Flushing Meadows, NY (Sports Network) - Former top-10 star James Blakes singles career came to an end on a rainy Wednesday at the U. Solomon Hill Jersey .S. Open. Ivo Karlovic of Croatia fired 38 aces past Blake to claim a 6-7 (2-7), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-2) victory in a match that lasted over three hours. Blakes only other first-round loss here came in 1999. "I dont know when its going to hit me. I dont think Ill be sleeping a lot tonight," Blake said. Blake announced Monday that this would be his last tournament. The 33-year-old American ended his career with 10 singles titles. He reached the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open in 2005 and 2006 and Australian Open in 2008, and also landed in the final at the Tennis Masters Cup in 2006. "Its hitting me now Im never going to have this again in my life, a teary- eyed Blake said. "That ovation makes me realize every bit of hard work is worth it." In 2004, while practicing with fellow American Robby Ginepri in Rome, Blake broke his neck when he slipped on a clay court and collided with the net post. In July of that year, his father died of stomach cancer. At the same time, Blake developed shingles, which temporarily paralyzed half his face and blurred his sight. Blake was the ATPs Comeback Player of the Year in 2005 and was named the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year in 2008. Meanwhile, defending champion Andy Murray and former title winner Juan Martin del Potro posted first-round wins on Wednesday. The third-seeded Murray cruised past French left-hander Michael Llodra 6-2, 6-4, 6-3. The reigning Wimbledon and U.S. Open titlist beat Novak Djokovic in last years final in Flushing and was a runner-up here in 2008. Murray will next do battle with Leonardo Mayer, who took down Victor Hanescu 7-6 (7-4), 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7-4). The sixth-seeded 2009 champion del Potro snuck past Guillermo Garcia-Lopez by a 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 7-6 (9-7) margin in a match that lasted over four hours on a rainy Wednesday. Garcia-Lopez saved three match points in the final tiebreaker before del Potro put him away. The last time del Potro came into the U.S. Open seeded No. 6 was four years ago and he went on to capture the title. Next up for del Potro is former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt, who defeated American Brian Baker by a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 score. Hewitt, who captured the U.S. Open in 2001 and was the 2004 runner-up to Roger Federer, improved his impressive record at Flushing Meadows to 44-11. Stanislas Wawrinka, the No. 9 seed, discarded Czech Radek Stepanek 7-6 (7-2), 6-3, 6-2. The 28-year-old Wawrinka will take on Karlovic in the second round. American Rajeev Ram upset 16th-seeded Italian Fabio Fognini 6-1, 6-2, 6-2. He will play Marcel Granollers in the second round. Granollers outlasted Jurgen Zopp 6-1, 3-6, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4. No. 17 seed Kevin Anderson, No. 20 seed Andreas Seppi and No. 21 seed Mikhail Youzhny avoided the upset bug. Anderson took down Daniel Brands 7-5, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, Seppi beat Xavier Malisse 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 and Youzhny got past Nicolas Mahut 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4). Evgeny Donskoy cruised past 29th-seeded Austrian Jurgen Melzer 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), while Russian Alex Bogomolov Jr. outlasted 24th-seeded Frenchman Benoit Paire 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (7-5). Other first-round wins came from former Australian Open runner-up and former top-10 star Marcos Baghdatis, Peter Gojowczyk, Tim Smyczek, Alexandr Dolgopolov, Somdev Devvarman. O. J. Mayo Jersey . The midfielder had an operation on Saturday, and is set to miss seven Premier League games, the third round of the FA Cup and the semifinals of the League Cup. Ja Morant Jersey . The Gatineau Olympiques head coach will lead Canada in its quest to end its gold medal drought at the 2015 world junior hockey championship held in Montreal and Toronto at the end of this year.SAN FRANCISCO - Miami Marlins manager Mike Redmond has no explanation for why his club has played so well at home and struggled so much on the road this season. Wins like Friday night will help erase those questions. Casey McGehee singled home the winning run with one out in the ninth inning to atone for a costly error and help the Marlins earn a rare road win, 7-5 over the San Francisco Giants. "I think were still trying to figure it out," Redmond said. "If I had an answer to why were so much better at home to on the road, wed fix it, right? But these guys keep battling. They keep fighting. You saw that tonight. We dont quit. We keep grinding. We might make a few mistakes, but we keep going." The Marlins made plenty of mistakes. They also made some big plays, too. Derek Dietrich and Christian Yelich homered, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia snapped an 0-for-26 skid by tying his career high with four singles to stop Miamis slide. The Marlins entered the game losers of six of their past seven games and a majors-worst 4-16 record away from home. They also are a league-best 17-5 at home. "Weve seen those games go the other way sometimes, especially on the road right now. It was huge for us to be able to stick in there and get that one," McGehee said. Santiago Casilla (1-1) got out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth, but couldnt escape trouble in the ninth. The right-hander allowed two baserunners before McGehees tiebreaking grounder to right field. "It just had eyes and got through the infield," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "Thats the way the game goes." Garrett Jones added an RBI single off lefty Javier Lopez and made a leaping catch in the netting of the photographers pit in foul territory in the bottom of the ninth. Mike Dunn (4-3) pitched a scoreless eighth, and Steve Cishek converted his eighth save for Miami. Neither starter pitched well but did just enough to give his team a chance in the final innings. Henderson Alvarez allowed five runs — four earned — and 10 hits in six innings for the Marlins. He struck out four and walked none. Giantts right-hander Yusmeiro Petit, filling in while Tim Hudson rested his nagging hip, gave up five runs — four earned — on seven hits in five innings. Memphis Grizzlies Pro Shop. He struck out five and walked none. "I lost a little bit of my command in the first inning. I tried to stay close in the game," Petit said. After wasting a 4-1 lead in a loss Thursday night to San Francisco, Miami moved ahead 4-1 again but rallied back late this time. The Giants had three RBI hits with two outs, including pinch-hitter Gregor Blancos bloop single in the sixth that tied it at 5-all. Blancos hit came after McGehee couldnt corral a grounder at third. "I still feel terrible. Alvarez battled through and it wouldve been nice to get him the win," McGehee said. Defence — or a lack thereof — proved pivotal in the late innings. Redmond successfully challenged a transfer rule call in the fifth. After a replay review, umpires ruled Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton caught Hunter Pences fly in the web of his glove and dropped the ball trying to transfer it to his hand for a throw. Buster Poseys flyout to right later scored Angel Pagan, who had advanced to third on Stantons botched transfer. Stanton made up for the play with an outstretched catch of Michael Morses fly near the wall in the eighth. Pagan also made a spectacular over-the-head catch on Dietrichs deep fly for the first out of the seventh and held on after running into the padded wall in left-centre. And Casilla got pinch-hitter Ed Lucas to ground into a double play with the bases loaded to end the eighth. NOTES: It was the fifth time Saltalamacchia had four hits in a game. ... Stantons career-high 17-game hitting streak ended after going 0 for 5. ... San Francisco hosted "Metallica Night," which included members of the heavy metal band playing the national anthem, drummer Lars Ulrich throwing out the ceremonial first pitch and singer James Hetfield announcing San Franciscos starting lineup. ... RHP Tim Lincecum (3-2 4.78 ERA) starts for the Giants opposite Miamis RHP Tom Koehler (3-3, 2.57) on Saturday. ' ' '
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sports Network) - Former top-10 star James Blakes singles career came to an end on a rainy Wednesday at the U. Solomon Hill Jersey .S. Open. Ivo Karlovic of Croatia fired 38 aces past Blake to claim a 6-7 (2-7), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-2) victory in a match that lasted over three hours. Blakes only other first-round loss here came in 1999. "I dont know when its going to hit me. I dont think Ill be sleeping a lot tonight," Blake said. Blake announced Monday that this would be his last tournament. The 33-year-old American ended his career with 10 singles titles. He reached the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open in 2005 and 2006 and Australian Open in 2008, and also landed in the final at the Tennis Masters Cup in 2006. "Its hitting me now Im never going to have this again in my life, a teary- eyed Blake said. "That ovation makes me realize every bit of hard work is worth it." In 2004, while practicing with fellow American Robby Ginepri in Rome, Blake broke his neck when he slipped on a clay court and collided with the net post. In July of that year, his father died of stomach cancer. At the same time, Blake developed shingles, which temporarily paralyzed half his face and blurred his sight. Blake was the ATPs Comeback Player of the Year in 2005 and was named the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year in 2008. Meanwhile, defending champion Andy Murray and former title winner Juan Martin del Potro posted first-round wins on Wednesday. The third-seeded Murray cruised past French left-hander Michael Llodra 6-2, 6-4, 6-3. The reigning Wimbledon and U.S. Open titlist beat Novak Djokovic in last years final in Flushing and was a runner-up here in 2008. Murray will next do battle with Leonardo Mayer, who took down Victor Hanescu 7-6 (7-4), 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7-4). The sixth-seeded 2009 champion del Potro snuck past Guillermo Garcia-Lopez by a 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 7-6 (9-7) margin in a match that lasted over four hours on a rainy Wednesday. Garcia-Lopez saved three match points in the final tiebreaker before del Potro put him away. The last time del Potro came into the U.S. Open seeded No. 6 was four years ago and he went on to capture the title. Next up for del Potro is former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt, who defeated American Brian Baker by a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 score. Hewitt, who captured the U.S. Open in 2001 and was the 2004 runner-up to Roger Federer, improved his impressive record at Flushing Meadows to 44-11. Stanislas Wawrinka, the No. 9 seed, discarded Czech Radek Stepanek 7-6 (7-2), 6-3, 6-2. The 28-year-old Wawrinka will take on Karlovic in the second round. American Rajeev Ram upset 16th-seeded Italian Fabio Fognini 6-1, 6-2, 6-2. He will play Marcel Granollers in the second round. Granollers outlasted Jurgen Zopp 6-1, 3-6, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4. No. 17 seed Kevin Anderson, No. 20 seed Andreas Seppi and No. 21 seed Mikhail Youzhny avoided the upset bug. Anderson took down Daniel Brands 7-5, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, Seppi beat Xavier Malisse 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 and Youzhny got past Nicolas Mahut 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4). Evgeny Donskoy cruised past 29th-seeded Austrian Jurgen Melzer 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), while Russian Alex Bogomolov Jr. outlasted 24th-seeded Frenchman Benoit Paire 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (7-5). Other first-round wins came from former Australian Open runner-up and former top-10 star Marcos Baghdatis, Peter Gojowczyk, Tim Smyczek, Alexandr Dolgopolov, Somdev Devvarman. O. J. Mayo Jersey . The midfielder had an operation on Saturday, and is set to miss seven Premier League games, the third round of the FA Cup and the semifinals of the League Cup. Ja Morant Jersey . The Gatineau Olympiques head coach will lead Canada in its quest to end its gold medal drought at the 2015 world junior hockey championship held in Montreal and Toronto at the end of this year.SAN FRANCISCO - Miami Marlins manager Mike Redmond has no explanation for why his club has played so well at home and struggled so much on the road this season. Wins like Friday night will help erase those questions. Casey McGehee singled home the winning run with one out in the ninth inning to atone for a costly error and help the Marlins earn a rare road win, 7-5 over the San Francisco Giants. "I think were still trying to figure it out," Redmond said. "If I had an answer to why were so much better at home to on the road, wed fix it, right? But these guys keep battling. They keep fighting. You saw that tonight. We dont quit. We keep grinding. We might make a few mistakes, but we keep going." The Marlins made plenty of mistakes. They also made some big plays, too. Derek Dietrich and Christian Yelich homered, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia snapped an 0-for-26 skid by tying his career high with four singles to stop Miamis slide. The Marlins entered the game losers of six of their past seven games and a majors-worst 4-16 record away from home. They also are a league-best 17-5 at home. "Weve seen those games go the other way sometimes, especially on the road right now. It was huge for us to be able to stick in there and get that one," McGehee said. Santiago Casilla (1-1) got out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth, but couldnt escape trouble in the ninth. The right-hander allowed two baserunners before McGehees tiebreaking grounder to right field. "It just had eyes and got through the infield," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "Thats the way the game goes." Garrett Jones added an RBI single off lefty Javier Lopez and made a leaping catch in the netting of the photographers pit in foul territory in the bottom of the ninth. Mike Dunn (4-3) pitched a scoreless eighth, and Steve Cishek converted his eighth save for Miami. Neither starter pitched well but did just enough to give his team a chance in the final innings. Henderson Alvarez allowed five runs — four earned — and 10 hits in six innings for the Marlins. He struck out four and walked none. Giantts right-hander Yusmeiro Petit, filling in while Tim Hudson rested his nagging hip, gave up five runs — four earned — on seven hits in five innings. Memphis Grizzlies Pro Shop. He struck out five and walked none. "I lost a little bit of my command in the first inning. I tried to stay close in the game," Petit said. After wasting a 4-1 lead in a loss Thursday night to San Francisco, Miami moved ahead 4-1 again but rallied back late this time. The Giants had three RBI hits with two outs, including pinch-hitter Gregor Blancos bloop single in the sixth that tied it at 5-all. Blancos hit came after McGehee couldnt corral a grounder at third. "I still feel terrible. Alvarez battled through and it wouldve been nice to get him the win," McGehee said. Defence — or a lack thereof — proved pivotal in the late innings. Redmond successfully challenged a transfer rule call in the fifth. After a replay review, umpires ruled Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton caught Hunter Pences fly in the web of his glove and dropped the ball trying to transfer it to his hand for a throw. Buster Poseys flyout to right later scored Angel Pagan, who had advanced to third on Stantons botched transfer. Stanton made up for the play with an outstretched catch of Michael Morses fly near the wall in the eighth. Pagan also made a spectacular over-the-head catch on Dietrichs deep fly for the first out of the seventh and held on after running into the padded wall in left-centre. And Casilla got pinch-hitter Ed Lucas to ground into a double play with the bases loaded to end the eighth. NOTES: It was the fifth time Saltalamacchia had four hits in a game. ... Stantons career-high 17-game hitting streak ended after going 0 for 5. ... San Francisco hosted "Metallica Night," which included members of the heavy metal band playing the national anthem, drummer Lars Ulrich throwing out the ceremonial first pitch and singer James Hetfield announcing San Franciscos starting lineup. ... RHP Tim Lincecum (3-2 4.78 ERA) starts for the Giants opposite Miamis RHP Tom Koehler (3-3, 2.57) on Saturday. ' ' '
