Bayern Trupp » nor is he scared of the perils of free

BRISBANE, Australia - Canadian Milos Raonic fired 34 aces to grind out a 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4) win over second-seeded Kei Nishikori on Saturday to reach the Brisbane International final.The third-seeded Raonic appeared to grow in confidence as the match progressed, earning three match points with an ace in the third tiebreaker and then clinching it in 2 1/2 hours with a stunning forehand service return.It was his second win in six head-to-heads with Nishikori, who beat him in five sets in the fourth round at the U.S. Open en route to the final and again in the final of the tournament in Tokyo last year.Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., will play the final against the winner of the later match between No. 1-seeded Roger Federer and No. 4 Grigor Dimitrov.Weve played many times now, its always been a long one, said Raonic, who concentrated on improving his serve over the off-season.Neither player dropped serve in the match, meaning Nishikori exited the tournament without dropping a service game.Eventually, though, the quick points Raonic was able to pick up on his booming serve made the difference.The Canadian backed up his serve with 64 winners, twice as many as Nishikori, and had 38 unforced errors as he pushed the limits.Each set turned on one error at the same stage of the tiebreakers.Nishikori forced an error with a powerful service return in the first for a 5-4 lead. He served a double-fault in the second to give Raonic the 5-4 advantage with two serves to close.Raonic got set point with a wide, kicking second serve that took Nishikori out of court and followed it up with a forehand winner.Nishikori rushed to a floating backhand and over-hit it, allowing Raonic to level at 1-1.The tiebreaker was on serve until Nishikori missed a forehand with the court wide open, and Raonic took over from there.No. 1-seeded Maria Sharapova was playing No. 2 Ana Ivanovic in the womens final Saturday night.Venus Williams won her first title of the year when she recovered from a set and a break down for a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 win over top-seeded Carolina Wozniacki in the final of the ASB Classic at Auckland, New Zealand.Her sister, Serena Williams, was aiming for a third Hopman Cup title when she partnered John Isner in the U.S. team against Poland in the final later Saturday in Perth, Australia. Cheap Air Max Tn Plus . Malone will become an unrestricted free-agent and as per the collective bargaining agreement, the Lightning will be responsible for two-thirds of the remainder of his contract over twice the length of the rest of the deal. Wholesale Air Max 1 . There was little fanfare, though, when the Yankees captain was taken out of his final regular-season Subway Series game in the eighth inning. Jeter watched the last four outs from the bench, pulled off the field during a double switch Thursday night as the Yankees held off the Mets 1-0. http://www.airmaxsneakersonsale.com/cheap-air-max-95.html. Anderson is scheduled to have neck surgery April 8 to repair the injury, which occurred when he collided with the Celtics Gerald Wallace during a game in Boston on Jan. 3. The 6-foot-10 Pelicans forward, who had been averaging 19. Cheap Air Max 90 Wholesale . She still remembers the massive roar of the home crowd when the Canadians walked out on the pitch before 47,784 fans at Commonwealth Stadium in 2002. Lang expects a similar reception for the Canadian team as the host nation at this years tournament, which begins Tuesday. Cheap Air Max 95 China . Ricciardo made it only halfway around the Jerez track before his RB10 rolled to a stop and began spouting smoke from the back. After team mechanics tended to the car, Ricciardo went back out for a mere two trips around the circuit before calling it quits.When the clock strikes noon, money will be thrown like crazy ... as usual. Even with the salary cap being set lower than many general managers expected and hoped for at $69 million and whats considered a shallow pool of top-end players available, this unrestricted-free-agent period figures to follow the familiar script of teams bidding up prices to keep up with each other. "You have to be prepared rightly or wrongly to overspend and to give more term than you probably would want to," Boston Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli said on a conference call last week. "That doesnt mean you dont make a good deal, its just the deal is probably pricier than you would like." Bad contracts of years past are being revisited now as theyre bought out, like the Buffalo Sabres getting out from the rest of Ville Leinos deal or the New York Rangers having little choice but to cut ties with Brad Richards. Last years madness included Mike Ribeiro getting $22 million over four seasons, and last week he was bought out. "It is a time where I think the day after some of these contracts are signed, people go, Hmmm, and sit back and think," Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff said last week in Philadelphia. "Thats the age were living in. Thats the nature of it." The teams that sign winger Thomas Vanek, centre Paul Stastny, defenceman Matt Niskanen hope their investments prove more sound. Those three players lead the crop, followed by wingers Matt Moulson and Jarome Iginla, centre Dave Bolland, defencemen Christian Ehrhoff and Dan Boyle and goaltenders Ryan Miller and Jonas Hiller. Already, before teams are free to sign players at noon Tuesday, over $1.1 billion has been spent to retain potential unrestricted free agents at an average cost of $3.57 million, according to CapGeek. Many of the top free agents will get more money than that on an annual basis, just based on the market value. Still, Chiarelli believes its possible to spend smart money in free agency. "As long as the expectations are in place and you know the player that youre getting, I wouldnt necessarily call it a bad deal," he said. "It may be in five years if it is a bad deal, but it is something that can help your team and you just have to be cautious of the hysteria that happens." The hysteria started early this year thanks to the new five-day window teams and pending unrestricted free agents have to talk before dealss can get signed.dddddddddddd. Theyve been free to discuss fits and salary parameters, just not agree verbally or in principle. It seems to have given players more leverage than before because they can consider options rather than make a quick decision on July 1. For teams, the negotiating period is still a work in progress. "Its useful in that you can lay some plans and some groundwork," Toronto Maple Leafs GM Dave Nonis said last week in Philadelphia. "Whether it helps in getting players in or not, I think that remains to be seen.” Compliance buyouts have also changed the landscape, pouring more players like Richards, Ehrhoff, ex-Vancouver Canucks winger David Booth and ex-New Jersey Devils defenceman Anton Volchenkov into the market. Those players can double-dip on pay cheques, while their former teams can allocate the saved salary-cap space elsewhere. The Buffalo Sabres have the most cap space, according to CapGeek, with almost $39 million. They need to spend more than $20 million just to get to the $51-million floor. First-time GM Tim Murray isnt worried about needing to get to the floor, nor is he scared of the perils of free agency. "I dont think its dangerous. I go back to my old cliche: evaluate properly and its never dangerous," Murray said Saturday in Philadelphia. "If you fall in love with the flavour of the week, it could be very dangerous. "But do your homework. Evaluate players properly. Go after the right players, which doesnt mean its the top guy on somebody elses list. Its who you feel is the right guy." The negotiating window has shed some light on the idea that some guys are wanted by a lot of teams. Niskanens agent, Neil Sheehy, said in an email that more than 10 teams had shown interest in the 27-year-old defenceman and that they were planning to pare down that list before Tuesday. Thats a task many of the top free agents and their representatives have been going through because its still very much a players market. "Its kind of the double-edged sword," Cheveldayoff said. "Youre trying to find pieces that can maybe push you and the different depths of the free agent market in different years entices you or maybe doesnt excite you. "But its a way to add and if you can do it reasonably and maybe someone fits in your organization and maybe it becomes a long-term thing. You have to take a look at that regardless of the dollars." Follow @SWhyno on Twitter ' ' '