d all of those guys were worthy of a pick.It should bh this stipulati

MASON, Ohio -- Angelique Kerber reached the Western & Southern Open final Saturday, leaving her one win away from unseating Serena Williams at No. 1.Kerber took control after a 33-minute rain delay in the first set and beat Simona Halep 6-3, 6-4 in humid, windy conditions, putting her within reach of the worlds top ranking. Williams has led the WTA rankings for 183 consecutive weeks, the second-longest such stretch.A win on Sunday over 15th-seeded Karolina Pliskova would move Kerber to the top spot in next weeks rankings. Williams dropped out at the start of the tournament because of an inflamed shoulder, leaving her ranking vulnerable.Andy Murray extended his successful summer -- another Wimbledon title, another Olympic gold medal -- by reaching the final as well, giving him a chance for a third Cincinnati championship.More is at stake in the womens title match. Kerber has tried to avoid thinking about No. 1 because she didnt want to put any more pressure on herself. Now, theres no avoiding it.Ive had a lot of ups and downs the last few years and a lot of experiences from which Ive learned, Kerber said. I think Im one of the best tennis players. One match away, still a long way to go.Shed become only the second German woman to hold the top spot. Steffi Grafs reign at No. 1 ended in 1997. It would be Kerbers first title in Cincinnati -- she lost her other final appearance in 2012.Halep was on a hot streak, winning back-to-back titles at Bucharest and Montreal. Shed also beaten Kerber in their four matches on hard courts this season, although Kerber won at Wimbledon.Kerber led 4-3 in the first set when rain forced the delay. She won eight of the next nine points to take the first set, then pulled ahead 4-0 in the second set, pumping her right arm in celebration as the games piled up.Pliskova advanced to the championship match for the first time by beating Garbine Muguruza 6-1, 6-3 in an earlier match. She was well aware of the stakes on Sunday.I know it, she said. For me, doesnt really mean anything. For her, yes. I dont know if she would be a little bit stressed or something, but I would love to have her as a No. 1 after a few years. But Ill do anything for her not to get there, if she wins [in the semifinals].In the mens bracket, Murray beat Milos Raonic 6-3, 6-3, also overcoming a brief rain delay in the first set. Hes won his past 22 matches, a career best. And he appeared fresher on Saturday after pulling through a draining summer of success.After beating Raonic for his second Wimbledon title and getting another Olympic gold medal in Rio de Janeiro, he came to Cincinnati worn out. He developed a bad head cold and had a stiff back that limited his movement during the quarterfinals. He was much sharper on Saturday with only 11 unforced errors.Im not going to be fresh, Murray said. Ive played a lot of tennis the last few weeks. This week has been hard for me, coming from Rio. Tomorrow is going to be my first match during the day. Every player will tell you the conditions are different in the daytime.The mens bracket was wiped out by injuries. Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer skipped the tournament, and Rafael Nadal was knocked out early as he plays back into shape following a severe wrist injury.By reaching the final, Murray made it 33 straight Masters championships involving at least one member of the Big Four -- Murray, Federer, Djokovic and Nadal. One of them has won each of the past 18 Masters championships.Murray will face Marin Cilic, who rallied to beat unseeded Grigor Dimitrov 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 in a rain-delayed semifinal that ended at 1:36 a.m. local time. Cheap Angels Jerseys . The 18th player to shoot 60 on the tour, Jamieson settled for par on the final hole when his 15-foot birdie chip grazed the edge of the hole and stayed out. After opening with rounds of 66 and 73 to make the cut by a stroke, he had 11 birdies in the bogey-free round. Fake Angels Jerseys . It was the kind of score that might make everyone else wonder which course he was playing. Except that Graeme McDowell saw the whole thing. Crouched behind the 10th green at Sheshan International, McDowell looked over at the powerful American and said, "Ive probably seen 18 of the best drives Ive seen all year in the last two days. https://www.cheapangels.com/ . There was no hesitation from the 40th-ranked Pospisil, from Vernon, B.C., who admitted that he cut back on his training sessions over the last few days to conserve energy as the long ATP season finishes next week at the Paris Masters. Los Angeles Angels Shirts . The defence is doing its part, too. Drew Brees threw a pair of touchdown passes in the first half and the guys on the other side made sure that was enough, sending the Saints to a 17-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night. Stitched Angels Jerseys . -- James Young couldnt wait to apply those tweaks to his jump shot, and the first one he made against UT Arlington told him it could be a good night. CARMEL, Ind. -- The Ryder Cup has been a big subplot to the FedEx Cup playoffs to date, with European captain Darren Clarke making his at-large picks last week and United States captain Davis Love III set to make three of his four selections on Monday after the BMW Championship.The criteria for making each team was set long ago, which doesnt quell the discussion especially as it relates to Europe -- which will see two high-ranking players sit out the matches basically because of their affiliation (or lack thereof) with the European Tour.Scotlands Russell Knox, ranked 19th in the world, and Englands Paul Casey, ranked 22nd, would undoubtedly be welcome additions to a European team with plenty of talent. Three at-large picks -- Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer and Thomas Pieters -- are ranked considerably lower.Knox was the tough-luck loser when it came to the picks, having narrowly missed qualifying for the team; Casey was not eligible because he is not a member of the European Tour. But both players have an ally in Rory McIlroy, who will play in his fourth Ryder Cup.This years Ryder Cup begins three weeks from Friday at Hazeltine National in Minnesota.Ive always said it should be the best Europeans regardless of whether theyre a member of the tour or not, McIlroy said at the BMW Championship, where he was looking for a second straight win after his victory on Monday at the Deutsche Bank Championship.I think thats the hard thing. If Russell has been a member of the tour when he won in China (last fall), he makes the team. Pauls obviously playing well, but its a personal decision on Pauls part. He doesnt feel like he can play both tours and play two schedules, and thats very understandable.Casey made the decision late last year to not take up European Tour membership after unsuccessfully lobbying the tour for a reduction in tournaments required to be a member. He makes his home in Arizona and felt the five-event minimum (not including the majors and the World Golf Championship events) would be too many.Knox, however, was denied on a technicality; when he won the WGC-HSBC last November, he was not a member of the European Tour. When hhe joined, the points he would have earned were not retroactive; if Knox had gotten those points, he would have earned one of the top nine qualifying positions.ddddddddddddAs it was, he just missed out, and Clarke went with experience in Westwood and Kaymer and the long-hitting Pieters, who won the last qualifying event and was in contention at his two previous tournaments.Knox, 31, said he planned to use the snub as motivation in the FedEx Cup playoffs, which are in the third of four weeks. Knox is in seventh position, and if he can move into the top five heading to the Tour Championship in two weeks, he could win the $10 million FedEx Cup bonus with a victory at East Lake.I have to use this as a springboard to win the FedEx Cup, Knox said. Ive never wanted to prove someone wrong so badly in my life, I think. Its not sour grapes or anything; Darren had an extremely difficult decision and all of those guys were worthy of a pick.It should be noted that Europe has seemingly done just fine with this stipulation. It has won the past three Ryder Cups and eight of the past 10. Missing two of the top 22 players in the world is not considered a hardship.And the European Tour has used the Ryder Cup as a carrot to keep players competing on the tour. As it is, McIlroy, Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson, Danny Willett and Justin Rose also play on the PGA Tour.Martin Kaymer lost his PGA Tour membership this year, but is expected to regain it next year, while Westwood has also played the PGA Tour.I understand that, McIlroy said of the requirement. The Ryder Cup is a huge reason for guys to go back to Europe and play on the European Tour. But going forward, hopefully that isnt the only reason why guys are going to go back and play. I think thats what theyre trying to do and trying to change. The Ryder Cup is a huge incentive.Im sure Russell feels very hard done by it because hes had such a great year, but I still feel like the 12 guys that we have on the team are very capable and we have a great chance of winning it. ' ' '