导出博客文章NEW YORK -- Andy Murray was the defending champion in 2014 when his 23-year-old
opponent swept him out of Wimbledon.Grigor Dimitrov stormed into his first major
semifinal that day, and surely many more would be to come.More than two years
later, though, Dimitrov has yet to make it past the round of 16 at any Grand
Slam since. His ranking, once in the top 10, plummeted all the way to 40th this
summer, not long after he lost his opening match at five straight tournaments.So
it was quite the reversal when he won four times in the same event at Cincinnati
shortly before arriving at the U.S. Open. And they all came against players
ranked among the top 31 in the world -- most notably Stan Wawrinka. Dimitrov
wound up losing in three sets in the semifinals there to 2014 U.S. Open champ
Marin Cilic.Now the 22nd-seeded Dimitrov is in the round of 16 at a major for
the first time since the 2015 Australian Open. As it happens, he lost to Murray
then, and the two meet again Monday at that stage of the U.S. Open.As it also
happens, Dimitrov recently joined up with coach Dani Vallverdu, who used to work
with Murray.Once nicknamed Baby Fed for his games resemblance to that of Roger
Federer, Dimitrov has acknowledged that he slogged through a stretch when he
wasnt liking the sport too much.Not anymore.I fell in love with tennis again.
Its simple as that, Dimitrov said. Its not only because Ive been winning matches
or anything like that. Its because I started to enjoy the process again.Im
enjoying the work again. Im enjoying waking up in the morning early to come to
practice. Im enjoying doing the ice baths again.Dimitrov has yet to face a
seeded player here and now meets an opponent who has won 36 of his last 38
matches. Murray has also won his last 26 meetings with players ranked outside
the top 20. As it happens, the last such opponent to defeat him was Dimitrov.
That came in Miami in March before Murray found his current form in winning his
second Wimbledon title and second Olympic gold medal.He had some shaky moments
Saturday, though, splitting the first two sets against Paolo Lorenzi -- who was
playing in the third round at a major for the first time and coming off a
five-hour match.Ill need to play better than today if I want to win that, Murray
said after that four-set victory about his upcoming meeting with Dimitrov.Other
matches to watch on Day 8 of the U.S. Open:WILLIAMS WATCHING: The Williams
sisters play back-to-back in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday afternoon. Venus is
up first, facing 10th-seeded Karolina Pliskova, who is in the round of 16 at a
major for the first time. For Venus, its the 45th time.Then Serena meets
52nd-ranked Yaroslava Shvedova. The last time she lost to a player outside the
top 50 at a Grand Slam was to No. 111 Virginie Razzano at the 2012 French Open,
after which she started working with coach Patrick Mouratoglo. Shes won nine of
the 17 majors since.COPYING CONNORS: A quarter-century after 39-year-old Jimmy
Connors rode raucous crowds to an improbable U.S. Open semifinal appearance,
perhaps its only appropriate that Juan Martin del Potro could become the
lowest-ranked quarterfinalist at Flushing Meadows since then.The 142nd-ranked
del Potro has been willed along by fans in New York who fondly remember his 2009
title and respect his comeback from three left wrist surgeries. Hes yet to play
any marathon matches, though, with three straight-set wins.He takes on
eighth-seeded Dominic Thiem, who turned 23 on Saturday and is grappling with the
wear and tear of a long season.Speaking of Connors, 37-year-old Ivo Karlovic is
the oldest man to make the round of 16 at a major since that magical 1991 run.
He meets sixth-seeded Kei Nishikori. Third-seeded Stan Wawrinka, who saved a
match point in a five-set win Saturday, faces Illya Marchenko, whos in his first
Grand Slam round of 16.CRYING GAME: When Croatian teen Ana Konjuh played
Agnieszka Radwanska in the second round at Wimbledon, she had three match points
-- and many more tears. Konjuh accidentally stepped on a ball and injured her
right ankle in the next-to-last game of the 2-6, 6-4, 9-7 loss. Now they meet in
the round of 16 under the lights at Ashe, where the fourth-seeded Radwanska will
be seeking her first U.S. Open quarterfinal. The 92nd-ranked Konjuh is already
on her deepest run at a major.Fifth-seeded Simona Halep faces No. 11 Carla
Suarez Navarro in the other womens match.
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Jersey . The winner Saturday will remain in the elite 10-team field next
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Badgers blunted a Saint Louis surge to win 63-57 and advance to face West
Virginia in Wednesdays finals of the Cancun Challenge. HOUSTON -- Playing with a
seven-man rotation, Arizona coach Sean Miller admitted his team wore down late
against Texas A&M.The Wildcats had just enough left to fight off the Aggies
on Saturday.Dusan Ristic tied a season-high with 18 points as No. 19 Arizona had
to hold off a furious rally by Texas A&M for its fourth straight victory,
67-63.We have seven scholarship players, and we hit around that 10-minute,
8-minute mark and guys start missing shots and defense is not that easy as it
once was, Miller said. That is why depth is so critical. . When they sensed we
were running out of gas, they put it into overdrive.Ristic scored 14 of Arizonas
first 24 points and finished 8 of 12 from the field for the Wildcats (10-2), who
shot 40 percent from the field, including 48 percent in the first half.Lauri
Markkanen added 17 points and seven rebounds, and Kobi Simmons chipped in 14
points for the Wildcats.We were fortunate to hold on, but I also think we
deserved to win, Miller said.Tyler Davis had 23 points and 10 rebounds, Robert
Williams added 15 points and Admon Gilder had 13 points for the Aggies, who shot
45 percent from the field, including 53 percent in the second half.Texas A&M
(7-3) had its three-game winning streak snapped.The Aggies mounted a rally over
the final 5 minutes, using an 18-0 run to close within 65-63 with 22 seconds
left on a 3-pointer by DJ Hogg.It demonstrates that we have the ability if we
show effort on both ends of the court to win games against really good teams,
Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy said. Arizona was better than us for the
majority of the game.But Rawle Alkins hit two free throws with 15 seconds left
to put the Wildcats up by four.After the first one, I felt comfortable, Alkins
said. Coach trusted me and Lauri to make the play happen.Tonny Trocha-Morelos
missed a 3-pointer, and Davis missed the ensuing putback, allowing Simmons to
grab the rebound and dribble out the clock.Arizona ended the first half with a
9-0 run led by Alkins five points to take a 41-28 lead annd carried that
momentum into the second half, pushing the lead to as many as 22 points with a
17-8 spurt over the first 10 minutes of the second half.ddddddddddddTexas
A&M didnt hit a field goal over the last 5:17 of the first half and shot 3
of 10 with eight turnovers to start the second half.For a large portion of the
game, that was our best effort because we were playing against a really good
team as well, Miller said.BIG PICTUREArizona: The Wildcats have continued to
play well since losing to No. 8 Gonzaga on Dec. 3. Arizona defended well,
forcing 14 turnovers and converting them into 18 points. The Wildcats were
aggressive and attacked the paint, scoring 32 points.Texas A&M: The Aggies
are still looking for a marquee win after falling to 0-3 against the Pac-12 this
season. The Aggies allowed Arizonas post players to control down low until the
final 10 minutes and couldnt take advantage of 15 offensive rebounds, scoring 13
second-chance points.POLL IMPLICATIONSArizona: The Wildcats could move up a
couple spots after their fourth straight win.Texas A&M: The Aggies, who were
receiving votes to start the season, will likely remain without
votes.JACKSON-CARTWRIGHT UPDATEArizona junior guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright,
who missed his fifth straight game Saturday with a high ankle sprain, is closer
to returning, Miller said.We are anxious to get him back, Miller said. He is
moving in the direction of coming back. If we can have a couple good weeks, we
might get him back a little more to the beginning of the conference season.UP
NEXTArizona: Hosts New Mexico on Tuesday before taking 10 days off ahead of
Pac-12 play, which starts Dec. 30 at California.Texas A&M: Hosts Saint
Francis (Pa.) on Wednesday before an eight-day break ahead the start of SEC play
Dec. 29 against Tennessee.---More AP college basketball:
www.collegebasketball.ap.org and
https://twitter.com/AP-Top25. ' ' '
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