Technik » overcoming an aggressive shooting Tulane team. W

MASON, Ohio -- Angelique Kerber has Serena Williams within arms reach, and shes trying not to think about it.Kerber advanced to the Western & Southern Open semifinals Friday, staying on track to overtake Williams at No. 1. She overcame a sloppy first set and beat Carla Suarez Navarro 4-6, 6-3, 6-0.If Kerber wins the tournament, shell move ahead of Williams in next weeks WTA rankings. Williams has been No. 1 for 183 consecutive weeks, the second-longest such streak. She is the two-time defending champion but withdrew because of a sore shoulder.And now, she could wind up getting passed by Kerber, who doesnt want to put any more pressure on herself.Of course, everybody is asking me this question, Kerber said. And yeah, lets see what happens in the next weeks or next days. When the time is ready, maybe I can reach the No. 1 (ranking). Still, its a long way. Its closer than a few days ago when I sat here.In the mens bracket, Andy Murray struggled with a stiff back and gritted out a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Bernard Tomic to reach the semifinals and extend his successful summer, which includes his second Wimbledon title and another Olympic gold medal. He has won his last 21 matches, a career high.I think its just fatigue, really, Murray said. I have played a lot of the matches in a short space of time, and also theres been a change of surface as well. It does put a little bit more stress on the joints, the hard courts. Yeah, just accepting it for what it is. Ill be fine. I just need to work through it and accept it.Murray is the only player in the tournament who has won a Cincinnati championship, taking it in 2008 and 2011.Kerber has reached the finals in Cincinnati once before, losing to Li Na in 2012. She was in trouble after a sluggish opening set on Friday -- 17 unforced errors -- but took control early in the second set. She had only seven unforced errors in the final set.Kerber will play third-seeded Simona Halep, who beat Agnieszka Radwanska for her 13th straight match victory. Kerber beat Halep in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. Halep has reached the finals in Cincinnati once, losing to Williams in 2015.Karolina Pliskova also advanced with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 win over Svetlana Kuznetsova. Shell face Garbine Muguruza, who beat qualifier Timea Babos in straight sets.The mens bracket was wide open with the top players missing. Top-ranked Novak Djokovic and defending champion Roger Federer skipped the tournament because of injuries. Rafael Nadal is still getting back into playing shape after a wrist injury cost him two months and was knocked out of the tournament Thursday.Murray is the only member of the Big Four still left, but hes running on fumes. He won the gold medal at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, flew to Cincinnati and reached the quarterfinals despite a worn-down body and a nagging head cold.On Friday, he reached for his stiff lower back after chasing a ball in the first game of the match and favored it throughout the set. He moved much better around the court in the second set, broke Tomic to go up 5-4, and served it out.Tomic fell to 0-17 against players ranked in the top four. Hes 0-5 career against Murray, failing to win a set.Murray will face Milos Raonic in the semifinals. One of the Big Four has won 54 of the last 58 Masters events.The wide-open tournament provides a chance for someone like the unseeded Grigor Dimitrov to win a Masters title. Dimitrov reached the semifinals of a Masters event for the third time, beating top American Steve Johnson 7-6 (8), 6-2.I mean, Im hoping Im going to be playing here on Sunday, Dimitrov said.Despite the loss, Johnson will become the top American in the ATP rankings next week. John Isner has held the top spot since July 29, 2013. Dimitrov will play Marin Cilic, who reached his first Masters semifinal when 19-year-old Borna Coric retired after losing the first set. Coric played the set with both knees taped. Kevin Faulk Patriots Jersey . Wilson hit Schenn from behind during Tuesday nights game in Philadelphia, earning a five-minute major for charging and a game misconduct. He has a phone hearing with the department of player safety, which limits any potential suspension to five or fewer games. Tedy Bruschi Youth Jersey .com) - The game was all punts and field goals before Kodi Whitfields catch. http://www.shoptheofficialpatriots.com/Elite-Tom-Brady-Patriots-Jersey/ .J. Ellis hit two-run homers and the NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres 4-0 Saturday night. John Hannah Jersey . Wilson hit Schenn from behind during Tuesday nights game in Philadelphia, earning a five-minute major for charging and a game misconduct. He has a phone hearing with the department of player safety, which limits any potential suspension to five or fewer games. Rob Gronkowski Patriots Jersey .com) - The Calgary Flames aim to bounce back from their first regulation home loss of the campaign on Friday night when they host a Detroit Red Wings club that they swept in three meetings a season ago. LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Oklahoma missed some shots they normally make and committed some head-scratching turnovers in the first half against Tulane on Thursday night.The next thing the Sooners knew, they were in a heck of a game.Oklahoma corrected many of its early mistakes in the final 20 minutes to run away with an 89-70 win over the Green Wave during the first round of the Tire Pros Invitational. The Sooners advanced in the winners bracket where they will meet Northern Iowa in the late game Friday night.We just played smarter in the second half, said Oklahoma senior guard Jordan Woodard, who led his team with 22 points, seven assists and four steals. We started playing our game.We let them dictate a little bit in the first half. They are a good ball club and so are we. We just had to take it to another level in the second half and keep advancing.After clinging to a 38-35 halftime advantage, the Sooners (2-0) came out much more aggressive early in the second half and quickly built a double-digit lead. Rahsard Odomes (15 points) and Woodard let the way in the final 20 minutes with a combined 24 points, but it was some the young players who made timely contributions to keep the attacking Green Wave (1-2) from making a comeback.Freshman forward Kristian Doolittle was a force inside, scoring eight points while leading the charge on the offensive boards where he pulled five of his game-high 12 rebounds. Freshmen Matt Freeman and Jordan Shepherd also both had key contributions, which is what the Sooners needed after losing three senior captains off of last seasons team.We had a lot of young lineups out there tonight on many occasions, said OU coach Lon Kruger. This is going to be a club where individually you will seee more people get comfortable with each game.dddddddddddd.BIG PICTURETulane: The Green Wave are athletic and can make it difficult on teams with their quickness to the paint and 3-point shooting. Ray Ona Embo was sometimes brilliant in his ability to break defenders down and either penetrate or pull up for a jumper on the perimeter.Oklahoma: Facing their toughest competition so far this season, the young Sooners showed plenty of resolve in overcoming an aggressive shooting Tulane team. Woodard and Odomes made most of the big shots during the critical second-half run but Shepherd and Doolittle also contributed key points to help the Sooners pull away in the second half.KEY STATSTulane, which had led by as many as four points in the first half, gave up 21 points off of turnovers and allowed Oklahoma to score 15 points on second-chance shots.So 36 of their points come in that manner, Tulane coach Mike Dunleavy said. Its a quick turnaround and we have to do better in that space.YOUNG GUNSSo much has been made out of how young the Sooners will be this season after losing three talented seniors of last years team.But Woodard says he likes what he is seeing out of all of them so far.Each game is a learning experience, Woodard said. We have guys who are not afraid to step up to the challenge and take ownership of the team and Coach is going to put us in good spots to be successful.UP NEXTTulane: The Green Wave will face Arizona State in the second round of the Tire Pros Invitational on Friday night.Oklahoma: The Sooners will take on Northern Iowa in the second round of the invite on Friday night. ' ' '