a 17-point lead in the third quarter. That advantage was cut to 10 entering the fourth. Orlando recovered some of its early-game energy, and started the final quarter on a 14-3 run to take its first lead of the second half -- 78-77 -- with less than 8 minutes to play. It would grow as high as 88-81 before the Magic cooled off -- missing four straight shots -- to allowed the Pacers to cut it to 88-86 on a 3-pointer by George. But the Magic found their shot and got their lead back up to six with just over a minute to play. Another 3-pointer by George on the other end trimmed it back to 92-90 with 37.7 seconds remaining. That was followed by an offensive foul on Oladipo which turned the ball back over to Indiana. George got free at the top of the key for another attempt from 3, but his shot bounced off the back of the rim and was grabbed by Oladipo, who was fouled. He connected on 1 of 2 free throw attempts, leading to a scramble for the rebound that ended up in a jump ball between David West and Glen Davis. West tapped it near midcourt, and George Hill was able to scoop it up and sprint ahead for a layup to cut it to 93-92 with just 14.9 seconds left. It wasnt enough, though. "We are good," George said. "This is obviously a game we got to take care of ... but we are still positive. It happens. We just have to do a better job and learn from this." And for the second straight game, the Magic were able to turn their early mistakes into late-game mettle. While it is only two wins, Magic veteran guard Jameer Nelson said they are certainly victories to build on for this young team. "Ive always said its a process," Nelson said. "Youre not gonna just become a great team overnight. Not too many teams have done that. You have to work on it; you have to learn and get better." Note: Nelson celebrated his 32nd birthday on Sunday. ' ' '
PARIS - Rafael Nadals back is giving him more trouble than his opponents so far at the French Open. Cheap Authentic Vans Shoes . After pushing his winning streak at Roland Garros to 31 matches with a 6-2, 7-5, 6-2 victory over 65th-ranked Leonardo Mayer of Argentina in the third round Saturday, eight-time champion Nadal said his bothersome back is forcing him to cut back on the velocity of his serves. Nadals back also acted up in January during his loss to Stan Wawrinka in the Australian Open final. "During my career, I had (a) few problems. ... Hopefully will not be (the) case" the rest of the way in Paris, the No. 1-ranked Nadal said. "I served more slowly since I started feeling the pain," he said, noting that hes worn tape on his back for extra support. Against Mayer, Nadal averaged only 102 mph (165 kph) on first serves, with a top speed of 114 mph (184 kph). That was down from an average of 111 mph (179 kph) and top of 122 mph (197 kph) in the first round against Robby Ginepri last Monday. Through six sets across his first two matches, Nadal faced only five break points and lost serve only twice. He needed to deal with eight break points against Mayer, losing two. Still, Nadal made only 10 unforced errors all match — two in the first set, three in the second, five in the third — and equaled his longest run at Roland Garros. But the last time Nadal won 31 in a row in Paris, he failed to get No. 32, losing in the fourth round in 2009 to Robin Soderling. That remains the Spaniards only defeat in 63 matches at the tournament. Nadal has dropped 19 games heading into his match against 83rd-ranked Dusan Lajovic of Serbia, who is in the second major of his career and beat Jack Sock of the United States 6-4, 7-5, 6-3. Another American, Donald Young, lost in five sets to Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain, leaving No. 10 John Isner as the last U.S. man in the field. Before this French Open, the 23-year-old Lajovic had a 10-21 career record in tour-level matches, never winning two in a row. "I saw him play a few times on TV. Sure, its great to have new players on tour, young players on the tour that are coming strong. Hopefully not too strong," Nadal said with a smile. "Well see on Monday. I hope to be ready." Asked whether he would seek advice from another Serbian, No. 2 Novak Djokovic, before facing Nadal, Lajovic joked: "Yeah, I will try to ask everybody (for) some tips." That wont help if Nadal produces shots of the sort he did when Mayer served at 5-all in the second set — a stretching, scooping backhand lob to break. As Mayer watched the shot sail overhead, he waved his left hand to signal to the ball to go out, then rolled his eyes when it curled in. At the other end, Nadal pumped his fist, ahead 6-5 and well on his way to reaching the fourth round for the 10th time in 10 trips to Roland Garros. Roger Federer is the only other man to make it to the final 16 in Paris that many years in a row. The man Nadal beat in last years final, No. 5 David Ferrer, defeated No. 32 Andreas Seppi of Italy 6-2, 7-6 (2), 6-3. Ferrer now plays No. 19 Kevin Anderson of South Africa. No. 23 Gael Monfils of France put together a 5-7, 6-2, 6-4, 0-6, 6-2 win over No. 14 Fabio Fognini of Italy in a wild match that included a point penalty for Fognini when he threw his racket and it landed near a ball boy. Monfils and Fognini combined for more than twice as many unforced errors, 137, as winners, 66. Earlier Saturday, No. 15 Sloane Stephens moved into the fourth round for the sixth major in a row. The American now meets No. 4 Simona Halep of Romania. Other fourth-round matchups: 2009 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova against No. 23 Lucie Safavora; 2012 runner-up Sara Errani against No. 6 Jelena Jankovic; No. 28 Andrea Petkovic against 148th-ranked qualifier Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands. As the sun came out and the temperature topped 70 degrees (20 Celsius) after several days of overcast skies and occasional rain, Stephens eliminated No. 22 Ekaterina Makarova of Russia 6-3, 6-4, while Halep beat 55th-ranked Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor of Spain 6-3, 6-0. Halep is the highest seeded woman left, because of losses by No. 1 Serena Williams, No. 2 Li Na and No. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska. Said Halep: "Thats a surprise for everyone." Cheap Vans Shoes Wholesale . Lineup news, Fantasy and more in Scott Cullen’s Statistically Speaking. HEROES St. Louis Blues – After rolling the San Jose Sharks for seven goals, for the second time in a week, the Blues have a bunch of players on hot streaks. Wholesale Vans Shoes From China . He had spent 16 days on the disabled list before being activated Thursday. He was batting just .203 when he came to bat in the 11th inning on Sunday.ORLANDO, Fla. -- Orlandos last-second victory over Western Conference leader Oklahoma City on Friday had the potential to be a season highlight for a team seemingly already holding a one-way ticket to the lottery. It turns out the Magic werent quite done turning heads. Victor Oladipo had 23 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter, and the Magic rallied to surprise East-leading Indiana Pacers 93-92 on Sunday night. Indiana stole Orlandos inbounds pass with nine seconds left and Paul George was able to get off a 20-foot jumper. But it came up short and was rebounded by the Magic, who ran out the clock. "Today going into the fourth quarter (coach Jacque Vaughn) just simply told us whoever plays hard is going to win the game. If you really want to win youll play harder than them," said Oladipo, who played the entire fourth quarter for the second consecutive game. "That second unit played hard, played together, and most of all we just played D, let our defence juice our offence." Orlando has now beaten the top teams in both conferences in back-to-back games, following its 17-point comeback against the Thunder. The victory ties the Magics season-high win streak of three games. It also extends their home win streak to five consecutive games. Nik Vucevic added 19 points and 13 rebounds. Vaughn praised the energy that Oladipo played with late. "It starts with his enthusiasm for basketball, and its really infectious to his teammates," Vaughn said. "They want to play for him, they want to play with him and Im sure glad hes in a Magic uniform." Before the game, Pacers coach Frank Vogel said that he didnt think his team was taking any games for granted prior to the All-Star break. He went as far as to recite Chuck Dalys old line to "never trust happiness in the NBA." There wasnt much Sunday as the Pacers had multiple defensive lapses in both halves which helped the Magic to hang around and eventually steal the game late. George led the Pacers with 27 points. Lance Stephenson added 16. The loss ends Indianas win streak at four games. Vogel said his teams inability to stave off a third quarter push by the Magic was the difference. "They piccked up their energy," he said. Vans Shoes Clearance. "Weve got to handle it. There was a stretch there in the third where we could have put them away. We were a little careless with some possessions ... and it was costly." The Pacers carried over some of their momentum from the first half and built as much as a 17-point lead in the third quarter. That advantage was cut to 10 entering the fourth. Orlando recovered some of its early-game energy, and started the final quarter on a 14-3 run to take its first lead of the second half -- 78-77 -- with less than 8 minutes to play. It would grow as high as 88-81 before the Magic cooled off -- missing four straight shots -- to allowed the Pacers to cut it to 88-86 on a 3-pointer by George. But the Magic found their shot and got their lead back up to six with just over a minute to play. Another 3-pointer by George on the other end trimmed it back to 92-90 with 37.7 seconds remaining. That was followed by an offensive foul on Oladipo which turned the ball back over to Indiana. George got free at the top of the key for another attempt from 3, but his shot bounced off the back of the rim and was grabbed by Oladipo, who was fouled. He connected on 1 of 2 free throw attempts, leading to a scramble for the rebound that ended up in a jump ball between David West and Glen Davis. West tapped it near midcourt, and George Hill was able to scoop it up and sprint ahead for a layup to cut it to 93-92 with just 14.9 seconds left. It wasnt enough, though. "We are good," George said. "This is obviously a game we got to take care of ... but we are still positive. It happens. We just have to do a better job and learn from this." And for the second straight game, the Magic were able to turn their early mistakes into late-game mettle. While it is only two wins, Magic veteran guard Jameer Nelson said they are certainly victories to build on for this young team. "Ive always said its a process," Nelson said. "Youre not gonna just become a great team overnight. Not too many teams have done that. You have to work on it; you have to learn and get better." Note: Nelson celebrated his 32nd birthday on Sunday. ' ' '
