BASEL, Switzerland -- Stanislas Wawrinkas prospects of playing in his first ATP World Tour Finals were damaged Tuesday by a 6-4,

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BASEL, Switzerland -- Stanislas Wawrinkas prospects of playing in his first ATP World Tour Finals were damaged Tuesday by a 6-4, 6-3 first-round loss to Edouard Roger-Vasselin at the Swiss Indoors. Rod Langway Jersey . Second-seeded Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic also lost, 4-6, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2) against big-serving Ivo Karlovic of Croatia, to open up Roger Federers half of the draw. Karlovic sent down 23 aces and did not need to break Berdychs serve to clinch victory. Wawrinka, ranked No. 8, struggled with his service, landing barely one-third of his first serves, to continue his struggles in home tournaments in Switzerland. For 29-year-old Roger-Vasselin, it was a first victory against a top-10 player this season and just the second of his career. Wawrinka, a U.S. Open semifinalist last month, is eighth in the points race to secure a place in the eight-man finals lineup in London next month. The ninth-placed player after next weeks Paris Masters will advance, because Wimbledon champion Andy Murray has ended his season following back surgery. While Berdych is sixth and likely to qualify, Wawrinka is under pressure from Frenchmen Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Richard Gasquet, who begins in Basel on Wednesday against countryman Michael Llodra. Wawrinka, seeded No. 4, has now lost his opening match at Basel to a lower-ranked opponent in three of his past five visits. Berdych lost his first-round match at Basel for the fourth straight time, all against opponents ranked below him. Seventh-seeded Andreas Seppi of Italy also lost Tuesday, 7-6 (3), 6-3, against Daniel Brands of Germany, who beat Federer at the Swiss Open in Gstaad in July. Federer, third-seeded this week, will play his second round match Wednesday against Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan, who beat Horacio Zeballos of Argentina 7-5, 7-6 (3). Kei Nishikori, the No. 6 seed from Japan, eased past Swiss wild card entry Marco Chiudinelli 6-2, 6-4. Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus beat German qualifier Benjamin Becker, 7-6 (, 6-1, and Ivan Dodig of Croatia advanced after winning just two games when Carlos Berlocq of Argentina retired injured. Ilya Samsonov Jersey . -- For one night, Nick Calathes provided a big reason to believe the Memphis Grizzlies might be able to withstand the loss of Mike Conley on a short-term basis. Evgeny Kuznetsov Jersey . Adam Lind provided the power and rookie starter Marcus Stroman had the best start of his young career as the Blue Jays dumped the Yankees 8-3 at Rogers Centre. Stroman, making his fifth start for Toronto, allowed one earned run and three hits over a career-high eight innings. http://www.shopcapitalsonline.com/Capitals-Madison-Bowey-Adidas-Jersey/ . DeGrom outpitched Jake Peavy in a tantalizing hitless duel that carried into the seventh inning Saturday night before the New York Mets broke loose and beat the San Francisco Giants 4-2.CALGARY - Flames goaltenders Reto Berra and Karri Ramo faced a daunting task at training camp last September. Miikka Kiprusoff had just announced his retirement after a decade-long run in Calgary and it would be up to Berra and Ramo to fill the void. It was a tall order and the Flames struggled at the start of the season. But there finally appear to be signs that the team may be ready to turn things around. Berra and Ramo have helped Calgary to a 5-4-2 record in its last 11 games, with three losses coming in close games against league heavyweights Pittsburgh and Boston. Berra entered the holiday break on a high after helping the Flames to a 4-3 shootout win Monday over the surging St. Louis Blues. He made 32 saves and stopped all three shots in the shootout to improve to 5-8-2 on the season. Berra is also a perfect 3-0 in shootouts, an area in which Kiprusoff historically struggled (23-37). "Overall Im happy with where I am," he said. "For my first year over here, Ive played solid, Ive played calm and Ive played my game. "I want to have more wins but sometimes you cant control that." Once described by former Flames general manager Jay Feaster as the “best goaltenders not playing in the NHL,” Berra and Ramo are still adjusting to the league since coming over from Europe. The ice surface is smaller and there is more traffic in front of the net. "One thing Ive been working on is trying to track the puck and follow it with my body," said Berra. "Also, guys here shoot perfect shots so you cant just go down and hope it hits you, you have to read the shot. Thats a big part of where Im way better than at the start of the season. "I can read the shots and where theyre coming." Ramo, who spent the last four seasons in the KHL, is more familiar with the North American game than his teammate. The 27-year-old native of Asikkala, Finland spent three seasons in the Tampa Bay organization after being selected by the Lightning in the sixth round of the 2004 entry draft. "Im trying to be quicker with my positioning so I can get set and see more pucks," said Ramo. "If you can play a little bit more outside the crease and still be quick, thats always better. Berra, a 26-year-old native of Bulach, Switzerland, said he has also noticed a big difference in the number of blocked shoots. Devante Smith-Pelly Jersey. One of the trademarks of the Flames blue-collar style of play, Calgary has blocked 688 shots this season, second only to Montreal (725). Individually, defencemen Kris Russell (105), Chris Butler (100) and Ladislav Smid (83) all rank in the top 10. "I think the guys would jump face first into shots, they have so much commitment to the Flames," Berra said with a laugh. "They play like a goalie. Sometimes if theres not many shots, its hard to get into the game and Ill be thinking, Hey, let it through, I want to save something too." Flames coach Bob Hartley has been pleased with how his two goaltenders have improved. "Very happy with their progression," Hartley said. "Theyre two great guys. They want to learn, they want to contribute to the team success. They get along great together. Were trying to give them streaks where if they play well, we ride them." Berra started 11 of 12 games in one stretch, starting with a spectacular 42-save win in his NHL debut in Chicago. Lately its been Ramos turn, as he has started eight of the last 12 and is playing his finest hockey of the year. Hes gone 4-2-2 in that span with a 2.06 goals-against average and .925 save percentage. On the season, Ramo is 6-6-3 with a 2.79 GAA and a .904 save percentage. He attended Finlands Olympic orientation in July, but thinks there is little chance hell be in Sochi this February given the countrys depth at the goaltending position. Its unclear if Nashville netminder Pekka Rinne will be ready for the Games as hes still recovering from a hip infection. However, Finland is still loaded with other options, including Bostons Tuukka Rask, San Joses Antti Niemi and Kari Lehtonen of Dallas. "With Finland and the goalies, pretty easy decisions for the people who are selecting," said Ramo. "Theyve been well known for so long in Finland and played in the NHL for so long and have been so good." Its a different scenario for Berra. After a strong showing last May at the world championships, he fully expects to be in the mix on the Swiss team. "For sure," Berra said. "Plus Ive made my next step personally by now playing in the NHL." The Flames, who sit 11 points out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference, return to action Friday against the visiting Edmonton Oilers. Wholesale NFL Camo Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Wholesale NFL Camo Jerseys Jerseys Wholesale Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap Stitched Jerseys Cheap Jerseys 2019 ' ' '