NEW YORK -- From the seasons first major, Down Under back in January, Serena Williams and Angelique Kerber have been the two best players in womens tennis. If they can win their semifinal matches against worthy opponents Thursday night, they will advance to a tantalizing winner-take-all final on Saturday that offers a Grand Slam title, a $3.5 million pay day and, perhaps most important, the No. 1 ranking.Womens semifinals breakdownNo. 1 Serena Williams versus No. 10 Karolina Pliskova, 40 AM IST (Friday, Sep 9)Case for Serena: This was precisely the spot a year ago where Williams melted down, a victim of the pressure she felt chasing a rare calendar-year Grand Slam. Roberta Vinci handed Serena her first Grand Slam singles loss of the season in the semifinals. Her trip through the draw this year has been marked by poise and composure, even though the stakes are nearly as high. On the line: a 23rd Grand Slam singles title, which would break the Open era record she shares with Steffi Graf, and the No. 1 ranking, something she has held for 186 consecutive weeks.Case for Pliskova: Right now, she has some absurd momentum working for her. Her Wednesday straight-sets win against Ana Konjuh in the quarterfinals was her 10th match win in a row, something she has never done. The run includes four wins over top-10 players (Svetlana Kuznetsova, Garbine Muguruza, Angelique Kerber and Venus Williams). Pliskova won the title in Cincinnati and is already into her first career major semifinal.Notable stat: Wham, bam. These are two biggest hitters in terms of aces. Pliskova leads all WTA players with 439. Serena is a distant second with 320.Prediction: Williams in two.No. 2 Angelique Kerber versus Caroline Wozniacki, following Serena-Pliskova (60 AM IST, Sep 9)Case for Kerber: The sturdy 28-year-old has already been to the final of the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the Olympics and, most recently, Cincinnati. And while she lost in the past three -- to Serena Williams, Monica Puig and Karolina Pliskova -- getting there is half the battle. Kerber has a 7-5 head-to-head edge over Wozniacki; the two havent met in 2016, but a year ago, Kerber won two of three.Case for Wozniacki: New York seems to be Wozniackis kind of town. The 26-year-old Dane owns a posh apartment here and ran the New York City Marathon two years ago (in a sporty 3 hours, 26 minutes). She has also reached two US Open finals, in 2014 and 2009 -- the only times shes ever reached a major final.Notable stat: Wozniacki has been to at least the semifinals here four different times, while Kerber has only done it once, in 2011.Prediction: Kerber in three. Cheap Nike Air Force 1 From China . Burke is expected to miss two to three months after breaking a finger in the teams third preseason game. Tinsley, a 10-year veteran, spent the last two seasons in Utah, where the point guard averaged 3. Nike Air Force 1 Clearance .Y. -- Paul Byron and Matt Stajan scored as the Calgary Flames started a five-game road trip with a 2-1 overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday afternn. http://www.airforce1wholesale.com/ .ca! Hi Kerry, Heres an interesting one. I know its common knowledge that all players are responsible for their sticks. We witnessed that when Zack Kassian hit Edmontons Sam Gagner in the face after a missed check. Discount Nike Air Force 1 Shoes . Toronto has dropped games to Indiana and Miami since a five-game winning streak and closed out a three-game road trip at 1-2. Cheap Nike Air Force 1 .J. Ellis hit two-run homers and the NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres 4-0 Saturday night. OAKVILLE, Ontario -- Jared du Toit was in position to become the first Canadian to win the Canadian Open in 62 years -- and the first amateur to break through on the PGA Tour in 25 seasons.Brandt Snedeker was in a little better position. U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson was right there, t.I think Im going to be the most-hated man in Canada tomorrow, but its going to be a lot of fun trying to figure it out, said Snedeker, the 2013 winner at Glen Abbey who eagled the par-5 18th on Saturday for a 6-under 66 and a one-stroke lead over du Toit and Johnson.Du Toit matched Snedeker with an eagle on 18, holing a 40-fter for a 70. The Arizona State senior is from Kimberley, British Columbia.Pat Fletcher, born in England, was the last Canadian winner in 1954 at Point Grey in Vancouver, British Columbia. Carl Keffer is the only Canadian-born champion, winning in 1909 and 1914. Albert Murray, a Canadian also born in England, won in 1908 and 1913.Doug Sanders was the last amateur to win the event in 1956, and Phil Mickelson was the last amateur winner on the tour in the 1991 Northern Telecom Open.Snedeker overpowered the 18th, hitting a 378-yard drive and 121-yard approach to set up the 6-fter. The 35-year-old American won in February at Torrey Pines for his eighth PGA Tour title.Johnson, tied for the lead with Luke List after each of the first two days, birdied 18 for a 71.UL INTERNATIONAL CROWNGURNEE, Ill. -- Charley Hull and surprising England grabbed the lead in the UL International Crown, and the United States advanced with a sweep against Japan.Hull, who missed the four-ball session Friday with a fever and trouble with her asthma, teamed with Melissa Reid for a 3-and-1 victory over sisters Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn of Thailand. Holly Clyburn and Jodi Ewart Shadoff routed Pornanong Phatlum and Porani Chutichai 7 and 5, helping seventh-seeded England to a Pl B-best nine points.The U.S., which began the day with just three points, turned in its best performance so far in the rare team event on the LPGA Tour. Lexi Thompson and Cristie Kerr posted their second straight win with a 4-and-2 victory over Ai Suzuki and Ayaka Watanabe, and Stacy Lewis and Gerina Piller surged to a 3-and-1 win over Haru Nomara and Mika Miyazato.Taiwan also wrapped up a spot in the fourth session before a storm delayed play for the day with two Pl A matches still on the course, leaving two spots open for Sundays 10 singles matches. The country with the most points at the end of the weekend wins a silver trophy.SENIOR BRITISH OPENCARNOUSTIE, Scotland -- Miguel Angel Jimenez opened a four-stroke lead in the Senior British Open, shting a 7-under 65 in mild conditions to fall one short of matching the Carnoustie Golf Links record.The 52-year-old Spaniard had a bogey-free round in wind at 6-12 mph on the mostly cloudy afternn. He had an 11-under 205 total after opening 70-70, putting him in position for his first major title.ddddddddddddJimenez won in Mississippi in March for his third career PGA Tour Champions victory. He has 15 regular European Tour victories, the last in the 2014 Spanish Open at a tour-record 50 years, 133 days.Paul Broadhurst (6, Wes Short Jr. (69), Tom Byrum (71) and Joe Durant (72) were tied for second. Broadhurst opened with a 75 and had a 66 on Friday. He saved par on 18 with an 8-fter.U.S. JUNIOR AMATEURLTEWAH, Tenn. -- Australias Min W Lee waited out a 47-minute weather delay to hole the winning 3 1/2-ft birdie putt in the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship.The 17-year-old Lee beat 16-year-old Noah Gdwin of Corinth, Texas, 2 and 1 in the 36-hole final at The Honors Course. Lee became the first Australian winner and combined with older sister Minjee to become the first brother-sister tandem to win USGA junior championships. Minjee Lee won the 2012 U.S. Girls Junior, and is a two-time LPGA Tour winner.On the par-5 35th hole, Gdwin found the green with his second, while Lees approach came up just short in a grass bunker. Gdwins long downhill eagle try rolled 9 feet by the hole. Lee followed with a flop shot that stopped 3 1/2 feet from the hole. Gdwin pulled his par putt and, as Lee was lining up the potential winning putt, the USGA blew the horn because of inclement weather. After the delay, Lee converted the birdie putt.U.S. GIRLS JUNIORPARAMUS, N.J. -- Eun Jeong Seong rallied to beat Andrea Lee 4 and 2 in the U.S. Girls Junior to become the first player to successfully defend the title since Hollis Stacy in 1971.The 16-year-old South Korean overcame an early five-hole deficit to join Stacy (1969, `70, `71), Judy Eller (1957 and `5 and Nancy Lopez (1972 and `74) as the only multiple winners.The 17-year-old Lee, from Hermosa Beach, California, will be a freshman at Stanford this fall.On the par-5 30th, faced with an uphill, almost-blind third shot from the left edge of the fairway, Seong hit a 60-degree wedge from 42 yards that hit the flagstick and dropped in for eagle and a 2-up lead.They halved the par-5 31st with birdies, Seong won the par-4 32nd with a par and closed the match with a 40-ft birdie putt on the par-4 34th.AMERICAN CENTURY CHAMPIONSHIPSTATELINE, Nev. -- Former tennis player Mardy Fish had a 28-point round to take a two-point lead over actor Jack Wagner in the American Century Championship celebrity tournament.Fish shot a 3-under 69, making seven birdies and four bogeys at Edgewd Tahoe to reach 50 points in the modified Stableford event. Players receive six points for eagle, three for birdie, one for par, none for bogey and minus-two for double bogey or worse.Wagner, the first-round leader, had a 21-point day. He won in 2006 and 2011.Defending champion Mark Mulder and Mike Modano were tied for third at 45. ' ' '