Spaß & Spiel » After her battle with Kvitova

LONDON -- For 2 1/2 hours, Venus Williams traded big serves and hard groundstrokes with Petra Kvitova on Centre Court. Williams was playing with some of the power and pace that had brought her five Wimbledon titles. But when it was over, she was left with a sense of disappointment. "The battle is always a little more enjoyable when you win," Williams said Friday after coming within two points of victory but losing 5-7, 7-6 (2), 7-5 to Kvitova, the 2011 champion. All four of their previous meetings went to three sets and this one was no different, with plenty of suspense, intensity, and only a few break points. Williams looked stronger early in the match and was up 5-4, 15-30 on Kvitovas serve, in the second set. But the Czech came up with some big serves, held and won the second set tiebreaker. The players then held serve for the first 11 games of the third set before Kvitova broke No. 30 Williams for the first time in the last game. "Its a shame there had to be a loser in this match and more of a shame that it had to be me," Williams said. Despite the loss, Williams had reasons to feel positive about her week in London. At the age of 34, she has been playing well this season, winning a title in Dubai and reaching the final in Auckland and Miami. This week, she got to the third round at a Grand Slam tournament for only the second time in her past 10 appearances. After her battle with Kvitova, she reiterated that retirement is not in her plans. More than that, Williams still believes in her ability to add to her total of seven Grand Slams. "People have been trying to retire me since I was like 25. For some reason in tennis we always do that to our players. Its weird," said Williams, who disclosed three years ago that she was diagnosed with an energy-sapping autoimmune disease. "We dont encourage them to stick around," she added. "Its like, Get out of here. So Im not getting out of here. I think this year has been a great year for me. Ive had some tough losses, but Ive learned a lot from them. Im finding my way back on my feet. Im proud of myself for what Im achieving on the court." The former No. 1 is next scheduled to play in Cincinnati and Montreal. She said she might add more tournaments to her summer schedule to keep improving her game. "So that way Ill just have a chance, when its really time to play good tennis, I would have had those matches under my belt," she said. Durham Smythe Jersey . The rookie is rewarding their faith with a stellar first season. MacKinnon had a goal and two assists, Jamie McGinn had two goals and an assist, and Colorado beat the Buffalo Sabres 7-1 on Saturday. Jerome Baker Dolphins Jersey . -- Ricky Romeros comeback bid hit another road bump Tuesday in an ugly 18-4 Jays loss to a Detroit Tigers split squad. http://www.officialauthenticdolphinsshop...ore-jersey.html. 1-9 on TSN. With more than 65 hours of exclusive live coverage, TSN delivers all the action beginning with Draw 1 on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 2 p. Miami Dolphins Jerseys . This is Lowry’s third time winning the award in his career. He won the award last season and as a member of the Houston Rockets in 2011. Robert Quinn Jersey . - Benched Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman said he has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and voluntarily entered the NFL substance abuse program more than a year ago after mistakenly taking a medication to treat the condition.PARIS - Milos Raonic became the first Canadian man in the Open era to reach the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament by defeating Marcel Granollers of Spain 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 in the fourth round of the French Open on Sunday. The eighth-seeded Raonic broke Granollers four times and saved the only two break poinnts he faced.dddddddddddd. Relying on his powerful serve and forehand, Raonic made 54 winners to only 14 for Granollers, a clay-court specialist. Raonic will face second-seeded Novak Djokovic of Serbia, who beat No. 13 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France 6-1, 6-4, 6-1. The Open era started in 1968. Blackhawks Jerseys Store Cheap Wild Jerseys Cheap Red Wings Jerseys Cheap Maple Leafs Jerseys Penguins Jerseys Store Capitals Jerseys For Sale Blues Jerseys Store Cheap Kings Jerseys Adidas Lightning Jerseys Stars Jerseys For Sale Cheap Predators Jerseys Ducks Store Sharks Jerseys For Sale Cheap Sabres Jerseys Rangers Jerseys For Sale ' ' '