SPORTS
Saturday, January 24, 2015
East Oregonian
Page 3B
Tennis
Seppi upsets Federer in third round of Aussie Open
46th-ranked
player knocks out
four-time champ
“The way he hits it you
think, ‘This can’t possibly land
in.’ You kind of go and you’re
there and you’re like, ‘No, I’m
going to let it go,”’ the sec-
ond-seeded Federer said. “As
By JOHN PYE
you’re telling yourself that,
Associated Press
you look behind you and you
already know it’s done.”
MELBOURNE, Australia
Federer had reached
— Roger Federer will look WKH VHPL¿QDOV RU EHWWHU DW
back on it and wonder, just as Melbourne Park ever since
he did on court, why he just ZLQQLQJ WKH ¿UVW RI KLV IRXU
watched as Andreas Seppi Australian titles in 2004. He
went down the line and end- hadn’t been ousted before the
ed his streak of reaching the fourth round here since 2001.
$XVWUDOLDQ 2SHQ VHPL¿QDOV That changed in an instant.
for 11 consecutive years.
“I don’t know. Ask him
The 17-time Grand Slam how he felt hitting it,” Fed-
champion was facing match erer said. “It’s clearly a big
point against Seppi for the blow because I actually hit
¿UVWWLPHLQWKHLUKHDGWR my forehand pretty good.”
head meetings, and had con-
Seppi was euphoric, but
trol of the rally when he hit a DFNQRZOHGJHGWKDWWKHGH¿Q-
deep forehand into the corner ing shot of the match was not
and followed it to the net.
a calculated winner.
The No. 46-ranked Seppi
“Yeah, was for sure a
lunged to his right and stuck strange shot,” the 30-year-
out his racket, more hopeful old Italian said. “At the be-
WKDQ FRQ¿GHQW DQG JXLGHG ginning I thought I couldn’t
the ball down the line. Feder- even reach the ball. Then,
er let it go past, and glanced when I hit it, I didn’t see it
back to see it land inside the going there. I just saw when
baseline, giving Seppi a 6-4, it bounced in.
7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-6 (5) win and a
“Was for sure one of the
spot in the fourth round.
important shots of my life.”
MLB
AP Photo/Bernat Armangue
Andreas Seppi of Italy celebrates after defeating Rog-
er Federer of Switzerland in their third round match
at the Australian Open tennis championship in Mel-
bourne, Australia, Friday, Jan. 23, 2015.
Seppi had only advanced
beyond the second round
once at his nine previous
trips to the Australian Open.
He held his nerve despite
some withering winners from
Federer, who registered his
1,000th career match win ear-
lier this month in Brisbane.
Federer, uncharacteristically,
let mini-breaks slip in both
tiebreakers, had nine dou-
ble-faults in the match and
was unusually inconsistent.
“It just broke me to lose
that second set. And actual-
ly the fourth, I should win
it, too,” Federer said. “Just a
brutal couple of sets to lose
there. The end wasn’t pretty.”
Seppi will get another ap-
pearance on Rod Laver Are-
na for his fourth-round match
against Australian teenager
Nick Kyrgios, who shrugged
off concern over a nosebleed
to beat Malek Jaziri of Tuni-
sia 6-3, 7-6 (6), 6-1. Kyrgios
beat then No. 1-ranked Rafa-
el Nadal in the fourth round
at Wimbledon last year.
Nadal is still a contender
in Australia after rebound-
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ond-round win to beat No.
106-ranked Dudi Sella 6-1,
6-0, 7-5.
The 14-time major winner
is coming off a lengthy stint
on the sidelines, and has been
playing down his chances of
going all the way again in Mel-
bourne, where he won in 2009.
Andy Murray hasn’t had
a match on the center court
at Melbourne yet this year,
but it hasn’t bothered the
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in straights sets again, beat-
ing Joao Sousa 6-1, 6-1, 7-5
to set up a clash with No.
10 Grigor Dimitrov, who la-
ERUHGWKURXJKD¿YHVHWZLQ
over 2006 Australian Open
¿QDOLVW0DUFRV%DJKGDWLV
Seventh-seeded Tomas
Berdych needed eight match
points before beating Viktor
Troicki 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 and will
next play Bernard Tomic,
who beat fellow Australian
Sam Groth 6-4, 7-6 (8), 6-3.
After having to fend off
match points in her previ-
ous match, Maria Sharapova
made sure it wasn’t even close
in the third round by beating
No. 31 Zarina Diyas 6-1, 6-1
in 61 minutes. She next plays
Peng Shuai and has a poten-
WLDOTXDUWHU¿QDODJDLQVW1R
Eugenie Bouchard.
The 20-year-old Canadian
struggled through a scrappy
opening set before recording
a 7-5, 6-0 third-round win
over Caroline Garcia that
featured 10 breaks of serve.
“I don’t think it was the
prettiest tennis out there,”
said Bouchard, who reached
WKHVHPL¿QDOVLQKHU¿UVWWULS
to Melbourne Park last year
and went on to make the
VHPL¿QDOV RU EHWWHU DW WZR
of the other three majors in a
breakthrough season.
Third-seeded Simona Ha-
lep, who lost the French Open
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advanced with a 6-4, 7-5 win
over Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
Her fourth-round match is
against Yanina Wickmayer,
who had an upset win over
No. 14-seeded Sara Errani.
College Football
Mariners sticking Mannion among passers trying to be No. 3
with Montero
By JOHN ZENOR
Associated Press
By JOSH LIEBESKIND
Associated Press
SEATTLE — Jesus Montero still has a chance
with the Seattle Mariners.
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luncheon on Thursday lauding the transformation of
the once highly touted prospect, reporting that he had
lost 40 pounds this offseason.
Montero was part of a trade
prior to the 2012 season in which
he came to the Mariners from the
New York Yankees in exchange
for young right-hander Michael
Pineda.
Montero never panned out as a catcher, though,
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Mariners, hitting became a serious issue. Problems
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suspended 50 games for being connected to the Bio-
genesis scandal. He also came to spring training last
year overweight.
Montero played in just six major league games
this past season and had an incident last August
during a Single-A game when he confronted a scout
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straw.
But general manager Jack Zduriencik and man-
ager Lloyd McClendon were cautiously optimistic
Thursday when talking about the offseason work
Montero has put in. He’s now down to 235 pounds, a
target weight set for the start of spring training.
“He’s made some very poor decisions, but he’s a
good kid,” Zduriencik said. “Sometimes bad deci-
sions, sometimes the wrong focus. Obviously, got a
big egg in his face. He deserves a second chance, he
deserves a third chance.
“One of the things that was really, really a goal
of ours in September when we brought him up here
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and foremost, we need to save you as a human being.
First and foremost, we need to make you a function-
al person, in terms of some of these decisions and
some of these directions that you’re misguided upon.
I think we set a program in place that he embraced.”
McClendon met with Montero a couple months
ago and said the two had “a real good conversation”
about the game of life. Since then, Montero has ac-
complished all that McClendon set out for him.
“Now he can start concentrating on being a better
baseball player,” McClendon said.
MOBILE, Ala. — The NFL
draft’s quarterback pecking
order beyond Jameis Winston
and Marcus Mariota might not
have gotten much clearer at the
Senior Bowl.
Baylor’s Bryce Petty and
Oregon State’s Sean Mannion
were among those trying to
make headway leading up to
Saturday’s game for top senior
NFL prospects. It’s unclear if
they were successful.
“There’s kind of that (ques-
tion), Could someone dis-
tinguish himself as the third
guy?” said Charles Davis, an
NFL Network analyst. “I don’t
know if anyone really did that
this week.”
Winston and Mariota, the
past two Heisman Trophy
winners, are projected as early
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the other guys, including those
hoping to use the Senior Bowl
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the draft boards.
Petty is trying to follow
Baylor predecessor Robert
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make the transition from Bay-
lor’s uptempo, high-scoring
offense. He has been work-
ing with quarterback coach
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ing the adjustment since Jan. 6
as well as during spring break
the last few years, going under
center each time.
Petty makes it clear he’s
motivated by the doubters,
citing a report predicting he
wouldn’t be anything more
than a career backup.
“That’s more motivation for
myself,” Petty said. “For me, I
have pretty high expectations
for myself, more so than what
anybody else can say about
Oregon
State
quarterback
Sean Man-
nion looks
on during
NCAA col-
lege football
practice for
the Senior
Bowl, Thurs-
day, Jan.
22, 2015, at
Ladd-Pee-
bles Sta-
dium in
Mobile, Ala.
AP Photo/Brynn
Anderson
me. I try not to pay
terbacks all put up
too much attention
big numbers in col-
to that kind of thing,
lege, from Mannion
but that’s reality.
to former Mariota
My job is to prove
backup Bryan Ben-
that I belong and • Saturday, 1 p.m. nett of Southeast-
that I am relevant. • TV: NFL Network ern Louisiana, East
Hopefully at the end
Carolina’s Shane
of this week, it’ll be Petty and Carden, Alabama’s Blake
the other guys. That’s what I’m Sims and Colorado State’s
trying to do here.”
Garrett Grayson.
There’s no questioning
Mannion set 18 Oregon
his college credentials. Pet- State passing records and his
W\ ¿QLVKHG KLV FROOHJH FDUHHU 13,600 career yards puts him
with a 550-yard passing per- eighth on the NCAA charts.
formance in the Cotton Bowl He views the Senior Bowl as
against Michigan State and set a weeklong competition with
an NCAA record with inter- ¿YHPRUHVHQLRU1)/KRSHIXOV
ceptions on just 1.18 percent
“The goal I set for myself
of his career passes. He’s also is to come in here and be the
KRSLQJ *ULI¿Q¶V VWUXJJOHV LQ best guy,” Mannion said. “It’s
adapting to the NFL won’t be something that every day, ev-
held against him.
ery meeting, every practice,
North coach Ken Whisen- every rep, I want to be the best
hunt of the Tennessee Titans one. In terms of where people
said Petty has proven his com- are drafted, that kind of thing,
mitment to mastering the pro- that’s still a ways down the
style offense. That includes road. But right now I just want
getting used to taking snaps to be the best guy here at the
XQGHUFHQWHUDQGPDNLQJ¿YH Senior Bowl.”
and seven-step drops.
Sims led Alabama to a
Like Petty, the other quar- Southeastern Conference title
in his lone season as a starter
after switching back from run-
ning back, setting the Tide’s
single-season passing record.
He said he gave no thought
to trying another position, feel-
ing he “showed the world” he
could play quarterback last
season.
Bennett was a late addition.
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California, overnight Tuesday
to join the South team after
Auburn’s Nick Marshall opted
to play cornerback instead.
Bennett transferred after
backing up Mariota in 2012,
then ran for 31 touchdowns
and passed for 5,522 yards
over the past two seasons.
“Obviously I wanted to win
the spot” at Oregon, said Ben-
nett, who ran into his former
coach Chip Kelly before his
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tor. Nobody who’s competing
wants to lose a competition.
My thought was really what
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¿HOGQRZ´
His thought now is trying to
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NHL
American-born talent at highest point in over decade for NHL All-Star game
Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ohio —
Some of the best players in
the world — Sidney Crosby,
Evgeni Malkin and anybody
wearing a Detroit Red Wings
or Colorado Avalanche jer-
sey — will be absent from
the NHL All-Star game on
Sunday.
Your EO Youth Sports
The Pendleton 6th grade
Big John’s Pizza AAU
basketball team went
undefeated to repeat as
champions of the Clash
of The Borders Basketball
Tournament on Jan. 17-18
in Pendleton. More than
70 teams from Oregon,
Washington and Idaho
from grades 4-8 partici-
pated in the tournament.
PICTURED: Top Row (left
to right) — coach Ryan
Sams, Kyle Field, Dako-
ta Sams, Buck Weilert,
Ruger Deming, coach
Preston Bronson. Bot-
tom Row (l-r) — Greyson
Sams, Reuben Bronson,
Tyasin Burns, Tucker Zan-
der, Zack Rabb.
Contributed photo
courtesy of April Rabb
Yet the list of Ameri-
can-born talent at the game is
longer than it’s ever been.
When the sport’s best
showcase their talents, there
will be nine U.S. born and
bred players. It’s the largest
red, white and blue contin-
gent since the NHL went to
this format in 2003.
“That upsurge has been
there,” said Nash-
The native sons
ville
Predators
include some of
coach Peter Lavi-
the biggest names
olette, born in
in the sport: Chi-
Norwood, Massa-
cago right wing
chusetts, who will • Sunday, 2 p.m.
Patrick Kane and
serve as a head • TV: NBCSN
Columbus
left
coach in the an-
wing Nick Folig-
nual goal-fest held for the no (both from Buffalo, New
¿UVWWLPHWKLV\HDULQ2KLR¶V York), Toronto right wing
capital city.
Phil Kessel and Minnesota
defenseman Ryan Suter (both
from Madison, Wisconsin),
and others such as Winnipeg
defenseman Dustin Byfug-
lien, St. Louis blue liner Kev-
in Shattenkirk, Ottawa left
wing Bobby Ryan, Tampa
Bay center Tyler Johnson and
Carolina defenseman Justin
Faulk.
“You’re seeing a lot of
great players start to come up
now,” said Shattenkirk, one
of the game’s best young de-
fensemen. “It’s been a great
few years for U.S. hockey.
It’s exciting to see that many
guys here. We do take a lot of
pride in, I don’t want to say
proving ourselves, but just
making sure that American
hockey is respected.”
Little League registrations open
Online registration is
open for Pendleton and
Hermiston Little League.
Baseball and softball
players ages 5-13 in
Hermiston can get a $10
early bird discount on their
registration fees if forms are
received before Jan. 31. Cost
is $65 for players ages 5-12
and $75 for 13-14. There are
also discounts for families
with three or more players.
Players can register at
HermistonLittleLeague.com.
Pendleton’s fees are $60
per player or $140 for a
family. Online registration
can be completed at
PendletonLittleLeague.com,
or at one of three public
registration sessions.
On Tuesday, Feb. 10 and
Thursday, Feb. 12 players can
register at the Community
Room at City Hall from
5:30-8 p.m. Another session
will be held in the same place
on Saturday, Feb. 14 from 10
a.m.-2 p.m.
Milton-Freewater Little
League also has announced
its public registration dates
and locations.
Registration will be held
at the Mac-Hi cafeteria from
6-7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan.
27 and Thursday, Feb. 5.
Cost is $55 for baseball and
softball, and $35 for tee-ball.
— East Oregonian