Clippers player to score in double digits
MONTREAL -- Eugenie Bouchard did everything she could to help her country. Bouchard won both her singles matches, including the clincher on Sunday, to power Canada to a 3-1 victory over Serbia in its Fed Cup World Group II tie over the weekend. In beating Serbias Vesna Dolonc 6-0, 6-3, the Montreal native gave Canada a 3-0 lead in the best-of-five tie in front of her hometown fans at the Claude-Robillard Sports Complex. \"I think I played two solid matches, and I helped Canada,\" said Bouchard, 19. \"Im very proud of that. The whole team was very excited all week.\" Bouchard agreed to represent her country in the Fed Cup despite her busy international schedule. On Monday, she hops on a plane to Doha, Qatar, where she faces American Bethanie Mattek-Sands in the Qatar Open the following day. But Bouchard, whos represented Canada since 2011, thinks thats a small price to pay for wearing the Maple Leaf on her cheek, as she did over the weekend. \"I fully embrace it. It comes with the job,\" she said. \"This is where I want to be. I love playing for my country. I try to enjoy every moment when I play for Canada.\" On Saturday, Bouchard beat the No. 149-ranked Jovana Jaksic 6-1, 6-0 in a dominant performance to give Canada a 2-0 advantage, after her teammate Aleksandra Wozniak of Blainville, Que., defeated Dolonc 7-5, 2-6, 6-4. Canada will now advance to the World Group playoffs, giving the team a chance to advance from the World Group II to a higher division that includes the worlds eight best teams. A draw on Tuesday will determine Canadas next opponent, and whether that tie will be held at home or on the road, when the Fed Cup resumes on April 19. Canadian team captain Sylvain Bruneau had nothing but praise for the rising-star Bouchard. \"Shes very patriotic, and people need to recognize that,\" said Bruneau. \"It wont be easy for her (in Doha), but she did it to represent her country. Shes always been there for us.\" Joining Bouchard (ranked No. 19 in the world) and 274th-ranked Wozniak on the Canadian team were Torontos Sharon Fichman (No. 112) and Ottawas Gabriela Dabrowski (No. 224). Fichman and Dabrowski lost to Serbias Jaksic and Nina Stojanovic 6-2, 3-6, (10-8) in doubles play on Sunday afternoon. Because Canada had already defeated Serbia in the tie, the match was simply a formality. After each team took a set, and with the 10-point tiebreak tied 8-8, Fichman missed her final two shots to hand Serbia the doubles triumph. But the story of the day was Bouchards singles match. Leading 5-3 in her second set, Bouchard sent the No. 117-ranked Dolonc the wrong way to secure the advantage. She then cemented the victory emphatically with an ace. \"I was happy I could stay with her and fight,\" said Bouchard. \"When it counted, I did what I needed to do.\" She needed less than 20 minutes to take the first set, surrendering just seven points in the process. But Dolonc put up a fight in the second set, breaking Bouchard in the first game. She then held serve to force a 2-2 tie. \"It was a closer battle (in the second). She came up with some good points, and I had a few unforced errors,\" said Bouchard, who settled down after a number of uncharacteristic mistakes. \"I tried to win one point at a time and stay in the moment. And that helped me.\" Bouchard went on to win four of the next five games to seal the victory. \"The tempo was very high,\" said Dolonc of the 59-minute match. \"There was constant pressure on me. I was too late all the time. It was really quick. It was tough for me to find my game.\" Bouchards victory meant that Wozniak could skip her singles match. \"They deserved this win,\" said Serbian captain Dejan Vranes of Canadas overall victory. \"Simply, they were the best. I wish them luck. They deserve to be in the World Group next year.\" Vranes team took to the court minus such established stars as Jelena Jankovic (ranked eighth in the world), Ana Ivanovic (No. 12), and Bojana Jovanovski (No. 41). While Ivanovic and Jovanovski are dealing with minor injuries, Jankovic recently chose to retire from international play. Bruneau doesnt think the absence of those great Serbian players diminishes what Canada did over the weekend. \"These players played with all their heart on the court,\" said Bruneau. \"They played for Canada, they played for themselves, and they played for the team. And they gave it their all.\" Daniel Carcillo Blackhawks Jersey .ca. Kerry, I appreciate your earlier comments on Torontos handling of the Vanek goal, and Im sure youve seen the Howie Rose-Kris King interview by now. Duncan Keith Blackhawks Jersey . -- Wes Welker says he has no apprehensions about concussions or rust as he returns to the Denver Broncos lineup Sunday for the first time in more than a month. http://www.blackhawkshockeyofficial.com/. -- The Detroit Lions made it crystal clear to Golden Tate that he was their top target in free agency. Bryan Bickell Blackhawks Jersey .Blake Griffin had 31 points and 13 rebounds, and the Clippers rolled to a 105-85 victory over San Antonio on Saturday night, snapping the Spurs six-game home winning streak. Trevor Van Riemsdyk Blackhawks Jersey . It was hard for Luck to pull off another comeback, or even get into the end zone, while standing on the sideline. Rivers threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to rookie Keenan Allen and Nick Novak kicked four field goals to give the Chargers a 19-9 victory against the Colts on Monday night.LOS ANGELES -- Damian Lillard scored 12 of his 16 points in the third quarter to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a 94-84 exhibition victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night. Lillard scored nine consecutive points in the period as the Blazers pulled away after trailing by a point at halftime. Nicolas Batum scored 14 points and Robin Lopez added nine points and 10 rebounds as Portland built a 17-point lead with less than 110 minutes left in the game.dddddddddddd The Los Angeles bench, led by Darren Collison, cut the deficit to four points, but Portland finished the game on a 10-2 run. Collison led all scorers with 31 points and added six assists. Blake Griffin was the only other Clippers player to score in double digits, finishing with 18 points and six rebounds in 25 minutes. 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