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• STUTTGART, Germany - Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova, the top ranked players in the world, will contest the final of the Porsche Grand Prix on Sunday. No. 1 Azarenka of Belarus cruised past Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland 6-1, 6-3 in the first of Saturdays semifinals. Second-ranked Sharapova then outlasted No. 3 Petra Kvitova, the Wimbledon champion, 6-4, 7-6 (3). Azarenka is seeking a tour-high fifth tournament title of the year. She went on a 26-0 start to the year that included winning the Australian Open title. Azarenka dominated the match against the fourth-ranked Radwanska, whose only four losses of the year have come against Azarenka. On match point, Azarenka fired a forehand winner to advance to the final. She has a 29-1 record for the year. Sharapova is off to a promising start to her clay court season. The Russian broke serve in the fifth game and did not face a break point in the first set. That changed in the second. Kvitova held 11 break points in the set, but the Czech could not convert any of them. She finally did on her 12th, after saving a match point, to level the score at 6-6 and sent the second set into a tiebreaker. Sharapova made fewer mistakes and cruised home as she seeks her first title of the year. Azarenka leads Sharapova 5-3 in career meetings. <a href="http://www.nfljerseyswholesalecc.com/">nfl jerseys wholesale</a>. Brandon Moss homered for Oakland and left-hander Travis Blackley (2-2) picked off two runners while holding a Texas lineup filled with All-Stars to one run over seven innings. The fifth 10-strikeout game for Darvish (10-5) matched NL All-Star pitcher R. <a href="http://www.nfljerseyswholesalecc.com/">wholesale jerseys</a>. Well chat some hoops later in the week. Im heading to New Orleans and Orlando later in the week for Toronto Raptors games there. <a href="http://www.nfljerseyswholesalecc.com/">http://www.nfljerseyswholesalecc.com/</a>.J. -- It all began as an intriguing idea, the thought of Tim Tebow running around as an exciting spark for the New York Jets offence. <a href="http://www.nfljerseyswholesalecc.com/">cheap jerseys</a>. Pacioretty scored twice to lead the Canadiens to an impressive 5-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night, and emphatically avenge an embarrassing 6-0 home loss Feb. <a href="http://www.nfljerseyswholesalecc.com/">nfl jerseys china</a>. Duhamel, from Lively, Ont., and Radford, from Balmertown, Ont., scored 186.71 points, falling just short of catching Russian gold medallists Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov of Russia who finished with 187. SEATTLE -- Through the first couple weeks of the season, Hisashi Iwakuma has been the most impressive part of Seattles starting staff. Iwakuma pitched 6 2-3 solid innings and got the better of countryman Yu Darvish as the Mariners beat the Texas Rangers 3-1 on Friday night to end a three-game losing streak. In his three starts, Iwakuma has allowed a total of five earned runs and nine hits in 20 2-3 innings. While he is overshadowed by Felix Hernandez, Iwakumas start to 2013 is worth noticing. Kyle Seager gave Seattle an offensive jolt with a two-run double in the first inning and Iwakuma made it stand. "I knew from the very beginning it was going to be a pitchers game," Iwakuma said through an interpreter. "And knowing that (Darvish) is on the mound on the other side, its always exciting because hes a good pitcher." It was the seventh all-time pitching matchup between the pair, both in Japan and the majors. Darvish (2-1) holds a 4-3 advantage. This time it was Iwakumas turn to shine. He held the Rangers bats silent until the fourth inning when Ian Kinsler led off with a homer. That proved to be the extent of the Rangers offence as Iwakuma and three relievers combined to shut down Texas. Tom Wilhelmsen pitched the ninth for his fourth save. "He was throwing pitches to the corner of the strike zone and had a good split working," Texas DH Lance Berkman said. "I might have counted three splits that stayed up all night. Everything else was in the zone and out. He was just really good. He threw a great game." He was perfect through three innings until Kinsler led off the fourth with a towering homer that barely cleared the glove of Raul Ibanez leaping at the wall in left. It was the most obvious example to date of the new dimensions at Safeco Field being a factor. A year ago, Kinslers homer would have either been caught on the warning track or caromed off the wall, which has been moved in slightly and lowered to 8 feet. "It is what it is. But I have to keep the ball down and that ball was up. I paid the price for it," Iwakuma said. Instead of getting rattled, Iwakuma kept rolling. He retired the next five straight and eight of his final 11. Iwakuma left with two outs in the seventh affter throwing 90 pitches, giving up just three hits and striking out six.dddddddddddd Texas had a chance to get to Iwakuma in the sixth when Kinsler led off with a single and was called safe stealing second base by umpire Gary Darling when replays clearly showed he was out. With Mariners fans expressing their displeasure after the missed call was shown on the giant new video board, Iwakuma escaped the jam getting Berkman and Adrian Beltre to pop out to the infield to end the inning. Iwakuma could have continued if not for problems with a blister on his pitching hand. He said a second blood blister was forming on top of the original and that was why his night ended after only 90 pitches. "That was something I had to think about being on the mound. But Ill be ready, I have five days of rest this time. I should be ready for my next start," Iwakuma said. Charlie Furbush took over with two outs in the seventh and allowed a single and a walk, but Stephen Pryor struck out pinch-hitter Craig Gentry to end the inning. Darvish didnt throw well in Seattle during his first season and didnt start Year 2 much better. Darvish plunked Jason Bay for the first time with one out in the first, then gave up consecutive singles to Kendrys Morales and Ibanez, the second one scoring Bay. Justin Smoak flew out to deep centre field for the second out, but Seager continued to show signs of breaking free from an early slump. Seager lined a shot down the first base line and off the tip of Mitch Morelands glove for a two-run double. But that was it for Seattles offence. Darvish didnt allow a hit after Seagers double and retired his final 12 batters before leaving after the sixth. "I could have given up many runs in any inning. I just didnt have my stuff today," Darvish said. Notes: Iwakuma walked Moreland with two outs in the fifth inning, the first walk hes issued this season. His streak of 18 innings without a walk was the second-longest in franchise history. ... In three career starts in Seattle, Darvish has a 7.71 ERA. ... Seattle OF Michael Morse had reduced swelling in his fractured right little finger on Friday and the team is staying with the same timeline that he could be back from the injury in less than a week. ' ' '

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