warum » going to stop. Thats just how it is." Twice, when Stral

Mason, OH (Sports Network) - World No. 1 Serena Williams needed all three sets to win her second-round match Wednesday at the $2.37 million Western & Southern Open, a hardcourt U.S. Open tune-up. Following an opening-round bye, the reigning U.S. and French Open champ lost the opening set against qualifier and rising Canadian Eugenie Bouchard before charging back for a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 decision at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. The American needed 1 hour, 47 minutes to advance, which she did with the help of seven aces and six breaks of serve. Bouchard is currently ranked No. 62 in the world. Williams, fresh off her title in Toronto last week, will encounter German Mona Barthel in the third round on Thursday. Meanwhile, sixth-seeded former French Open runner-up Sara Errani of Italy snuck past Slovenian qualifier Polona Hercog 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 and seventh-seeded former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova fought off qualifier Marina Erakovic of New Zealand 6-4, 6-7 (7-9), 6-3. Ninth-seeded German and 2012 Cincy runner-up Angelique Kerber beat Russian Alisa Kleybanova 7-6 (7-3), 6-2, while 11th-seeded former U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur of Australia handled American Jamie Hampton 6-3, 7-6 (7-3). Stosur was the titlist in Carlsbad two weeks ago. Also on Day 3, 12th-seeded Italian Roberta Vinci held off German qualifier Andrea Petkovic 6-4, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3 and the aforementioned Barthel vanquished 16th-seeded Russian Maria Kirilenko 6-4, 6-4. This weeks winner will earn $426,000. The tournament is part of the U.S. Open Series, or the North American hardcourt events that lead up to the U.S. Open, which will commence August 26. Anfernee Simons Jersey . -- Rodney Stuckey scored 15 of his 21 points in the second half, and the Detroit Pistons beat the New York Knicks for the first time in eight meetings, 92-86 on Tuesday night. Portland Trail Blazers Jerseys .Y. - Carey Price had an early feeling that one goal might be enough to settle the latest matchup between his Montreal Canadiens and longtime Original Six foe, the New York Rangers. http://www.blazersteamofficial.com/Anfernee-Simons-Blazers-Jersey/ . -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have released veteran guard Davin Joseph, a mainstay on their offensive line over the past eight seasons. Gary Trent Jr. Jersey . - The New England Patriots needed help on defence so they added three experienced players at midseason. Jusuf Nurkic Jersey . Duhamel, from Lively, Ont., and Radford, from Balmertown, Ont., were third with 210.84 points. Teammates Kirsten Moore-Towers of St. Catharines, Ont., and Dylan Moscovitch of Toronto were fourth. Duhamel and Radford, who were seventh at the Sochi Olympics, also won bronze at last years world championships in London, Ont.After feeling satisfied about his teams play in three losses to open the Stanley Cup final, New York Rangers coach Alain Vigneault could easily empathize with the Los Angeles Kings when the roles were reversed in Game 4. "It was a real tough game, I think, for L.A," Vigneault said. "It was probably their best game of the playoffs that theyve played against us." And it was a loss, as the Kings failed to finish off the sweep thanks to 40 saves by Henrik Lundqvist, one by Anton Stralman and one by a combination of snow built up in the crease and Derek Stepan. That the Rangers needed so much luck and strong goaltending only underscored just how dominant Los Angeles was. Just dont tell the results-oriented Kings that. Even after players talked after wins about needing to play better, the self-criticism was turned up despite outshooting the Rangers 41-19. "At the end of the day, we werent good enough to win," captain Dustin Brown said. "Its about finding a way to be better." The chance to do that comes in Fridays Game 5 back at Staples Center in Los Angeles with the Kings still in command of the series and the Cup waiting nearby. After Game 4 at Madison Square Garden, it didnt feel as though the Kings were on the cusp of the title, like it did after they went up three games to none. All around the visiting locker-room there was talk about what areas needed to be better, from start to finish. "We still probably could play better for a full game," fourth-line centre Mike Richards said. "It took us a little bit to get into it again for whatever reason." A turnover off the opening faceoff by leading Conn Smythe Trophy candidate Drew Doughty was an inauspicious start, but the Kings still had the lions share of chances. No time was that more evident than in the third period, when the Kings shelled Lundqvist to the tune of 15 shots to New Yorks one, which didnt come untill almost 13 minutes had elapsed.dddddddddddd The puck was close to going in, but it didnt. "We had some good chances in the third," Brown said. "We have to put ourselves in better situations." While the Kings gave Lundqvist his due for stonewalling them, they put the onus on themselves to get better scoring chances moving forward in the series. Quality, not quantity. "I think we can do a better job getting to him," centre Anze Kopitar said. "I think (there) a couple of times where we didnt make it tough on him. The pucks were sitting there. But the pucks hes going to see, hes going to stop. Thats just how it is." Twice, when Stralman knocked the puck off the goal-line in the first and when Stepan swept it off with 71 seconds left in the third, Lundqvist didnt see the puck until it was almost too late. Alec Martinez couldve had a goal and then an assist on a shot deflected by Tanner Pearson, but that wasnt how things went for the Kings on Wednesday night. Doughty even called both goals against "pretty bad bounces." And while luck has appeared to define this series, the Kings arent on the verge of a second championship in three years because they rely on good fortune. "If we clean up our play, you make your own bounces at this time of year," Brown said. "We had chances that we didnt put in the back of the net." Having reached the final by coming back from a 3-0 series deficit against the San Jose Sharks and needing seven games in the other two series, the Kings know what to expect energy-wise from the Rangers on Friday night. Thats a big help. But an even bigger help would be fixing any holes that have kept the Kings from polishing things off. "We could still do some better things for a more consistent period of time," Richards said. "Well look at it. Watch some video and correct a couple of things and put our best foot forward." ' ' '