frustration turned to understandable disgust. The

NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Top seed Agnieszka Radwanska overcame a slow start and breezed past Jelena Ostapenko 7-5, 6-1 on Tuesday night in the second round of the Connecticut Open.Ostapenko had upset four-time New Haven champion Caroline Wozniacki in the first round, and against Radwanska, she had a set point, leading the fourth-ranked player in the world 5-4. But Radwanska rallied to hold serve, then broke the 19-year-old from Latvia in the 11th game to take control of the match.I think I was just more patient and well, just two points better, said Radwanska, of Poland.Before that match, the day belonged to the underdogs.Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium became the fourth lucky loser this week to win a first-round match, beating Belinda Bencic of Switzerland 6-1, 4-6, 7-5.She might have been the luckiest of them all.The 30-year-old Flipkens, who upset Venus Williams at the Rio Olympics, had lost in the second round of qualifying in New Haven. But she was moved into the main draw after Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko withdrew earlier in the day with a right knee injury.Flipkens had been hanging around the Connecticut Tennis Center since that Saturdays defeat just to get some practice in before the U.S. Open. She signed in at 11:30 a.m. and found out at noon she would be playing a match.The first thing I had to do is get my rackets done, she said. Luckily, I had my match shirts and everything with me.She dominated the first set over a rusty Bencic, who is coming off a left wrist injury and was playing her second competitive match since Wimbledon.But the 19-year-old Bencic, who had been ranked as high as No. 7 in the world earlier this year, came back and was up 5-2 in the final set. It was a more poised Flipkens who won the next five games as Bencic lost control, slamming her racket on the court on more than one occasion as the match slipped away.I just knew I had to keep fighting, try to bring every ball back, Flipkens said. I could feel a little that it was going to be mental at the end.Another lucky loser, Johanna Larsson of Sweden, beat seventh-seeded Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland 7-5, 6-2.The 28-year-old got into the main draw when Russias Svetlana Kuznetsova withdrew with a shoulder injury.You get a second chance and you just want to take it, Larsson said. Im very happy that I made it happen today.Larsson had lost every set in four previous meetings with Bacsinszky, who came in ranked No. 16 in the world.Olympic doubles champions Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina of Russia became the first players to advance to the third round of the singles competition.Vesnina was leading Anett Kontaveit 6-4, 1-0 when the 20-year-old Estonian withdrew with a left thigh injury.Makarova beat qualifier Anatasija Sevastova of Latvia 6-3, 6-2.Were focusing on the singles matches just before the US Open and want to get some wins, Vesnina said. So its great that both of us are still in the draw and still winning, and its a good preparation for the U.S. Open, as well.Vesnina will play Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, who won the last match of the day, 6-3, 6-1 over Evgenya Rodina of Russia. Svitolina is playing some of her best tennis coming off her upset of Serena Williams at the Olympics. Adidas Baratos España . After a lengthy wait, persistent rain finally forced the postponement of the Nationals game against the Miami Marlins on Saturday night. The teams, and a few thousand fans, waited nearly four hours from the 7:05 scheduled start time before an announcement was made shortly before 11 p. Zapatillas Adidas Outlet España . LUCIE, Fla. http://www.zapatillasadidasbaratas.es/ . McPhee said that Ovechkins father Mikhail is in stable condition after having the surgery this week and is no longer in intensive care. "Weve told him to stay as long as necessary with your dad," he said. Ovechkin and his Russian national team were eliminated from the mens hockey tournament in Sochi on Wednesday with a 3-1 quarter-final loss to Finland. Adidas Baratas España . At a news conference Tuesday where it was thought that the fiery Schallibaum may be shown the door after a dismal finish to the Major League Soccer season, team president Joey Saputo said no decision has been made on whether the Swiss Volcano will be back in 2014. Zapatillas Adidas España Baratas . "I was fortunate to play many years at this level with a great organization and unbelievable teammates," said Hejduk in a statement. This was to be about Mohammad Amir, but too much else happened for it to be specific. I thought I would follow him from the minute he emerged from the pavilion, bat and redemption to hand, through to the first spell he bowled on his return to the Test match arena. I left the press box to listen to the response of the crowd and to see if I could imagine his reaction to it. I thought of his fast-beating heart and his likely prayers. Sometimes you want to hold a moment forever, other times you want it to pass so fast that the memory disappears before it is formed. As things turned out, it was neither of these. There was warm applause, a bait or two and some unseemly booing. Clearly, there were those who thought he should remain in cricket and those who thought he should have been forced to leave the game forever. Remain, leave: very UK right now. Im in the remain camp, on both counts. I like Europe and, better still, I like a man being given a second chance.Immediately, Stuart Broad changed gear, first forcing a panicky inside edge that flew past leg stump and then hitting Amir on the head before staring him down as if he had meant to hurt. Broad made 169 in the infamous 2010 Test that England won in the most terrible anti-climax after the spot-fixing scandal broke. The England players felt cheated, as were the spectators and the game itself, and Broad believes that their performances have been diminished because it. This fast and accurate bouncer was a reminder to Amir that he might be back but that he wouldnt be smelling the roses.Nervous tension manifests itself in many ways. It frees some and freezes others. Amir checked his helmet for damage and, seeing none, placed it back upon his short back and sides. The resultant leg bye meant that Misbah-ul-Haq was on strike but only for a fleeting moment. Broad burst through the captains previously unbreachable defences with a ball that appeared fired by vengeance. So fascinating had been the arrival of Amir, that we had almost forgotten the Misbah miracle. Almost. The press-ups ensure we will not. Broad had simply had enough of it. The packed house - this has been a hard ticket, which is a credit to Pakistan - rose as one to acknowledge an innings that Misbah called his best. We shall defer to him for he is a formidable man.Now Amir had to face Chris Woakes, who was in the middle of a spell best explained by the colour purple. First up was the ugliest of wafts at a short-and-wide sucker ball; then another; then a square cut that whistled to the boundary behind point. Next was a bouncer that eluded everyone and flew for four byes. Amirs presence had moved Woakes to bowl short and change colour to something cold. Finally Woakes pitched up but, with majestic authority, the returnee drove down the ground for four more. This was high-octane cricket, driven by a ferociously competitive but entirely fair spirit. The bars were empty, the seats were occupied. The players intensity held the spectators attention in a manner that best illustrated the beautiful adventure of Test match cricket. Yasir Shah hit a couple of boundaries, Pakistan inched towards a challenging total. Broad ffound pace, movement and the edge of Amirs bat.dddddddddddd Travelling at high speed, the ball split Joe Root and James Vince at second and third slip respectively but Root spun his body left and cushioned it with his soft, reliable hands. The innings was over, 339. Amir made 12 good runs and put on 23 for the last wicket. He was back.Now Misbah gave him the new ball. He kissed the surface with it, asking Alastair Cook to watch keenly and react quickly. He dug one in, pitched another up. No sign of a no-ball, only discipline and intent. Alex Hales punished the one loose ball, Cook soaked up most of the rest. Rahat Ali snared Hales with a gem that found his outside edge. Root came in at three, to plug a hole others less gifted cannot fill.Straight away there was urgency and purpose: some cricketers react to the rhythm of the cricket, Root dictates it. He drove Rahat off the back foot, a stroke that reminded us why we love the game. Then Amir drew Cook forward into that blind spot of his a few inches outside off-stump and the nick carried nicely to Mohammad Hafeez, who shelled it. Oh Hafeez, have mercy on your man! Doubtless exasperated, Amir changed his line to straight and Cook whipped the errant delivery through midwicket as if dealing with a jazz-hatter at the old school. Then Root drove through mid-off with such precision and style that any player, of any age, would have wanted the photograph - elbow high, bat straight, balance perfect, pose held.All this, in little more than the hour between 11.30 and 12.30 during a morning session of play that, alone, justified the ticket price. Cook and Root, Englands best two batsmen, against the vibrant, unpredictable Pakistanis. Swingers, seamers, bouncers and yorkers confronting one man with 10,000 Test runs and another who promises to be among Englands elite. Glorious strokeplay interacted with thick edges that sped to third man; Cook was later dropped again off Amir, this time at the wicket, and Amirs frustration turned to understandable disgust. The comeback wicket refused to yield. At times, Pakistans ground fielding bordered on the laughable but, oddly, that added to the kaleidoscope set before us. The match was alive with possibility and drama.Through the afternoon, legspin and all its devilish charms took over. The smiling Yasir made mincemeat of the middle-order. Amir finally got Cook, the wicket he had deserved hours earlier but, by then, he was old news and Yasir was the zeitgeist.The day ended with Amir sprinting in from the pavilion end. No one was saying thats the spot-fixer who did time. Rather we were saying this is one of the Pakistan bowlers who is giving England one hell of a fright. The reintegration of Mohammed Amir is complete; the regeneration of the cricketer is a work in progress but the early signs are that little of the innate talent had been lost. As for the narrative that began on this ground six years ago, we can all move on. Test match cricket needs Pakistan every bit as much as Pakistan needs Test match cricket. ' ' '