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  September 29, 2018 12:17 PM EEST

  Andy Murray is back in action as the ATPs Masters series starts in Indian Wells - who could the Scot face as he chases a first title of the season? Having taken time off following his run to the Australian Open final (another Novak Djokovic defeat), Murray plays for the second consecutive week having led Great Britain to a Davis Cup victory over Japan in Birmingham. D.J. Hayden Jersey .Murray will take to the court aiming for a first title since becoming a father and also a first title in Indian Wells - his best showing in California coming when he lost in the final to Rafa Nadal in 2009, while last year he fell at the semi-final stage to Djokovic. The world No 2 blew away the cobwebs after his fatherhood-induced lay-off with victories over Taro Daniel and Kei Nishikori last week but who could he face in the US as he targets a first Indian Wells title. Spains Marcel Granollers has lost five of his six meetings with Murray Second Round - Marcel GranollersFirst up for Murray is Spains Granollers who beat Bosnias Damir Dzumhur for the loss of just one game in the first round. Murray has played the world No 92 on six previous occasions and has won five of them including each of the last three.Only two of the meetings have been on hard courts, Murray winning at the Australian Open in 2009 and the Toronto Masters in 2013 while the only win for Granollers came on the clay courts of the Rome Masters when Murray was forced to retired with the back problem that was to hinder him.Their last meeting came at the Madrid Masters last year, where Murray lost just two games on his way to claiming the title.It has been a low key start to the season for Granollers whose first round win over Dzumhur was only his third victory of the ATP main tour season.Third Round - Joao Sousa Murray beat Portugals Joao Sousa at the Australian Open earlier this year After starting with a Spaniard we expect a trip across the border for Murray and a familiar foe in the shape of Portugals world No 37 Joao Sousa - a man he has beaten on all seven occasions they have met.The pair clashed most recently in Melbourne at the Australian Open where Murray came through in four sets to seal a place in the last 16.Sousa takes on Argentinas Federico Delbonis in their second round match - should the Argentine prevail it will set-up a first ever meeting with the world No 2 and Murray should be wary as Delbonis has put together a couple of decent runs this season, most recently reaching the quarter-finals at the Rio Open.Fourth Round - Nick Kyrgios/Gael Monfils Nick Kyrgios celebrates after defeating Marin Cilic to claim his first ATP tour title Two players, one word - maverick. Whoever comes through from this section, Murray will know what to expect and that is the unexpected.Both men should come through relatively straightforward second round matches to set up a blockbusting third round encounter - both men have enjoyed good starts to the season with Kyrgios claiming his first career ATP title in Marseille and Monfils reaching the last eight at the Australian Open before losing in the final in Rotterdam.Murray will hope for Kyrgios given he has won all four meetings with the Aussie, the last three coming in majors including the Scots four-set first round victory at the US Open.Monfils has won two of his six meetings with Murray, the world No 16 winning the last hard court meeting in 2010 although its Murray who won their most recent encounter, a five-set epic in the French Open quarter-final.Quarter-Final - Milos Raonic/Tomas Berdych Murray needed five sets to see off Raonic in an epic Autralian Open quarter-final Into the last eight now and it looks like a big server for Murray - even if there is an upset in the quarter it looks most likely to come from a returning Juan Martin Del Potro or focused Bernard Tomic.Raonic is a man in form with an Australian Open semi-final and a Brisbane victory under his belt this season while Berdych is a perennial quarter-finalist, so Murray is likely to face one of these two with both men ranked in the top 14.Murrays won his last three against Raonic including a five-set semi-final victory at the Australian Open, while the Canadian beat Murray at Indian Wells in 2014, coming from a set down for the victory.Berdych, the world No 7, has lost his last three against Murray including each of the last seven sets and the Scot would rather face Berdych than Raonics booming left-handed serve.Semi-Final - Stan Wawrinka Stan Wawrinka is likely to be Murrays semi-final opponent, if they both make it that far Stan the man, seeded third in Indian Wells should come through his half of the draw in relatively comfortable fashion. In-form Pablo Cuevas could be a lively contender, having won twice this year, while Marin Cilic is a likely quarter-final foe.However Wawrinka would expect to come through, as another of the five men with two titles already under their belt this year - the 30-year-old won in Dubai and Chennai but was a surprise quarter-final loser in Melbourne.Murray will need to reverse a recent trend too as the Swiss ace has won the last three meetings between the pair without dropping a set and, even more impressively, has won the last nine finals he has contestedFinal - Novak Djokovic A familiar foe is likely to lie in wait if Murray can make it all the way.... Yep, you know who again! The reality is that the world No 1 and four-time Indian Wells winner will comfortably stroll through his half of the draw. Rafa Nadal, Kei Nishikori and the richly-talented Dominic Thiem are potential stumbling blocks but the only danger to Djokovic is himself.In his last tournament he withdrew from his quarter-final in Dubai with an eye problem, his only defeat of the season, but he showed no ill effects in leading Serbia to Davis Cup victory over Kazakhstan - they will now meet Murrays GB in the last eight.The Serb loves the hard courts of North America and with Miami to follow Indian Wells it is worth noting he has done the double of winning both events back-to-back on three separate occasions.Since the Wimbledon final of 2014, Djokovic has won 11 of the last 12 meetings between the pair and boasts a 22-9 career record over Murray who can take some comfort from the fact his last win came on the hard courts at the Toronto Masters last year.You can watch all the action from Indian Wells on Sky Sports Also See: Tennis on Sky Latest scores Murray on Sharapova Nadal on Sharapova Corey Grant Jersey . Louis Blues. Shane Hnidy joins Brian Munz for the broadcast on TSN 1290 Radio at 7pm ct. Keelan Cole Jersey . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. http://www.thejaguarsfansshop.com/Jaguars-Cam-Robinson-Draft-Jersey/ .com) - Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Roger Federer were easy first-round winners Tuesday at the Australian Open. Since the inception of its professional domestic league almost five years ago, the country of South Korea has been known for its world-class top laners.From the days of Bok Reapered Han-gyu leading MiG Blaze to the first Champions title to Yoon MakNooN Ha-woon becoming the first recipient of the MVP in Korea during his title run with NaJin Sword, the top lane has always been a position of pride for South Korea. And whenever legends of the top lane would deteriorate or retire, promising talents would take their place to create their own legacy.Jung Impact Eon-yeongPark Shy Sang-myeonLee Flame Ho-JongChoi Acorn Cheon-juJang Looper Hyeong-seokLee Duke Ho-SeongJang MaRin Gyeong-HwanThese are the names, along with Reapered and MakNooN, that have shaped the foundation of South Korean League of Legends over the years.Impacts superb Jax play prevailed over Chinas Royal Club to win Koreas first Summoners Cup on SK Telecom T1.Shys longevity on CJ Entus has allowed him to start with the same organization who scouted him in solo queue more than four years ago.Flames solo lane domination needed to be seen in 2013 to be believed and prompted the creation of the term Flame Horizon for whenever a player out farms his positional adversary by over 100 CS.Acorn and Looper of Samsung put a stranglehold on the position in 2014 when the top lane shifted from the one-on-one theatrics of Flames style of play to more team-oriented teleporting and utility tanks.After the Samsung top laners departed to China, it was Duke. Even with the top laners heroic efforts to carry, the former top laner of KT Rolster made his name by winning the MVP on a hapless NaJin team that missed the playoffs with a 5-9 record.But ever since then, the top lane position (in not only Korea but also the world) has been controlled -- outside of Jang MaRin Gyeong-Hwans apex in 2015 -- by two players: KT Rolsters anchor, Kim Ssumday Chan-ho, and the ROX Tigers ace, Song Smeb Kyung-ho.Over the past three seasons of League of Legends Champions Korea, the premier league in South Korea, the pair of aces have won all of the regular-season MVP awards, with Ssumday winning in the summer of 2015 and Smeb winning in both the spring and summer of this year.Saturdays matchup between the ROX Tigers and KT Rolster is a battle between the two clubs that have been under the three-peating thumb of SK Telecom T1 the past two years. While there has been a Big 3 in Korea for more than a year now among T1, the Tigers and KT, the result has been the same: Either the Tigers or KT playing Lee Faker Sang-hyeoks T1 in the final, and SKT T1 winning in decisive fashion. SKTs overall domestic finals record over the past two years sits at 9-2.KTs slaying of SKT T1 in the semifinals has opened up the third possibility that many thought wed never see: ROX vs. KT, and the battle between the worlds two greatest top laners. Ssumday, the centerpiece of the KT Rolster organization, and Smeb, the man who embodies everything the Tigers stand for as a team.The two battled in the semifinals of last years summer split, and it was Ssumdays KT that advanced in a close set. Smeb got the upper hand in the World Championships, where the Tigers knocked out KT Rolster in the quarterfinals to eventually finish second place in the world against, guess who, SK Telecom T1.Since Smeb toppled Ssumday in Europe a year ago, the Tigers frontman has taken the mantle as the worlds best in the top lane while simultaneously battling with Faker to be called the best in the world. Ssumday, who was embarrassed by Smeb at Worlds, and then by Faker in the semifinals of this years spring split semifinals, has finally redeemed himself; this finals is his chance to make amends for his falters in the past.The Heir of KT RolsterWhile the finals between ROX Tigers and KT Rolster feels like itll be the first big championship win for either of the teams top laners, it wouldnt actually be Ssumdays first domestic title if KT win on Saturday. The KT Arrows, widely regarded as the worst team to ever win a Korean championship, won in the summer of 2014 with an ultra-aggressive, kill-or-be-killed-even-harder team that won each of its playoff matches 3-2 to narrowly tightrope its way to the finish line.Ssumday in 2014 on Arrows was a good, solid role player. Thats to not take away from his accomplishments on the team. It was a five-man effort which pulled out the victory, but he wasnt anywhere near the player he is today. Back then, the team was built around the mid lane and jungle power of stars Song RooKie Eui-jin and Lee KaKAO Byung-kwon with Ssumday acting as a cog to make the machine run smoothly. He had moments where he would simply win lane and snowball from there, yet, for the most part, the Arrows was KaKAOs team - the charismatic leader who won the MVP award that summer.Ssumday has been KTs pet project over the last three years. He came into the league as a bright-eyed rookie who only knew how to play Renekton and spent time on the bench before evolving into an instrumental part of the championship Arrows team. Josh Lambo Jersey. . When KaKAO and Rookie left to join the ranks of other elite Korean players chasing a higher salary in China, Ssumday, the third or even fourth man on the title-winning Arrows team, was now pushed into a role as a main carry.Maybe more than any other player in League of Legends, Ssumday has followed the same timeline, albeit a bit more spedup, as many traditional athletes whove become superstars. Theyre drafted and protected in the early days before being put into more strenuous situations. Ultimately, after all the grooming and preparation, theyre ready to be the leader and ace of the club that entrusted its future to them.Ssumday is that kind of a player. He debuted around the same time as Faker, but instead of being an all-star from day one, its been a steady process from KT Rolster, building him up to be one of the best players in the world. Hes been in finals, won a championship as a role player, and now, in his second year as the man on KT Rolster, hes ready to hoist a trophy won off his shoulders as the heir KT Rolster always thought he could be.The Story of SmebUsually when kids struggle with something, someone older will approach them and tell a story about how with enough hard work they can someday become a master.I dont want to pull back the curtain or anything, but a lot of times that story the kind person tells isnt reality. Floundering with the same task after a certain amount of time means someone just doesnt have the knack to excel there. Usually a new path is the answer.The story of ROX Tigers Smeb is something out of an overly cheerful picture book. There once was a boy who really liked playing games. The boy thought he was so good at a particular video game called League of Legends he decided to go pro. Sadly, when the boy played in the world of pros, he soon found out he was seriously lacking. The boy was made fun of, becoming a joke to the commentators as the worst at his position.But then one day, after seemingly quitting his dream, the boy returned to play on a new team with fellow outcasts and rejects. The hodgepodge of players grouped together to become the best team in the world, and the boy who was once the joke was becoming one of the very best. After two years of progression, the boy had become a man, and his teammates were atop the globe as the greatest team with the once-loser now the teams star player.Seriously, it sounds like bad fan fiction, but its true. Smeb was a joke. He was really, really bad. He had a silly ID (no one really knew what it meant in the Western region), and his play was nonsensical much of the time. It all changed when he joined the Tigers, a band of rejects plus world-class support Kang GorillA Beom-hyeon.Smeb is the ultimate outlier in not only esports but also sports in general. He wasnt a highly touted rookie who had a few rough seasons before he turned it around. To put it as bluntly as possible: Smeb was definition of a failed professional in esports when he was on Incredible Miracle when he started out. His team never competed in the playoffs, and outside of a few nice performances, he was a player whose name many were hard-pressed to remember after his weakling team was eliminated from the premiere league.On Saturday, Smeb will walk into the finals with the chance to become the champion of the league that once made him a punch line. Hes won the MVP twice this year, and with a runners-up at Worlds under his belt, Smeb could become the greatest top laner of all time if he wins the domestic title and then wins the Summoners Cup in the fall.Fakers story of the Unkillable Demon King is a special one. Like LeBron James or Tiger Woods, Faker was a once-in-a-generation prodigy who exceeded the lofty expectations. He is far and away the greatest player to ever play the game. When you expected greatness from him, he delivered, and so the title of God was presented to him.Smebs story, though, might be even better. There are many examples of superstars like Faker, but there is no other story like Smebs. He rose from a player once considered the absolute worst in the league to back-to-back MVP awards and a few steps away from becoming one of the greatest of all time right behind Faker. While millions have failed at their craft after putting everything into it, Smeb is the one case of a man who was shunned and laughed at by the world and persevered through it all.Ssumday is an heir of a franchise.Faker is a God.Smeb is just a boy turned to a man who didnt let anything or anyone take away his dream.And strangely enough, thats even scarier than an Unkillable Demon King or an heir to a throne. Cheap NFL Black Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Outlet Cheap NFL Black Jerseys Black China NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys 2020 Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Black NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Throwback Wholesale Black NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys Wholesale Cheap NFL Black Jerseys Stitched Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping ' ' '