Dein erstes Forum » by Oakland safety Brandion Ross,

TOKYO -- Canadas Milos Raonic advanced to the semifinals of the Japan Open with his 40th victory of the season Friday. Raonic, seeded third, cruised past Slovakias Lukas Lacko 6-3, 6-3 in just over an hour. The 22-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., once again used a dominant serve to beat his opponent, with 11 aces to only two for Lacko. Raonic said taking the early lead was key following an overnight change in the weather. "I felt I started really well, right from the beginning which allowed me to get into the match and continue from there," said Raonic. The quarter-final was played under the closed roof of the Ariake Coliseum after to a cold front moved in bringing drizzle and chilly temperatures. "I felt like I dealt with the conditions well today," said Raonic. "Confidence is a big part of it and helps you in those adjustments to the difference in conditions. "Despite the weather changes from hot and humid to cold and not so humid the court has remained relatively the same -- fast," he added. "But I just felt that I was aggressive through the match and that paid early dividends." Raonic will next face Croatian Ivan Dodig, who defeated Finlands Jarkko Nieminen 6-2, 7-6 (3). Dodig has won two of the pairs three matches, including a second-round victory over Raonic last June on grass at Eastbourne and a Barcelona win in 2011. A win over Dodig would mark a return for Raonic to the Tokyo final where he lost a year ago to Kei Nishikori. "It will be another tough match against Ivan," said Raonic. "Im focused on what I need to do for the next one." Raonic, ranked 11th in the world, is coming off a win at the Thailand Open on Sunday and improved his season record to 40-17. Hes trying to earn one of the last spots in the World Tour Finals in London next month. Raonic never faced a break point against the 81st-ranked Lacko. The loss to Raonic was Lackos 14th straight against a top-20 opponent. Raonic, who stands 5-0 in quarter-finals this year, has not lost a set this week. He took early control against Lacko with two breaks to earn the first set in 25 minutes. Raonic went up a quick break in the second for a 2-0 advantage, and later closed his match with a service winner. Meanwhile, top-seeded Juan Martin del Potro overcame Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 to reach the semifinals. Del Potro broke Dolgopolov twice in the second set and again to go up 3-1 in the third set at Ariake Colosseum. He closed out the match with another break when Dolgopolovs return was long. The Argentine will face sixth-seeded Nicolas Almagro of Spain in the semis on Saturday. Almagro beat local favourite and defending champion Kei Nishikori 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-3. Adidas Falcon Herr . These days, just about anyone can get a taste of the friendship that has blossomed between All-Star Kevin Durant and Oklahoma City Thunder teammate James Harden, most famous in the past two weeks or so for the elbow to the head he took from the Los Angeles Lakers Metta World Peace. Adidas Falcon Dam Rea . -- Chicago manager Darold Butler has a message for the Windy City. http://www.nmdsverige.com/ .Y. -- Kristen Gillman rallied to win the U. NMD Bape Sverige . The 34-year-old averaged 10.1 points and 2.7 rebounds in 82 games played in 2013-14 with the Utah Jazz. Jefferson has averaged 14.5 points, 4. Adidas Stan Smith Dam Rea .Cameron sustained his third concussion in three seasons last week on a hit by Oakland safety Brandion Ross, who was fined $22,050 by the NFL for the helmet-to-helmet blow.Strasbourg, France (SportsNetwork.com) - Former champion Andrea Petkovic was a quarterfinal upset victim Thursday at the Strasbourg International tennis event, a final French Open tune-up. Promising Puerto Rican Monica Puig upended the fourth-seeded German Petkovic 6-4, 6-4 on the red clay at Strasbourg Tennis Club. The former top-10 star Petkovic titled here three years ago. A pair of American reachedd the semifinals, as Christina McHale was leading Zarina Diyas 6-2, 3-1 when the Kazakhstani retired on Day 4, while Madison Keys took out German Julia Goerges 6-2, 2-6, 6-2.dddddddddddd One other quarterfinal saw Spaniard Silvia Soler-Espinosa defeat Italian Camila Giorgi 3-6, 6-4, 7-5. Fridays all-non-seed semis will pit Keys against Puig and McHale versus the qualifier Soler-Espinosa. ' ' '