States 6-4, 6-3, Ukraines Alexandr Dolgopolov downed Frenchman

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Penny Taylor and her Australian teammates knew what was at stake.A win over France would put them in the drivers seat in Group A, meaning theyd potentially avoid playing the U.S. until the womens basketball gold medal game.Taylor helped them also get a measure of revenge in the process, scoring an Olympic career-high 31 points to help Australia beat France 89-71 on Tuesday.Its huge, Taylor said. We dont want to face the U.S. until we have to, so I think thats huge for us.This will be Taylors last shot at beating the U.S., and she would like that opportunity in meeting between the top teams in the gold medal game. The 35-year-old guard told The Associated Press before the Olympics started that she planned to retire at the end of the current WNBA season. Shes already has two silver medals at the Olympics and wants to go out with a gold.On Tuesday, she made her first seven shots and had scored 23 points before missing her first field goal attempt. She finished 10 of 13 from the field with nine assists and five rebounds.That was vintage Penny, Australian coach Brendan Joyce said. She was great and really lifted us.All that stands between Australia (3-0) and winning the group is Japan. Those teams play Thursday and a win by the Australians would clinch the No. 1 seed in its pool and avoid a matchup with the U.S. until the finals. The Australians respect the Americans but arent intimidated by the U.S., which has won the last five Olympic gold medals and a roster of WNBA All-Stars and MVPs.The heavily favored Americans have captured the headlines, but the venerable Opals continue to win .They have their own 6-foot-8 center in Liz Cambage, who has been dominant so far in the Olympics when she can stay out of foul trouble. They also have a few WNBA stars of their own in Taylor and Erin Phillips.We know what we will face if we play them eventually, Joyce said. We have a long tough road still before that happens and well worry about them when we face them.The road did get a little easier with the win over France. The Opals lost to the French in overtime in the London Games in 2012, costing them the top spot in the group. It was Australias only loss to a team other than the U.S. in the Olympics since 1996. Australia ended up with a bronze medal in London.We dont want to drop any pool round games, said Phillips, who scored nine points in Tuesdays win. Good thing about this team is we never get too high on a win or low on a loss. This win against France by 18 was huge. If you had told me this morning when I woke up and said we would beat France by 18, Id be really, really happy.Both Taylor and Phillips missed the 2012 Olympics. Taylor was out with a torn ACL and Phillips didnt make the team. They are both cherishing their Olympic experience.Its been amazing, gone really fast. I try to soak it up as much as I can when Im not playing, the 31-year-old Phillips said. In the dining hall you see Usain Bolt and some gymnasts who are the best in the world, its inspiring.You never really know what an Olympics mean until you miss one. Penny and I missed one for different reasons. To be back here makes it so much more memorable.---Follow Doug on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/dougfeinberg Cheap Jordans Shoes Wholesale . Having already announced that the race will start May 9 with three stages in Northern Ireland and Ireland and finish in Trieste on June 1, the rest of the route was unveiled Monday. Cheap Jordan Retro 12 For Sale . Ashley Youngs cross was inadvertently headed by Chester into his own net in the 66th minute, allowing United to claim a third straight league win. "We had to dig deep with our fighting spirit and weve done that," United striker Wayne Rooney said. http://www.jordanscheapchinawholesale.com/ .C. -- Rodney Hood connected from all over the court while freshman Jabari Parker was busy swatting shots and scoring in transition. Cheap Jordan Retro Shoes For Sale . -- Devin Hester is done returning kicks in Chicago. Cheap Jordans Free Shipping . Ferrer, trying to win his fourth title on Mexican soil, will next play South Africas Kevin Anderson, who eliminated American Sam Querrey,7-6 (2), 6-4. Also Wednesday, Gilles Simon (6) of France beat Donald Young of the United States 6-4, 6-3, Ukraines Alexandr Dolgopolov downed Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 6-4 and Croatias Ivo Karlovic defeated Dudi Sela of Israel 7-6 (4), 6-2. MONZA, Italy -- Ferrari has spent its three remaining engine development tokens ahead of its home race at the Italian Grand Prix.Ferrari has brought a new specification of its power unit to Monza, which customer team Haas is also set to use from first practice onwards. The upgrade means Ferrari is the first team to use all 32 of its 2016 tokens this season.The engine upgrade comes as Ferrari looks to return to the podium in front of a passionate home tifosi, at the most power-dependent circuit on the calendar.Honda is the next closest to using its full alloccation, with just three tokens remaining.ddddddddddddHonda introduced an upgrade at the last race in Belgium. World champions Mercedes have six tokens remaining but it is unclear whether the team will introduce another upgrade before the end of the season, while Renault has a massive 21 still to use.There is no obligation for the teams to use all their tokens in this calendar year. The token system is set to be scrapped for 2017. 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