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KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. -- Serena Williams beat Maria Sharapova for the 15th consecutive time, rallying in both sets for a 6-4, 6-3 victory in the Sony Open semifinals on Thursday. Williams, seeking a record seventh Key Biscayne title, improved to 16-2 against Sharapova and hasnt lost to her favourite foil since 2004. "I have always felt when Im playing at my best, then its hard for people to beat me," Williams said. Rafael Nadal could say the same. He advanced to the semifinals by hitting a flurry of forehand winners down the stretch to beat Milos Raonic 4-6, 6-2, 6-4. On Saturday, the No. 1-ranked Williams will try for a record seventh Key Biscayne title against No. 2 Li Na, who overcame 40 unforced errors to beat Dominika Cibulkova 7-5, 2-6, 6-3. Williams is 10-1 against Li. No. 7-seeded Tomas Berdych advanced to Fridays semifinals, beating Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine 6-4, 7-6 (3). Berdych was the Key Biscayne runner-up in 2010. The No. 1-ranked Nadal, who is 0-3 in Key Biscayne finals, needs one more win to get there again. His opponent Friday night will be No. 7-seeded Tomas Berdych, who advanced by beating No. 22 Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-4, 7-6 (3). Nadal has beaten Berdych 16 times in a row over the past seven years. "This tournament is a tournament where I really feel the love of the people so much," Nadal said, "so Im going to try my best to keep playing well." Three-time champion Novak Djokovic will play in the other semifinal Friday against No. 20-seeded Kei Nishikori, who eliminated Roger Federer on Wednesday. The No. 1-ranked Williams won with a superior serve and better returns. She hit nine aces and broke five times, helping her rebound from deficits of 4-1 in the first set and 2-0 in the second. Williams earned her 14th consecutive victory against a top-10 player. Her opponent in Saturdays final will be either Australian Open champion Li Na or Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia. Williams first won Key Biscayne in 2002 and is the defending champion. She has worn Miami Dolphins orange and turquoise throughout the tournament and considers it her home event because she lives 90 minutes up the road. "When I grew up I always wanted to play here," she said. "I guess I just dont want to let go. Its my favourite stop on the tour. Its home. All my friends come. So its perfect for me." There was no evidence of a home-court advantage at the start, when Williams failed to convert four early break-point chances and fell behind. Sharapova cracked a succession of winners from the baseline and earned applause from Williams after besting her in one exchange. But Williams broke back when Sharapova committed three consecutive backhand errors, and gained momentum from there, sweeping the final five games of the first set. The story was similar in the second set, and after falling behind, Williams resorted to her dominating power. She quickly won one game with two aces and two service winners during a period when she swept 11 consecutive points. Sharapova committed groundstroke errors on the final three points, and a victorious Williams trotted to the net, her left fist leading the way. She has more victories against Sharapova than against any other opponent. "Despite my results against her, I still look forward to playing against her because you learn so much from that type of level which she produces," Sharapova said. "You finish the match, and you know where you need to improve and the things that you need to work on." Pat Connaughton Jersey . The 27th-ranked Austrian underwent surgery on a torn tendon in October and needs more time to recover, the Austria Press Agency reports on Saturday. Wesley Matthews Jersey . Petersburg of the KHL. Belov was a free agent last summer when he signed a one-year contract with the Oilers. In 57 games this season he had one goal and six assists with 34 penalty minutes in Edmonton. https://www.cheapbucksonline.com/736t-y ... bucks.html. Former two-time Olympic gold medallist Evi Sachenbacher-Stehle tested positive for the stimulant methylhexanamine in both her "A" and "B" samples, the German Olympic Committee said. Vin Baker Jersey . - A late-game interception by defensive back Malcolm Butler saved the Super Bowl for the New England Patriots. Brandon Jennings Jersey . Pinch-hitter Tommy Medica singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and the Padres beat the Seattle Mariners 2-1 in their first home game since Gwynn died of cancer Monday.PORTLAND, Ore. -- The plan was for Clint Dempsey to go 60 minutes and see how he was feeling less than 72 hours after playing 90 minutes in a U.S. national team exhibition against Mexico. When the one-hour mark arrived, Dempsey and the Seattle Sounders were trailing rival Portland by two goals. He wasnt about to check out. Dempsey scored the first hat trick in his MLS career, including goals in the 85th and 87th minutes to help the Sounders rally late for a wild 4-4 draw with the Timbers on Saturday. "You always feel good when you are contributing, scoring goals or getting assists," Dempsey said. "Im in a good rhythm at the moment and its about continuing that form." Trailing 4-2 for most of the second half after goals from Diego Chara and Maximiliano Urruti early in the half gave Portland the advantage, Dempsey led Seattles stunning late comeback to earn a point in the first Cascadia rivalry matchup of the season. Dempsey scored in the 85th minute to get Seattle within 4-3, a goal that felt was coming with the pressure the Sounders were pushing forward. Seconds later, Seattle defender DeAndre Yedlin was taken down in the penalty box by Portlands Ben Zemanski and referee Hilario Grajeda immediately pointed to the penalty spot. Yedlin said he was hoping to draw a penalty on the play and Zemanski obliged by clipping the young Seattle defender. After a brief discussion with Gonzalo Pineda, who was expecting to take the penalty kick, Dempsey stepped up. He converted the chance, beating former Seattle goalkeeper Andrew Weber to get Seattle even. "That point today felt like more than a point. It kind of felt like a win," Dempsey said. The afternoon was an advertisement for the league, even if it gave the coaches heartburn. Play was wide open and end-to-end. There were 41 shots and countless near misses. There were four goals in the first 25 minutes -- including goals from Seattles Kenny Cooper, Portland Diego Valeri and Dempsey -- along with the two late scores.dddddddddddd And the biggest star on the field burned brightest even if he was a little tired at the end. "Hes a leader. He wants to lead this team. He wants to show that last year was not the Clint Dempsey that were going to see this year," Seattle coach Sigi Schmid said. "And he wants to show people hes ready for the World Cup. I think he did that today." Seattle walked off thrilled with the final result and knowing there were other missed chances in the final minutes to get a winner. Meanwhile, the Timbers stood stunned as the worst start in their brief history continued. The Timbers have generally been slow starters since joining the league in 2011, but now have just three points after five games, not the opening anyone in Portland expected after reaching the Western Conference finals last season. "You should never give up 4 goals, and you should never tie a game if you score 4 goals," Portland coach Caleb Porter said. Chara was the star until Dempsey took over. On his 28th birthday, Chara scored in MLS play for the first time since September 2011. Seattle defence was willing to give him space and he took advantage with two perfectly placed shots from outside the penalty box. His first goal in the ninth minute deflected off goalkeeper Stephen Freis hand but had enough force to get into the net. His second goal, and what appeared to be the winner, came from about 25 yards and Frei had no chance at the save. Both times, Seattles defenders failed to step up and defend Charas shot. "I feel good, but obviously completely not happy with the game," Chara said. "We should have won that game, so to score 2 goals, for me, is good, but Id rather see a W than me score 2 goals." Urrutis goal in the 57th minute appeared to give Portland plenty of cushion. But Dempsey said otherwise and both sides had to settle for the draw in one of the wilder matchups of a rivalry dating to the mid-1970s. ' ' '