Sports Fanatic

Gilas Wins against TNT...

2011-02-25T21:43:00.000-08:00

I just want to revive this blog after a very looooooooooong hiatus. So much has happened and I really haven't had the time to sit and relax to update this li'l space of mine.

I just want to record the comeback of my crush which I haven't seen for a long period of time (feeling close talaga). Gilas will now be playing as a team in the PBA and I'm really looking forward to watching their games especially their team captain. haha.. By the way, they just had their first game last night in which they won, against my least favorite team. Just wanna say congratulations to Smart Gilas and good luck in your next games. :)

Unfortunately, photos can't be copied so just visit this PBA link to see photos of the game.

Update..video of Rafa & Shakira..

2010-02-18T15:14:00.000-08:00

While tweeting this morning, just found this link through gototennisblog.com. Made me love Shakira and Rafa more.. Regardless of the Spanish language of the song.. :)

Updates..Maria, Aus Open 2010

2010-01-15T02:10:00.000-08:00

Sorry for being away for a long, long while.. Just wanna update this since I've been already receiving again gorgeous pix of Maria from Zimbio.com in her preparation for Australian Open 2010. I really hope she gets this one. Please...

Here are some pretty pics I got..

Maria Sharapova (C) with Lord Mayor of Melbourne Robert Doyle (L) and TAG Heuer General Manager Philip Richards officially open TAG Heuer's first Melbourne boutique at Collins Street on January 14, 2010 in Melbourne, Australia.

Maria Sharapova of Russia hits a backhand return during a practice session ahead of the 2010 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 14, 2010 in Melbourne, Australia.

pics courtesy of zimbio.com

Tune in at Australian Open 2010 for more updates on Tennis.

And click here for a Snapshot of the Australian Open 2010 Draw.

Novak's Nipple Tassles

2009-12-23T01:42:00.000-08:00

This blog has been already idle for a long while already so I've thought of updating this upon seeing Novak's Nipple Tassle video through the gototennisblog.com.

This really made my day. Haven't noticed that Novak is gorgeous until now. This vid is hilarious! Enjoy! :D

Alcantara scores back-to-back wins in Phinma Juniors

2009-12-06T04:10:00.000-08:00

photo courtesy of philtennis.com

article from abs-cbnnews.com

MANILA – Francis Casey Alcantara made it two in a row in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Phinma Juniors as he dominated the Week 1 and Week 2 tournaments.

Alcantara, who won the Week 1 event, bagged the Week 2 title after overwhelming Belgian Jeroen Vanneste, 6-2, 6-3, at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center Saturday.

The Filipino top seed made his way to the final by beating Chinese Liu Xing Bang and Japanese netters Takashi Saito, Japanese Soichiro Moritani and Kaichi Uchida, noted the ITF website.

I just hope and pray that Francis will continue to rise on top. I really believe that he has the talent to surpass all other tennis players of his age from around the world. Go Pinoy! Go Francis!

Loving Maria's Outfit

2009-12-05T00:56:00.000-08:00

courtesy of gototennisblog.com

Just wanna share Maria's outfit during an exhibition game with Gisela Dulko. Love it!

Amit and Bata win World Mixed Doubles Title

2009-12-03T09:30:00.000-08:00

Though I have only stated my love for tennis and basketball in this blog, I just want to share in the victory of Rubilen Amit and Mr. Efren "Bata" Reyes for having to win the 1st World Mixed Doubles Classic title after edging Korea in an exciting finals match at the Nuvo City Lifestyle Center in Libis, Quezon City Thursday night. I'm not really fond of billiards but seeing them play made me stick to tv even just for a little while. I can say that the match was really exciting since they were really behind at first. Buti na lang at nakahabol..nanalo pa!

I have seen Rubilen play during the 1st World Women's Pool Championship and having to edged all the beautiful ladies from around the world and be able to grab the title of being the 2009 Women's World 10-Ball Championships (can't remember when's that already but all I can remember is the moment of cheering with my pop and sis for the very job well done.)

Kudos to Rubilen and Efren for the job well done! Go Pinoy!

Maria Sharapova still Russia's top-earning athlete - magazine

2009-11-23T07:31:00.000-08:00

Just updating this blog with recent news about Maria. Got this article from a russian online mag through my google feeds.

Tennis superstar Maria Sharapova has retained the status of Russia's richest athlete with an income of $24 million in 2009, the Finans business magazine said.

According to a Finans ranking published on Friday, Sharapova's earnings dropped by $1.5 million against 2008. She earned just $900,000 from tennis tournaments this year, with the remainder coming from commercial sponsorship deals.

The former world No. 1 finished the season ranked 14th, her lowest yearend position since 2003, having come back from almost a year out with injury problems that saw her fall out of the top 100.

Following Maria would be Andrei Kirilenko, the only Russian in the NBA,with $15.1 million, ice hockey star Alexander Ovechki, with earnings estimated at $12 million, and Russian national football team captain Andrei Arshavin came fourth in the Finans' ranking with $11.25 million.

Rafa: All Smiles at ATP World Tour Finals

2009-11-20T12:07:00.000-08:00

Great pic of Novak!

del Potro looks good too!

Cutest!

More of their pics HERE.

Missing Rafa & Maria..

2009-11-13T13:53:00.000-08:00

Just wanna repost on recent articles about Rafa & Maria respectively... Missing them already!

The Women, No.’s 11-20, Bartoli, Sharapova, C lijsters & More
By Matt Cronin

This continues a review of the women’s and men’s top 30s. Notice that there is only one teenager amongst the women ranked No. 11-20, a very unusual development.

11 MARION BARTOLI: A solid year for France’s most accomplished tennis-playing impressionist painter. She may not be as good as she thinks she is on court, but off court, there’s no more interesting personality on tour.

12 FLAVIA PENNETTA: This veteran has improved more than any other during the past two years. She’s in much better shape, finally believes in her offense and is more comfortable with who she is. Don’t count her out of a Slam final.

13 SAMANTHA STOSUR: It’s taken almost too long for the Aussie to improve her singles game and if she can add a little more pop to her backhand, make better use of the net and not go on walkabouts against the elite players, she’ll be threat to win a major in 2010. She’s love to do it Down Under.

14 MARIA SHARAPOVA: If you look at how much better the three-time Slam champ played in last two and half months of her comeback compared to her first two and half, you’ll realize that if she can stay healthy in 2010, she’s near lock to win a Slam, because she’s a better all around player now.

15 NA LI: Just when we thought that the Chinese veteran was going to give way to her other ambitious countrywomen, she stood strong and reasonable healthy for much of 2009. She’ll never win a Slam, but don’t count her out of the top 10.

16 YANINA WICKMAYER: Without question, the Belgian teen is the biggest surprise entrant into the top 20, but now her career has been derailed with her doping suspension. We may never see how good she can be.

17 FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: Didn’t have countrywoman Pennetta’s year, but it’s truly enjoyable to watch the Italian play when she’s motivated because she brings true variety and passion to the game.

18 KIM CLIJSTERS: While it wasn’t surprising that she came back technically a better player, it was a little stunning to see how much more mentally composed the new mom is. Just watch the Belgian finish 2010 in the top 3.

19 VIRGINIE RAZZANO: This French veteran has always been a bit under-rated. She occasionally has the power and ambition to knock off the game’s elite, but she remains erratic.

20 NADIA PETROVA: Given what she went through in 2009 off-season physically, this isn’t a bad finish for the thoughtful Russian, but if she doesn’t stay healthy step it up next year, she’ll never win a Slam.

Smart Gilas takes on the Win against PBA Powerade Team

2009-10-05T13:38:00.000-07:00

(no Chris' pic as of this time..posing here are UAAP Season 72 MVP Dylan Ababou, Sir Rick Olivares, JV Casio, Andy Mark Barocca, & Japeth Aguilar..courtesy of bleachersbrew.blogspot.com)

As a supporter of the Smart Gilas Developmental Team, just wanna congratulate the team for winning against the PBA's Powerade Team during a Charity Game for the Typhoon Ondoy victims last October 5, 2009 at the Aranet Coliseum. Though the proceeds are clearly for A CAUSE, you can really see both team's desire to win as this is their first time to clash since the launching of the Development Team under an Iranian Coach, Coach Rajko Toroman. I really can't wait to see Chris' post 'bout the game.

Meanwhile, here is an article from teampilipinas.info(gmanews.tv) about the game. Sorry for copy-pasting the article. I just thought that I love your version on how you blogged about the team & the win. And besides, no one's been reading my blog anyway so I think, no harm is done. Peace!:D

"The Smart Gilas team of Serbian coach Rajko Toroman has served notice of its readiness to play in the Philippine Basketball Association.

And they showed it by beating the country’s cream of the crop.

Relying not on anyone but everyone, Smart Gilas easily demolished an out-of-shape and undermanned Powerade-Pilipinas team, 98-69, Monday in the “Pinoy Basketball, Kakampi N’yo" fund-raising game at the Araneta Coliseum.

CJ Giles and Japeth Aguilar combined forces in possibly the most formidable frontline in Philippine basketball. Andy Barroca and JV Casio alternately played the point and held their own against their more experienced counterparts. And Dylan Ababou, Aldrech Ramos and Jason Ballesteros did a little bit of everything in handing Smart Gilas an easy triumph.

It was a game dominated by Toroman’s wards majority of the way.

They were only feeling their way around in the first few minutes of the first period, trailing by seven, 7-14, with James Yap and Willie Miller leading the way for Powerade.

Then came a big scoring outburst by Smart Gilas.

Giles and Aguilar made their presence felt inside and JV Casio fired a trey to cap off a big 17-5 exchange as the all-amateur team seized a 24-19 lead at the end of the first.

It was all Smart Gilas from there, leading by as many as 20 points twice in the third canto.

And with Giles and Chris Tiu combining for a one scintillating play to complete an alley-oop slam and push Smart Gilas to a 92-76 lead with only 2:16 left , the curtains finally fell on the all-pro Powerade-Pilipinas five, which didn’t have the chance of practicing since its eighth-place finish in the last FIBA Asia Championship.

Overall, Smart Gilas outplayed Powerade in almost all fronts.

Toroman’s troops shot the ball decently, making 37 of 78 attempts for a 47% clip, while Powerade struggled all game long and shot only 34%.

Smart Gilas, as expected, played better as a team, dishing out 17 assists more than Powerade-Pilipinas.

On rebounds, Giles, Aguilar and Ballesteros were too much as they terrorized the shaded lane and clobbered their rivals. Smart Gilas grabbed 60 rebounds to only 36 by Powerade.

Former Los Angeles Lakers Giles finished with 22 points, 16 rebounds and five shot blocks for Smart Gilas, which will play as a guest team in the coming PBA. Aguilar, the controversial top overall pick who previously suited up for Powerade-RP, had 24 points and four rebounds.

A project of basketball stockholders in the country led by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas and the PBA, the game was held for the benefit of victims of tropical storm “Ondoy" and in memory of Barako Bull executive Tony Chua, who perished at the height of the storm.

Maria Sharapova: 2009 TOKYO CHAMPION

2009-10-03T01:54:00.000-07:00

At last, the long wait has come. Maria has made it to being the champ. Here's the article from Maria Sharapova's official site:

Jankovic took a 2-0 lead in the 1st set by breaking Maria in the 1st game. Then the momentum switched to Maria's side of the court as she took the next 5 games, Maria levelled the set 2-2 when Jankovic netted a forehand. Jankovic was leading 40-0 on her service game but Maria started to play powerful and accurate returns and took the next 5 points to lead 4-2. Maria then held her serve and at the changeover Jankovic had an injury time-out for a wrist injury and played 2 more points on her service game and retired. In the new rankings to be released on Monday, Maria will move up to #15 with 2680 points and she gained 800 points here.

Smart Gilas Pilipinas edge out Singapore Slingers 70-67

2009-09-24T00:16:00.000-07:00

I just want to share another milestone of Smart Gilas Pilipinas Team on one of its exhibition games against Singapore Slingers yesterday, September 23, 2009. This really made my day especially that Chris Tiu went with the team to play :D I just hope he gets to share this win in his blog. Take note that out of the, I think, 14 member of the team, only 9 went there to play. Below is the article from a Singapore sports news. Sorry for being so biased..:)

Members of the Smart Gilas developmental team together with coach Rajko Toroman, fourth from left, depart for Singapore for a series of exhibition games with the Singapore Slingers. They are, from left, Maggie Sison, MacMac Baracael, Mark Barroca, Japeth Aguilar, Jason Ballesteros, JV Casio and Chris Tiu. (Photo by Rudy Santos)
courtesy of teampilipinas.info

article courtesy of redsports.sg

Singapore Indoor Stadium, Wednesday, September 23, 2009 – The word on the Smart Gilas Pilipinas team was that they were all about skills, quickness and hustle.

Although they displayed all that and more, including several rim-rattling, crowd-pleasing dunks, it took a last-ditch defensive play from point guard Mark Barroca to prevent his Singapore Slingers counterpart Al Vergara from setting up the game-tying shot at the death.

Smart Gilas Pilipinas edged out the Slingers 70-67 in a fast-paced Challenge Series game that was chockful with excitement all 40 minutes. The match was the second of four pre-ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) season matches for the Slingers. Their first was a 93-85 win over the Coca-Cola Tigers of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) last Friday, and while that victory was achieved against an experienced, well-grounded side, this match was a different kettle of fish.

The Smart Gilas Pilipinas squad are a national developmental team whose ultimate goal is to reach the 2012 Olympics in London. Led by former Iranian men’s basketball team coach Rajko Toroman, the Smart Gilas consisted of standout collegiate and amateur players like Barroca and the twin towers of 2009 PBA Number 1 draft pick Japeth Aguilar and former Los Angeles Lakers’ player CJ Giles, who, standing at 6 feet 11 inches, is an inch taller than Aguilar.

And it was Giles who provided the highlight moment of the match late in the third quarter, with the game tied. The centre, who led Smart Gilas with 21 points and 11 rebounds, rose high above the Slingers defence to dunk an alley-oop pass from Barroca to hand his team the lead at 52-50. After the Slingers immediately turned it over, Giles slammed home a teammate’s miss with aplomb to double the Smart Gilas’ lead, and send the hugely-partisan Philippine crowd into raptures.

The crowd were at it right from the tip-off, as the Slingers looked to be overrun by the Smart Gilas team during the opening exchanges. The home team started with Kyle Jeffers, Pathman Matialakan, Hong Wei Jian, Al Vergara and Marcus Ng, the latter being the one change from the previous starting five, taking Lim Wai Sian’s spot.

Despite the seemingly-consistent lineup, coach Frank Arsego said, “There is no starting five yet. We are still putting some players in and changing around, and seeing who can do what.”

What the Slingers did was get into an early deficit – as they did in the previous match against the Tigers – and then climb right back out of it. The Smart Gilas sprinted and hustled their way to a quick 8-2 lead, with Aguilar and Giles splitting the points, and the Slingers looked both out of depth and sorts as they struggled to keep pace with their opponents. They racked up the turnover count as well, with Wei Jian accounting for four first-quarter mishandlings.

With the Smart Gilas team and the crowd smelling blood, the Slingers dug in and played to their strengths. With their shooters yet to find their range, they went to the low block of Jeffers and Pathman for points in the paint.

Jeffers then made the second period his own. Tormenting the Smart Gilas post defenders time and again, the big 6 feet 9 inch American scored 12 of his 20 points here in a dazzling array of post moves, long jumpers and even an alley-oop dunk from a Vergara feed.

Aguilar scored six points in the period to keep the Smart Gilas close, but the Slingers led by as many as eight, the largest lead in the game. Jeffers’ points, as well as contributions from Pathman and Wei Jian, who converted a double-clutch layup which seemed to defy gravity, provided the impetus for a 35-31 Slinger lead at half-time.

The second 20 minutes was a cagey affair, as both teams neither built a substantial lead nor held one for an extended period of time. There were nine lead changes and five tied scores alone in the half, which the Smart Gilas team dominated to overturn the half-time deficit.

Although Aguilar was held scoreless in the third period, Giles, Joseph Casio, Chris Tiu and Marnel Baracael stepped up to score the points for their team. Baracael scored all his seven third-quarter points in a 7-0 run which gave Smart Gilas a 43-37 lead as the Slingers seemingly fell into a rut.

But once again, the Slingers came right back at their opponents. A reticent Wei Jian, who had not taken a jump shot yet in the game, scored 10 of the Slingers’ next 13 points, including two three-pointers. He said, “Coach told me not to worry (about his 4 first quarter turnovers), and to just keep taking shots.”

Wong Wei Long, who missed the previous game due to his enlistment into National Service, added another trey as the Slingers tied the game at 50, before Giles came up with his double-dunk delight for the Filipino fans.

Barroca’s jumper off an excellent screen from Giles made it 58-52 at the start of the final period, but the Slingers chipped away at the deficit once again, and led 61-60 after three minutes of fourth-quarter play when Vergara made one of two technical free throws after Smart Gilas were deemed to have made an improper substitution which resulted in them having six players on court for several moments.

This left Pilipinas coach Toroman delirious with rage, as he remonstrated at length with the officials. The Serbian was once again absolutely livid with three minutes to go when, with his charges trailing 64-65, the Slingers’ Jamal Brown seemed to commit a goaltending violation which was not called by the officials. The following play went out of bounds off a Smart Gilas player, handing possession over to the Slingers, and leaving Toroman and his team quite incensed.

Boos rang down from the Philippine section of the crowd, but they soon turned to cheers when Aguilar made a jumper which gave his team the lead for good, and again when Tiu’s acrobatic layup made it 70-67 to the Smart Gilas with 50.2 seconds to play.

Jeffers used up the clock on the ensuing inbounds play, but missed his hook shot after good team defence from the Smart Gilas. They then had a chance to put the game to bed, but Marcus Ng nearly stole the ball off Barroca, whose team then failed to get a shot off in time as they committed a shot-clock violation with 5.5 seconds left.

Vergara brought the ball up-court as the Slingers prepared for a game-tying three, but Barroca swiped the ball away from behind as time expired on a game that left spectators and players alike breathless.

“Our main aim was to take away their athleticism,” said Arsego on the Smart Gilas team. “These guys are the future of Asian basketball. With their team structure and play, ball movement and screens, this team is hard to defend.”

Despite the close loss, Arsego felt his charges could hold their heads high. He said, “The Smart Gilas had that third quarter run, but we kept it close till the end with big plays. We were just a little tap away from winning the game. I’m proud of the boys, to put up that sort of performance against this team.”

When asked about the aspect of play that the Slingers could improve on, Vergara replied that they could do better on their transition defence, and Wei Jian echoed his point guard’s thoughts, saying, “We did not defend hard enough, nor run back fast enough during their (Smart Gilas) fast breaks.”

The Slingers will play their next match of the Challenge Series against the Barangay Ginebra Kings, one of the most popular PBA teams. The match will take place on Wednesday, September 30 at 8pm, and will be played at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Scoring by quarter:
Singapore Slingers v Smart Gilas Pilipinas
1st Q: 17-14
2nd Q: 18-17
3rd Q: 17-25
4th Q: 15-14
Final Score: 67-70

BOX SCORE:

More of the pics from redsports.sg:

Ateneo Soars into Finals

2009-09-20T18:01:00.000-07:00

Article Courtesy of yahoo.ph

Game Thursday (Araneta Coliseum)
3:30 p.m. - UE vs FEU

Defending champion Ateneo mauled underdog University of Santo Tomas, 81-64, at the Araneta Coliseum Sunday to claim the first finals berth in the 72nd UAAP basketball tournament.

Role players Jai Reyes and Ryan Buenafe came through with impressive performances in the absence of forward Nico Salva to turn the game into a mismatch midway into the second half and give the Blue Eagles a second straight finals appearance.

''I challenged Jai (Reyes) about four games ago and he's been shooting the basketball well,'' Ateneo coach Norman Black bared. ''Ryan (Buenafe) stepped up big time both offensively and also defensively with Nico (Salva) out.''

Salva missed the game to serve a one-game suspension for hitting Far Eastern University's Jens Knuttel in their last game with the Tamaraws.

Reyes shot 7-of-13 from the field for 17 points and added eight rebounds while Buenafe put on the finishing touches in the second half with 15 points as the Loyola-based squad moved a step closer to a fifth title since joining the league in 1978.

The best-of-three titular series start on Sunday with Ateneo facing either Far Eastern University or University of the East which will play a knockout match on Thursday. The Warriors forced a rubber match after dismantling the Tamaraws, 84-74, last Saturday.

''They are two very good teams. The other one (UE) is on a roll then the other (FEU) is struggling because of some internal problems but we think both teams will be dangerous opponents,'' Black said.

The last time Ateneo went to the finals in consecutive years was from 2001-2003, winning the title in 2002.

Nonoy Baclao, who had 13 points, six rebounds and three blocks; Eric Salamat and Kirk Long were also instrumental in forcing UST to commit 22 turnovers leading to 23 fastbreak points.

Worse, the Tigers' shooting fell miserably as they bungled 50-of-69 shots for a measly 27.5 percent clip - the lowest since 2003 - while limiting Most Valuable Player Dylan Ababou to just 6-of-19 shooting despite a 19-point effort in his final collegiate game.

''Kahit anong gawin namin, hindi kami maka-execute. Siguro yung pressure pumunta sa mga bata,'' UST coach Pido Jarencio lamented. ''Kahit papaano blessing na 'tong dumating sa Final Four pero yung performance na ini-expect ko sa kanila, hindi ko nakuha ngayon.

ATENEO
81 - Reyes 17, Buenafe 15, Al-Hussaini 14, Baclao 13, Salamat 6, Long 6, Chua 6, Sumalinog 2, Austria 2, Monfort 0, Gonzaga 0, Golla 0.

UST
64 - Ababou 19, Mirza 14, Teng 10, Bautista 9, Fortuna 7, Afuang 4, Camus 1, Maliksi 0, Aytona 0.
Quarters: 22-16, 40-31, 63-44, 81-64.

UAAP Season 72 Men's Basketball Awards

2009-09-14T08:30:00.000-07:00

Is this really is it? Oh well, I'm not that sure myself but just copied this from Sir Rick Olivares' blog.

Mythical Five:
Rabeh Al-Hussaini
Aldrech Ramos
Elmer Espiritu
Dylan Ababou
Paul Lee

Most Valuable Player - Dylan Ababou

Rookie of the Year - Jeric Teng

Still want Rabeh to have the award but what can I do? Anyhow, love Jeric Teng!:)

ADMU wins last elim games against FEU

2009-09-12T05:14:00.000-07:00

Just wanna congratulate again my fave team, Ateneo Blue Eagles for their victory against FEU Tamarraws on their last elim games. Wooh! Looking forward on their final four game. I just love how Nonoy "Blocklao" and Eric "thank you for the shots" played. Congrats Blue Eagles! Go for back-to-back!

photo courtesy of bleachersbrew.blogspot.com

Since I'm not a good critic at all, here's INQ's piece on the game:

" MANILA, Philippines -- Ateneo rose from an 18-point deficit and slipped past Far Eastern University, 74-73, to grab the top spot.

The Eagles, who ruled the eliminations with a 13-1 record, will take on the University of Santo Tomas in the Final Four.

The Tamaraws, second at 11-3, will battle the University of the East in the other semifinal duel.

In the first game, Adamson trampled on the University of the Philippines, 74-61, for a fifth-best 5-9 record.

The Maroons wrapped up their own campaign at 3-11."

Can't wait to see NFP's post about the game. This really made my day!:)

Maria on to the 2nd round

2009-09-02T15:44:00.000-07:00

Maria has cruised on the 1st round defeating Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova 6-3, 6-0 in Tuesday evening’s 73-minute opener on tennis’ biggest stage.

photo courtesy of zimbio.com

Quoted from the USOpen.org official website, "Sharapova, not averse to hitting the double faults since returning from a serious shoulder injury that kept her out of last year’s tournament, needn’t have worried.

The 2006 champion looked assured, contributing a measly four doubles, to ease past Tsvetana Pironkova 6-3, 6-0 in Tuesday evening’s 73-minute opener on tennis’ biggest stage. Her return game was on, there were numerous forays to the net – with success – and that dogged determination is still around. Sure Pironkova is barely ranked inside the top 100, but the Bulgarian, trying to carry on where the Maleeva sisters left off, ousted Williams in the first round of the Australian Open three years ago.

"I played a tricky opponent who doesn't give you much rhythm," Sharapova said. ``It was just really important to stay on top of her and do the right things from the beginning. I thought I had a little bit of a slow start, but once I got going, I was able to do a good job of maintaining.''

Both players held serve comfortably through four games before Sharapova, who made a late summer surge to earn a seeding of 29th, broke. The first Sharapova double fault surfaced in the ensuing game, which produced multiple deuces. Sharapova managed to hold and pumped her first registering a second break for 5-2.

What a seventh game it was.

Sharapova drew gasps launching a crunching backhand winner down the line and later showed good touch at the net on a backhand volley. Pironkova got the ball back, simply allowing Sharapova to uncork a swinging overhead that pleased the crowd further.

Sharapova dropping serve at 5-2 turned out to be a brief respite for Pironkova. Sharapova crunched a return to claim the opening set, and another punishing return gave the Russian a break for 2-0 in the second.

By this time Pironkova was out of it, her head down and body language poor. Sharapova didn’t relent, breaking again for 4-0 and starting the fifth game with a nice stretch volley. She won 15 of 20 points at the net overall.

"I'm certainly not going to be hitting, retrieving or hitting five volleys at the net," Sharapova said. ``If I am, then I'm doing something wrong. Then my approach shot wasn't good enough. But I certainly want to go up there as much as I can."

Sharapova moved a step closer to meeting fellow Russian Elena Dementieva, the fourth seed. They’re scheduled to lock horns in the third round.

That has night match written all over it, and expect it to be a little closer."

Maria will be facing American Christina McHale on the 2nd round and is bound to meet compatriot Elena Dementieva on the 3rd round.

You can also watch the highlight of their play on the USOpen.org Official Website.

Maria and her Cole Haan Collection

2009-08-28T14:10:00.000-07:00

Maria has been showing her fashionable side lately. Right after the Finals in Roger's Cup, she was then seen partying with actress Blake Lively with a piece of birthday cake in honor of Blake Lively's 22nd birthday at their game hosted by InStyle and Tiffany & Co. at The Cooper Square Hotel - Penthouse on August 25, 2009 in New York City. This cocktail party was made to honor herself and Frank Gehry, a famous architect who created the sterling silver and diamond earrings especially for Maria to wear at the US Open.

And just the other night, she was also sited at Rockefeller Center Store on August 27, 2009 in New York, New York unveiling her own Cole Haan Collection which includes a ballet flat, an ankle-wrapped stiletto, a flat over-the-knee boot, an ankle bootie and a strappy platform sandal. With prices ranging from $138 - $328, the collection offers luxe options at an attainable level.

"It's my hope that other young women will embrace the spirit of the collection; it's fun, chic, fashionable and most importantly, able to take you from day to night," says Maria.

And here is one Maria's lovely pics during the event:

SEE MORE OF MARIA SHARAPOVA HERE.

You can also subscribe to her pics at zimbio.com.

Maria's outfit fot the US Open

2009-08-27T13:41:00.000-07:00

Been looking for this revelation since the Roger's Cup has ended. Thanks to Brooklyn. Just thought that I want also a copy of the image so I'm reposting this one. I sooo love both - the day dress & the night dress. Will be looking forward to the US Open on the 31st. Go Maria!

This one is her Day Dress:

And this one will be the NIGHT dress:

As usual, still sponsored by Nike. This dresses comes with a matching hooded jacket. Just don't like to post it here since I don't like them anyway. haha! Better visit downtheline to see the whole pair of the jacket and the dress. Just wanna ask, do they really have to wear different outfits for different time of the day???

Maria S. + Blue Eagles..Wow!

2009-08-23T01:37:00.000-07:00

Just want to congratulate my faves, the ones whom I talked about in my recently written "about" page, the ADMU Blue Eagles and Maria Sharapova for both winning their respective games today. I may sound like a "fanatic & somewhat lunatic" for being crazy over them but who cares? No one's reading this anyway..:)

First to be featured is Maria Sharapova. Actually, this has been hours late already since I just saw the live scoring on her game against Alisa Kleybanova. She will now be going up on Finals against her compatriot Elena Dementieva, after having found her revenge against Serena Williams. As what I have mentioned in my previous page, I am just so excited seeing Maria on top of her game again. If I'm not mistaken, this will be her very first appearance on Finals after having been back on tour last March after her shoulder injury. Since I'm really not a good critic nor a good sportswriter, let me just quote to you an article about her from the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour official site.

"Sharapova won an all-unseeded affair in the feature night match against Alisa Kleybanova, beating her hard-hitting and giant-killing countrywoman in a match that went until almost 11pm, 62 46 64. Sharapova struggled with her form in the second set, hitting six of her 12 double faults there, but after falling behind 3-1 in the third she caught fire again, pounding winners into the corners and winning five of the last six games."

photo courtesy of zimbio.com

Sharapova has won eight of 10 previous meetings against Dementieva, including a blowout in their most recent encounter last year at the Australian Open (Sharapova beat Dementieva in the fourth round, 62 60). Both of Dementieva's career wins over her countrywoman have come on outdoor hardcourts, however.

You can watch the highlights of Sharapova vs. Kleybanova here.

And lastly, I'm happy to announce that "In the new rankings Maria will move up provisionally to #30 with 1720 points. With this rankings jump, Maria is guaranteed a seeding at the US Open, and if she wins the final on Sunday, Maria will move up to #22."(mariasharapova.com)

Will write about the Blue Eagles next. So sleepy already.:)

About Page..

2009-08-21T14:25:00.000-07:00

This blog is all about my favorites being a sports fanatic..my favorite teams, favorite athletes especially Maria Sharapova. I just like to compile every news that I gather about her especially that she's already back on court again after 10 months of having rested because of her shoulder injury. Just wishing that she'll be back on top at the end of the year. :)

This would also talk about any other sports which I find interesting. Currently, I am into UAAP, a collegiate basketball competition here in the Philippines. But of course, would just be talking mostly about ADMU Blue Eagles here. They're the only reasons that I'm so engrossed and glued on TV during Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. ^_^

photo credits to ateneo.edu

Oh, and if you happen to step accidentally into this "space" and not liking anything you see, just leave politely, ok? But thanks anyway for dropping by. Enjoy!

Venus Williams was ousted

2009-08-19T12:28:00.000-07:00

I just wanna share this news which I got from the Roger's Cup site just last night. Though it is already late for a day or two, my hand will be itching if I'll not be able to post this one. This will only be for my own benefit though. :) This is when Kateryna Bondarenko, a 64th ranked player, ousted Venus William on the 1st round of Roger's Cup 2009. I'm never really a fan of the Williams but I also respect them so much because of being highly-calibered and very competitive when it comes to "being on the court".

"Kateryna Bondarenko pulled off a shocking upset on the second day of main draw action at Rogers Cup. The 23-year-old from Ukraine rebounded from a tough first set to defeat world No. 3 Venus Williams 1-6, 7-5, 6-4 on Centre Court at Rexall Centre.

In front of a stunned crowd, Bondarenko continuously frustrated the elder Williams sister and served for the match after breaking Venus to lead 5-4 in the third set. Ranked just No. 64 in the world, she continued to shine after qualifying over the weekend, winning her fourth match in four days.

"It's pretty good," said Bondarenko after the match. "I feel that I can win with anybody if I can win with Venus."

Williams had defeated Bondarenko in both previous meetings, before the Ukrainian turned the tables on Tuesday. Surprisingly, Venus is still winless in three career matches at Rogers Cup, having lost in the first round in both 1995 and 1997."

Another thing to site also is that my 2nd fave Ana Ivanovic also advanced to the second round on a three set victory with Magdalena Rybarikova, currently ranked 47th in the tour.

photo courtesy of zimbio.com

"Fan-favourite Ana Ivanovic was in trouble early in her first round match against upstart Magdalena Rybarikova. The 2006 Rogers Cup champion was on her heels, losing a quick first set and surprising those in attendance at Rexall Centre.

"I felt my movement, my shots, everything was working well," said Ivanovic. "But I was trying to play a little too safe. She's a good player and she was playing really aggressive and dominant."

Instead of folding, Ivanovic stepped up her game, breaking Rybarikova to take control of the second set.

"I kind of got my momentum back and I started playing a lot better," she said. "That was exactly the kind of game I should have played from the start."

The end result was a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 Ivanovic victory, ending when Rybarikova's backhand found the net on match-point. The supportive crowd gave both players an ovation as they left the court, following the exciting start to Tuesday's action."

Maria, Back in Action again in Roger's Cup

2009-08-17T14:06:00.000-07:00

photo courtesy of gototennisblog.com

After being defeated at the Bank of West Classic by 10th rank Flavia Pennetta, Maria will be seen in action again at the Roger's Cup in Toronto which will be held on Aug. 17-23. She will again face Nadia Petrova on the 1st round, whom she beat twice during her comeback on the tour after having rested for almost 10 months because of a shoulder injury. The tourney will also be attended by 19 of the top-20 ranked players of the WTA Tour. Despite being excited to play in Toronto, she also aspires to play in the 2012 Olympics. I'm really crossing my fingers again for Maria to advanced up to the final four. I believe that she still can do it especially that this tournament will really be a big preparation for her on the upcoming US Open.

More pix of Maria here.

And oh, before I forget, she's now ranked 49 after having gone to 4 tournaments(i'm not that sure though). Hopefully she'll go higher before this year ends. You can also read an interview of Maria on the site.

Maria's first win in LA Tennis 2009

2009-08-04T02:29:00.000-07:00

Maria Sharapova just got her first win against Jarmila Groth at LA Tennis Women's Championship after being defeated by Venus Williams at quarterfinals in the previous tournament in Stanford. 6-0, 6-4 in the first round, she will be facing Victoria Azarenka in the next round. who is considered to be Maria's doppelganger when it comes to big hitting, fierce mental intensity and high decibel grunting.

As what Maria has said, "(Azarenka’s) not an up-and-comer anymore – she’s top 10 in the world. I definitely am happy I’ve created the opportunity. . . to play against her. Because as someone who’s been there before, I love the challenges of playing some of the best people in the world. I look forward to playing that one."

I would really love to see Maria on court again, hitting those big shots and eventually lifting the crown up. Go Masha!

PHOTO GALLERY OF MARIA.

Updated UAAP Power Rankings

2009-08-03T10:58:00.001-07:00

Again, credits to The Rock of Pex. I just want to repost this one since I really found his analysis very good and very-well expressed. You can follow him on Twitter if you are a Pure Fanatic too..:)

Here is the updated power ranking/analysis for the UAAP Season 72 Men's Basketball:

Ateneo de Manila University (5-1) – Blue Eagles bounce back from loss against UP by crushing both Adamson and NU. Game versus Bulldogs saw the bench playing in 4th and lead ballooning to 37 in the 3rd period. 5-1 record brings defending champs back to number 1. Now all they have to do is beat their archrivals to stay at the top after first round. Easier said than done.
De La Salle University (4-2) – They dumped NU and survived UST in double overtime. The only reason they’re not number 1 for me is their record. If they beat the champions on August 9, they’ll probably claim number 1 spot.
Far Eastern University (4-1) – Sure, they beat UP unlike Ateneo. But it took big efforts from Cawaling and Garcia in the 4th to bail them out. Tams need Cervantes back and they need to put away lower teams with more conviction.
University of Santo Tomas (3-2) – Jarencio’s Tigers ran out of steam in 2OT versus DLSU. Teng played magnificent as did Camus, but Ababou got tired in the end. Mirza was almost invisible at crunchtime.
University of the East (3-2) – It took them two overtimes to beat Adamson, so that’s a mark against them. Great games from Llagas and Lee though. Espiritu had career-high in first half, vanished in second half and the two overtimes.
University of the Philippines (1-4) – Maroons found their swagger late in game versus FEU. Too little, too late though. Coach Aboy Castro needs to harness that for entire 40 minutes and limit their turnovers to repeat how they shocked Ateneo.
Adamson University (1-5) – Loss to Eagles was bad, but loss to Warriors was heartbreaking. Ineffective Canuday replaced by rookie Cabrera, who promptly scored 17 points in 4th and OT. Santos also did well replacing Galinato. Coach Austria needs these two to replace his defective “stars”.
National University (1-5) – Dumped by both La Salle and Ateneo, Coach Manny Dandan saw Ponferrada have big game versus Archers, Baloran had it versus Eagles. Both Bulldogs need to bring it for NU to get out of cellar.

UAAP Season 72 Updated Schedule

2009-08-03T10:31:00.000-07:00

Here is an updated schedule of the 1st Round of the UAAP Season 72 Men's Basketball:

Thu, August 6 2 PM UP vs UE
4 PM UST vs FEU

Sat, August 8 2 PM ADU vs NU
4 PM UST vs UP

Sun, August 9 12 PM UE vs FEU
5 PM DLSU vs ADMU

Credits to pbfantasy.com. Sorry but I just don't know 'bout the 5-hour gap on the last game in case you're wonderin'. Comin' up next will be the power rankings.

Go Maria!

2009-07-30T08:37:00.000-07:00

STANFORD, CA, USA - The first four quarterfinal spots at the Bank of the West Classic were snapped up on Wednesday, and among the winners was Maria Sharapova, who recovered from a difficult first round match to oust Nadia Petrova handily. Elena Dementieva was also among the winners on Day 3.

For more info on the match, click here.

UAAP Power Rankings, week of July 27, 2009

2009-07-29T13:09:00.000-07:00

Here is the new updated list of ranking of UAAP Senior Basketball Season '72. Credits to The Rock of PEX. Based on the games played this past week, here are the Power Rankings for the week of July 27, 2009. Each team has already played 4 games apiece:

Far Eastern University (3-1) – Two games, two blowout wins. FEU is firing on all cylinders, and Andy Barroca has help from RR Garcia and JR Cawaling now. It’s scary how good the Tamaraws can get.
University of Santo Tomas (3-1) – They took every (figurative) punch that UE threw at them, yet the Growling Tigers still emerged victorious. Dylan Ababou and Khasim Mirza are a dangerous combo when they’re both clicking at the same time.
Ateneo de Manila University (3-1) – The defending champions were supposed to just walk over the winless Maroons. Wrong. UP outhustled, outshot, and out played the Blue Eagles. There will be no sweeps in season 72.
University of the East (2-2) – They played UST to a virtual standstill until late in the game. Llagas should have had an advantage in the paint, but the Tigers nullified him with their athletic bigs.
De La Salle University (2-2) – Gaining their first win of the season over UP, the Archers followed it up with a pulse-pounding OT victory over Adamson. Have they turned their season around?
University of the Philippines (1-3) – Losing to La Salle was tough, but nobody remembers that after the Maroons’ giant-killing win over the unbeaten Ateneo. The team might have just saved Coach Aboy Castro’s job with that triumph.
Adamson University (1-3) – FEU blew them out, and La Salle eked by them, but Adamson may have found itself a star in point guard Lester Alvarez. He carried the Falcons on his back in the second half and overtime of the La Salle contest.
National University (1-3) – Now wearing white instead of their traditional yellow for lighter jerseys, the Bulldogs were hoping for a change in fortunes as well. Sadly, they ran into a freight train by the name of FEU.

There will still be 3 more games for each team before the first round finishes.

PBFantasy.com

2009-07-22T02:41:00.000-07:00

Currently, my father, my sister and I are sharing the same things of interest nowadays- playing applis on facebook like farm town, farm ville, mafia wars, and all other stuffs found in fb (which obviously wastes a lot of time but we're still having fun with it though). But apart from these, one thing that we cannot afford to miss is the UAAP Games, Season '72. Though, my father and I were really fanatic since last year, when Studio 23 was "clear" already in our TV, and of course, since we saw Chris (yes, my pop is a fan of his too).

Anyway, just wanna talk about this site which got our interest these days, the pbfantasy.com. It's a site in which you form your own team and you get to pick your player of the game. For every record that a player has made (i.e. shooting point, rebound, steal, assist), there is a corresponding fantasy points for it. What just made us excited about this is we get to cheer for our "picks" for every game so that we'll have higher fantasy points. It's really fun watching your ranking go up or down depending on the statistics of the player that you have chosen. You only get one chance to pick one player for every round for every game. For example, for an ADMU-DLSU game, you only have to choose one player from both teams as your "pick". And you cannot choose that player again for the entire round. What's more interesting is that the fantasy points get doubled when the team of your "picked" players get to win the game. Of course, there are also prizes to be won but I don't think we already have that as our motivation in entering the game. It's just really exciting to see who gets to win in every game and if the team of your player wins. Click on the site for more info. You wanna know who we're rooting for? Of course, it will always be ADMU Blue Eagles! OBF!:)

As of now, we only have UAAP for picking since it's still off-season for NBA and PBA.

Nadal returns to training in Mallorca

2009-07-21T10:23:00.000-07:00

I was just glad when I found out about this. After having rested and not playing Wimby because of tendinitis, he was back again in a light-training session with his uncle and coach Toni Nadal, according to the official site of ATP. “I’m very happy to be back training, get to touch a racquet again and do what I love doing the most,” said Nadal on his official website, RafaelNadal.com. “At the same time, it was just a very light session, without putting too much pressure; just enough to see how I am.

And I hope that Rafa will be back to his old form again to fight and defend his title at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Montreal, beginning 10 August. Vamos Rafa!

UAAP Men's Season 72 Schedule (1st Round)

2009-07-19T03:44:00.000-07:00

July 11 (Saturday) – Araneta Coliseum
2 PM – UST vs Adamson
4 PM – La Salle vs UE

July 12 (Sunday) – Araneta Coliseum
2 PM – UP vs NU
4 PM – Ateneo vs FEU

July 16 (Thursday) – Araneta Coliseum
2 PM – UST vs NU
4 PM – UE vs Ateneo

July 18 (Saturday) – Araneta Coliseum
2 PM – UP vs Adamson
4 PM – FEU vs La Salle

July 19 (Sunday) – Philsports Arena
2 PM – UE vs NU
4 PM – Ateneo vs UST

July 23 (Thursday) – Philsports Arena
2 PM – La Salle vs UP
4 PM – FEU vs Adamson

July 25 (Saturday) – Philsports Arena
2 PM – NU vs FEU
4 PM – Ateneo vs UP

July 26 (Sunday) – Philsports Arena
2 PM – Adamson vs La Salle
4 PM – UST vs UE

July 30 (Thursday) – Araneta Coliseum
2 PM – La Salle vs NU
4 PM – Adamson vs Ateneo

August 1 (Saturday) – Philsports Arena
2 PM – Ateneo vs NU
4 PM – FEU vs UP

August 2 (Sunday) – Philsports Arena
2 PM – UE vs Adamson
4 PM – UST vs La Salle

August 6 (Thursday) – Araneta Coliseum
2 PM – UP vs UE
4 PM – UST vs FEU

August 8 (Saturday) – Araneta Coliseum
2 PM – UST vs UP
4 PM – AdU vs NU

August 9 (Sunday) – Araneta Coliseum
1 PM – La Salle vs Ateneo
5 PM – UE vs FEU

*Teams in bold are the winning team.

Team Standing as of July 19, 2009:

Ateneo - 3-0

UST - 2-1

FEU - 1-1

UE - 2-1

ADU - 1-1

DLSU - 0-2

NU -1-2

UP -0-2

Schedule credits to this blog.

First post..

2009-07-18T22:49:00.000-07:00

Hello there..I am new here and I am making this blog to let out my own ups & downs when it comes to my rooted teams on any sports that I am enticed to watch. So please bear with me if you have accidentally stepped unto this space of mine. Ciao!