Dein erstes Forum » and having people just -- basically forget them.

Three years ago, Karen Khachanov made a terrific first impression in Moscow, beating No. 27-ranked Janko Tipsarevic to advance to his first ATP World Tour quarterfinal. The 17-year-old lost there to Ivo Karlovic and, soon thereafter, began to lose himself.In 2014, I had to start again from the beginning, Khachanov told ESPN.com this week from Chengdu, China. After that result, I had so much noise around me -- friends, players, journalists. I thought it was going to be easy, but the next year showed me it was not.How times have changed. Last week, Khachanov (pronounced Hach-a-nov) played his third career quarterfinal match. This time, the promising Russian, now 20, advanced from that stage for the first time.He took down the still-formidable No. 4 seed, Feliciano Lopez, then No. 6 Viktor Troicki in the semifinals and No. 5 Albert Ramos-Vinolas in a dramatic, come-from-behind final. In the breathtaking span of a week, he beat five players ranked among the top 62.Khachanov, the unlikely Chengdu Open champion, moved 46 spots in the ATP rankings, to No. 55 from 101. He readily conceded he wasnt ready for success at 17.After three years I am now more mature and have improved a lot, Khachanov said. I am a completely different player at this level.Hes the ninth first-time winner on tour this year, the biggest pool of victorious neophytes in five years. Moreover, Khachanov is the third member of the ATPs #NextGen to enter the winners circle, joining Nick Kyrgios and Alexander Zverev. There are only two younger players ranked ahead of Khachanov, No. 24 Zverev and No. 42 Borna Coric, who are both 19.Khachanov showed remarkable resilience in his 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3), 6-3 win against Ramos-Vinolas. The match ran 2 hours, 39 minutes, and the Russian finished with a narrow point margin of 111-109 and 14 aces.According to Ramos-Vinolas, the difference was Khachanovs serving.He was serving so well and so fast, Ramos-Vinolas told the press afterward. Thats why I didnt return so well.At 6-foot-6, 194 pounds, the aggressive Khachanov has a thumping serve and a forehand to match -- like his idol, two-time Grand Slam champion Marat Safin. He said both weapons have to get bigger and more consistent, although his favorite shot is the down-the-line backhand.Afterward, Khachanov said he couldnt believe he had won his first title.I have been working hard, he said, and I am happy to achieve my first goal.This was the kind of performance Khachanov and his coaches have envisioned for several years.At the age of 15, he left Russia to train with Vedran Martic, Goran Ivanisevics former coach, in Croatia. Since then, Khachanov has been based in Barcelona for the past three years, learning the nuances of the game under Galo Blanco, who was Milos Raonics early tutor.Khachanov is a lithe, natural athlete who first picked up a racket at the age of 3. He played basketball in Russia at the national level as a high-schooler. His hobbies include reading and chess, and hes working toward an online degree in physical education from the University of Moscow.He had planned to travel to Tokyo this week to try to qualify, but the run at Chengdu changed those plans and sent him a few days early to Shanghai (which starts next week), where hell try to qualify his way into the main draw of the seasons final Masters 1000 event. It will be his 27th tournament of the season.Mastering the many components of professional tennis takes time. Novak Djokovic won the 2008 Australian Open at the age of 20, but waited three years for his second major title. Kei Nishikori broke through with his first title, at Delray Beach, at the age of 18. It was more than four years before he won again.In becoming the first Russian man to win a title since Mikhail Youzhny three years ago, Khachanov will face some of the same raised expectations experienced by Zverev, Coric and Kyrgios.Now, Khachanov said, hes ready.Ive been working hard, and Ive improved a lot, for sure, the mental and psychological aspect.He declined to reveal any personal goals.I will continue to practice, listen to coach and play the tournaments, Khachanov said. The main thing is to focus on the game and see how it goes.If he does that, in time he could blossom into the top-10 player that some tennis observers are predicting. Deandre Baker Jersey . Pirlo limped out of Sundays 1-0 win over Udinese after just 13 minutes. Juventus says Pirlo underwent tests on Monday which revealed he has "a second-degree lesion to the collateral medial ligament in his right knee. Dalvin Tomlinson Giants Jersey . Bryzgalov stopped 25 shots on Saturday in the Oklahoma City Barons 4-1 victory over the Abbotsford Heat. The Oilers signed Bryzgalov to a one-year $2 million contract last Friday after shedding payroll by dealing defenceman Ladislav Smid to the Flames. http://www.nygiantsfanaticshop.com/Black-Lawrence-Taylor-Giants-Jersey.html?cat=863 . The winner Saturday will remain in the elite 10-team field next year. "We talked about wanting to be disciplined and stick with our game plan and good things will come," Draisaitl said, who had two goals for the victors. Dalvin Tomlinson Jersey . Scott Kazmir allowed four hits in seven shutout innings, Michael Brantley hit a two-run homer in a three-run first inning and the Indians maintained their hold on an AL wild-card spot with a 4-1 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday night. Saquon Barkley Giants Jersey . Just as Montreal was settling into the first full working week of a new year, the Impact announced the appointment of their new head coach. LeBron James misses the Olympic stage.The Cleveland Cavaliers superstar, who decided to skip his fourth Olympics after leading the Cavs to an NBA title in June, said in an interview with ESPNs Rachel Nichols that he is keeping an eye on his teammates at the Rio Games.Every time I watch em, I wish I was out there, James said in the interview, portions of which will debut Thursday on ABCs Good Morning America and air subsequently during editions of ESPNs SportsCenter. I did not retire from Team USA. I just did not play this summer. So I still left the door open.The full interview with James will air Sunday on ESPN.Team USA advanced to the Rio semifinals with a 105-78 win Wednesday over Argentina.James joined USA Basketball for the 2004 Games in Athens, where the Americans lost their opener to Puerto Rico, dropped two more games and settled for bronze. He returned on the 2008 Redeem Team and won gold in Beijing and captured another gold medal four years ago in London.After leading the Cavs to a historic comeback against the?Golden State Warriors?in June, James said he needed rest and would?not play in Brazil. If he decides to return to the national team, he would be 35 at the 2020 Tokyo Games.James also addressed the call for social change he delivered at last months ESPYS with Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony.We wanted to start off the show with something that meant something, you know, that really was true to our hearts, and let our fellow athletes know where we stand, he said.He also talked about his work with the LeBron James Family Foundation and why building something in the Akron, Ohiio, community where he grew up is so important to him.ddddddddddddIm similar to these kids in every way, every way, shape or fashion, he said. I walk the same roads as these kids. I breathe the same air as these kids. You know, I understand what theyre going through, growing up in an inner city and having people just -- basically forget them. Like, theres no way theyre gonna make it. I had days where I just felt like it was just me and Mom, you know, and no one cared, and theres no way that were gonna be able to make it outta this.I definitely couldve been a statistic. I mean, I grew up in a single-parent household. My mother was 16 when she had me. I grew up in the inner city, where theres a lot of violence.James, who signed a three-year, $100 million deal with the Cavs last week, said in an online interview that he would be interested in NBA ownership when his playing days are over.I feel like my brain, as far as the game of basketball, is unique, James said on Open Run, a new podcast that is part of the Uninterrupted media platform he co-founded. I would love to continue to give my knowledge to the game. I would love to be a part of a franchise -- if not at the top. My dream is to actually own a team. If Im fortunate enough to own a team, then Im going to hire the best GM and president that I can. But I feel like I got a good eye for not only talent, because we all see a lot of talent, but the things that make the talent.The Associated Press contributed to this report. ' ' '