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BURLINGTON (Chu/Agosta) – The 2012 IIHF Women’s World Championship started Saturday, Apr. 7, in Burlington, Vt. Julie Chu from the United States team and Canadian team member Meghan Agosta blogged for NHL.com about their experiences during the tournament.

Before the gold medal game against Canada on Saturday we were able to witness a great moment in women’s hockey. We showed up at the rink early and when we walked in there the Swiss team was actually playing the Finnish team for the first time ever in the bronze medal game. Switzerland actually won their first medal in international play at the A-pool level. I think that was a great victory for them. We can all step back and realize that was a great moment for Women’s hockey that we can have new teams come into the ranks of the top three. It also helped us to increase the intensity and excitement of the gold medal game.

I had goose bumps when I stepped on the ice. It was a great game. It was probably one of the best gold-medal games that I’ve been a part of. I think the atmosphere was again similar to the previous Saturday when we got as chance to play Canada. It was a sold out arena with a ton of American flags and a couple sections of Canadian fans as well, so the atmosphere was incredible. It was really important to have such an incredible crowd to play in front of.

Canada came out flying in the beginning and we expected that because of the previous score that we had against them. We took an early penalty that kind of put us on our heels a little bit and I would say the first ten minutes Canada was playing very solid hockey and we were just trying to settle in but as the rest of the first period progressed, we evened it up and by the end of the first the shots were very even.

Special teams were a huge part of the success of both teams and we ended up going down 3-1 in the second period. It’s a bit of a killer when that happens, but the thing that I loved about our team when I looked around was that there was still a belief that we had the opportunity to win. Even though we were trailing 3-1 at that point, it wouldn’t take much for us to get the tides to turn.

We killed off the big 4 on 3 power play that the Canadians had at one point and I think for us that was huge. The next period we came out and it was a great show and we gained a lot of momentum. Canada took a couple of penalties and that allowed us to score on the power play and the next thing you know, it was 3-3. When that last power play goal was scored, our bench erupted. Everyone was jumping on each other, the enthusiasm was there, the momentum had shifted and the crowd was going crazy and it was late in the second period. Right after that, we went into the locker room and there was a great buzz. We had worked hard, we had fought back from a two-goal deficit and we were ready to keep going.

In the third period, we came out and it was a great period, back and forth. Again we were able to capitalize and went up, 4-3. It was awesome. It was a great moment for us and we played some tough hockey from there. The Canadians though are a great team and they’re really competitive and they were able to poke in a power-play goal late in the third and that brought us into the overtime, 4-4.

In overtime it wasn’t long until Canada scored, it was just 2:00 in. Sometimes, that’s just the way it goes. It’s a sudden death game and we were trying to battle and work hard and unfortunately it went in their favor this time around. It’s a tough pill to swallow because we were playing on our home soil, we just had this incredible comeback, we were competitive and we believed in our team and when you don’t win at the end of it it’s definitely one of those things that stings. It will sting for a little bit but at the same time I’m so proud of the effort our team put towards the entire tournament from game one to two, three, four and into the final game.

We all agreed that if we were going to go on that ice and put on a USA jersey that we were going to play the best that we could and make sure that we were always going to become better after each game and make sure that we were correcting all the little things even if we were successful on a game day. Overall, as far as our team played, it was awesome. Also, the fact that Burlington, V.T., hosted they did such a phenomenal job, it just made my experience that much better.

When we step back from it, in a couple of weeks it’s easier to not have all the raw emotions behind it, but I think we all see what an incredible hockey game that was and anyone that had an opportunity to see it said that it was unreal. So, I was proud to be a part of it and I was proud that our team continued to fight, being down one goal in the first period and coming back then being down two goals, coming back and taking the lead and it was definitely and emotional roller coaster and it was a great experience.

For all of us, right now, once the tournament is over we all head back to our home, we feel a void for a little bit because we just spent three weeks together, training and playing and dedicating our lives to hockey and to each other.

The world championships for us are really the pinnacle of what we work for every year. It’s what we dedicate our lives too, and what we’re passionate about and I’m so grateful that we have an opportunity to be a part of it. There is kind of this lull right now and you have flashbacks from the game and think about it, but, I think that a lot of times when I think back it’s with a lot of smiles and we have some incredible teammates that made this experience so special. The last three weeks have been a testament to that. Now I will get some rest and recovery and in two weeks time I’ll get ready to dedicate myself to another year of training so that we can hopefully have a different result when we get to Ottawa for the 2013 worlds.

MySportNews іѕ a sports news digest publication that compiles real time, on demand sports news, articles, аnd resources. This article was distributed by Syndicated Sports news wire and aggregation service, For more NHL news see: Chu: US proud of efforts in championship game despite loss to Canada.

NEW YORK - Falling behind by four goals isn’t usually an indicator that a team had a chance for a victory in a Stanley Cup Playoff contest.

But that’s not how Ottawa Senators coach Paul MacLean sees it.

The Senators were trailing 1-0 midway through the second period against the top-seeded New York Rangers on Thursday night in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series at Madison Square Garden, but they were beginning to overwhelm the heavy favorites. The Rangers were hemmed in their own zone for two consecutive shifts, resulting in a timeout from coach John Tortorella to relax the troops — who were seeing the game start to slip away.

The Senators held a 22-12 shot advantage at that time, and only some terrific saves by Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist had kept Ottawa off the scoreboard.

After that stoppage, the Rangers took over, scoring three goals on their next four shots to roll to a 4-2 victory.

All in all, MacLean saw a lot of positives, uncharacteristic of a game that was virtually over with 17 minutes left in the third period.

“I think for us, we were pretty pleased with how the first period went,” MacLean said. “But for the last four, maybe five minutes of the second period is when we end up giving up a couple goals and (another) early in the third period. If you could take away those six minutes, we are pretty happy with how we played the game. We will build on the 54 minutes we played reasonably well and try to see what we can do to correct the six minutes we didn’t.”

It sounds a little crazy, but MacLean isn’t just trying to encourage his young team in what is the first postseason for many of them.

Goaltender Craig Anderson allowed four goals, but he was hung out to dry on three of them. Ryan Callahan opened the scoring for the Rangers in the first period, sweeping home a rebound while defenseman Filip Kuba wasn’t as physical in front of the net as he could’ve been.

Marian Gaborik made it 2-0 after a turnover by Senators defenseman Jared Cowen, an unchecked Brian Boyle snapped a wrist shot from the slot late in the second period to make it 3-0, and Brad Richards finished a pass from Carl Hagelin alone in front of the net to put the Rangers ahead 4-0 early in the third period.

It was only a six-minute flourish, but it was enough to drop the Senators into a 1-0 series hole.

“I thought it was a pretty even game,” center Jason Spezza said, “then we kind of got off our game plan for a little bit for a few minutes, and it’s 4-0. It’s building off what we tried to do here in the third period. I’m looking forward to the next game.”

Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson cut the lead to 4-1 midway through the period, and forward Erik Condra gave the Senators a flicker of hope when he cut the lead to 4-2 with 2:19 left in regulation.

The problem for Ottawa was the turnovers that translated directly into Rangers goals.

“We lose the game so were not happy with it,” Spezza said. “But there’s things we can learn from it. I don’t know if you’d call them positives. There’s little lapses in our game that we can learn from.

“You can talk to guys about how the pace is going to be quicker, decisions are going to have to made quicker, but now we’ve been through it and guys are going to know what to expect in the next game. We didn’t anticipate this would be an easy series. There’s things to draw from.”

It was too little, too late in Game 1, but it could give the Senators some optimism heading into Game 2.

“We need to be better through the neutral zone to get more possession in their end,” defenseman Sergei Gonchar said. “It’s nice to get a couple of goals to make us feel a bit better, but we know we have to be better on Saturday. We get one day to regroup and get ready.”

Follow Dave Lozo on Twitter: @DaveLozo

MySportNews іѕ a sports news digest publication that compiles real time, on demand sports news, articles, аnd resources. This article was distributed by Syndicated Sports news wire and aggregation service, For more NHL news see: Senators find some positives in Game 1 loss.

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla.

Top-ranked Victoria Azarenka lost for the first time this year when she was beaten by Marion Bartoli 6-3, 6-3 on Wednesday in the quarterfinals of the Sony Ericsson Open.

Current No. 1 Azarenka was off to the best start on the women’s tour at 26-0 since Martina Hingis went 37-0 to begin 1997. An unreliable serve and atypical mistakes from the baseline doomed her against Bartoli.

“I’m a human, not a superwoman, and I wish I could be, but I’m not,” Azarenka said with a smile. “I feel disappointed, sure. Who wouldn’t be after the loss? But what I’ve done in the last couple of months, I have to be really proud of myself.”

The steady Bartoli took charge of rallies by playing inside the baseline.

“Sometimes I took the ball extremely early,” she said. “It was almost table tennis.”

Seeded No. 7, Bartoli advanced to the Key Biscayne semifinals for the second time in three years. Her opponent in the semifinals Thursday will be No. 5 Agnieszka Radwanska, who eliminated Venus Williams 6-4, 6-1.

The other semifinal will be between Caroline Wozniacki and Maria Sharapova, a three-time Key Biscayne runner-up.

In the men’s quarterfinals, No. 2-seeded Rafael Nadal continued his bid for his first Key Biscayne title by beating No. 6 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-2, 5-7, 6-4. His opponent Friday will be 2009 champion Andy Murray, who overcame an upset stomach and early deficit to beat No. 9 Janko Tipsarevic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Venus looked weary Wednesday after winning three consecutive three-set matches. Williams’ serve lacked its usual speed, and by the final game she wasn’t even chasing after shots in the corner.

The tournament was Williams’ first since the US Open last August, where she withdrew after being diagnosed with a fatigue-causing autoimmune disease.

“It was disappointing not to be able to feel my best today,” Williams said. “I was able to keep it close in the first set and try different strategies, but it was definitely a mental battle, and today I didn’t conquer the mental part of it.”

Eager to keep points short in the 85-degree sunshine, Williams charged the net often but was frequently had to lunge for shots. She committed 38 unforced errors to 10 for Radwanska, and won only five of 26 points on her second serve.

“It was pretty hot out there,” Radwanska said. “Maybe that was why she didn’t look that good.”

Venus was the second Williams in 18 hours to be eliminated. Younger sister Serena lost Tuesday night to Wozniacki.

Venus is ranked No. 134 and needed a wild card to enter the tournament. The three-time Olympian’s goal is to improve her ranking enough to qualify for the London Games, and she’s projected to climb next week back into the top 90.

In the past, the cutoff for making the Olympics has been around 68th. It will be based on rankings in early June. Radwanska, ranked a career-best No. 4, advanced to the Key Biscayne semifinals for the first time. She’s 0-4 this year against top-ranked Victoria Azarenka and 24-0 against everyone else.

She beat Williams in 2006 but had since lost five consecutive meetings.

“Of course she had some time off last couple of months,” Radwanska said. “But she’s still a great player. I really had to play very well today to beat her.”

Williams overcame a match point in the third round against Aleksandra Wozniak on Sunday night, and said she was up until 4 a.m. afterward. She recovered to beat No. 15-seeded Ana Ivanovic on Monday.

Williams said her ailment requires her to save all her energy for tennis, but she strayed from that approach with a day off Tuesday.

“I should have rested more probably,” Williams said. “After a while you start to feel like maybe everything’s behind you. I definitely learned maybe if you’re doing something right, don’t change it.”

Her energy reserve appeared low from the start of the quarterfinal, and she lost the first seven points. Radwanska took advantage of Williams’ lethargy by hitting several drop shots for winners and pouncing on weak second serves.

When Williams had a chance at an easy overhead, she walked up to the ball flat-footed. Facing break point early in the second set, she mustered only a 72-mph first serve, well below her norm of 110 or more.

Williams lost the final six points, dumped her last shot into the net and began looking ahead to the clay-court season. She plans to play next week at Charleston, South Carolina.

“I’ve definitely learned a lot about ways maybe I could prepare during the tournament,” she said.

MySportNews іѕ a sports news digest publication that compiles real time, on demand sports news, articles, аnd resources. This article was distributed by Syndicated Sports news wire and aggregation service, For more tennis news see: Bartoli hands Azarenka first loss of year.

CBSSports.com wire reports
Feb. 26, 2012

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — There’s no one quite as frustrating as Russ Smith is for Rick Pitino. The coach also realizes it’s hard for his Louisville team to win without the frenetic guard.

“I don’t mean to do the things that I do sometimes,” said Smith, who was apologizing to Pitino moments after the 17th-ranked Cardinals beat Pittsburgh 57-54 on Sunday. “I’m not trying to get him upset, so I just want him to know that. I love Coach. I don’t want to get him angry, mad at me.”

Smith scored 18 points and Kyle Kuric added 17, but Smith said his play late nearly cost Louisville when he nearly fouled by reaching in on defense in the final minute with the game on the line.

“It’s so difficult with him,” Pitino said. “It really is. I’ve never known what a nervous breakdown is, but coaching him almost daily I feel like I’m going to have a nervous breakdown.”

With Kuric, there’s hardly any worry.

The senior overcame an 0-for-11 performance in Thursday’s loss to Cincinnati by hitting his first shot and making a key 3-pointer late. Kuric’s bucket as the shot clock expired gave Louisville (22-7, 10-6 Big East) a 53-48 lead with 3:25 left.

“I got it, just had to shoot it and it went in,” Kuric said. “I wasn’t thinking about it. I kept my confidence up like any other game and just not dwell on the fact that I was off [Thursday].”

Pittsburgh (15-14, 4-12) cut the lead to one and had three chances to tie or take the lead in the final minute, but Tray Woodall missed a jumper and senior Ashton Gibbs’ shot from just inside halfcourt as time expired missed off the back iron with Smith chasing him.

“It was a good opportunity for us to come back and try and get in the groove and get the W but we fell short,” said Pittsburgh forward J.J. Moore, who scored 16 points. “We made some flaws on the defensive end and we made some flaws on the offensive end. It just fell through.”

Leading 53-52, Louisville freshman Chane Behanan had two chances to ice the game. The 60 percent free-throw shooter missed the first in a one-and-one situation, but Woodall missed a jumper and Behanan was fouled with 13 seconds left.

After he hit both, Woodall drove to the hoop, scoring with 5.2 seconds to play. The Panthers fouled Peyton Siva just over a second later and Siva made both to finish with 11 points.

On the final play, Moore found Gibbs, who dribbled just past the halfcourt line and just missed on a good look that would’ve tied the game.

“We don’t have to learn how to win again. We know how to win. We just have to execute a lot of plays,” Moore said. “We play hard every day. The team knows how to win. We know how to win and we just have to put it out there on the court.”

Smith took over midway through the second half with the Cardinals trailing 38-35. Smith scored nine straight points in the span for Louisville, capping his spurt with a 3-pointer that made it 44-40 with 9:22 left.

“I have no idea what he does out there on the court,” Pitino said. “He’s won about four or five games for us this year, he really has. I live with it. I coached Antoine Walker, I can live with any type of shot.”

On the next possession, Louisville center Gorgui Dieng blocked a shot and then tipped an inbounds pass to Siva that started a break that Kuric finished with a reverse layup. Pittsburgh’s bench was called for a technical foul and Kuric hit the second of two free throws to make it 47-40 with 8:31 left.

Pittsburgh had one more rally and Moore’s basket cut it to 50-48, but Dante Taylor missed the front end of a one-and-one with a chance to tie, and Kuric hit a straightaway 3-pointer from 22 feet with the shot clock at 1 to put the Cardinals up 53-48 with 3:25 to go.

“You don’t know how big that shot was,” Smith said. “There’s definitely no punch line to that. Once he released it, everybody on the bench was like, `Please go in’ and it went in. We got some breathing room, and that’s what we needed.”

Woodall added hit a fadeaway shot over Kuric and Lamar Patterson found Taylor for a dunk with 28 seconds to go that made it 53-52 to set up the final sequence.

The Panthers have been hampered by injuries all season and Woodall (flu, groin), Nasir Robinson (left knee) and Gibbs (left ankle) missed parts of practice this week as the team has slumped following high preseason expectations.

There were brief glimpses of what Pittsburgh could’ve been, including a six-point spurt to start the second half that gave the Panthers a 30-25 lead, but Louisville answered when Siva hit a tough layup, made the first of two free throws and found Kuric for a 3-pointer to give Louisville a 31-30 lead.

The matchup had the feel of a Sunday pickup game with both sides trying to dribble through the other team’s zone looks.

On one possession, Smith nearly lost the ball out of bounds on a pass as Pitino slapped his hands in his knees in disbelief. Passing proved to be a problem for Pittsburgh, too, when the ball from Woodall went right through Gibbs’ hands without any pressure at midcourt as the teams combined for 33 turnovers.

“We felt it was a game we should have won and it just got away from us,” Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon said. “Turnovers were what really hurt us.”

MySportNews іѕ a sports news digest publication that compiles real time, on demand sports news, articles, аnd resources. This article was distributed by Syndicated Sports news wire and aggregation service, For more college basketball news see: Louisville sends Pitt to 5th straight loss.

BOSTON – Kyle Casey scored 20 points as Harvard rallied from a 10-point deficit and then outlasted Princeton 67-64 Friday night, avenging its only Ivy League loss of the season and setting a program record for wins in a season.

The Crimson (24-3, 10-1), who fell to the Tigers 70-62 on Feb. 11, led by six in the first half before Princeton surged to a 33-23 lead at the 3:59 mark. Harvard held the Tigers scoreless the rest of the half to close to 33-32.

With Princeton up 50-43 and 11:05 remaining, the Crimson went on a 9-0 run.

After the Tigers got to 59-58 with 53 seconds left, Harvard went 8 of 8 from the free throw line in the last 34 seconds.

Brandyn Curry added 15 points, Oliver McNally 13 and Keith Wright 12 for the Crimson.

Ian Hummer and Douglas Davis scored 14 apiece to lead Princeton (15-11, 6-4).

MySportNews іѕ a sports news digest publication that compiles real time, on demand sports news, articles, аnd resources. This article was distributed by Syndicated Sports news wire and aggregation service, For more NCAA basketball news see: Harvard rallies to avenge lone Ivy loss .

Nearly a month after his “dance” moves at a New England Patriots Super Bowl postgame non-victory party drew criticism from some and bewilderment from others, tight end Rob Gronkowski said he can understand the viewpoint of fans.

But he’s not about to let his work ethic come into question.

The video of a shirtless Gronkowski jumping around a dance floor, on an ankle injury that had his status for the game in question, drew the ire of many, including former Patriot Rodney Harrison. Others — notably one of his bosses, Jonathan Kraft — didn’t take issue with the scene.

Gronkowski, ever the student, drew from the Bill Belichick cache of responses during an interview with 97.5 FM in Philadelphia on Friday, explaining that, essentially, he was just having fun.

“I always put my job first, before anything, no matter what it is. I’m always dedicating myself,” Gronkowksi said.

“Unfortunately, I mean, it just happened like that. It just is what it is,” he added. “I had a lot of fun with my family, and that was the first time I got to see them in awhile. We were just having fun with my brothers, friends I hadn’t seen in a while. The chance of hanging out with LMFAO, that was pretty cool too. Unfortunately we didn’t win and that was the No. 1 goal.”

Gronkowski, who said he’s still in a cast and on crutches following surgery on the ankle, admitted he’s not over the loss emotionally.

But he very much appeared over the loss in the video in question, and it was suggested that many perceive he could have taken the loss harder.

“Yes, definitely I could see the fan’s viewpoint,” Gronkowski said. “I’m 100 percent in every single game, every single practice. It was definitely a tough loss. I was hurting from it, everyone was hurting from it. You don’t work that hard all year to get to the final game and lose. It just hurts.

“It just went on. I’m an easy-going kind of guy. I try and get over things as soon as possible. Life just moves on.”

MySportNews іѕ a sports news digest publication that compiles real time, on demand sports news, articles, аnd resources. This article was distributed by Syndicated Sports news wire and aggregation service, For more NFL news see: Pats’ Gronkowski defends work ethic, isn’t over Super Bowl loss.

MELBOURNE, Australia

It’s not that she didn’t try, because she did. It’s not that she wasn’t fit enough to play, because she was. But Serena Williams, a five-time champion at the Australian Open, put in a performance Monday that she described as “disastrous” while losing 6-2, 6-3 to Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova, ranked No. 56 in the world.

Why? Not quite sure she even knows the answer to that question. Lack of match practice certainly played a part, as did the fact the ankle she injured in Brisbane made moving to the left difficult. But it didn’t explain the lethargy that seemed to be draped over Serena’s game like a cloak of despair. At times she appeared to move in slow motion, and her second serve would have looked ordinary on those public courts in New York’s Central Park.

EYES ON MELBOURNE

Check out all the action from Melbourne Park.

“I served like a . . . I guess that’s not appropriate,” she said, pulling back from what she really thought about her serve. “I can’t even describe how I served, to be honest. It wasn’t good enough. My lefty serve is actually better than that. Maybe I should have started serving lefty.”

Serena was actually far more impressive in her press conference than she had been on court. She can be funny, sarcastic, miserable, dismissive or just plain ornery in front of the media, depending on her mood. But this time she was just honest and rational.

Was she fit? “I never blame any injury that I have because she played really well and deserved to win today,” was the reply. “I look forward to our next match. I feel I can definitely play so much better. And that’s good. Like if I felt I couldn’t play better, that would be a problem.”

She insisted that she was feeling fine but “obviously not a hundred percent. But it’s no excuse or anything.”

Serena did admit that, had this not been a Grand Slam, she would not have played. Nevertheless, she is planning to play Fed Cup next month against Belarus in Worcester, Mass., and she expects Venus to join her.

“She’s been training, so I expect her to be there,” Serena said of her sister. “I’m looking forward to it.”

In 2009, Serena arrived here lacking match practice, apparently unfit, and she prepared by spending a lot of time on the beach. And she won. But she is 30 now, and everything is getting a little more difficult. The only good news as the last American at the year’s first Grand Slam heads for home is that she seems intent on playing more tennis. “And getting better,” she said.

For Makarova, it was a dream come true. The powerful left-hander hit some great winners down the line and, despite missing three match points on Serena’s serve with nervous returns, eventually claimed the best victory of her career.

“I played her in Beijing, and I was really afraid of her,” she said. “It was really tough to play against her. But this time – I don’t know – I felt so comfortable. I really thought I could beat her.”

And she did, which was good going for a player who had lost in the first round of the last six tournaments she had played in 2011.

There was an upset in the men’s draw, too, when Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – many critics’ choice as the leading outsider here – went down 2-6, 6-2, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 to Japan’s Kei Nishikori. Nishikori has been threatening to produce a big result like this in a major tournament and proceeded to do so.

Nishikori’s ability to change pace and hit penetrating backhands has always been his strength, and he perforated the French defenses in the second and third sets when the powerful Tsonga was overwhelmed by his opponent’s clinical hitting.

Despite temperatures that hung in the 90s, Nishikori weathered Tsonga’s spirited fight in the fourth, broke to lead 3-1 in the fifth and then dug himself out of an 0-40 situation on his own serve. It was Tsonga’s last gasp.

“Usually I’m good,” said Tsonga. “But today, he was just better than me. When you have a guy in front of you who returns everything, even when you serve at 215 kilometers per hour (133 mph), it puts a lot of pressure.”

Nishikori will play last year’s finalist, Andy Murray. Murray went off in search of a practice court after playing just 49 minutes against Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan, who retired at 6-1, 6-1, 1-0 down.

“It was boring; there was nothing happening out there,” Murray said. “He had a problem and couldn’t run. So there was no point in going on.”

Kukushkin became the ninth player to retire in the middle of a match or fail to start in the men’s draw this year. The women have had four defaults. The game is becoming too rough on the body.

On a warm evening under the lights, the Rod Laver Arena crowd finally got a women’s match to remember as Maria Sharapova screeched and fought her way to a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory over Sabine Lisicki after an undulating two-hour battle was all about winning the big points. Sharapova did, and her feisty German opponent didn’t.

Sharapova hit 43 unforced errors and only 21 winners, but the tall Russian made those winners count as she saved break points and closed out vital games.

Sharapova had raced away to a 3-0 lead in the first set, only to be thrown back on her heels as Lisicki, the 14th seed, grabbed six consecutive games with her powerful groundstrokes. Sharapova, who won this title in 2008, shrugged off the set back and took charge with some pounding winners of her own. The match was played with huge intensity, but, in the end, Sharapova had just too much fire power.

Still No. 1

It could have been embarrassing – the hurting, aging local hero getting slaughtered by the majestic world No. 1, but Lleyton Hewitt was never going to go quietly into the night. Yes, he lost but not before one of Australia’s favorite sporting sons had kept Novak Djokovic out on Rod Laver Arena until 1 in the morning and most of the crowd there with him.

Djokovic eventually moved into the quarterfinals by 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, but the manner in which Hewitt fought back from 0-3 in the third set had the crowd on its feet, roaring their heads off. Chasing and scrambling, ignoring pain in his toe, ankle and finally his racket hand, the man who won the US Open in 2001 and Wimbledon in 2002, just would not give up.

“He made me play that extra ball, and soon I was making errors,” Djokovic said. “He makes it very difficult.”

Hewitt has made a career out of making it very difficult for opponents, and he wants to go on doing so. Djokovic, who had not dropped a set in his previous matches, was just happy to get out of there unscathed.

MySportNews іѕ a sports news digest publication that compiles real time, on demand sports news, articles, аnd resources. This article was distributed by Syndicated Sports news wire and aggregation service, For more tennis news see: Serena’s game falls apart in Aussie loss.

Tom Brady is back in the Super Bowl, receiving his chance to exorcise some serious demons with a rematch against the Giants set for Feb. 5 in Indianapolis.

In his weekly interview with WEEI-AM in Boston, Brady discussed the Patriots’ 23-20 win over the Ravens in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game and the challenges that await New England at Lucas Oil Stadium in two weeks.

“I can’t wait, I’m excited. I really enjoyed yesterday’s win,” Brady said Monday. “I wish I’d done a better job yesterday, but I’m thrilled to be part of this game and to be part of this team and to lead our team onto the field at Indy.”

The Super Bowl XLII loss to the Giants in 2008 obviously will be a major point of discussion leading up to the game. Brady admitted the loss has stayed with him four years later.

“As time goes on, I still can’t watch highlights from that game, that’s just the way it is,” he said. “You get to the end, and we had a great opportunity there and really squandered it because we didn’t play our very best.”

The Patriots advanced to the Super Bowl despite a less-than-stellar performance by Brady in the AFC Championship Game. Brady finished 22-of-36 passing for 236 yards with two interceptions and a rushing TD. He said Jimmy Smith’s end-zone interception in the fourth quarter “kept me up all night.”

The Patriots and Giants met back in Week 9, with New York securing a 24-20 win behind a late Eli Manning touchdown drive. Brady said New England will use the game as a study tool.

“We’ll certainly look at that game, several times,” he said. “You see matchups. You see how your guys match up against their guys — route-running and blocking and so forth. It will have absolutely zero impact on the game, but at the same time, hopefully we can learn some lessons from that game.”

MySportNews іѕ a sports news digest publication that compiles real time, on demand sports news, articles, аnd resources. This article was distributed by Syndicated Sports news wire and aggregation service, For more NFL news see: Brady still can’t watch Patriots’ Super Bowl XLII loss to Giants.