Gäste Forum » his team.I actually apologized to my team

NEW YORK -- Trying to serve out the biggest victory of her career, 18-year-old Ana Konjuh was startled -- right along with everyone else under the roof in Arthur Ashe Stadium -- by a piercing noise coming from the U.S. Open arenas sound system during a ball toss.The Croatian teen recoiled, let the ball drop and put her left hand to her chest. Once Konjuh realized nothing bad was going on, she smiled, then resumed playing and finished off a 6-4, 6-4 upset of No. 4 seed Agnieszka Radwanska on Monday night to reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinal.I just said to myself, `Stay in the game. Dont rush, Konjuh said.Konjuh, who is ranked only 92nd, had never been past the third round at a major until this tournament. She was the junior champion at Flushing Meadows in 2013.A fearless big hitter, Konjuh compiled a 38-9 edge in winners against Radwanska, who is 27 and was the runner-up at Wimbledon in 2012.Radwanska is now 0-5 in fourth-round matches at the U.S. Open, the only Grand Slam event where she hasnt been to the quarterfinals at least once.I just couldnt do any more, I guess, today, Radwanska said. I was really trying. I was just too slow today.She wondered aloud at her news conference why the match was played with the new $150 million retractable roof atop Ashe shut. A shower briefly had interrupted the previous match, Andy Murrays victory over Grigor Dimitrov, just before its final game, but then the wet weather quickly disappeared.Before Konjuh vs. Radwanska began, the cover was closed atop the arena.Asked whether she was told why by a tournament official, Radwanska said: Well, the risk of rain. But, well, there was always risk of rain, I guess.Would she have preferred for the match to be played without the roof?I dont know what would happen if that would be open. Sometimes, she added, I just dont understand why theyre closing the roof.This year at the All England Club, Konjuh held three match points against Radwanska but lost their second-round match 9-7 in the third set after accidentally stepping on a tennis ball and injuring her right ankle during a point at 7-all.On Wednesday, Konjuh will face 10th-seeded Karolina Pliskova, who eliminated Venus Williams in three sets. Pliskova, who is 24, has never played in a major quarterfinal, either.---Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrichStitched Soccer Jerseys . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. Soccer Jerseys China . - Goaltender Philippe Desrosiers of the Rimouski Oceanic has broken a shutout record that was only three months old in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. https://www.soccerjerseyschina.us/ .J. -- Pitcher Carl Pavano is retiring after 14 major league seasons. Wholesale Soccer Jerseys China . Aaron Harrison scored a 22 points for Kentucky (6-1), which has won four in a row following a Nov. 12 loss to current No. 1 Michigan State. Julius Randle overcame a scoreless first half and added his sixth double-double in as many games with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Replica Soccer Jerseys . Breaking three of his own world records on his way to winning in Paris, Chan silenced the critics and left the audiences standing in appreciation and awe.PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas -- Baylor dominated Michigan State inside with its size advantage, got out in transition and kept knocking down shots.The result was a second lopsided win against a ranked team in 10 days, along with the No. 20 Bears earning a trip to the Battle 4 Atlantis championship game.Johnathan Motley scored 20 of his 26 points in the first half and the Bears shot 55 percent after halftime to beat the 24th-ranked Spartans 73-58 on Thursday.Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. added 14 points and eight rebounds -- nearly all in the second half -- for the Bears (5-0), who sprinted out of the break with a 12-2 run on the way to shooting 55 percent in the second half. That quickly turned a 33-30 halftime deficit into a double-digit lead against the cold-shooting Spartans (3-3).We were able to get stops and we were able to get some transition buckets, Baylor coach Scott Drew said. And when were able get in transition with some easy ones, that loosens things up.The Bears did a lot of things well. They controlled the boards. They had 24 assists on 30 baskets. They scored 19 points off turnovers.The Spartans just werent able to mount much of a pushback. They went 7 minutes between baskets spanning halftime as Baylor made its push, while the Spartans thin front line was no match for the 7-foot Lual-Acuil and 6-10 Motley.We were bigger than them in the paint and we think were tougher, Motley said, so we just used that to our advantage.Freshman Miles Bridges scored 15 points for the Spartans, who shot 39 percent after halftime -- including 1 for 10 on 3-pointers -- in a demanding opening month of the schedule that has them crisscrossing the country.We were moving the ball and really playing well I thought through the first half, and we quit doing that, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. I just think we looked awfully tired. I can accept that thats my fault, not theirs.BIG PICTUREBaylor: In their first two games in the Bahamas, the Bears have notched a tough win against VCU and now a rout against the Spartans in the span of 24 hours -- about as good of a startt as Drew couldve hoped to see.dddddddddddd.Michigan State: The concerns about the Spartans injury-depleted front line showed up in a big way in this one. Motley went just about anywhere he wanted in the first half, while Lual-Acuil led Baylors effort on the boards. Izzo said Wednesday there would be some growing pains while this group sorted things out -- and this performance illustrated it perfectly.POLL IMPLICATIONSThe Bears vaulted into this weeks AP Top 25 after beating then-No. 4 Oregon last week and could be ready to climb after beating VCU and Michigan State, depending on their finish Friday. As for the Spartans, theyve slid from their No. 12 preseason perch and could be set to fall all the way out despite -- or maybe because of -- that schedule.IZZOS APOLOGYMichigan State has already lost to Arizona in Hawaii and Kentucky in New York. The Spartans travel to Duke next week in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.Izzo said he did a terrible job putting together a schedule that has left little time to practice and try to develop his team.I actually apologized to my team, he said. And yet, Ive always played a tough schedule. ... You know what? You can take it as an excuse, you can take it as the truth, I dont give a damn. Im telling you what I did. This aint on them. Its on me.UPFRONT SIZEWith Michigan State down two big men because of injuries, Lual-Acuil, Ishmail Wainright (eight rebounds) and Motley helped the Bears control the inside. Baylor outrebounded Michigan State 36-29 and held it to three offensive boards while scoring 44 points in the paint.UP NEXTBaylor: The Bears will play No. 10 Louisville, which beat Wichita State later Thursday, in Fridays championship game.Michigan State: The Spartans will play Wichita State in Fridays third-place game.---Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap---More AP college basketball at http://collegebasketball.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-Top25 ' ' '