with Gregerson retiring three battters for his 15th save.

It will be great to be busy on a SundayPullela Gopichand allows a mild chuckle to chase that sentence before it arrives at a full stop. He isnt just a man of a few words but even those that leave his mouth are carefully chosen. Gopi, as he is universally called, is already acclaimed as one of Indias most celebrated sports coaches. On Saturday, two of his wards added luster to his aura by producing compelling performances in Hong Kong.Watching from home in Hyderabad as he has chosen not to travel for this tournament, all Gopi would say was excited and pleased to see what unfolded.P V Sindhu bossed her semifinal against local girl Cheung Ngan Yi in straight games to enter her second straight Superseries final. But then, after her exploits in Rio, Sindhu producing strong performances is no longer a surprise. It was the 22-year old that preceded her on court- Sameer Verma - another product of the now famed Gopichand stable in Hyderabad, who captivated the arena and those watching on TV with a jaw dropping effort.With a world ranking of 43, Verma quelled a man ranked 40 places above him in Jan O Jorgensen of Denmark. He walked on to court as a virtual unknown, but after 46 minutes, when he walked off it, Verma had become the latest addition to Indias emerging sporting stars.The last few weeks I have been working with Sameer and it feels so good to see him perform, Gopichand told ESPN. It is always good to see your players perform when it really matters, on the big stage in a semifinal and give themselves a chance to play the final.Jan has been playing well but having said that he looked a bit vulnerable today. He made a few mistakes, he looked a little nervous in the end game which is what Sameer capitalised on. Also, lots of credit to Sameer for retrieving the way he did and he was able to pull out those pressure points which was very important.Sameer has the strokes and capabilities. He is a tricky player with some quick short action strokes that makes him very effective. I think some of the strokes that he played in the end were risky in the sense he really hit the lines. It was very good for us to watch but on another day had they gone out he would have said I shouldnt have played that. It was very brave of him to play the strokes that he played in end, thats the way he is. He is somebody who I believe with maturity will get stronger.Gopi first came across Verma as a 15-year old in 2009. He remembers his elder brother Sourabh, a badminton pro himself who is ranked 45 at the moment asking Gopi, Bhaiya, I have my brother with me and he wants to join, can I bring him along? Gopi agreed and the younger Verma didnt take long to catch his eye. He had an unorthodox game and a knack of smartly seeing angles that Gopi believes can be effective at the top level of the sport.There were challenges too as young Sameer would often get homesick and want to go to his family in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh. However, Gopi persisted and that inherent ability he spotted in the shy teenager has now burst on to the world stage. In Sundays final he will be confronted by local player NG Ka Long Angus, ranked 14 in the world. Verma has won both the previous encounters between them but those came at the junior level in 2011 & 2012. Gopi expects Angus to provide much stiffer opposition on Sunday.The match wont be as fast paced as it was in the semifinal, he predicts. It will be tricky because Angus has been performing well. He has the local pressure but can also count on the support. Sameer also has no expectations but it is also a big match for him, so we will have to see who holds their nerve.While Vermas breakthrough over the course of the week has been a matter of immense pride, the rapid development in P V Sindhus craft has given Gopi great satisfaction too. Sindhu has won three of her four matches in Hong Kong this week in straight games and has a visible swagger on court as she oozes with confidence. Not only is she moving fluidly, making the most of her intimidating wingspan, Sindhus expanding her arsenal of shots.For instance, on match point in her semifinal Sindhu jumped and executed the reverse drop, a shot Gopi says they have practiced but never used before in a match situation. Another stroke that his caught his eye in the course of the match against Yi was a retrieving move from the backhand lane that Sindhu pulled crosscourt. To Gopis ever observant eyes these are sure signs of Sindhus evolution as a player as she adds muscle and variety to her game.Although she trails 3-4 in the head to head against her opponent in Sundays final - Taiwans Tai Tzu Ying - the last time the two met, Sindhu dismantled Ying in straight games at the Rio Olympics. Gopi expects another fierce clash, though he anoints Sindhu as the favourite on current form.It is going to be interesting because back then Sindhu was the underdog but here in a way the roles are reversed, he says. Tai is a very tricky player and she has beaten Carolina Marin (World Number One and Olympic champion) to reach the final. The match at the Olympics will be at the back of the minds of both players. Tai will want revenge and Sindhu will want to stamp her authority. Connor Murphy Jersey . Nathan MacKinnon, Jamie McGinn and Jan Hejda also scored for the Avalanche, who won despite being outshot 38-23. MacKinnons goal, also on the power play, came with just over a minute remaining. Cheap Coyotes Jerseys . -- PGA TOUR Canada member Steve Saunders took a three-stroke lead Saturday in the Web. https://www.cheapcoyotes.com/1028z-phil-kessel-jersey-coyotes.html . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency. Dylan Strome Jersey . John Lucas, signed as a mentor for rookie Trey Burke, showed he can score if required, scoring 12 points of his 16 points in the second quarter as Utah built an 18-point lead. Daniel Carcillo Jersey . Clarkson had been dealing with an elbow injury in early January and will be out of action for at least one week. He has three goals and five assists through 36 games with the Leafs this season. OAKLAND, Calif. -- Daniel Mengden threw the pitch exactly where he wanted. Where it wound up -- not what the Oakland rookie wanted.Evan Gattis homered twice, catcher Jason Castro threw out a runner to end the game and the contending Houston Astros beat the Athletics 6-5 Wednesday to finish off a sweep.The Astros began the day two games behind Baltimore for the second AL wild-card spot.Gattis reached 30 homers. He hit a two-run drive in the sixth off Mengden (2-8) for a 4-1 lead and connected again in the eighth.Gattis tagged a 1-2 curveball at his knees on the outer part of the plate, highlighting a three-run inning that gave the Astros a 4-1 lead.I thought I made a pretty good pitch but he made a pretty good swing and it went out, Mengden said.Gattis first homer on the day followed Carlos Correas run-scoring double.I think the one bad pitch (Mengden) made was the two-strike pitch to Correa, As manager Bob Melvin said. The pitch to Gattis was a good pitch, it was almost on the ground. You have to give Gattis credit there.Oakland scored on second baseman Jose Altuves fielding error with two outs in the ninth inning to pull within 6-5. Castro then threw out pinch runner Arismendy Alcantara trying to steal second, and the call was upheld on a replay review.That replay on the stolen base was a tough one, Melvin said. (Astros reliever Luke Gregerson) is a pretty easy guy to steal on for the most part. I dont think (Arismendy) got his best jump on that one but thats what hes in there for and Castro made a good throw.There are a lot of plays in this game that were just a couple of inches one way or the other and if we get them were probably talking about a different game right now, but we didnt and they won the game, he said.Collin McHugh (12-10) won his fifth straight decision, allowing two runs and six hits over 5 2/3 innings. Five relievers combined to record the final 10 outs, with Gregerson retiring three battters for his 15th save.ddddddddddddCarlos Correa had two hits, including an RBI double, and Altuve singled twice and scored a run. Gattis homered for third time in three days to complete the three-game sweep.The Astros scored their first run without a hit in the fifth inning and added three more in the sixth.Altuve, the ALs leading hitter, had a one-out single and scored the go-ahead run on Correas double. Gattis followed with a home run.Gattis homer in the eighth was a towering shot that hit off the fa?ade underneath the luxury suites in center field.Danny Valencia singled and scored twice for the As. Oakland has lost the first three games on its final homestand after an impressive 6-1 road trip.MENGDEN WEARS DOWNMengden needed only 26 pitches to get through the first three innings and didnt give up a hit until Yuli Gurriels one-out single in the fourth before things quickly unraveled. He allowed four runs over 5 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts and two walks.TRAINERS ROOMAstros: OF Colby Rasmus missed his third straight game because of a lot of different physical issues, according to manager A.J. Hinch. Rasmus missed 23 games earlier this season after undergoing surgery to remove a cyst in his right ear. ... Preston Tucker was scheduled to undergo season-ending surgery on his right shoulder Wednesday and the team is confident the outfielder will be healed in time for spring training.Athletics: OF Khris Davis missed his second straight game after being a late scratch Tuesday because of an illness. ... Reliever J.B. Wendelken will seek a second opinion on his right elbow but Melvin indicated its likely Wendelken will undergo Tommy John surgery.UP NEXTAthletics: Kendall Graveman (10-10) starts against Texas on Friday at the Coliseum. The right-hander is winless since Aug. 24. ' ' '