Bayern Trupp » How can I hit the best shot

Melbourne, Australia (SportsNetwork.com) - Serena Williams is again the Australian Open champion. The top-seeded American earned her sixth Aussie Open title and 19th career Grand Slam championship with a 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) triumph over Maria Sharapova on Saturday at Rod Laver Arena. Williams won in Melbourne for the first time since 2010, finishing the match with an ace in the second-set tiebreaker on her third championship point. She now owns the second-most womens Grand Slam titles in the Open Era, surpassing legends Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. Only Steffi Graf has more with 22. Sharapova was trying for a second Australian Open title. She fell to 2-17 lifetime against Williams and has lost the last 16 meetings. The 33-year-old Williams notched her 65th career title and has captured the last two Grand Slam events, taking the U.S. Open crown last September. Williams had a break point opportunity in the opening game of the match when Sharapova fired a backhand wide. A double fault quickly gave Williams the early advantage. The players were locked at 30-30 in the sixth game when rain forced the closing of the roof. Williams hardly seemed affected by the delay, following an ace with a strong forehand winner to complete the hold for a 4-2 lead. A double fault gave Williams three break points in the next game, but she only needed one as Sharapova fired a backhand long. Sharapova broke back, but Williams responded to the poor service game with a break at love to take the first set. Williams continued her strong play into the second set with a hold at love, then had two more break points in the next game. Sharapova, though, regrouped and managed to save both before holding. Each player had a break chance midway through the second set, but Williams failed to convert her opportunity with a wide backhand in the sixth game and Sharapova sent a forehand wide in the seventh game. Another Sharapova forehand error gave Williams her first championship point in the 10th game, but the Russian came up with a big serve that Williams barely returned. Sharapova followed with a blistering forehand that drew applause from the American. After Williams held with an ace, Sharapova held at love to force the tiebreak. Sharapova won the first point of the tiebreak with a forehand return winner, but Williams won the next four to take control. At 6-4, Sharapova came up with a forehand that Williams could not return to save a second championship point. Williams then blasted what appeared to be an ace to win the title, but it was ruled a let. She dropped her racket in disbelief, then followed with the same serve. This one did not tip the tape and she dropped her racket again, but in exultation. Sharapova fell to 5-5 all-time in Grand Slam finals, including 1-3 against Williams. The only victory came in the 2004 Wimbledon title match. Williams also beat Sharapova for the 2007 Australian Open crown and for the 2013 French Open title. The 27-year-old Sharapovas lone Australian Open championship came in 2008 against Ana Ivanovic. She also lost the 2012 final against Victoria Azarenka. Cheap Nike Air Max Outlet . -- League scoring leader Anthony Mantha had two goals and two assists to lead the Val-dOr Foreurs over the Blainville-Boisbriand Phoenix 6-3 on Wednesay in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League play on Wednesday. Fake Nike Air Max Replica . He chirped to the caddie of Brandt Snedeker about their money game, a Mickelson tradition at the majors. Lefty was in good spirits Monday at the British Open, except for having to return the claret jug. https://www.wholesalenikeairmaxshoes.com/.com) - Virginia is for loving Latrell Scott. Nike Air Max Sale . PETERSBURG, Fla. Discount Nike Air Max Wholesale . -- Phil Hughes ended a personal losing streak that dated to last July, pitching into the seventh inning Sunday and helping the Twins top the Kansas City Royals 8-3 to avoid a three-game sweep.WINDSOR STATION, N.S. -- He may have stumbled in the second round of the Nova Scotia Open with a two-over 73. He may have finished his day with a sloppy bogey and there may be a hurricane bearing down on Ashburn Golf Club which will mean a long day of waiting around on Saturday, but none of it could dampen the enthusiasm Adam Hadwin has been showing this week. The resident of Abbotsford, B.C., slipped back on Friday but was still smiling in a post-round chat on Friday. Hadwin, who opened with a 66 on Thursday, was slow from the gate the second time around the course. "It was just one of those days," said Hadwin. "(Thursday) everything seemed to go right. I missed it in the right places, got up and down when I needed to, made a few putts. Today was the complete opposite. I didnt hit it very well starting out." The third-year Web.com Tour player made a double on the par-3 fifth hole after hitting a shank. Yup, a shank. He bogeyed the next par-3, the eighth, before righting the ship on the back side with birdies on the 10th and 12th. There were many more opportunities over the final six holes, but nothing dropped on the exceptionally difficult greens, which are starting to cause frustration among the field. "You take a look at the last hole, I had a four-footer for par and Im lagging it," said Hadwin. "I had a putt on 14 that I had to lag from 15 feet. I had 15 feet and had to play four or five feet of break. The greens are very difficult if you get out of position and I was perfectly in position yesterday and I wasnt today." The sour ending came when he just missed a 10-footer on the 17th for a birdie and then lipped out a four-footer on the 18th for a finishing bogey. In the past, that type of conclusion to the day may have kept Hadwin steaming for some time. But as a sign of how far hes grown as a professional, he was positively chipper as he walked off the course, smiling to his fans and acknowledging the applause. "I used to have troubles putting bad shots behind me," he admitted. "They would stick with me for a little bit and thats something that I worked really hard to improve on and to get better at, and know thats going to help make me a better player." There are many who expected hed already be that better player by now, already be on the PGA Tour. Those expectations were fueled in large part by his RBC Canadian Open performance in 2010, when he finished as low Canuck, and then again in 2011 when he came within a couple of shots of winning the Open outright in front of hometown fans in Vancouver. But, not surprisingly, Hadwin couldnt keep up the meteoric rise and has found himself trying to re-set his game and his career, admitting that he probably hadnt worked hard enough. At the start of this year, he decided to re-dedicate himself, taking a more professional approach to everything he did. Blessed with immense natural talent, hee realized that alone wouldnt be enough to get him to his goal of the PGA Tour.ddddddddddddHe wanted to work hard every week and be prepared as best he could when he stepped on the first tee on Thursday. "That sort of continued from the end of last year," Hadwin said. "I thought I did a much better job of knowing the golf course, knowing where to miss and all that. Im still getting better, its still something I can improve on but Im giving it my best shot, trying to understand the golf course. . . when to be aggressive, when not to be aggressive. Obviously Im playing a lot better this year than I have in past years so it must be working." You can make a good argument that Hadwin is the most popular Canadian golfer not playing the PGA Tour. His personality is positively effervescent and he is a marketers dream, smiling and engaging fans non-stop (just this week, he inked a new sponsorship deal with Shaw). He had the largest contingent of Haligonians on Friday, who followed him around and cheered his strong play. "It is noticeable for sure," Hadwin admitted. "It is a good feeling to know you have support. On Twitter and Facebook and all those social media outlets, to hear the words of encouragement and support even when Im not playing well, (its good to know) people are supporting me. Its nice and it makes getting over rounds like this easier." Of course his improved play this season doesnt hurt either. Hadwin notched a win earlier this year in Chile and has three other top-10 finishes to sit sixth on the Web.com Tour money list with just over $200,000. He is all but guaranteed of advancing to the PGA Tour next year by finishing inside the top 25. And he admits that there have been times when hes allowed his mind to wander and think about joining the big leagues. "Ive thought about it a few times," Hadwin said, "but at the same time including playoffs I think we have 10 events, 11 events left in the year. So theres lots of events left, lots of money to be made. When you get to the golf course and get into that competition mode its All right whats my next shot? How can I hit the best shot possible? Everything future-wise kind of goes out the window and youre just focused on getting the ball in the hole in the fewest shots possible." But when hes off the course, with time on his hands, say, riding out a long weather delay, it can be a little different. "When youre sitting through Hurricane Arthur in your hotel room with nothing to do, you might start to think Greenbrier looks pretty good right now," he chuckled. Ah yes, Arthur. The hurricane is on a collision course with Halifax and organizers have already announced that there will be no play until noon on Saturday at the earliest. Judging by the forecast, that might be optimistic. For Hadwin, however, hurricane or not, hell be ready to go whenever he next tees off. ' ' '