Herausforderungen » join." But Harden certainly isnt Houstons only

Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna subdued Britains Andy Murray and Heather Watson with remarkable ease to breeze into the mixed-doubles semifinals at the Rio Olympics. The fourth-seeded Indian pair dominated the quarterfinal contest, winning 6-4 6-4 in just 67 minutes.One more victory will ensure India a silver medal and even a defeat in the semifinals - against USAs Venus Williams and Rajeev Ram - would give Sania and Bopanna a chance to fight for the bronze.Murray came into the contest after winning his singles quarterfinal that lasted more than two hours, and he was a pale shadow of himself.Murray, the world number two, winner of three Grand Slams and the singles defending Olympic champion, seemed to be conserving his energy for the bigger battle ahead. His heavy legs and stifled movement on the court made the task easier for the Indians.Watson, too, did not look like the player who won the Wimbledon mixed-doubles title this year, struggling with her serve and ground strokes in the opening set.Bopanna was solid with his booming serve while Sania played superbly from the back of the court. Bopanna began with a double fault and Sanias consecutive volley errors meant that the Indians were first to blink.However, the Indians immediately got the break back as Watosn dropped serve at love. A flurry of unforced errors from her set the Indians up nicely with three chances, and Bopanna found a backhand winner on the first break point. Sania saved a breakpoint in the next and held to make it 2-2.A nervous-looking Watson struggled with her serve and was again down 0-40, allowing India to seized the advantage. Murray failed to put across a strong forehand return from Sania, putting the Indians ahead 4-3. Sania came out serving solid in the next set as India led 5-3. Bopanna served out the first set without fuss, hitting two aces.Murray and Watson played better as a team in the second set, but the Indians were up for the task and broke Murray in the fifth for a 3-2 lead. That lead stayed with the Indians and Bopanna sealed the issue on the third match point with an overhead smash.In 2012, Murray had won silver in the mixed-doubles, alongside Laura Robson. India have won only one tennis medal in their entire Olympic history, through Leander Paes, who won a singles bronze at 1996 Atlanta Games.Cheap Custom Baseball Jerseys . Mickelson barely made the cut but had the best round of the day with nine birdies and an eagle coupled with two bogeys to sit two shots behind leader Craig Lee of Scotland. Lee shot a 69 for a 12-under 204 total. "I just love the fact I am in contention and have an opportunity in my first tournament of the year here in Abu Dhabi," Mickelson said. Custom Kansas City Royals Nike Jerseys . -- Bryant McKinnie came out of his stance and lowered his shoulder into a practice squad player, causing a crisp thud to reverberate in the Miami Dolphins practice bubble. https://www.custombaseballnikejerseys.com/?tag=custom-los-angeles-dodgers-nike-jerseys . Perhaps Carroll was so prepared for a break because he believes there is very little the Seattle Seahawks need heading into the off-season. "I dont see anything that we need to add. We just have to get better," Carroll said. Custom Detroit Tigers Nike Jerseys . Artturi Lehkonen, Joni Nikko and Ville Leskinen had the other goals for Finland (1-0) while Juuse Saros stopped 28 shots. Tim Robin Johnsgard had the lone goal for Norway (0-2). Custom San Diego Padres Nike Jerseys . Thats about all he can do right now, so hes trying not to think about when he might be able to play again for the Los Angeles Lakers.HOUSTON - Last off-season, the Houston Rockets were an afterthought, a young team with little star power. Now, after trading for James Harden just before this past season and adding Dwight Howard on Friday, Houston is suddenly primed to contend sooner than almost anybody expected. Still, Houston general manager Daryl Morey knows nabbing Howard is only the first step in a long process for his team. "We havent accomplished anything yet, but were putting something pretty cool together, I think," Morey said in an interview with Comcast SportsNet Houston. Howard is the Rockets latest superstar centre, following Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon and eight-time All-Star Yao Ming. They reached the playoffs for the first time since 2009 this season and battled back from a 3-0 deficit before being eliminated by the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 6. Their return to the post-season showed they have plenty of speed and long-range scoring power with Harden, Jeremy Lin and Chandler Parsons. Omer Asik was a solid rebounder in the playoff run and averaged 12.3 points in the series, but it was clear that the team needed a more potent scoring threat inside. The addition of Howard gives them just that, as the 6-foot-11 star has averaged more than 18 points and almost 13 rebounds in his nine-year career. His one season in Los Angeles was filled with unrest, including what many believed to be a less than positive relationship with Kobe Bryant. Bryant unfollowed Howard on Twitter on Friday night after he announced his decision to join the Rockets with a tweet. It was the end of a short tenure with the Lakers in which Howard averaged 17 points and almost 11 rebounds in the playoffs, where the injury-riddled team was swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round. Morey believes his team offers many benefits to the 27-year-old centre, but one thing sealed the deal. "I think Dwights in a great place in his career," Morey said in the television interview. "Hes focused onn winning and we gave him the best chance to win.dddddddddddd Its that simple." Howard cant officially sign until July 10 when next seasons salary cap has been set. The Rockets can pay him $88 million over a four-year contract — $30 million less than what Los Angeles could have given him. But in Houston, Howard saw the chance to join Harden and boost this up-and-coming team. Harden blossomed in his first year with the Rockets, going from stellar sixth man with the Thunder to Houstons top player. He averaged 25.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.8 steals, setting career highs in each category. After Howard made his decision Friday night, Harden tweeted: "Houston we have lift off!!," and posted a photo to Instagram of him and his newest teammate together. "No matter how you look at it we thought it was a pretty straightforward choice," Morey said on Comcast. "To Dwights credit he did turn down a pretty significant amount of money to come to the Rockets. It shows his mindset that hes really ready to take that next step. If you look at best players, James Harden is the best player out there that he could join." But Harden certainly isnt Houstons only weapon. The Rockets signed Lin last season to run their offence and they were also buoyed by the development of Parsons, a second-round pick in 2011. Parsons averaged 15.5 points last season and was even better in the playoffs when Lin was ailing, averaging 18.2 points against the Thunder. Morey believes the move puts the Rockets among the top teams in the Western Conference and definitely positions them to contend for a title. He pointed to the Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder as the teams he sees as Houstons biggest competition next season. "We obviously have our work cut out for us," he said on Comcast. "Were going to set ourselves up to be able to compete with them. This move is obviously the most important one. Well let the chips fall where they may." ' ' '