just nine games this season and has missed

SHANGHAI, China -- Novak Djokovic maintained his dominance in China by holding off Juan Martin del Potro 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (3) on Sunday to capture a second Shanghai Masters title and extend his winning streak in the country to 20 consecutive matches. The Serb completed a back-to-back sweep of titles at the China Open in Beijing and the Shanghai Masters for the second straight year. Hes now captured seven titles overall in China -- the most hes won in any country. Djokovic had to overcome a strong challenge from del Potro, who fended off two match points late in the third set, but couldnt put any pressure on Djokovics serve down the stretch and appeared to fade in the tiebreaker. "Hes a big fighter. All the way up to the last point, I dont know if Im going to win the match," Djokovic said. "His forehand is one of the best in the game, one of the best Ive ever played against. Its a huge weapon and once its on, its very dangerous." For Djokovic, the title has added significance coming just days after he relinquished his top ranking to Rafael Nadal, who lost to del Potro in the semifinals. He cant retake the top spot this week, but Djokovic has been focused on finishing the year strongly to stay within striking distance. "Considering the rankings, I put myself in a better position right now with back to back wins," the six-time Grand Slam winner said. "But the fact that if I would win, I would put myself in a better position, did not affect my motivation. My motivation is there always, especially when Im playing finals of such a big event." It was a tough loss for del Potro, who was trying to win his maiden Masters title at his third attempt. He was coming off a title last week at the Japan Open in Tokyo, and he got his first win over Nadal in four years in the semifinals in Shanghai. Del Potro overpowered Nadal so completely in that match, the Spaniard later said: "Very few times I played against a player with a level like today." Del Potro served notice, however, that hes fully fit and confident again after a wrist injury nearly derailed his career after his breakthrough win at the 2009 U.S. Open. Hes back up to the No. 5 ranking -- his highest in three years -- and has beaten Djokovic, Nadal and Andy Murray this year. He also scored one of the biggest wins of his career over Djokovic at the London Olympics last year, where he beat the Serb in the bronze medal match. "I think Im playing even better than many years ago," he said. "I got good things on my career this year. I couldnt win a Grand Slam like I did in 2009, but I reach finals in the 1000 (level) Masters. I already win three tournaments. I beat the top guys, which is fantastic for me." The match looked like it might be a runaway win for Djokovic early on as he raced out to a 5-0 lead in the first set by dictating play with precise groundstrokes and keeping a sluggish del Potro on the defensive. But the momentum shifted in the second set when del Potro began connecting on his serve and cracking the same forehand winners he used to sweep Nadal off the court in straight sets in the previous round. He broke Djokovic to take an early lead, then played a magnificent game to save three break points to hold for 5-2 before closing out the set. The Argentine appeared to tire slightly as the third set wore on. During one changeover, the chair umpire, Damien Dumusois, warned him that he needed to speed up play between points. "Even after a long rally?" Del Potro asked, looking up wearily. Dumusois nodded yes. Djokovic had two match points on del Potros serve at 4-5 in the set, but the Argentine saved them both. The Serb then pulled away in the tiebreaker by hitting a forehand winner to finish off a 24-shot rally to take a 4-2 lead, leaving del Potro unable to manage another comeback. During the trophy presentation, Djokovic tried to console an obviously disappointed del Potro, one of his better friends on the tour. "Youre a great person and an even better player on the court," Djokovic said. "Im sorry you lost today. You deserve this trophy equally." "What can I say, man, Im trying to be nice to you," he added, smiling, before giving the Argentine a hug. Del Potro later joked: "Now we are not too close." Gio Urshela Jersey . In Europe, top teams seem to be largely happy with their squads after spending nearly $1 billion in the off-season. And although English league clubs are unlikely to splash cash in January, Arsenal and Chelsea could be tempted to strengthen their squads with new strikers. Joe DiMaggio Yankees Jersey . 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Billy Martin Jersey .J. - Trying to learn and absorb the new West Coast offence being installed by new offensive co-ordinator Ben McAdoo, the New York Giants wrapped their final organized team activity Thursday before a three-day mini-camp next week.Peoria, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Back in the Top-25 after a short absence, the 23rd-ranked Northern Iowa Panthers continue their run through the Missouri Valley Conference, as they close out a two-game road trip with Tuesdays showdown against the Bradley Braves at Carver Arena. Ben Jacobsons Panthers opened the season with nine straight wins and forged their way into the national polls as a result of a strong start. The team dropped its first game at VCU (93-87 2OT) back on Dec. 13 and then fell out of the poll with a New Years Day loss at Evansville (52-49). However, UNI has won three games since then and is coming off a 64-40 rout of Drake last Saturday. Geno Fords Braves have struggled this season and come into this contest with a mere 6-11 overall record. The struggles have carried over to league play as well, where Bradley sits at just 1-3 following back-to-back losses to powerhouse Wichita State (63-43) and most recently, Evansville (66-56). Still, all six of Bradleys wins have come at Carver Arena this season. Bradley holds a 28-24 series advantage over Northern Iowa, but the Panthers have closed the gap with wins in eight of the last 10 meetings. Strong defensive play is what fuels the Panthers attack this season. Northern Iowa ranks first in the MVC in both scoring defense (55.4 ppg) and field-goal percentage defense (.385). The scoring defense is even more impressive in league play where UNI is limiting opponents to a meager 47.4 ppg. Offensively, the team puts up a modest 66.2 ppg, but it comes on a highly efficient .485 shooting. Senior forward Seth Tuttle has been a picture of consistency, converting 63.55 percent from the floor, while topping the team in scoring (14.dddddddddddd4 ppg), rebounding (5.9 rpg) and assists (3.1 apg). Junior guard Wes Washpun (10.1 ppg) is the only other Panther with a double-digit scoring average. The Panthers used a 32-2 run spanning the end of the first half into the second half and effectively put the game out of reach against Drake last time out. Sophomore Jeremy Morgan led the way with 15 points. Senior Deon Mitchell tied his season-high with 14 points and Tuttle finished with 12 points and four assists in the win. Evansville was simply the more efficient squad last time out against Bradley as the Purple Aces shot a sizzling .533 from the floor compared to a mere .321 effort for the Braves in what turned into a 10-point loss for Bradley. Omari Grier came off the bench to lead the Braves in scoring with 15 points. Tramique Sutherland added 12 points and Josh Cunningham just missed a double- double with 10 points and nine rebounds in the setback. Offensive proficiency has been something the struggling Braves have lacked all season long. The team enters this contest averaging just 58.1 ppg, while shooting a lackluster .379 from the field. Some of that has to do with the loss of leading scorer Warren Jones (13.7 ppg) to a fractured foot. Jones has played in just nine games this season and has missed the last eight. Sutherland (12.5 ppg), Auston Barnes (10.8 ppg) and Grier (9.8 ppg) have tried to fill the void. A 2014 NJCAA All-American, Sutherland missed the first nine games this season with a fractured finger, but has made up for lost time since returning to the court. ' ' 'ce." Atletico Madrid leads the standings with 70 points, the same as Madrid but it enjoys the tiebreaker. Atletico plays Granada on Wednesday, when Barcelona faces Celta Vigo. Defending champion Barcelona trails the two Madrid clubs by a single point going into the 30th round of games. ' ' '