I think that was a bit the theme the whole match

LONDON -- As first-round losses go, this one was easier to take for Vasek Pospisil. Playing at Wimbledon on his 24th birthday, the Vancouver player saved three match points before falling to Robin Haase 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 on Monday. Despite his loss, Pospisil was more than satisfied that the back pains which had made his life hell for the past six months have been fixed thanks to a diagnosis by a Prague doctor after months of uncertainty. Pain-free over the last two weeks, Pospisil said he now knows exactly what was bothering him and that the problem has become "completely manageable." Pospisil came to the All England Club after reaching the quarter-finals on grass last week in the Netherlands in his best career performance on the surface. "This was the first match of the year which felt normal," said the player who began to be bothered by his back in Chennai in early January. "Last week was the first week of the season in which I recognized myself on court in terms of competing. "I played quite well last week and today I just had a couple of mistakes and it didnt work out. "But this was definitely a normal match. Now I can focus on what I need to work on. Not playing much probably cost me today. My main goal now is to stay healthy and finally be able to work on improving my game." On the womens side, Aleksandra Wozniak of Blainville, Que., was also eliminated, losing 6-1, 6-2 to Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia. The No. 31 seed was beaten in a battle lasting one hour 38 minutes to leave his Wimbledon main draw record at a 2013 win and two defeats. Pospisil hammered over 21 aces against Haase and produced 58 winners to 44 for his opponent, but he converted on only one of five break points. The Canadian dropped the opening set in a tiebreaker and levelled by winning the second before Haase took the lead two sets to one as he broke in the final game of the third. Haase earned another break for a 3-1 lead in the fourth set but was unable to close it out immediately as Pospisil salvaged three match points in the ninth game. But a cross-court forehand winner gave Haase one more winning chance, which he took when Pospisils volley went low into the net. Pospisil and Haase and split two meetings last season with a win apiece. Pospisil was one of three Canadian men in the singles draw, where eighth seed Milos Ranoic of Thornhill, Ont., heads the effort. Frank Dancevic of Niagara Falls, Ont., earned a lucky loser spot in the 128-man draw. Stitched Athletics Jerseys . The 18-time champions, who havent won the title since 1990, moved two points behind Arsenal after the leaders were stunned 6-3 at Manchester City on Saturday. Defending champion Manchester United trails Arsenal by 10 points after winning 3-0 at Aston Villa to avoid a third successive league loss. Oakland Athletics Store .J. -- After getting permission from his 7-year-old daughter, New York Giants offensive lineman David Diehl has retired after an 11-year career that included two Super Bowl championships. https://www.cheapathleticsonline.com/ . Inter Milan ended its five-match winless streak in all competitions by beating 10-man Bologna 3-1 on new manager Claudio Ranieris debut, while injury-plagued AC Milan edged Cesena 1-0 with an early goal from Clarence Seedorf. Custom Oakland Athletics Jerseys .55 million euros (US$18.6 million) to Spanish tax authorities on Monday to cover any potential irregularities in its signing of Neymar, all the while maintaining its innocence of the fraud charges levied against it. Fake Athletics Jerseys . The 7-foot-1 Hawes, who is in the final year of his contract, is averaging 13 points and 8.5 rebounds, both career highs, and shoots 40 per cent from 3-point range. The 25-year-old Hawes is in his seventh NBA season.PARIS – Eugenie Bouchard grew up admiring Maria Sharapova. "First, I noticed her cute dresses and things like that when I was young," said the 20-year-old Canadian, who met Sharapova when she was just eight-years-old at a tournament in Miami. "As a child, I looked up to her and I remember watching her in the finals of Wimbledon and thought what she was doing was so cool and I wanted to do the same thing." Bouchard and Sharapova will play on Thursday in the French Open semi-finals. It is the second straight year that the two have met at Roland Garros with the Russian prevailing in straight sets in the second round a year ago. "For sure I respect her," said Bouchard. "But now were in the semis of a Grand Slam, so Im going to respect her but not put her too high on a pedestal and really just battle. Thats what its going to be." Sharapova may be seeded seventh, but she has been widely considered the favourite to win the title since the top three seeds – Serena Williams, Li Na and Agnieszka Radwanska – all lost in the first three rounds. And Sharapova is favoured to beat Bouchard (-325, 4/13 per BoDog) for the same reason she is expected to hoist the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen on Saturday: she has the experience. She made the finals here a year ago. She won the whole thing just two years ago. At the age of 27, she has already won the career slam and has an Olympic silver medal on her resume. "Achieving what she has, she is of course very strong mentally," said Bouchard. "It is one of her strengths. Im going to be ready for another battle. You know, the semis of a Grand Slam, thats what you have to expect. "Im just looking forward to the challenge." Bouchard is earning her own reputation for poise under pressure. She overcame a 2-5 deficit (two breaks) and a set point to win the opening frame against clay-court specialist Carla Suarez Navarro in the quarterfinals on Tuesday. Then, after dropping the second set 2-6, Bouchard dug out of a 1-4 hole in the deciding set by winning 12 straight points. She then served to stay in the match at 4-5, holding easily. "At the end of the day, whether I win or lose, I want to at least leave it all out there and try and at least battle.dddddddddddd Im proud of the way I did that in both the first and third. Shes a great player and a really good clay courter, as well. I knew it was a tough battle, and thats exactly what it was today. Im just proud of the way I stayed in there." Bouchard appeared to show some nerves after wasting a match point, serving at 6-5, with a double fault. She was asked if that was a sign she is, after all, human. "I show Im human all the time," Bouchard noted with a smile. "Yeah, you know, its one of those things. I didnt really worry about it. I think thats the most important thing: I didnt see it as a big deal, and I just regrouped for the next point, which allowed me to just give me a chance to get in a position to have a match point again. "Even on the second match point I missed a ball, but I was trying to go for it, so I didnt worry too much, either. "I think that was a bit the theme the whole match: even if I was down 5-2 or 4-1 in the third, not to worry too much, keep going, keep going, keep going, and it paid off in the end." Bouchards mental toughness and aggressive play have earned her comparisons to Sharapova. Does she like that? "There are positives and negatives," Bouchard said. "Of course shes a great champion, so to be seen as the next of someone who has won four slams and has been No. 1 in the world, its a compliment. "But at the same time, of course, Im my own person and I just want to be myself on the court, and you know, try and achieve what I want to achieve and just be seen as that." Bouchard is the only womens player to make the semis at both slams this season. She is part of the future of womens tennis and looking to prove the future is now. Bouchard readily admits that back in January when she made that magical run to the Australian Open semis, she suffered from a bit of stage fright at the start of a straight-sets loss to Li Na. "I was maybe a little bit frozen at the beginning of that match," she said. "Ill be much more ready this time." ' ' '