01-08-2020, 01:01 AM
MONTREAL -- Canada accomplished everything it hoped for Saturday at the Fed Cup. Jared Cook Jersey . Wins by Aleksandra Wozniak and Eugenie Bouchard in World Group II action gives Canada a 2-0 lead over Serbia at Montreals Claude-Robillard Sports Complex. Bouchard beat Serbias Jovana Jaksic in straight sets 6-1, 6-0, after Wozniak beat Serbias Vesna Dolonc 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, earlier in the day. "Its what we wanted to accomplish today, and we did it," said Bouchard, who made quick work of her opponent, winning in straight sets in under an hour. "We can be happy with how today went." To win the first round tie, Canada needs just one more victory on Sunday. "The jobs not over," said Bouchard, whos ranked No. 19 on the WTA Tour. "Anything can happen. We need to be ready for them to come out swinging. Ill be ready. Hopefully we can close it out." Bouchard will play 117th-ranked Dolonc on Sunday afternoon, with Wozniak facing Jaksic afterwards. Sharon Fichman (ranked No. 112) and Gabriela Dabrowski (No. 224) will team up in doubles against Aleksandra Krunic (No. 152) and Nina Stojanovic (unranked). If, however, Bouchard beats Dolonc, Canada will win the tie, and Wozniak will not have to take to the court. Instead, the tie will culminate with the doubles contest. The winning team will have the opportunity to advance from the World Group II to the World Group, which includes the worlds eight best teams. Canada will also have the chance to avenge a 3-2 road loss to Serbia in a 2011 Group II that ultimately relegated the Canadians to a lower division. Wozniak, currently sitting at No. 274 in the world, was on that Canadian team in 2011, her last Fed Cup prior to injuring her shoulder. Wozniak played in only seven tournaments last year because of the injury, but is preparing her comeback. On Saturday, she was feeling healthy, and happy to be competing for her country. "It was a real hill to climb," said Wozniak of her recent injury trouble. "Every game will help me progress, help my game and my confidence. Im going to continue climbing to get back to the top." Down 1-5 in the first set, Wozniak made adjustments to her game and began dictating the run of play. "I stayed concentrated on every single point," said Wozniak, who started going to the net with more confidence midway through the set. "I wanted to set the pace of the game. (Dolonc) was playing well, and I was missing my shots. I held on and took it one point at a time." Wozniak won the next five games, breaking Doloncs serve twice in the process, to take a 6-5 lead. In the deciding game, Wozniak completed the comeback when Dolonc hit the net to double fault on set point. "It was a joke for me to get to 5-1," said Dolonc. "But then she started finding her game. It was getting tighter and tighter. She was feeling more confident, and I was feeling less confident." In the final set, after Dolonc handily took the second 6-2, Wozniak came to the net on match point, forcing Dolonc to miss the baseline. "Its something I want to do," said Wozniak, whos won more games (38) representing Canada at the Fed Cup than any other player. "When I have the chance, I set it up, and I want to come to the net and play aggressive. "I was extremely emotional. I really wanted to celebrate with my team. I play with a lot of emotion when I play for my country. Thats why I have so much success in Fed Cups." Facing a young Serb making her Fed Cup debut, Bouchards match was certainly less of a nail-biter. Already leading 5-1 in the first set, Bouchard fired a forehand winner out of Jaksics reach on set point. In the second set, Jaksic, ranked No. 149, couldnt do much to slow Bouchard down, winning only six points. "I was feeling a bit of pressure," said Jaksic. "I put too much on myself. I had to do too much, and in the end I didnt do anything. I was feeling so slow. My legs were like stone. I couldnt move." Bouchard, who didnt double fault and only made two unforced errors in the second set, won the match when Jaksic sent her final shot long. "She might have been intimidated," said Bouchard. "I dont know. I like to focus on my own play on the court. But I certainly hope so. That would be a good thing." The 19-year-old from Montreal created a buzz last month by reaching the semifinals at the Australian Open, the first Canadian woman to reach a Grand Slam semifinal in 20 years. But eventual tournament champion Li Na of China ended Bouchards impressive run with a straight-sets win. "I definitely have a lot more confidence now," said Bouchard. "In playing games against the best in the world, I get better every time. And thats my goal, to improve every time." Mark Ingram Jr. Jersey . The Brewers finalized a US$36 million, three-year contract with free agent third baseman Aramis Ramirez on Wednesday, adding a much-needed bat to their lineup. Darren Sproles Jersey . "If we only consider this season," Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini said, "there is just one club in Manchester -- and its ours. http://www.customsaintsjersey.com/custom...-772e.html . Louis second-period goal increased the New York Rangers lead but Dustin Brown has countered for the Los Angeles Kings who now trail the New York Rangers 2-1 in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final at Madison Square Garden.The Big Nog vs Big Country bout is the talk of the MMA world right now but that is not the reason for this article. My seventh week of fight ready fitness had me arguing flexibility and conditioning with a few people. The comment that got me riled up was that Heavyweights run out of gas all the time. That turned into them also not being able to do jujitsu, they arent flexible or able to move. Well Ive been working on my conditioning, and I wont be testing it in the octagon any time soon but it did have me jump to the defense of Cain Velasquez, Junior Dos Santos, and Roy Nelson, all three high level athletes and all with enough gas in the tank to get some outstanding fights on their highlight reels. It wasnt just the decision that they werent fit. Thats a product of their training practices. Lots of heavyweights have a problem pushing themselves on conditioning because they dont have partners who can last in training. What got to me was the flexibility comment. There are a lot of jujitsu experts who are small, and flexible. They make it look easy to wrap people up, and bend in strange ways. Thats not usually the case with heavyweights. However, there are people who work at changing the paradigm. Frank Mir, and Big Nog are both prime examples. Cameron Jordan Jersey. Watch them move while they fight, it is impressive. To prove the flexibility issue, I posted a picture on my Instagram @fitcityjordan. Its me attempting the splits. Im actually not too far off. Im going to spend the last little bit of my training time here doing Yoga, specifically something called Joga. Its a newer form of Yoga focused at athletes. Ive done a few classes, and Im impressed at how much it focuses on an athletes need to move, and flush lactic acid post training. Im hoping the next picture I post on Instagram of me doing the splits will be right to the floor. Im 63 and right now between 218 and 220lbs. It depends on the meal the night before. Before you go judging an athlete, start giving the training some time. Get out and sign up for kickboxing. Spend a few evenings rolling on the jujitsu mats, and yes head to Yoga. I found Sandy Grewinski at Yoga Public in Winnipeg. Her coaching style and the Yoga Public facility are the best addition to my wellness and total fitness that Ive found in a long time. Go find your new best friends. They are probably Yoga people. Nicest people youll ever meet. Something to be said for trying to live stress free. ' ' '