highlighted how the game is growing. Players in

Laura Robson stands one win away from the U.S. Open main draw after edging out Bulgarias Isabella Shinikova 6-4, 6-4 in the second round of qualifying.Robsons career has been derailed by injury over the last two years but her recent revival continued in New York as she battled her way to victory against the dangerous Shinikova.It means Robson has recorded seven wins on the bounce after winning an ITF event in Landisville earlier this month and she will now face either Germanys Tatjana Maria or Turkeys Ipek Soylu for a place in the first round.Robson has endured an inconsistent year against a variety of lowly-ranked opponents but, during a late match at Flushing Meadows on a sparsely attended Court 8, there were some encouraging signs for the 22-year-old, now ranked 247th in the world.I feel really healthy, quite fit, today was a long day as well as yesterday but Ive dealt with it well, Robson told the Press Association.Ive been here a couple of times before in the last rounds of qualifying and had two awful matches but to be honest, I didnt even know if I was going to play this tournament so to be where I am now feels great and Im definitely pumped for tomorrow.Lengthy rain delays throughout the evening meant the contest started under floodlights at 10 p.m. local time but that did not stop Dan Evans, the British No. 2, turning out to support in the crowd.Evans had also watched on as Robson won her opening round on Wednesday and he stayed for the whole one hour and 19 minutes, with the match ending at just before 11.30 p.m.The late matches seem to be working for me, Robson said. I cant believe Evo came back, weve got a really good group of support going. Hes like a lucky charm - although dont tell him that.Few players can match Robsons superb ball-striking from the back but Shinikova gave it a good go, regularly unleashing a rasping forehand that often caught the Briton by surprise.While the quality was high in the rallies, however, both players struggled terribly with their serve and by the end of the 20 games played, there had been a total of 14 breaks.Robson conceded six of them - three consecutively due to double faults in the second set - but her return and blistering forehand ultimately proved too strong for her opponent, who was in tears as she left the court.My serve has always been a bit iffy, its something I just learn to cope with, Robson said.She was really tough to play against because she completely ripped the ball and sometimes I didnt even see it, I just had to get a racket on it.But I knew she would also be quite inconsistent so I just had to stick with her service games and try to hold my own as well. Im really happy with the win.Robsons compatriot Tara Moore saw her hopes of reaching the main draw ended as the British number four earlier lost to Germanys Antonia Lottner.Moore cruised through the first set but an untimely rain break, lasting around 45 minutes, flipped the momentum as Lottner came back to win 1-6,6-3, 6-2. Custom Detroit Red Wings Jerseys . General manager Jarmo Kekalainen told Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch on Friday that he wants to see Gaboriks contributions go beyond the scoresheet before considering a long-term deal for the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent. Fake Red Wings Jerseys . Then the Pacers gave Oladipo and his Orlando teammates the cold shoulder. Paul Georges buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter spurred a 21-4 run, finally sending Indiana past the Magic 97-87 in a tougher-than-expected opening night matchup. https://www.cheapredwings.com/ . The Masters champion and winner of last weeks Australian PGA has a three-round total of 14-under 199 at Royal Melbourne. "Im in a really good position for tomorrow," Scott said. Wholesale Red Wings Jerseys . -- Mike Smith never saw his first NHL goal go in. Red Wings Jerseys 2021 . Anthony Davis had 31 points and 17 rebounds in his seventh straight game with more than 20 points, but that was only enough to keep the Pelicans competitive into the final minutes. Andrew Bogut had 10 points and 15 rebounds for Golden State, which rebounded from a loss a night earlier in Oklahoma City and snapped a two-game skid. RIO DE JANEIRO -- It was fast, it was furious and the ultra-fit players were colliding at full pace. Rugby sevens certainly grabbed attention in its debut at the Olympic Games.The New England Patriots watched some of the bruising encounters involving teammate Nate Ebner, sending messages of support. It made headlines in Japan. It virtually shut down an entire Pacific nation.Unlike golf, which was returning to the Summer Games after a long absence, the best rugby sevens players in the world tackled the Olympic challenge. True to form, they won gold.The Fijian men, the long-time entertainers and back-to-back world sevens series champions, were one of the best feel-good stories of the games, bringing their tiny country its first Olympic medal and prompting a national holiday. Britain and South Africa picked up the silver and bronze , with Japan finishing a way-beyond-expectations fourth.The world series champion Australian women beat New Zealand for gold, but only after scraping to a 12-12 tie against an under-rated U.S. team which eventually finished fifth. Canada beat Britain for the bronze, and the Brazil womens team -- assembled to represent the host nation -- did well enough to qualify for the world series.World Rugby said the reception had been outstanding in non-traditional rugby markets such as the United States, where USA Rugby had more than 10 million unique visits to their website during the tournament.Its been awesome. I wouldnt have done anything differently, said Ebner, who received special permission to play at the Olympics during the NFL offseason. No regrets, at all.Ebner scored a last-minute try against Fiji in the group stage that very nearly got the Americans into the playoffs, but for a missed conversion in a 24-19 loss.It has been exciting to play. I can only imagine people who havent seen it -- Its got to be exciting to watch, he said. The Pats were watching, he said, and were saying theyre proud. Theyre with us all the way.Ebner said the Olympic sevens tournaments had potentially brought the game to a vast new audience in places like America.With professional sports, the way they are in the United States, I would never put a ceiling on potential growth, he said. I hope people open their eyes and minds to something theyve never done before, whether they grew up playing it like I did, or its something they want to take a stab at later in their life.Hopefullyy everyone embraces it and takes a closer look at it.dddddddddddd. Thats really all I can ask.The secret to sevens success is in the timing, Fiji coach Ben Ryan said. The game is all over in about a quarter of an hour, leaving time for another 11 just like it. The ball almost never stops, and the action moves quickly across and up-and-down the field.The crowd for the tournament opening game was only about 1,000, but it grew with multiple matches across the day. Having six games in each three-hour session helps generate a festival atmosphere, and the players often mix with fans during their breaks.Ryan describes sevens as being like the snack variety of traditional 15-a-side rugby -- which was last played at the Olympics in 1924 -- making it perfect for a TV audience.His team attracted attention off the field, too, with other Olympians.When the boys come in together ... heads turn, he said. Its a different look in the village. Theres not many islanders in there, but (other athletes) have heard about the Fiji rugby sevens team.The whole hope is that rugby adds to the Olympic games, were not just an also-ran. I think its having an impact.The U.S. women produced two big performances, leading Australia 12-5 with a minute to play before the Aussies rallied, and taking New Zealand all the way in a 5-0 quarterfinal loss.U.S. captain Kelly Griffin said the Olympics highlighted how the game is growing. Players in the womens squads came from other sports including basketball, field hockey and track-and-field.I definitely think it adds something about girls and boys both have really powerful bodies and we can go out and be physical and use our bodies for sport, she said.World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont said Japans upset win over powerhouse New Zealand on the opening day of the mens tournament was amazing, and noted the performances of the Brazilian teams.Anybodys that been here in a market that is not a traditional (rugby) market and look how the Brazil womens team qualified for the World Series and then you see the Brazilian men living on first and last tries when they played Fiji, he said. Weve had the opportunity and we thank the IOC for that.Hopefully weve showcased our sport on the world stage, and hopefully weve earned the right to be a permanent sport. ' ' '