MONTREAL -- Milos Raonic came out on top of the all-Canadian semifinal at the mens Rogers Cup, but now comes the real test -- Rafael Nadal. Air Force 1 Pas Cher Outlet . The power-hitting right-handers cliffhanger 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4) victory over Vasek Pospisil on Saturday made him the first Canadian to reach the final of his countrys biggest tournament since Robert Bedard won it for the third time in 1958. It will be Raonics first final in the Master series, a level of ATP tournament just below the grand slams. The other semifinal was a gem of speed and skill, as Nadal ended Novak Djokovics two-year reign as Rogers Cup champion with 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (2) victory. Nadal will be seeking a third title after winning in 2005 and 2008. It had drama, as Djokovic wasnt pleased at all to be accidentally hit in the face by a Nadal cross-court shot in the third set, but there was no harm done. The two traded shots evenly until the third-set tiebreaker, when the crowd favourite Nadal took a 6-0 lead and later saw it end when Djokovic hit a groundstroke a tad long. "Milos is a fantastic player," Nadal said in a courtside interview. "I know him well. He has played a fantastic tournament here. "Im very happy for Canada to have two players in the semifinals." Raonic is 0-3 against Nadal in his career and has never won a set from the Spaniard. "Last time he gave me a whoopin in Barcelona," said Raonic. "It was a very different surface on clay. And at home for him, it was tough. "When I played him in 2010, I was like 200th in the world. I held my own to a certain extent, but he was a much, much better player than I was. In 2011, it was my first tournament back from hip surgery. I think its a different situation this time around. "I have to try to play as much as I can on my terms. Im going to have to serve well. Thats always of highest importance. And Ive got to try of create opportunities for myself through aggressive tennis, rather than waiting for him to make errors." Raonics win will put him into the top-10 in world rankings -- a prestigious spot that only the very good ones ever achieve. "Theyre all very special, but I think the top-10 one stands out more just because its a goal that I set this year," the 22-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., said. "It looked a little bit difficult after how I played recently, but to do it here in Montreal is a relief and its a happy feeling." Meanwhile, it was a tough night for veteran Daniel Nestor of Toronto. He and Swedish partner Robert Lindstedt were thumped 6-3, 6-0 in a semifinal against Wimbledon champion Andy Murray and Colin Fleming. Djokovic and Nadal met for the 36th time, tying the record for the Open Era set by John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl. Nadal leads the head-to-head series (21-15), and cut Djokovics lead on hardcourts at to 11-6. Nadal has won seven tournaments this year, but only one so far on a hardcourt. Still, the king of clay courts is 8-0 on the hard surface. Pospisil, in his best ATP Tour showing, earned $128,960 and 360 rankings points for reaching the semis, which will push his ranking from its current 71st to about No. 40. That completes the Vernon, B.C., natives goal for this year of reaching the top-50. On the court, both played nervously at first and it turned into a serving battle, with few interesting rallies until the final point of the third-set tiebreaker to decide the match. Raonic stretched to get to a Pospisil shot at the net, forcing his opponent to make a lunging volley that went into the net. "I was winning most of the points from the baseline once the rallies were started," said Pospisil. "The tiebreak got away from me a little bit there at the end, a couple of loose points. "But I went for it. No regrets. I didnt want to lose the match playing defensively. I tried to go for it even with the nerves that there were. This time it didnt work out, but thats the right way for me to go." The two Canadians have been playing each other since they were in under-14 tournaments, but while Raonic has used his big serve to shoot up the rankings in recent years, Pospisil has taken a slower route. He has caught fire of late, however, winning a Challenger series tournament last week in Vancouver, then posting three wins at the Rogers Cup, including his first win over a top-20 player (John Isner) and his first over a top-10 (Tomas Berdych). It ended against Raonic, who has been struggling since he won in San Jose in the spring and is now working with a new coach. Now the Davis Cup teammates may become rivals on the ATP Tour. "For my sake, I hope well see each other a lot more," said Pospisil. "That will mean Ill keep up the good form. "I dont see why not because Ive been doing really well the last couple months." The centre court crowd had been on its feet for Canadian players all week, but with two playing each other, the partisan clapping and chanting between points was gone. And there was little to get excited about in the first set, as Raonic had the only service break for a 3-2 lead just after Pospisil let two break points get away. "Early on we were both pretty nervous," said Pospisil. "It wasnt the moment. "It was the fact I was playing Milos. Its probably a little bit the same for him. We played each other so many times. We grew up together. I dont think either one wanted to lose." It all went Pospisils way in the second set as he broke twice for 2-0 and 5-1 leads against a suddenly listless Raonic. Pospisil punctuated set point with a leaping fist pump. Raonic took a restroom break after the set and came back with a strong service game and the two held service through to the tiebreaker. "I had so much bottled up inside of me that it was stopping me from playing my best tennis," said Raonic. "I sort of yelled at myself, got a lot of emotions out, told myself if this is going to happen, its going to be me going out there and pushing as much as I can. "The first game, I started serving 20 km/h harder. I told myself that Ive got to leave it all out there." They were the first Canadians to reach the semifinals of the tournament -- once called the Canadian Open -- since Mike Belkin lost to American Cliff Richey. The last time two Canadians were in the semifinals of an ATP Tour event was in 1990 at Rio de Janeiro, where Andrew Sznajder lost in the final and Martin Wostenholme was beaten in the semis. The Djokovic-Nadal match was another level of tennis entirely, as the current and former world No. 1s exchanged fast-paced, often spectacular rallies. Pospisil earned entry into next weeks tournament in Cincinnati, where he will face Frenchman Gilles Simon in the first round. Raonic is seeded 12th and will play American Jack Sock. Basket Air Max 95 Pas Cher . Fans in the Jets viewing region can watch the game on TSN Jets at 5:30pm ct and listeners can tune in to TSN Radio 1290 Winnipeg. Air Max 270 Pas Cher France . Having won the first leg 1-0 in Barcelona, Madrid entered the match at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium already in control and quickly sealed its place in the semifinals when Jese Rodriguez scored in the seventh minute.PARIS - Canadas Fed Cup team has drawn a tough opponent for its first appearance in the elite World Group. The top-ranked Czech Republic will visit Canada for a first-round tie Feb. 7-8, 2015. "This will be our first World Group tie and the team knows that no matter who the opponent, it will be a very talented team that is one of the best in the world," Canadas Fed Cup captain Sylvain Bruneau said in a release. "This is very true of the Czech Republic as they have solid players and lots of experience winning in this competition." The official draw was conducted Wednesday at Roland Garros. In other first-round ties, Italy will host France, Germany will entertain Australia and Russia will visit Poland. The 2014 tournament will be decided in November when the Czechs host Germany in the final. Canada is currently ranked No. 8 in the world. Canada defeated Serbia 3-1 in the World Group II first round in February and beat Slovakia 3-1 in the World Group playoff in April in Quebec City. The host venue and playing surface will be announced at a later date. "We are very happy to be playing at home again as I believe it makes a difference to have the support of your home crowd," Bruneau said. "Even from the last tie against Slovakia, the core players on our team have improved so much. We now havve another eight months to take further steps and be ready in February to try and win Fed Cup. Vapormax Pas Cher. " Eugenie Bouchard of Westmount, Que., anchored the Canadian victory over Slovakia with a pair of singles victories. She will play Russias Maria Sharapova in the French Open semifinals on Thursday. The Canadian roster was rounded out by Aleksandra Wozniak of Blainville, Que., Torontos Sharon Fichman and Ottawas Gabriela Dabrowski. The Czech lineup boasts players like Petra Kvitova and Lucie Safarova. The Czech Republic has won the Fed Cup seven times, including back-to-back titles in 2011 and 2012. The two countries last met in a World Group qualifying tie in 2002, when the host Czechs defeated Canada 5-0 on clay in Prerov. Canada has an all-time record of 0-5 against the Czech Republic. The winner of the tie will move on to the Fed Cup semifinals and will keep its place in the eight-country World Group for the following year. The loser will have to play a World Group playoff to maintain its spot in the elite level for 2016. The semifinals next year are scheduled for April 18-19, and the final for Nov. 14-15. In World Group II, its Argentina vs. the United States, Romania vs. Spain, Netherland vs. Slovakia, and Sweden vs. Switzerland. ——— With files from The Associated Press. ' ' '
MONTREAL -- Milos Raonic came out on top of the all-Canadian semifinal at the mens Rogers Cup, but now comes the real test -- Rafael Nadal. Air Force 1 Pas Cher Outlet . The power-hitting right-handers cliffhanger 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4) victory over Vasek Pospisil on Saturday made him the first Canadian to reach the final of his countrys biggest tournament since Robert Bedard won it for the third time in 1958. It will be Raonics first final in the Master series, a level of ATP tournament just below the grand slams. The other semifinal was a gem of speed and skill, as Nadal ended Novak Djokovics two-year reign as Rogers Cup champion with 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (2) victory. Nadal will be seeking a third title after winning in 2005 and 2008. It had drama, as Djokovic wasnt pleased at all to be accidentally hit in the face by a Nadal cross-court shot in the third set, but there was no harm done. The two traded shots evenly until the third-set tiebreaker, when the crowd favourite Nadal took a 6-0 lead and later saw it end when Djokovic hit a groundstroke a tad long. "Milos is a fantastic player," Nadal said in a courtside interview. "I know him well. He has played a fantastic tournament here. "Im very happy for Canada to have two players in the semifinals." Raonic is 0-3 against Nadal in his career and has never won a set from the Spaniard. "Last time he gave me a whoopin in Barcelona," said Raonic. "It was a very different surface on clay. And at home for him, it was tough. "When I played him in 2010, I was like 200th in the world. I held my own to a certain extent, but he was a much, much better player than I was. In 2011, it was my first tournament back from hip surgery. I think its a different situation this time around. "I have to try to play as much as I can on my terms. Im going to have to serve well. Thats always of highest importance. And Ive got to try of create opportunities for myself through aggressive tennis, rather than waiting for him to make errors." Raonics win will put him into the top-10 in world rankings -- a prestigious spot that only the very good ones ever achieve. "Theyre all very special, but I think the top-10 one stands out more just because its a goal that I set this year," the 22-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., said. "It looked a little bit difficult after how I played recently, but to do it here in Montreal is a relief and its a happy feeling." Meanwhile, it was a tough night for veteran Daniel Nestor of Toronto. He and Swedish partner Robert Lindstedt were thumped 6-3, 6-0 in a semifinal against Wimbledon champion Andy Murray and Colin Fleming. Djokovic and Nadal met for the 36th time, tying the record for the Open Era set by John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl. Nadal leads the head-to-head series (21-15), and cut Djokovics lead on hardcourts at to 11-6. Nadal has won seven tournaments this year, but only one so far on a hardcourt. Still, the king of clay courts is 8-0 on the hard surface. Pospisil, in his best ATP Tour showing, earned $128,960 and 360 rankings points for reaching the semis, which will push his ranking from its current 71st to about No. 40. That completes the Vernon, B.C., natives goal for this year of reaching the top-50. On the court, both played nervously at first and it turned into a serving battle, with few interesting rallies until the final point of the third-set tiebreaker to decide the match. Raonic stretched to get to a Pospisil shot at the net, forcing his opponent to make a lunging volley that went into the net. "I was winning most of the points from the baseline once the rallies were started," said Pospisil. "The tiebreak got away from me a little bit there at the end, a couple of loose points. "But I went for it. No regrets. I didnt want to lose the match playing defensively. I tried to go for it even with the nerves that there were. This time it didnt work out, but thats the right way for me to go." The two Canadians have been playing each other since they were in under-14 tournaments, but while Raonic has used his big serve to shoot up the rankings in recent years, Pospisil has taken a slower route. He has caught fire of late, however, winning a Challenger series tournament last week in Vancouver, then posting three wins at the Rogers Cup, including his first win over a top-20 player (John Isner) and his first over a top-10 (Tomas Berdych). It ended against Raonic, who has been struggling since he won in San Jose in the spring and is now working with a new coach. Now the Davis Cup teammates may become rivals on the ATP Tour. "For my sake, I hope well see each other a lot more," said Pospisil. "That will mean Ill keep up the good form. "I dont see why not because Ive been doing really well the last couple months." The centre court crowd had been on its feet for Canadian players all week, but with two playing each other, the partisan clapping and chanting between points was gone. And there was little to get excited about in the first set, as Raonic had the only service break for a 3-2 lead just after Pospisil let two break points get away. "Early on we were both pretty nervous," said Pospisil. "It wasnt the moment. "It was the fact I was playing Milos. Its probably a little bit the same for him. We played each other so many times. We grew up together. I dont think either one wanted to lose." It all went Pospisils way in the second set as he broke twice for 2-0 and 5-1 leads against a suddenly listless Raonic. Pospisil punctuated set point with a leaping fist pump. Raonic took a restroom break after the set and came back with a strong service game and the two held service through to the tiebreaker. "I had so much bottled up inside of me that it was stopping me from playing my best tennis," said Raonic. "I sort of yelled at myself, got a lot of emotions out, told myself if this is going to happen, its going to be me going out there and pushing as much as I can. "The first game, I started serving 20 km/h harder. I told myself that Ive got to leave it all out there." They were the first Canadians to reach the semifinals of the tournament -- once called the Canadian Open -- since Mike Belkin lost to American Cliff Richey. The last time two Canadians were in the semifinals of an ATP Tour event was in 1990 at Rio de Janeiro, where Andrew Sznajder lost in the final and Martin Wostenholme was beaten in the semis. The Djokovic-Nadal match was another level of tennis entirely, as the current and former world No. 1s exchanged fast-paced, often spectacular rallies. Pospisil earned entry into next weeks tournament in Cincinnati, where he will face Frenchman Gilles Simon in the first round. Raonic is seeded 12th and will play American Jack Sock. Basket Air Max 95 Pas Cher . Fans in the Jets viewing region can watch the game on TSN Jets at 5:30pm ct and listeners can tune in to TSN Radio 1290 Winnipeg. Air Max 270 Pas Cher France . Having won the first leg 1-0 in Barcelona, Madrid entered the match at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium already in control and quickly sealed its place in the semifinals when Jese Rodriguez scored in the seventh minute.PARIS - Canadas Fed Cup team has drawn a tough opponent for its first appearance in the elite World Group. The top-ranked Czech Republic will visit Canada for a first-round tie Feb. 7-8, 2015. "This will be our first World Group tie and the team knows that no matter who the opponent, it will be a very talented team that is one of the best in the world," Canadas Fed Cup captain Sylvain Bruneau said in a release. "This is very true of the Czech Republic as they have solid players and lots of experience winning in this competition." The official draw was conducted Wednesday at Roland Garros. In other first-round ties, Italy will host France, Germany will entertain Australia and Russia will visit Poland. The 2014 tournament will be decided in November when the Czechs host Germany in the final. Canada is currently ranked No. 8 in the world. Canada defeated Serbia 3-1 in the World Group II first round in February and beat Slovakia 3-1 in the World Group playoff in April in Quebec City. The host venue and playing surface will be announced at a later date. "We are very happy to be playing at home again as I believe it makes a difference to have the support of your home crowd," Bruneau said. "Even from the last tie against Slovakia, the core players on our team have improved so much. We now havve another eight months to take further steps and be ready in February to try and win Fed Cup. Vapormax Pas Cher. " Eugenie Bouchard of Westmount, Que., anchored the Canadian victory over Slovakia with a pair of singles victories. She will play Russias Maria Sharapova in the French Open semifinals on Thursday. The Canadian roster was rounded out by Aleksandra Wozniak of Blainville, Que., Torontos Sharon Fichman and Ottawas Gabriela Dabrowski. The Czech lineup boasts players like Petra Kvitova and Lucie Safarova. The Czech Republic has won the Fed Cup seven times, including back-to-back titles in 2011 and 2012. The two countries last met in a World Group qualifying tie in 2002, when the host Czechs defeated Canada 5-0 on clay in Prerov. Canada has an all-time record of 0-5 against the Czech Republic. The winner of the tie will move on to the Fed Cup semifinals and will keep its place in the eight-country World Group for the following year. The loser will have to play a World Group playoff to maintain its spot in the elite level for 2016. The semifinals next year are scheduled for April 18-19, and the final for Nov. 14-15. In World Group II, its Argentina vs. the United States, Romania vs. Spain, Netherland vs. Slovakia, and Sweden vs. Switzerland. ——— With files from The Associated Press. ' ' '
