SHANGHAI, China -- Novak Djokovic maintained his dominance in China by holding off Juan Martin del Potro 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (3) on Su

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SHANGHAI, China -- Novak Djokovic maintained his dominance in China by holding off Juan Martin del Potro 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (3) on Sunday to capture a second Shanghai Masters title and extend his winning streak in the country to 20 consecutive matches. Nellie Fox Jersey . The Serb completed a back-to-back sweep of titles at the China Open in Beijing and the Shanghai Masters for the second straight year. Hes now captured seven titles overall in China -- the most hes won in any country. Djokovic had to overcome a strong challenge from del Potro, who fended off two match points late in the third set, but couldnt put any pressure on Djokovics serve down the stretch and appeared to fade in the tiebreaker. "Hes a big fighter. All the way up to the last point, I dont know if Im going to win the match," Djokovic said. "His forehand is one of the best in the game, one of the best Ive ever played against. Its a huge weapon and once its on, its very dangerous." For Djokovic, the title has added significance coming just days after he relinquished his top ranking to Rafael Nadal, who lost to del Potro in the semifinals. He cant retake the top spot this week, but Djokovic has been focused on finishing the year strongly to stay within striking distance. "Considering the rankings, I put myself in a better position right now with back to back wins," the six-time Grand Slam winner said. "But the fact that if I would win, I would put myself in a better position, did not affect my motivation. My motivation is there always, especially when Im playing finals of such a big event." It was a tough loss for del Potro, who was trying to win his maiden Masters title at his third attempt. He was coming off a title last week at the Japan Open in Tokyo, and he got his first win over Nadal in four years in the semifinals in Shanghai. Del Potro overpowered Nadal so completely in that match, the Spaniard later said: "Very few times I played against a player with a level like today." Del Potro served notice, however, that hes fully fit and confident again after a wrist injury nearly derailed his career after his breakthrough win at the 2009 U.S. Open. Hes back up to the No. 5 ranking -- his highest in three years -- and has beaten Djokovic, Nadal and Andy Murray this year. He also scored one of the biggest wins of his career over Djokovic at the London Olympics last year, where he beat the Serb in the bronze medal match. "I think Im playing even better than many years ago," he said. "I got good things on my career this year. I couldnt win a Grand Slam like I did in 2009, but I reach finals in the 1000 (level) Masters. I already win three tournaments. I beat the top guys, which is fantastic for me." The match looked like it might be a runaway win for Djokovic early on as he raced out to a 5-0 lead in the first set by dictating play with precise groundstrokes and keeping a sluggish del Potro on the defensive. But the momentum shifted in the second set when del Potro began connecting on his serve and cracking the same forehand winners he used to sweep Nadal off the court in straight sets in the previous round. He broke Djokovic to take an early lead, then played a magnificent game to save three break points to hold for 5-2 before closing out the set. The Argentine appeared to tire slightly as the third set wore on. During one changeover, the chair umpire, Damien Dumusois, warned him that he needed to speed up play between points. "Even after a long rally?" Del Potro asked, looking up wearily. Dumusois nodded yes. Djokovic had two match points on del Potros serve at 4-5 in the set, but the Argentine saved them both. The Serb then pulled away in the tiebreaker by hitting a forehand winner to finish off a 24-shot rally to take a 4-2 lead, leaving del Potro unable to manage another comeback. During the trophy presentation, Djokovic tried to console an obviously disappointed del Potro, one of his better friends on the tour. "Youre a great person and an even better player on the court," Djokovic said. "Im sorry you lost today. You deserve this trophy equally." "What can I say, man, Im trying to be nice to you," he added, smiling, before giving the Argentine a hug. Del Potro later joked: "Now we are not too close." Avisail Garcia Jersey . Johan Franzen had two goals and two assists, Gustav Nyquist a goal and three assists and David Legwand a goal and two assists in the Red Wings 7-4 win over the New Jersey Devils. Luke Appling Jersey .Y. - For once, Clayton Kershaw was glad to see a long shutout streak end. http://www.authenticbaseshopwhitesox.com/authentic-todd-frazier-white-soxjersey/ .com) - Eric Fehrs goal 42 seconds into overtime lifted the Washington Capitals to a 5-4 come-from-behind victory over Columbus, halting the Blue Jackets seven-game win streak.PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers have made their choice at outside linebacker, and it isnt LaMarr Woodley. A person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press the Steelers will part ways with the former Pro Bowler, a move that hardly serves as a surprise after fifth-year linebacker Jason Worilds agreed to accept a "transition player" tag last week. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the move is not yet official. The 29-year-old Woodley will likely be designated a post-June 1 salary cap cut, but is free to sign with another team when the new league year begins Tuesday afternoon. By postponing the move until after June 1, the Steelers would free up about $8 million in salary cap space in 2014. The money saved will likely go toward signing the teams selections in the NFL Draft in May. Woodley will, however, count $8.5 million against the teams cap number in 2015. Woodley signed a six-year, $61.5 million contract in 2011, but has struggled to remain healthy. He missed at least three games in each of the last three seasons as hamstring and other lower body issues kept him sidelined for long stretches. The turning point came in a 25-17 win over New England on Oct. 30, 2011. Woodley sacked Tom Brady twice in that game but also left with a strained hamstring. He had nine sacks at the time of the injury, played in two games the rest of the way and could never seem to rediscover the productivity that made Woodley and James Harrison one of the most feared outside linebacker combinations in the league. Paul Konerko Jersey. The Steelers released Harrison last March and selected Jarvis Jones in the first round of the 2013 draft, making him the heir apparent to Harrison. Jones finished with just one sack but appeared to get better as the season progressed. Woodley did not. He failed to get a sack after Oct. 20 and ended the season on injured reserve. While Woodley sat with calf problems, Worilds thrived. He led Pittsburgh with eight sacks despite playing across from a rookie still adjusting to the league. The decision to release Woodley is the latest in a busy week for the Steelers, who have been forced to become aggressive to get under the salary cap by Tuesday. Safety Troy Polamalu and tight end Heath Miller signed more cap-friendly contracts last week, while Pittsburgh also released offensive tackle Levi Brown, cornerback Curtis Brown and linebacker Larry Foote. The Steelers agreed to terms with safety Will Allen. 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