STATEN ISLAND, NY- Paul Patterson continued to pitch well for the Baby Bombers in a 4-0 win over Vermont Lake Monday afternoon at RCBP in St. George.

In his first start for Staten Island, he tossed three scoreless innings giving up only one hit, walking none and striking out one.

Entering the game, the 22 year-old from Kentucky had started the season out of the bullpen, providing some solid relief work. He brought a 1-0 record with a 3.48 ERA along with eight K’s in 10-plus innings into Monday.

Despite being a little nervous about starting, Patterson performed well.

“It was real exciting,” Patterson said. “I had a few butterflies before the game but I felt really comfortable out there and I was thankful for the opportunity to get the start and really glad I was able to take advantage of it. It was great. I look forward to doing it again.”

It was a sharp contrast to coming out of the pen which he explained matter of factly.

“The biggest difference is being able to take your time to get yourself mentally prepared and physically prepared,” he pointed out about starting as opposed to taking the mound in the middle of a game.

“You got more time to warm up and as far as out of the bullpen, more rapid fire warming up and then being able to start, you can take your time. Make sure you got all your pitches lined up and ready to go for the game.”

During his collegiate career, Patterson got the chance to star back home for Northern Kentucky University where he helped guide the Norse to the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championship this past year- putting up impressive numbers by posting five wins, 1.92 ERA, three complete games and allowed opponents to compile only a .196 batting average.

“I’m from Nicholasville Kentucky. So I was really close to home. A lot of my family was there that would come to a lot of the games,” he mentioned.

“We had a great team. We had a really good coaching staff. The coach up there worked really great with me and helped me and supported me a whole lot and pushed me and encouraged me and got my name out there. The team was great. We had an excellent defensive team that made all the plays behind me. We were able to make a pretty good run at it.”

Being from Kentucky, Patterson grew up a big Reds fan and pondered what it might be like to return home and pitch against his favorite childhood team:

“There would be no greater feeling than be able to come into Cynergy Field wearing Pinstripes and pitch against the Reds. All my friends and family would be able to make it and hope I could get a good outing and do the best I can.”

The recent Yankees 2006 16th round pick is also a huge fan of Roger Clemens.

“I’m a big fan of his basically because of his work ethic,” the former 2005 Seattle Mariner selection praised of the seven-time Cy Young winner and future Hall of Famer.

“He works hard day in and day out. He’s the same pitcher every game he goes out on the mound. He’s got the same routines. The same mechanics. Nothing ever changes. I try to model myself after him. He’s very dedicated and I look up to that.”

In his free time, Patterson likes to fish and realizes what matters most.

“My Dad’s a big fisherman,” he remarked.

“The biggest part of fishing that I enjoy is just getting out on the lake with my Dad and spending quality time with him. I can just sit back and relax and talk to him about whatever is on my mind and we can bond out there. We got a good relationship. That’s the most important thing to me is my family.”

STATEN ISLAND, NY -Pitching and defense was on display in Staten Island’s 4-0 shutout over Vermont Lake in an early matinee before 3,114 at RCBP Monday.

Four Baby Bombers combined for a three hit shutout to sweep the three-game set and extend the ballclub’s winning streak to five straight. Paul Patterson, Juan Velazquez, Justin Keadle and Nick Peterson shutdown the Monsters in the victory.

After being used out of the bullpen the first month, Patterson was superb in his first start tossing three scoreless frames allowing just one hit.

“It was real exciting,” Patterson said. “I had a few butterflies before the game but I felt really comfortable out there and I was thankful for the opportunity to get the start and really glad I was able to take advantage of it. It was great. I look forward to doing it again.”

While he got through unblemished, his Staten Island teammates supplied all the offense they would need in the first.

Second baseman Wilmer Pino led off with a walk and stole second. After Brian Aragon flew out, shortstop Mitchell Hilligoss drove him in with a sharp single to center. The Baby Bombers weren’t done. With two outs, left fielder James Cooper tripled in Hilligoss. First baseman Kevin Smith followed with a bloop RBI single to left making it a 3-0 lead.

“We were struggling for awhile,” said Cooper, who finished the day 2-for-3 to raise his average over .300 and also made a nice diving catch to end an inning.

“I’m just trying to help the team get wins anyway we can…we kind of just told each other, ‘Let’s go out and just play for each other- give it all we have each and everyday. Whether it’s diving plays, moving the runner over. Whatever it is. Whatever we have to do to help the team win each and everyday because we’ve been struggling for runs and stuff. We got to have big defensive plays.’”

“Real good plays. Smitty [Kevin Smith] made a great play. DeLa made a good play at the beginning of the game. Our defense has been really the solid point besides our pitching,” added Hilligoss.

After Patterson went the first three, Plainfield New Jersey product Velazquez pitched two strong innings to pickup his first win of the season. He allowed only two baserunners and struckout two before giving way to setup man Keadle. Keadle was even better, retiring all six batters he faced and fanning two.

Also playing sparkling D was center fielder Wilkins DeLaRosa, who robbed two Monsters of sure hits with running catches.

“I’m just really I was able to help out the team win. Whether it’s making the two catches or whatever it was, I’m really happy because I was able to do that because I didn’t get any hits,” DeLaRosa pointed out. “I’m just really happy we won.”

Staten Island got an insurance run in the seventh when Hilligoss drove in his second run of the day with another single to score Aragon, who singled and reached second on an error.

“I had a couple of hits. Hopefully get going a little bit better today. We’re playing good. So that’s all that matters,” Hilligoss said.

Peterson entered the game in the eighth and ran into a little trouble by walking two Monsters. But with two outs, he got some help from catcher Francisco Cervelli to escape. Cervelli threw out Jeremy Goldschmeding, who tried to advance to second on a pitch in the dirt.

“Great job [Hilligoss and Pino]. They talk loud and I don’t make this play unless these guys talk loud. It’s a pretty good team and I made this play,” he said.

Peterson pitched around a one out single in the ninth, freezing Cristian Ogando to end it.

Notes: Immediately following the game, players signed autographs outside the dugout. Staten Island (11-10) finished the homestand 5-0 and will now embark on a seven day six-game road trip with stops at Oneonta and State College before returning home to St. George to host Williamsport next Tuesday.

Francisco Castillo’s five strong innings along with a five-run seventh helped Staten Island (10-10) past the Monsters 8-3 at RCBP Sunday afternoon.

Castillo improved to 2-1 on the season, tossing five scoreless innings of one-hit ball, punching out seven. He got some support in the third from shortstop Mitchell Hilligoss, who singled home Wilkins DeLaRosa for the game’s first run.

The Baby Bombers tacked on two runs on a clutch two out bases loaded single from backstop Jose Gil in the fifth to pull ahead 3-0.

After two strong middle innings from Luke Trubee, Staten Island broke the game open in the seventh with a five-run outburst. After a Christopher Kunda runscoring single put them up four, the big blow came from hitting star Russell Raley, who had three hits on the day including a two-run double to left which plated Gil and Kunda.

Up six due to a wild pitch from Vermont Lake’s Daniel Pfau, left fielder James Cooper singled in Raley for the fifth run of the frame which made it 7-0.

The Monsters broke up the shutout in the eighth thanks to an error from Staten Island first baseman Kyle Larsen, which allowed them to push across two unearned runs off reliever Jonathan Hovis.

They added a run in the ninth off Toni Lara on a Michael Martinez RBI double which scored Richard Caputo to cut it to 7-3. But with two outs, Lara got Michael Daniel to ground out to third to end the game.

Notes: Despite the win, Staten Island was sloppy in the field committing three errors, including a botched pickoff by Castillo. … It was a rough day for Cooper. Despite going 2-for-3 with an RBI single, he was plunked twice. … The Baby Bombers will look to extend their four-game winning streak today when they go for the sweep against Vermont Lake at St. George, which is scheduled to begin at 11 AM.

Not even Roger Federer’s stiffest competition could deny him of making history. The grasscourt King exacted some revenge on Rafael Nadal- posting a hard fought 6-0, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (2), 6-3 win at Centre Court to capture his fourth consecutive Wimbledon trophy Sunday at the All England Club.

By winning his fourth in a row, he joined select company since World War I which included Pete Sampras and Bjorn Borg. Sampras was the last player to accomplish the feat (1997-2000).

A month removed from falling to Nadal in another four setter at the French Open, the 24 year-old grass court wizard turned the tables on his 20 year-old second seeded opponent by playing some splendid tennis to extend his record grass court win streak to 48 straight.

It also put to rest Nadal’s recent dominance over him. Federer entered the championship match 0-4 this year vs the Spaniard while a perfect 55-0 against everyone else. All four defeats came in finals. Nadal entered with a 6-1 career mark against Federer, having taken the last five.

“I’m very well aware of how important this match was for me. If I lose, obviously, it’s a hard blow for me- he wins French, Wimbledon back-to-back,” the victorious Federer remarked at a postmatch conference. “It’s important for me to win a final against him, for a change, and beat him, for a change. At Wimbledon, I knew it was going to be the place for me to do it the easiest way.”

Not only was his reputation at stake but also the world number one ranking which Federer has held since February 2, 2004. With so much on the line, the top seeded Swiss sent an early message to his opponent that it would be a difficult task to get the better of him.

Sharp from the outset, it didn’t take Federer long to break Nadal. After holding in the opening game, he took advantage of a shaky Nadal, breaking for 2-0 with a textbook running forehand winner. Nadal had entered the match having only dropped serve twice all tournament, including holding 80 consecutive times since a second round win over Robert Kendrick. By the end of a first set in which he was thoroughly outplayed, the No.2 seed had already been broken three times.

Federer concluded the perfect 25-minute set with a nifty crosscourt backhand pass. It was the first time a runner up was bageled in the opening set of a Wimbledon men’s final since 1989 when Boris Becker shutout Stefan Edberg en route to his third Wimbledon.

“The start was absolutely perfect. I played fantastic, didn’t miss any shots,” Federer pointed out. “It was over in a hurry.”

Despite not registering a game, the resilient Nadal reflected back to his poor start at Roland Garros in which he won only one game in a similar first set against Federer before rebounding to take the next three for a claycourt record 60th straight victory.

“I was thinking: ‘Win one game,’” Nadal said.

That’s precisely what he did, starting the second set by breaking Federer. Raising his game, the fiery Spaniard ripped two winners before benefiting from a rare Federer forehand miscue to get the early lead.

Playing more aggressively, Nadal began to take the action to the champion. Striking a lethal backhand which produced many of his 42 winners, he was in control. After fighting off a break point in the fourth game, Nadal exchanged holds with Federer until the 10th game. Serving to knot the match up 5-4, he tightened up, letting Federer off the hook. Making four unforced errors including his first double fault to setup break point, Nadal then airmailed a forehand to level the set.

“I played bad,” a disappointed Nadal reflected about the lost opportunity. “In this moment, maybe I lost the match, no?”

After the two players exchanged holds, a crucial tiebreak was needed. In it, it was Nadal who got an early minibreak to jump in front 3-1. But then Federer took the next five points which included two Nadal forehand misses which helped setup three set points. After Nadal saved the first two, with Federer serving and volleying, the Spaniard netted a forehand under pressure to fall two sets behind.

Though he was facing an uphill battle down two sets, Nadal never wavered in the third set. Instead, he came out even more determined and continued to get into heated rallies with Federer from the baseline. With both players using every conceivable angle and running down multiple shots, it made for some truly exciting grasscourt tennis which brought the crowd alive. Nadal was even willing to come to net and did so with success winning 12 of 18 points as was Federer, who converted 21 of 33.

With both players tightening the screws on their service games, the classic 53-minute set was destined for another tiebreak. After each held for love games to force it, the match would take a dramatic turn when Nadal finally turned the tables on Federer in the breaker.

Starting off with a swinging backhand winner followed by a pump of the fist, he went ahead 2-0 before Federer cameback to square it with a minibreak of his own thanks to a backhand winner down the line and a scream. But the momentum was shortlived as a determined Nadal ran off the final five points, which included a ridiculous inside out forehand return winner crosscourt just on the line. He would close out the set a couple of points later to force a fourth set, making it the first set Federer had dropped in the tournament dating back to last year’s third round.

“He did a terrific job by making the final here,” Federer said. “I was very impressed…I honestly didn’t think he was going to play the final here.”

Returning from a bathroom break, a rejuvenated Federer came out ready to close out Nadal. After he held for 2-1, the Swiss No.1 broke Nadal thanks to some aggressive play. Hitting a couple of huge forehands for two of his 43 winners, Federer broke when Nadal missed a forehand volley long. After the break, a frustrated Nadal asked the linesman for the ball and then playfully hit a practice volley and smiled in vain.

It was no laughing matter when Federer broke again for 5-1 thanks to some more huge forehands. After a crosscourt forehand gave him another break point, he attacked the net off another deep forehand and finished off his sixth break of the match with an overhead and a shout of, “Yeah!”

But Nadal wouldn’t give up. With Federer serving for the championship, he broke in large part to a loose game by the Swiss. After Federer sprayed a couple of forehands, Nadal broke back thanks to a deadly backhand crosscourt which the number one seed hardly got a racket on. When he climbed out of a 0-30 hole to hold for 3-5, it forced Federer to serve for the match once again.

This time, Federer’s serve was too much for Nadal. When a Nadal slice backhand sailed wide, a relieved Federer emphatically raised his arms in the air with a huge smile. He walked up to the net and shook hands with his rival, who congratulated him on his eighth career major.

When BBC’s Sue Barker asked about his budding rivalry with Nadal, Federer deadpanned:
“Now I like it again.”

“He’s unbelievable,” praised Nadal. “I hope one year I don’t play against a guy like Roger. He played unbelievable on this surface but I improved a lot this year so I am very happy for that.”

Despite falling, the Spaniard remained optimistic about his impressive run.

“This was my best tournament of the year,” he said. “I played better here than I did at Roland Garros, for sure.”

“When I was playing my best tennis, the match was close, very close.” “That’s nice for me. It’s important for me to believe I can beat Roger on this surface.”

Federer also realized what it means to play Nadal in such big matches.

“When we play so often in finals, it adds something to the game. He’s up-and-coming. I used to be the youngster. Now I’m sort of getting older. But it’s a great rivalry,” he pointed out.

For the very pleased champion, he wasn’t even sure he’d be able to complete the four-peat when he looked at the draw.

“Everyone was talking about Bjorn Borg’s grasscourt winning streak. I thought the draw looked like the streak might come to an end very soon – not because I might play bad, but because I had really dangerous opponents,” he explained.

“These things go through your head. I didn’t think once that I might hold the trophy again. That only came once I beat Mario Ancic in the quarterfinals.”

Getting through such a draw which included straight set wins over Richard Gasquet, Tim Henman and Tomas Berdych before he even eliminated Ancic made Federer appreciate the moment even more.

“Disbelief,” he remarked. “You just can’t believe you did it again. A great feeling. I was really anxious to go and hold that trophy again.”

The question is who can stop him from winning a fifth straight Wimbledon next year?

“I don’t have my sights on number five already, no,” he said. “I’m looking forward to next year of course, but this was a very tough match for me. Just to come through another year is an incredible feeling.”

Unfourgettable.

This time, it was legitimate. Six months after winning her first ever Grand Slam title at the Australian Open when Justine Henin-Hardenne retired due to stomach pain, Amelie Mauresmo backed it up with a gutsy comeback three set triumph over her nemesis 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 to capture her first ever Wimbledon crown on Centre Court at the All England Club Saturday- winning her second career slam.

The 27 year-old top seed became the first Frenchwoman to win the prestigious major since Suzanne Lenglen in 1925. For Mauresmo, who showed nerves of steel finishing off Henin-Hardenne, it proved that she could come up big and get that final point without anyone doubting her.

“I don’t want anyone to talk about my nerves anymore,” the newly crowned champion sarcastically remarked to the audience during an on court interview with BBC’s Sue Barker.

“The way it ended is different. Now I had this final moment, especially this final point.”

It didn’t start out well for Mauresmo, who lost her serve twice to drop the first set to Henin-Hardenne.

The five-time slam winner, who was trying to become the 10th woman to complete a career Grand Slam took it to a tight Mauresmo early on.

Playing aggressively by attacking the net and returning well, Henin-Hardenne broke to start the match by converting her third break chance with a backhand volley winner.

After Mauresmo held for 2-3, she got her first opportunity to break but couldn’t cash in, allowing her 24 year-old Belgian opponent to escape for 4-2.

Just as she’s done so often throughout her career after getting out of trouble, the No.3 seed took advantage of another opportunity to break again for 5-2. Serving well, Henin-Hardenne finished off the first set in style with an ace out wide to pull within a set of winning her first ever Wimbledon.

“You’re 6-2 down against Justine in the final of a Grand Slam. You’re not in such a great position,” Mauresmo told herself during the changeover.

“I pumped myself up. I let it out a little bit. I yelled a little bit,” she pointed out. “I was much more aggressive right from the beginning of that second set.”

That second set would prove to be a different story. A refocused Mauresmo took eight of the first 10 points to go up an early break 2-0. Sharp from the outset and playing more aggressively, she held in the opening game before breaking Henin-Hardenne for the first time, converting a second break point when her opponent sailed a forehand long.

After another hold, the Frenchwoman was in position to go up two breaks but only some clutch volleys from Henin-Hardenne allowed her to escape for 1-3. The Belgian fought off another chance in the sixth game to stay alive 2-4. After the big hold, the resilient three-time French Open champ finally got the break she needed when a Mauresmo backhand floated long to get back on serve for 3-4.

Would Mauresmo collapse again? Not this time. Instead, she immediately answered the break with one of her own thanks to a nifty running crosscourt forehand pass. Serving for the set, she valiantly saved three break points before sealing it with one of her eight aces to level the match.

After each held in the first two games of the final set, Mauresmo made her move, getting a crucial early break thanks to a few of Henin-Hardenne’s 20 unforced errors, including a forehand miss which gave the world No.1 her third break of the match.

“I wasn’t playing my best tennis, far from that,” a disappointed Henin-Hardenne lamented afterwards. “That’s the kind of day that happens.”

With Mauresmo serving and volleying extremely well, she wouldn’t relinquish the break- dropping just five points on serve the entire set.

“[Mauresmo] never came down on her serve. She was serving great, a lot of first serves. That’s been probably the biggest difference between us today,” added Henin-Hardenne.

With Mauresmo ahead 3-1, she pressed for a double break lead but was turned away again by Henin-Hardenne, who forced her to eventually serve out the championship.

The final game was symbolic of how far Mauresmo has come this year. After splitting the first four points thanks to two aces out wide and two Henin-Hardenne forehand winners, the No.1 seed reached championship point with a clutch forehand stab volley putaway. After following a missed toss with a nervous fault, she got her second serve in and then played exceptional defense to get in the point. When she ran down a Henin-Hardenne forehand and hit a backhand slice, it threw off the Belgian, who misfired another forehand into the net to give an ecstatic Mauresmo the championship.

Dropping to her knees in triumph, the excited new champion raised her arms before running up into the stands to celebrate with her coach and family.

“I was a little bit nervous on the match point which is probably understandable,” she admitted. “But I was really focusing on the game, on what I had to do, on my serve, on my volley. That was about it.”

“Now that I see all the names on the trophy, and my name is on there- Wow! That’s not so bad,” a proud Mauresmo boasted. “I was thinking about the trophy all morning, and then I got my hands on it. It was bizarre.”

For Henin-Hardenne, it was a tough conclusion to a great six weeks. “I wasn’t maybe fresh enough to win this match. I don’t know,” she explained after playing her 18th match in that span.

“It’s a bit hard to lose in the final here, but I have to keep [in mind] what went pretty well in the last few weeks. I played a lot, so now I will need a little bit of a break. It’s been pretty tough emotionally, mentally maybe more than physically in these last few weeks.”

Winning Wimbledon meant a lot to Mauresmo, who kicked off a big weekend for France with the emphatic win. France later today will try to make it a banner two days when they take on Italy for the World Cup.

“I still can’t believe it,” an emotional Mauresmo added. “I did not really expect coming here, I wasn’t feeling great. But then all of a sudden everything came together.

“It feels great. It’s the most prestigious tournament in the world and it really is a special moment for me.”

Bryans Complete Career Slam: Bob and Mike Bryan captured their first ever Wimbledon men’s doubles championship by defeating Fabrice Santoro and Nenad Zimonjic in four sets 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.

The No.1 seeded American twin brother duo completed a career doubles Grand Slam with the victory.

“It’s the most special of the titles. It was the last one,” pleased brother Mike expressed to reporters. “We’ve been thinking about this Career Slam since we won the US Open and the Australian back to back. This was the last one to get and the one we’ve dreamed about our whole lives.”

Their place in tennis history was sealed when Santoro returned a Mike Bryan serve long. Unable to contain his excitement, he jumped on his brother in celebration of their remarkable achievement.

“I told Bob when I hugged him ‘We got them all, man, we got them all!’ It’s the best feeling in the world. It’s so hard to win one. To have all four, and they’ve happened so quick over the last two years, it’s pretty cool. Especially to share it with your twin brother.”

Federer Goes For Four-Peat Against Nadal: Three-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer aims for his fourth in a row at the All England Club later today against two-time French Open winner Rafael Nadal.

The two best players in the world are pitted in a rematch a month after Nadal repeated at Roland Garros with a four set win over Federer to improve to 4-0 against him this year. Federer is 55-0 against everyone else.

Nadal takes a 6-1 match record against Federer into the match, having won the last five. He’ll attempt to become the first male to sweep both the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year since Bjorn Borg in 1980.

On the line will be Federer’s grass court record 47 match win streak. During his impressive run to the final, he hasn’t dropped a set. The last champion to not lose a set en route to the title was Borg in 1976.

Three-time defending Wimbledon champion Roger Federer was supposed to be here. The same cannot be said for two-time French Open winner Rafael Nadal. Both reached their second straight Grand Slam final with straight set victories in the men’s semifinals on Centre Court at the All England Club Friday.

It sets up a highly anticipated rematch between the top two players in the world. For Federer, who lost in four sets to Nadal last month at Roland Garros on the Spaniard’s best surface, it’s a chance for redemption. After falling short of completing a career Grand Slam, the seven-time slam winner will have a shot to play Nadal on his most dominant surface. Considering that Nadal has handed Federer all four losses this year while he’s a perfect 55-0 against everyone else, it’s also an opportunity for the Swiss No.1 to prove he can beat his most difficult foe on tennis’ biggest stage.

“I know I can beat him,” Federer told reporters at a postmatch conference after stretching his grass court record win streak to 47 with a convincing 6-2, 6-0, 6-2 conquest in just 77 minutes over unseeded Swede Jonas Bjorkman- completing the most lopsided semifinal in tournament history.

The 24 year-old Federer will also put his run of 27 straight at Wimbledon on the line in an attempt to four-peat. Pete Sampras and Bjorn Borg are the last two men to accomplish that feat.

“I don’t need to think of playing against him. I need to focus on me playing on grass, my style, playing aggressive. It’s going to be easier on grass to do that than on clay.”

For Federer, he had no problem cruising through against surprise 34 year-old semifinalist Bjorkman. It didn’t take long for the champion to break his 59th ranked opponent, doing so in the third game.

Though the 1997 U.S. Open semifinalist held for 2-3 to keep it close, it would be shortlived as Federer ran off the last three games to claim the one-sided set on a forehand winner. From that point, he bageled Bjorkman in the second set and then took the first two games of the third set before the Swede mercifully held for 1-2 to snap a streak of 11 straight, prompting enthusiastic cheers.

But like a well oiled machine, Federer ran off the next three games to pull within a game of his fifth consecutive slam final. When Bjorkman held for 2-5 at love finishing with an ace, the crowd once again cheered even though they knew the end was near. To their delight, Bjorkman didn’t give up, saving two match points before a Federer service winner finally concluded the match.

“I felt like I played a guy who was as near to perfection as you can play the game,” praised Bjorkman of Federer, who finished the match with 30 winners to only 13 unforced errors and converted 7-of-9 break points. “I had the best seat in the house.”

Federer will also try to become the first Wimbledon champion to not drop a set since Borg in 1976. But that wasn’t on his mind.

“I can’t rely on a performance every time (that’s) flawless, straight sets, no worries, no break points, all this stuff,” he pointed out. “A final is always very different because the pressure is much higher.”

After Federer completed his routine win, the 20 year-old Nadal overcame a tough battle from Australian Open runner up Marcos Baghdatis- defeating the 18th seeded Cypriot 6-1, 7-5, 6-3.

In an ultracompetitive match which took almost two and a half hours to complete, Nadal outslugged his opponent from the baseline and even at the net where he converted 31 of 38 (82 percent).

Taking advantage of a slow start by his opponent, the No.2 seed broke Baghdatis three times in the opening set to easily capture it in 30 minutes.

The second set would be much different. With the 21 year-old Cypriot playing more aggressively, he held serve easier and began to dictate more points by mixing in some nifty dropshots to go with some top heavy groundstrokes which produced most of his 38 winners.

Despite putting more pressure on Nadal’s service games, Baghdatis continued to fall short of breaking the Spaniard for the first time in four matches. Nadal continually played the bigger points well enough to get out of trouble and keep the pressure on Baghdatis.

“When he’s on defense, he’s playing unbelievable,” Baghdatis said. “And when he’s attacking, the ball is so fast.”

When Nadal held for 5-4, the opportunistic Spaniard put the heat on to get to 15-40 and setup two set points. But the fiery Cypriot valiantly saved both with an ace and forehand volley winner just out of the reach of Nadal. He finally held for five all with another ace.

After Nadal held for 6-5, a third set point was denied when an errant Baghdatis serve down the middle was called good despite a mild protest from the Spaniard. Though a tough break went against him, Nadal didn’t let it affect his play converting his fourth set point on a perfectly struck inside out crosscourt forehand passing shot to capture the 64-minute set. He finished the match with 43 winners.

Despite being down two sets, Baghdatis pressed for an early break in the opening game of the third set but Nadal denied two more chances leaving the emotional Cypriot gently banging his racket against his head in frustration.

Nadal broke for the fifth time in the fourth game to go up 3-1 on the most spectacular point of the match. With both players inventing new angles from the baseline, each hustled to stay in the crucial rally and wound up at the net. When a Baghdatis backhand volley hit the net cord, Nadal didn’t flinch and calmly stuck a forehand volley winner to secure the break.

After holding for 2-4, Baghdatis once again was thwarted by Nadal in the seventh game. After three break chances were turned away, a fourth opportunity looked to have finally put the set back on serve. But unfortunately for Baghdatis, his forehand which got a piece of the baseline was overruled out by the chair umpire. It would allow Nadal to escape, denying all nine break points against his serve.

Baghdatis held for 3-5 before Nadal finally served it out, punctuating his hard fought victory with an overhead before falling to the grass in celebration before getting a congratulatory pat on the back from his worthy foe at the net.

“I’m very emotional. It’s amazing to be in the finals,” Nadal expressed. He is trying to become the first male player to win both the French and Wimbledon back-to-back since Borg.

“I am bit surprised. Maybe I improved a little bit? I am very happy for me – it is an unbelievable result.”

In his previous two trips to London, he never made it to the second week. Now he finds himself one win away from beating the best on grass.

“I’m going to have a very, very, very difficult match. I’m going to play against one of the best in tennis history, especially on this surface. So I need to play my best match in my life to win. So I’m going to try that.”

Baghdatis who fell to Federer for the Australian Open title back in January and now Nadal less than six months later summed it up best:

“They’re very close. They’re the two best players in the world at the moment. You cannot say one is the best- you have to take both of them.”

Bryans Move Into Men’s Doubles Final: The American twin brother duo of Bob and Mike Bryan inched closer to completing a career Grand Slam in men’s doubles with a four set semifinal win over Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor 6-4, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (3), 6-1.

The No.1 seeds will look to add Wimbledon to complete the doubles slam. They’ll take on the team of Fabrice Santoro and Nenad Zimonjic for the championship after Santoro and Zimonjic posted a 6-2, 6-1, 7-5 win over Martin Damm and Leander Paes.

Women Set To Do Battle: Top seeded Frenchwoman Amelie Mauresmo takes on No.3 seeded Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne for the women’s Wimbledon crown later today.

In an Australian Open rematch in which Mauresmo prevailed 6-1, 2-0 (ret.), both will be going for their second slams of the year. Last month, the 24 year-old Henin-Hardenne captured her third French Open in four years and fifth slam title. If she wins, she’ll become the 10th woman to complete a career Grand Slam. The Wimbledon title eluded her grasp five years ago when she lost to Venus Williams.

The 27 year-old Mauresmo aims for her second career slam to backup her number one ranking.

This time, it should be different. That’s what Australian Open champion Amelie Mauresmo seems to think about her anticipated rematch with Justine Henin-Hardenne for the Wimbledon crown.

In Melbourne, her big win was tarnished when a stomach ailment forced Henin-Hardenne to retire trailing 1-6, 0-2.

“I really think this final is going to be about tennis, not what happened before,” a victorious Mauresmo said to reporters at a postmatch conference.

“That’s what I want it to be. And that’s what I’m going to focus on. It’s good that it’s Justine again in the final, and she probably feels happy about that, also, to have the opportunity of revenge for the final in Australia.”

Just over five months since she defeated Henin-Hardenne for her first Grand Slam title, the just turned 27 year-old top seeded Mauresmo setup a rematch after a hard fought three set win over 2004 Wimbledon winner Maria Sharapova, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 at Centre Court at the All England Club Thursday.

It was almost deja vu for the No.1 seeded Frenchwoman, who the past two years in the same semifinal round came unglued after capturing the first set and holding a 3-1 break lead before falling to Serena Williams two years ago and Lindsay Davenport last year.

“People kept asking me what I learned from those three semifinals. What I learned today was how to win. It was not perfect, but it was still a win, and a convincing one,” Mauresmo pointed out.

Playing cleaner tennis than her opponent, Mauresmo took the first set and was up by the identical 3-1 margin which doomed her in previous years. When the fourth seeded Sharapova fought out of a 0-40 triple break point hole to hold for 2-3, the match suddenly took a similar path when the resilient Russian broke back in the sixth game thanks to one of two Mauresmo double faults.

With the momentum finally hers, Sharapova held for 4-3, then broke Mauresmo again before needing four set points to run off the last five games and square the match.

It was at that moment Mauresmo took a break to regroup before the final set. The strategy worked as she regained her composure to get out of a 0-30 hole and hold in the opening game.

A critical second game would then ensue where both battled before it was decided. After Sharapova saved two break points, an untimely double fault and long forehand put her down a break 0-2. The huge swing continued when Mauresmo served an ace to hold for 3-0 before taking a double break 4-0 lead on another Sharapova double fault.

But in a match that was so unpredictable, it wasn’t over when the 19 year-old No.4 seed immediately got one break back and then pulled within 2-4 with a service hold.

Amazingly, Sharapova held one break point in the seventh game to get back on serve. But another clutch ace by Mauresmo helped her get out of trouble to lead 5-2.

A game from her first ever Wimbledon final, the No.1 seed converted her second match point when a Sharapova forehand sailed long for her sixth break to clinch victory. An excited Mauresmo jumped in the air and pumped her fist before being congratulated by a gracious Sharapova at the net.

In the first women’s semifinal of the day, a French Open all-Belgian rematch once again went to Henin-Hardenne, who prevailed over 2005 U.S. Open winner Kim Clijsters 6-4, 7-6 (4).

Against an opponent she was very familiar with, the five-time slam champion climbed out of a break down in each set to improve to 12-10 in 22 career meetings.

Unlike how easy her straight set victory came at Roland Garros, Henin-Hardenne was forced to work harder by Clijsters this time.

When the 23 year-old No.2 seed broke for 4-3 in the opening set, the French Open winner immediately responded by breaking back for four all. After holding for 5-4, the opportunistic 24 year-old No.3 seed broke Clijsters at love thanks to a couple of loose backhands to claim the set.

Despite dropping the final three games and her serve twice to lose the set, it didn’t undeter Clijsters in the second set. After holding for one apiece, she broke Henin-Hardenne for the second time in the match thanks to a double fault.

The seesaw battle continued when Henin-Hardenne broke back in the sixth game to square the set. After each player held twice for five all, Clijsters then suddenly broke her compatriot at love, punctuating it with a crosscourt forehand winner.

But she couldn’t serve out the set. Instead, her fiesty opponent broke back for the fourth time in seven tries to force a tiebreak.

In it, it was Henin-Hardenne who took control to go up 6-3 and setup three match points. After Clijsters saved one, the elder Belgian came up with a nifty crosscourt running backhand pass to seal the victory and advance to her second Wimbledon final- pumping her fist in celebration before receiving congrats from her opponent.

She’ll now have a chance to make history by becoming the 10th woman to win a career Grand Slam and capture all four majors. Despite being in line for such a worthy accomplishment, she didn’t make a big deal out of it.

“I don’t have anything to prove to anyone anymore,” expressed Henin-Hardenne to reporters.

“I think I proved enough on the tennis court the fighter I am, how much I can compete. There’s always a lot of determination. It’s just about myself, and I hope I can win this title.”

Nadal Easily Into Men’s Semis: Rafael Nadal made it three consecutive impressive straight set wins, defeating 22nd seeded Finn Jarkko Nieminen 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in the final men’s quarterfinal to advance to his first Wimbledon semifinal. Rain forced the match to be played a day later.

The No.2 seeded two-time French Open winner sealed the victory with a volley winner to become the first left-hander into the semifinals since 2001 champion Goran Ivanisevic.

Nadal will take on Australian Open runner up Marcos Baghdatis (18) later today while three-time defending champion Roger Federer meets unseeded Jonas Bjorkman.

If the top seeded Federer and Nadal advance, it would be the second straight major 1 vs 2 decided who won a slam. The No.2 seeded Spaniard prevailed to repeat at Roland Garros last month in four sets. Nadal is 6-1 against Federer, winning the last five times they played including all four this year. Those are Federer’s only losses in 2006.

Even rain couldn’t stop Roger Federer. The three-time defending Wimbledon champion continued his impressive run of not dropping a set. Facing his real first test, the Swiss world number one passed with flying colors by eliminating seventh seeded Croatian Mario Ancic 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 at Centre Court Wednesday in London.

Despite two rain delays and facing a quality opponent who was the last to beat him at the All England Club four years ago in the first round, the seven-time slam winner was brilliant in extending his grass court win streak to 46 straight.

“I definitely had a period where it was so good, it was just incredible,” Federer told reporters at a postmatch conference. “You’re not afraid to try anything, you’re not afraid to hit the ball hard, you’re not afraid to go for aces. That’s the sensation you get when you’re playing so well. That’s exactly what I felt today.”

It only took four games before rain halted action for an hour and a half with the score tied two apiece. But when play resumed, a sharp Federer quickly broke Ancic for 3-2 with a running forehand pass. Though the 22 year-old 2004 semifinalist didn’t play poorly by any stretch, it was enough of an opening for the No. 1 seed to claim a competitive first set in which each reached double digits in winners.

It didn’t take long for Federer to break Ancic in the second set. Like a shark, he took it to his opponent in the opening game. Hitting three more of his 35 winners including two from the backhand which setup break point, he ripped a crosscourt forehand passing shot to get the early break.

Facing little pressure on his serve, Federer held twice more for 3-1 before Ancic made it 2-3. That’s when rain once again delayed play for just under an hour.

When the players returned, each held twice before Federer finished off the set with a love service game to pull within one of the semifinals.

The third set started similarly to the second with an opportunistic champion rising to the occasion again to break his frustrated opponent. When Federer held and then broke Ancic again to take a double break 3-0 lead, it looked like he would cruise to an easy straight set win.

But Ancic wasn’t ready to go home, returning the favor immediately with some more aggressive play, including a crosscourt forehand winner for the break. He made things even more interesting in the eighth game. After holding for 3-4, continuing to swing more freely, he setup break point to pull within one of suddenly leveling the set. But as Federer usually does, he got out of trouble with some magic, by striking a perfect forehand pass which left Ancic at the net letting out a frustrated scream.

It was the last chance he would get as Federer held for 5-3 before serving it out in style with an ace to clinch the victory.

“He’s just Roger. What can you say?” Ancic said.

“He is a completely different grass-court player than he was then,” he pointed out about getting the best of Federer four years ago. “It’s very hard to say, ‘Be aggressive. Attack him.’ Because if you’re just a little bit off with the speed of the ball (on the) approach, you’re passed.”

“If I keep up this sort of a performance, I don’t see myself losing,” added Federer, who is attempting to become the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1976 to win Wimbledon without losing a set. “But look: It’s Wimbledon. It’s the semifinals. You don’t want to underestimate anybody.”

He’ll next face surprise semifinalist Jonas Bjorkman. The 34 year-old Swedish veteran advanced with a hard fought five set comeback win over 14th seeded Czech Radek Stepanek 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (7), 6-4.

In a seesaw battle which featured some solid net play from both combatants, the doubles specialist fought off a match point in a pivotal fourth set tiebreak to pull off his second straight five set triumph.

After taking the opening set, Bjorkman ran into trouble when Stepanek raised his level of play to capture the next two sets and get an early break in the fourth.

But with a chance to serve it out, the 27 year-old first time slam quarterfinalist tightened up by double faulting three times, including one untimely serve which kept his older foe alive.

Given a new life, Bjorkman capitalized in a seesaw tiebreak. After letting a 4-1 minibreak lead slip away, he fought back from 6-5 down, bravely saving a match point with a textbook serve and volley which was punctuated with a winner. He finally claimed the breaker 9-7 to force a deciding set.

In it, the two players traded breaks before Bjorkman broke again and made it hold up. After a backhand winner setup match point, an unreturned serve gave the 57th ranked player a berth in a slam semifinal for the first time since the 1997 U.S. Open.

“I didn’t really believe that I had any semifinals left in me,” Bjorkman said after celebrating the big win in style by ‘hugging the crowd.’

“It’s an unbelievable feeling, a big surprise. I wanted to stay out there and hug everyone.”

While Bjorkman became the second to reach the semis, 18th seeded Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis continued his surprising run by eliminating 2002 champ Lleyton Hewitt in four sets 6-1, 5-7, 7-6 (5), 6-2.

The Australian Open runner up outslugged Hewitt from the baseline en route to 53 winners- 24 more than the No.6 seed’s 29.

Seemingly in command up a set and two breaks, Baghdatis came crashing back to earth to blow the second set. After Hewitt had already gotten a break back, the Cypriot still had a chance to serve for a two set lead but couldn’t finish it off against the fiesty Hewitt, whose guile and all out hustle allowed him to turn around the match- breaking his suddenly struggling opponent twice more to square it.

After each player traded breaks in the third set, it went to a crucial tiebreak. In it, Baghdatis jumped out to a 5-2 minibreak lead. But when Hewitt denied a set point for 5-6 to get it back on serve, anything was possible. That’s when Baghdatis came up with the shot of the match, returning a Hewitt kick serve with a quick backhand reply down the line to emphatically capture the set. The energetic Cypriot celebrated by pumping his fist and smiling at his Mom and girlfriend.

It would prove to be the beginning of the end for Hewitt, who was broken twice in the fourth set. Up 5-2, Baghdatis converted his seventh break point (7/7) when a Hewitt backhand came up short- to clinch his second ever slam semifinal.

“In the middle of the second set, I start realizing that I’m, like, beating Hewitt. I’m one set up and two break points up against Hewitt, and I’m in the quarters, playing for the semis,” an excited Baghdatis said of the second set. “So I start thinking a bit there, start choking a bit. The most important thing is that I got through.”

He will await the winner between second seeded French Open champion Rafael Nadal and 22nd seeded Finn Jarkko Nieminen. Their match was pushed back till today thanks to the rain and the long conclusion between Bjorkman and Stepanek.

Knowles and Nestor Outlast Aspelin and Perry In Six Hour Historic Doubles Match: Call it the tennis version of the marathon. In a match which took two days to complete, the No.3 seeded men’s doubles team of Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor outlasted Simon Aspelin and Todd Perry in a Wimbledon record six hours nine minutes 5-7, 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 23-21 to advance to a semifinal against The Bryans.

“It’s very exciting,” said Knowles. “We didn’t think we’d make history in this fashion.”

“Our plan was to get out of there as soon as possible,” Nestor added about the match which shattered a 1989 match between Todd Witsken and Greg Holmes which took 5:28 to play.

In the process, they stemmed off five match points in a fifth set which lasted over three hours.

“It definitely wasn’t humorous for me,” Nestor said. “At times I was wondering if it was ever going to end.”

As for setting the record, Knowles said: “I’m excited about it, especially since we won. It would have been different if we lost.”

Women’s Semifinalists Set To Take Center Stage: The top four seeded women will take Centre Court today to decide who will meet in Saturday’s final.

Top seeded Australian Open winner Amelie Mauresmo will take on 2004 Wimbledon champion fourth seeded Maria Sharapova in one semifinal. The other matchup pits an all Belgian battle between French winner and third seeded Justine Henin-Hardenne against 2005 U.S. Open champ and No.2 seed Kim Clijsters.

He pulled off the impossible. There’s a reason Lou Lamoriello is regarded as one of the best NHL executives. A year after failing to re-sign Scott Niedermayer, the Devils’ Team President and GM redeemed himself in a huge way this past weekend by re-signing forwards Patrik Elias and Jamie Langenbrunner.

With questions regarding how much room he had to work with due to last summer’s contract busts with Alexander Mogilny ($3.5 million) and Vladimir Malakhov (3.6) which they’re reportedly still on the hook for, Lamoriello delivered as promised by doing whatever it took to bring back his star left wing Elias along with Langenbrunner.

Ignoring the obvious dilemma in regards to where his team might stand with the $44.5 million cap, Lamoriello was able to reach agreement on a seven-year contract with Elias worth $42 million.

Regarded as the number one free agent on the market, the 30 year-old Czech who helped the Devils win two Stanley Cups in 2000 and 2003 was highly coveted by the Rangers and Canadiens.

Despite reportedly being offered more money per season by both teams, Elias chose to stay with the team which selected him in the second round 51st overall in 1994.

Apparently, the biggest issues were getting two extra years and a no-trade clause included in the deal. The longterm security gave the Devils an edge, allowing them to get their star player at a discount ($6 million per year) when he could’ve gotten even more.

Despite missing the first half of the ‘05-06 season due to hepatitis, Elias helped lead the Devils back to the postseason for the ninth straight year and to a sixth Atlantic Division.

In just 38 regular season games, he totaled 16 goals to go with 29 assists for 45 points and a plus-11 rating. That kind of production continued in the playoffs when the two-time NHL All-Star finished with 16 points (6-10-16) in only nine games, including a magnificent first round performance in the Devils’ sweep of the Rangers- tallying five goals and 11 points.

Such clutch play along with being viewed as one of the game’s best made him a high commodity. Fortunately for the Devils, he opted to return.

In 596 career NHL games, Elias has 223 goals and 281 assists for 504 points.

Also returning will be Langenbrunner. Originally acquired from Dallas along with Joe Nieuwendyk in exchange for Jason Arnott, Randy McKay plus a 2002 first round pick (dealt to Columbus, then to Buffalo-Dan Paille) back on March 19, 2002, the 30 year-old Minnesota native inked a five-year deal worth $2.8 million per season.

In three-plus seasons with New Jersey, Langenbrunner has totaled 140 points (54-86-140) in 225 games.

The checking winger finished the 2003 postseason with 11 goals and seven assists for 18 points along with a plus-11 rating to help the Devils win their third Stanley Cup.

“I have been fortunate to play in this league, and for the last nine or 10 years to make the playoffs and to have a chance,” Langenbrunner told the AP after his 53 points ranked him third in Devils scoring this past season.

“That’s all you want. You don’t know what is going to happen next year, but staying with the Devils I think gives me a shot.”

The New York Rangers dipped into the UFA market Saturday by inking center Matt Cullen to a four-year deal worth $11.2 million.

The 29 year-old Minnesota native established new career highs in goals (25) and points (49) in his only season with Carolina. He also contributed 18 points (4-14-18) in the postseason to help them win their first Stanley Cup.

Cullen could be a possible replacement for Steve Rucchin. In his seven-year NHL career which began with Anaheim, the former teammate of Rucchin has totaled 102 goals, 178 assists for 280 points in 591 games.

The former Anaheim 1996 second round pick will be joining his fourth team (Ana, Fla, Car, Nyr) in nine years.

Sunday, Rangers President and GM Glen Sather announced the re-signing of forward Martin Straka. It is reportedly a one-year deal worth $3.1 million.

Originally signed as a UFA last summer, the 33 year-old Plzen, Czech Republic native finished ‘05-06 with 22 goals, 54 assists for 76 points in 82 games- helping get the Blueshirts back to the postseason for the first time since 1997.

The 13-year veteran also helped his native country take bronze at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy- finishing with two goals and six assists for eight points.

In 812 career NHL games, Straka has tallied 606 points (214-392-606) with six different teams.

Rachunek Returns: The Rangers also reached terms with RFA Karel Rachunek. Originally acquired along with Alexandre Giroux from Ottawa in exchange for Greg de Vries back on March 9, 2004, the 26 year-old defenseman skated in 12 games for the Rangers, finishing with a goal and three assists.

This past season, the Czech native played in the Russian Hockey League for Yaroslavl Lokomotiv, totaling 11 goals and 20 assists for 31 points with a plus-14 rating in 48 games.

The defenseman could be a possible replacement on the blueline for Michal Rozsival, who reportedly rejected a three-year deal.

In 258 career NHL contests, Rachunek has tallied 101 points (12-89-101) with Ottawa and New York.

New York also signed defenseman Daniel Girardi and goalie Stephen Valiquette.

Girardi, 22, registered 39 points (8-31-39) and a plus-14 rating in 66 games for AHL affiliate Hartford. Along with former 2005 first round pick Marc Staal, the Ontario native might get a look in camp at making the Rangers.

Valiquette, 28, was a teammate of Rachunek last season appearing in 45 games for Yaroslavl Lokomotiv. He finished with a 1.95 goals against average (GAA), .922 save percentage along with four shutouts.

He was originally acquired on March 3, 2004 by the Blueshirts along with Dwight Helminen and a 2004 second round pick (Dane Byers) from Edmonton in exchange for Petr Nedved and Jussi Markkanen.