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TORONTO -- Montreals Eugenie Bouchard has been named Tennis Canadas female player of the year after an impressive debut professional season. Mike McGlynn Redskins Jersey . The 19-year-old climbed over 100 spots on the WTA rankings to end the year at No. 32. She reached her first WTA final at Osaka in October, defeated four top-15 players throughout the course of the season, and was named WTA Newcomer of the Year. "Its great to be recognized with these awards for the first time," Bouchard said. "2013 was a great season for me with so many firsts and so many highlights that I will always remember. I learned a lot in my first full year on the Tour. Im working really hard in my off-season and cant wait for next year." Bouchard, who became the first Canadian to win a junior Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon last year, started off her season having to play qualifying at WTA events. She made her first big push at the Premier tournament in Charleston in April, where as a qualifier she reached the quarter-finals while defeating rising star Laura Robson and world No. 9 Samantha Stosur. She then made the semifinals at Strasbourg before playing in her first career Grand Slam main draw at the French Open, where she fell to Maria Sharapova in the second round. At Wimbledon, she upset No. 12 Ana Ivanovic on Centre Court to reach the third round. She added another semifinal at Quebec City in September before eliminating No. 13 Sloane Stephens and No. 10 Jelena Jankovic at Tokyo on the way to a quarter-final finish. In her second-last tournament of the year, Bouchard made her first WTA final, where she lost to Stosur in three sets. Bouchard also went 6-1 while representing Canada in Fed Cup play. "Eugenies career is just starting but what she has already accomplished in one short year on the WTA tour is very impressive," said Michael S. Downey, president and CEO, Tennis Canada. "Her ceiling is so high, and Eugenie is so focused and determined to create even more success for herself and her country. She is well on her way to becoming a star not only in Canadian tennis but all over the world. Congratulations to Eugenie, and best of luck in what Im sure will be an exciting 2014." Ottawas Gabriela Dabrowski was named Canadas female doubles player of the year, reaching two finals on the WTA circuit this season. Bacarri Rambo Jersey . The NFL has said former Saints defensive co-ordinator Gregg Williams ran an improper pay-for-performance pool, which offered bonuses for big plays as well as big hits that forced opposing players from games or left them needing help to leave the field. Kai Forbath Redskins Jersey . -- Nearly everything had to go right for Tom Brady and the New England Patriots to pull off their latest comeback.NEW PLYMOUTH, New Zealand -- Former President Bill Clinton played. So did George W. Bush. And the United States is reigning Olympic champion. Yet rugby for decades has remained in the margins of U.S. sporting life, squeezed out by basketball, American football, baseball and ice hockey. This year, however, more Americans are likely to watch rugby than ever before, thanks to coverage of the Rugby World Cup on NBC and Universal Sports. The U.S. Eagles are playing some of their best rugby ever, beating Russia 13-6 in a hard-fought match, five days after putting in an enormous defensive effort in a loss to Ireland. The Eagles are narrowing the gap between themselves and the top teams from Europe, South Africa and the Pacific. But the real growth in the sport is happening in Americas high schools and colleges. "Its absolutely growing, its the fastest growing team sport in the country," said Todd Clever, the charismatic long-haired leader of the U.S. World Cup squad in New Zealand. Clever, who has earned the nickname "Captain America" in these parts, was citing a recent study by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association that found growth in rugby outpaced soccer, lacrosse, ice hockey and all other team sports in the U.S. between 2007 and 2009. In the associations 2011 update, rugby was pipped by lacrosse, but participation in rugby among all people aged six years and older continued to grow at just over 20 per cent annually. Clever said good press and increasing coverage of rugby sevens competitions -- a sport that will be included in the 2016 Olympics -- have helped. The 26-year-old Phil Thiel, another player on the Eagles team, said that in his home state of Michigan, there were six club teams for high school players when he began playing the sport -- and now there are 64. "A lot more people are getting exposed to the game," he said. America has a surprising legacy of back-to-back gold medals in Olympics rugby before the 15-a-side version ceased to be an Olympic event after the 1924 games. Thats due more to the sport bbeing barely contested in the Olympics at that time than anything else. Ryan Kerrigan Jersey. As for the former presidents, both played social rugby while students at college. Indeed, rugby perhaps has its strongest tradition in American colleges as a game thats not taken too seriously by the participants and is followed quickly by plenty of beer. For some athletes who cant make it to the top in American football, it provides an alternative sport with vigorous contact. The image of U.S. rugby as a purely social pastime is changing, however. "One hundred per cent it has changed since I started," said Chan Borland, 58, from San Diego, who made the trip to New Zealand to follow the Eagles. "Its much more serious and less social. Theres championships organized, and divisions." Borland started playing as a college student at San Diego State University. Like many who play, he found a community for life. After college, he played for the alumni team, the Old Aztecs. Then came the Ancient Aztecs. Hes still playing for a "Golden Oldies" team -- with some of the same players hes known all these decades. Rugbys history in Russia is much more recent. The team is playing in its first World Cup -- something that was considered such a big deal that a billionaire, a beauty queen and even the deputy prime minister, Alexander Zhukov, came to New Plymouth on the west coast of New Zealands north island to watch. Zhukov was quick to dismiss the Cold War storyline that the local media was promoting for the clash. "Now, the American sportsmen are friends of the Russian sportsmen," Zhukov said. "There is no more time of Cold War." But perhaps Thursdays win for the Eagles -- just the third in six World Cup tournaments, and the first since 2003 -- will signal its time for U.S. rugby to come in from the cold. "We are building a fan base, and thats really great," Clever said after the game. "And hopefully we can continue that, and keep our good performances coming, and hopefully the sport will grow." wholesale jerseys cheap jerseys cheap nfl jerseys wholesale jerseys cheap soccer jerseys wholesale jerseys wholesale jerseys cheap nfl jerseys china ' ' '
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