aterina Makarova in the first round -- was a blessing. Serena came out and

Nico Rosberg insists he is not concerned by the speed at which Lewis Hamilton has managed to slash his lead in the drivers championship to one point.Rosberg was 43 points ahead of Hamilton following the collision between the two at the Spanish Grand Prix in May, but in the space of five races his lead has been cut to just one point. Yet Rosberg, who won the opening four races of the season, refuses to look at the the first half of the year as an opportunity lost.Well its very easy, I can make the choice of taking the glass half-empty view on it, or of taking the glass half-full view of it which has been a very good first half of the season and leading the championship, he said. Its been a pretty damn good start to the season which Im pleased about.Ive had some good races, I had a good race in Austria which went wrong, yeah it can happen and then a good run out there in the dry at Silverstone -- not so much in the beginning of the race -- but theres a lot of positives.Anyway, Im feeling great and the battle is on with Lewis, Im not counting points because its still such a long way to go and I dont like to do that.Asked why he was unable to match Hamilton at the last race at Silverstone, Rosberg added: In the race nothing was lacking I was really feeling great. I have the fastest lap of the race by some margin as well, I was feeling great.What was lacking was that Red Bull that was in front of me for a few laps and then I lost a bit in the wet phase in the first part of the race, thats it. And qualifying he just did a good job.Hassan Whiteside Jersey .ca! Kerry, Two nights after the Scott-Eriksson incident in Buffalo, the Bruins returned home to play San Jose. 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Spiller left Week 3s 27-20 loss to the New York Jets with a thigh injury, but fully practiced with the team all week and expects to be ready to go on Sunday.NEW YORK -- The condition of Serena Williams tender right shoulder has been the subject of serious speculation early and often at this 2016 edition of the US Open.In her first-round match, she sacrificed a little serving power for pinpoint placement, raising even more questions.The emphatic answers were provided Thursday night on Arthur Ashe Stadium, when the No. 1 seed faced fellow American Vania King. Three of Serenas first four points came on aces -- at 102 mph, 114 mph and, finally, 115 mph -- all out wide.It was a harbinger of disaster for King, who went fairly quietly, 6-3, 6-3. Serena, however, did not seem happy with the level of her play.Well, every match, at least for me, I like to do the best I can, she said in her on-court interview. So, hopefully, Ill be able to play better as time goes on.Some takeaways from the match that vaulted Serena into a third-round match against Johanna Larsson:No one brings the star power like Serena: Unlike, say, actress Bridget Moynahan and chef Marcus Samuelson, Beyonce and husband Jay Z werent in the prematch celebrity list for the evening session. But the powerfully musical couple, who spend a fair amount of time in New York, were sitting right there in the back of Serenas box. Serena appeared in Beyonces Lemonade video, and apparently, this was payback. Serenas 22 Grand Slam singles titles are one more than Jay Zs 21 top-10 songs. Beyonce trails the field with only 16.Its a bad matchup for King: They had only met once previously, right here at the US Open two years ago. With a huge advantage in the category of firepower, Serena dropped only a single game that time -- winning in 56 minutes. This time, the No. 87-ranked player lasted nine more minutes. Serena hit 13 aces, and one serve was clocked at 121 mpph on Thursday.dddddddddddd She hit 38 winners (on a total of 65 points). King, in her 37th Grand Slam appearance, had only four winners. She has yet to advance beyond the third round.Serena looks dialed in -- and its early: If youre going to catch her, its advisable to do it sometime in the first week. But what looked like a horrible draw -- the unseeded but dangerous Ekaterina Makarova in the first round -- was a blessing. Serena came out and slammed the Russian 6-3, 6-3 in 63 minutes. More importantly, Serena was thoroughly composed, almost meticulous in her play and comportment. The shoulder? So far, Serena said, so good.The pressure will become greater, later: A year ago, on the cusp of a calendar-year Grand Slam, Serena succumbed to nerves. She said shes more relaxed this year, and its probably true. Still, as she gets closer to the title here, the more history will come into play. A victory, as tennis fans know by now, would give her 23 major singles, one more than the Open era record of 22 that she shares with Steffi Graf. Not as well-known is the fact she can surpass Chris Everts six US Open titles and take the Open era record of seven here for herself.Oh, and did we mention the No. 1 thing? Serena is already the oldest player to ever hold the No. 1 ranking. With a win here, she can hold on to it for a little longer than her current 183 consecutive weeks. If No. 2 seed Angelique Kerber reaches the quarterfinals, a distinct possibility, Williams would need to get to the final to have a chance to retain the top spot. If Kerber and Serena meet in the final, the winner would walk away with No. 1. Wouldnt that be fun? ' ' '