Funkerstation » ing with 1.6 seconds left and Januar

She is still only 21.So ask PV Sindhu, who is back home after clinching her first Superseries title in China and following that up by reaching the final of another Superseries event in Hong Kong, what this phase on the road was like, and you get the response of a chirpy, sprightly young person relishing her time in the sun.She describes the two weeks as extremely wonderful, the victory in China as a great achievement and a tremendous experience. She winds down her sentence by saying reaching back-to-back finals made her incredibly happy.So, was the defeat in the final in Hong Kong to Tai Tzu Ying, an opponent she had beaten comfortably on her way to silver in Rio, at all disheartening?Nah. Sindhus default setting is upbeat.My opponent was extraordinarily brilliant on the court on that day, she concedes. And a few foul shots cost me the match.These have been a heady few months. Since that historic run to the podium in Rio, Sindhu has taken pride of place among Indias most prominent sportspersons. Her first two tournaments on returning to competitive play after a couple of months of manic celebrations and felicitations ended in early defeats in Denmark and France.Many wondered if the year would end in a whimper. But not Sindhu. In China, she battled through a string of long matches and backed it up in Hong Kong with four sparkling performances, demolishing the field in her wake, before going down in the summit clash.For coach Pullela Gopichand, who did not travel with Sindhu for these tournaments, the biggest takeaway from the last two tournaments has been watching her evolution as a player. Strokes they would practice on the training court were unleashed in match situations on unsuspecting opponents. To finish her semifinal in Hong Kong against local girl Cheung Ngan Yi , Sindhu jumped to play a reverse drop that caught her opponent completely off-guard because Gopi says nobody had seen her play that stroke ever.From her backhand lane, Sindhu was retrieving and hitting the shuttle cross-court, another addition to her arsenal. Nine-time national champion Aparna Popat likens that shot to Steffi Grafs single-handed, top-spin backhand. She believes Sindhus display of a wider array of shots is a reflection of a much higher level of confidence after Rio.As you grow as a player, against different opponents you find yourself in different situations, Aparna explains. You know you have to hit a particular stroke but you are not so confident to execute it. Thats when you go back to practice and practice very specific strokes under specific situations. For example that backhand cross, maybe 75% of the match you will play straight, but say at 16-all or 17-all you pull out one of those strokes.As you go along these strokes will keep getting added, one by one. The confidence to use the stroke is something that cant be practiced and cannot be taught. It is when you are so confident in general and when you practice it so much that you will dare to do something like that in a match.Aparna reckons Sindhu is a lot more settled with her own game these days. From being unsure at the start of the year whether she could even qualify for the Olympics, having been laid low by injuries and patchy form, to clinching silver has, in Aparnas estimation, relaxed Sindhu mentally.Gopi agrees increased confidence has led to a spurt in the strokes she feels comfortable employing even in closely contested matches. Sindhu is well aware that on an extremely competitive circuit with the top players in the world bunched together in ranking points, continuing to develop an all-round game is essential.Competition has always been there be it a small stage or big, Sindhu says. Meeting the challenges and winning them are the crowning glories that the titles carry. I feel more confident and also I have been working on all my strokes.Sindhus immediate challenge will be the Superseries finals in Dubai from December 14 where an elite field of eight players participate in a round robin and knockout format.For Sindhu to have accumulated enough points to even qualify for the event was a major surprise as she had missed a few Superseries tournaments at the start of the year. She says shes elated to have made the cut even as Gopi chuckles that he is now cancelling other engagements planned for the time to prepare for the event. As to whether she starts as among the favourites for the title on current form, Gopi offers a more cautious perspective.It is a very open event, he says. You cant rule out the Carolina Marins, Tai Tzu Ying and Sung Ji Hyuns of the world. Many of Sindhus wins and losses have been close matches, we have to remember that.Aparna agrees that the tournament is too hard to call. In her view, after the successes of 2016, Sindhu must target a swift rise up the rankings as her primary ambition next season.I think she should get into the top-5 now, it is high time, Aparna says. She has been hovering around the 9-10 level for a long time. That can only happen if she gets consistent success in Superseries events. Cheap Royals Jerseys . -- The St. Johns IceCaps weathered a wild first period with the help of goaltender Jussi Olkinuora, before finding offensive inroads in the second. Cheap Royals Jerseys China . Kuznetsov, who was selected by the Capitals in the first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, has been playing for his hometown team Chelyabinsk Traktor of the KHL. http://www.cheaproyalsjerseys.com/ . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. Wholesale Royals Jerseys . -- Arizona knocked off some quality opponents, rolled over a few overmatched ones and grinded out victories even when things didnt go so well. Cheap Kansas City Royals Jerseys . -- Jimmie Johnson held off a teammate, passed a pair of Hall of Famers, and dominated once more at Dover. INDIANAPOLIS -- Moriah Jefferson had a game-winning putback just before the overtime buzzer as part of her career-high 31 points to help San Antonio beat the Indiana Fever 87-85 on Friday night.Monique Currie made San Antonios second 3-pointer of the game with 1:08 left in overtime to give the Stars an 83-81 lead -- their first since 33-32. Indianas Tamika Catchings tied it at 85-all with 3.3 seconds left on a jumper in the lane. San Antonio took a timeout to advance it and Kayla McBride missed a baseline jumper but Jefferson was there for the rebound and basket.McBride didnt make her first basket until early in the third quarter and finished with 17 points for San Antonio (4-12). Jefferson, who had six combined points in the previouss two games, was 13 of 18 from the field for the Stars, who are 11th-ranked in the AP power poll.dddddddddddd It was the teams first road win this season.McBride made a step-back jumper with 1:12 remaining in regulation to pull San Antonio to 75-70 and Jeffersons 3-point play made it 76-73. After Briann Januarys layup attempt was blocked, Jefferson sank a 3 from the wing with 1.6 seconds left and Januarys floater in the lane was off the mark at the buzzer.Erlana Larkins had 16 points and a season-high 17 rebounds for ninth-ranked Indiana (7-10). Tamika Catchings added 12 points, five assists and six steals. Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Cheap NBA Jerseys Wholesale NHL Jerseys [url=http:/ing with 1.6 seconds left and Januar] ' ' '