RIO DE JANEIRO - Rafael Nadal showed no problem with his tender back in his second match since returning from the injury, defeating fellow Spaniard Albert Montanes 6-1, 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals of the Rio Open on Thursday. The No. 1-ranked Nadal tweaked his back warming up for the Australian Open final, which he lost almost four weeks ago in a major upset against Stanislas Wawrinka. His first stop after the layoff is the clay in Rio as he tests the back and tries to stay healthy for the French Open in three months. A year ago he used the Latin American swing to test his recovery from an injured left knee. Nadal seemed to move freely against Montanes and wore a large, blue elastic bandage on his lower back as a precaution. "The back, well, its bothering me a little," Nadal said. "Right now its not hurting my game, but Im serving a little more gently than Im used to doing." Nadal said he pushed his recovery "a little bit" to play in Rio, after pulling out of the tournament the week before in Buenos Aires. "I am here and very happy being here," he said. "When you get an injury in the final of a Grand Slam, and you stop (playing/practicing) for 2 1/2 weeks, the comeback is not easy." Asked if nagging injuries might force an early retirement, the 27-year-old joked a bit before getting serious. "I cant predict the future, but my intention is to play many years," he said. In the other key mens match, third-seeded Fabio Fognini reached the last eight beating Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay 7-6 (1), 4-6, 6-3. Second-seeded David Ferrer advanced on Wednesday. Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine advanced to his second quarterfinals of the year, beating Facundo Bagnis of Argentina 6-7 (4), 6-2, 7-6 (4). Dolgopolov said he hadnt considered leaving the tournament to return to his Kyiv birthplace, where more than 100 people have died in anti-government protests this week. Government snipers killed at least 70 on Thursday. "Its sad. I cant do much, but just support," he said. "Whoever is right doesnt matter now when people are dying." Dolgopolov, who lives in the wealthy European enclave of Monte Carlo, said he was lucky to have the chance to make money playing tennis. "Obviously I would like the people in the (Ukraine) to feel better. If I could, I would change that," he said. On the womens side of the combined ATP-WTA event, fifth-seeded Kurumi Nara of Japan and Lourdes Dominguez Lino of Spain set up a quarterfinal matchup after second-round wins. Nara defeated Anna-Lena Friedsam of Germany 6-0, 7-6 (3), and was in sight of her first WTA semifinals. Dominguez Lino beat Chanelle Scheepers of South Africa 2-6, 7-6 (7), 6-1. Nara said she likes the hot weather in Rio and is getting used to the clay. "Now I like the clay court," she said. "Last year, I didnt like it." Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania also made the last eight, as did Brazils Teliana Pereira. She is the first Brazilian woman in 23 years to crack the WTAs top 100. The last was Andrea Vieira. Brazils most famous womens player is Maria Bueno, who won seven Grand Slams singles titles, the last at the US Open in 1966. . Holcomb, the reigning Olympic gold medallist, guided his team of Curt Tomasevicz, Steven Langton and Chris Fogt to a two-run time of one minute 48.56 seconds at Canada Olympic Park. Germanys Maximilian Arndt and Russias Alexander Zubkov finished tied for second place in 1:48. [url=http://www.nflofficialauthentic.com/nfl-jerseys/jacksonville-jaguars/geno-h... Hayes Jaguars Jersey . GM Bryan Murray was busy before the trade deadline, shipping out veterans Mike Fisher, Chris Kelly, Jarkko Ruutu, Kovalev and Chris Campoli for draft picks to begin the rebuilding process. . The Heat say the phrase Baiamonte used represented a momentary lapse of judgment. Stoudemire injured his left hand after Game 2 of the series when he struck a metal-and-glass case that holds a fire extinguisher near the visitors locker room at AmericanAirlines Arena. Paramedics and doctors were summoned to stitch the wound, which stretched across much of the bottom of his hand and kept him out of Game 3. [url=http://www.nflofficialauthentic.com/nfl-jerseys/atlanta-falcons/robert-alfo... Alford Falcons Jersey . His ninth-inning grand slam couldnt have been bigger for the San Diego Padres on Thursday night. Amaristas first major league home run capped a six-run rally in the ninth inning off Houston closer Brett Myers and lifted the Padres to a 7-3 win over the Astros.SALT LAKE CITY -- For the first time this season, basketball was fun for Gordon Hayward and the Utah Jazz. "Once you see that ball go in, the hoop gets wider and guys are feeding off the energy. It started to become really fun," Hayward said. Hayward had 27 points and 10 assists and Richard Jefferson added 22 points to help the Utah Jazz claim their first victory of the season, a 111-105 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night. "Its definitely fun when guys are making shots and youre whipping the ball around from side to side. And we were getting some stops too," said Hayward, who scored 22 points in the second half to help the Jazz erase a 16-point deficit to put an end to their worst start in 39 years. "Its about time!" Hayward said. Derrick Favours made a key layup with 24 seconds remaining and Jefferson added three free throws in the final minute to clinch the victory. When Marvin Williams hit a 3-pointer to make it 104-100, Jazz fans leapt to their feet and the Utah reserves bounced around and high-fived like college players in a post-season tournament. "We finally got that monkey off our back," said Favours, who had 12 points and 12 rebounds. "We knew sooner or later the chemistry would show and people were going to hit shots they normally make." Enes Kanter had 21 points and 10 rebounds for the Jazz, who overcame their worst start to a season since 1974-75, their first year as an expansion franchise in New Orleans. Anthony Davis had 29 points and 15 rebounds for the Pelicans, who dropped all three games on their Western road swing. Tyreke Evans, an off-season trade acquisition who has struggled to find his role in the New Orleans scheme, had a season-high 19 points, with almost all of them coming on drives to the basket. Jrue Holiday added 19 points for a Pelicans team that was in control for most the game. "We had the momentum the whole game," Davis said. "We got to make sure they have no life in them, but we let up and let them back in." Jason Smith made a layup just after halftime to give New Orleans a 61-45 lead. As the most experienced player on the team, Jefferson took a strong stand in the ensuing timeout huddle. "There is no more Lets get it next time. This is unnacceptable! This is our time right now," he told his teammates, according to Hayward.dddddddddddd Jefferson became the focal point of a dormant Utah offence in the third quarter and scored nine points in a 13-2 run. "He led us tonight. We followed his lead. Hes been through it all over the years," Hayward said. The last time Jefferson scored 22 points was more than three years ago as a member of the San Antonio Spurs. But the young Jazz relied on the 12-year veteran, as well as the contributions of fellow "old-timer" Williams, who had 12 points and a key block on Holiday in the final minute. "The young guys will eventually be great, but this team needs veterans. We need to take over in spots," Jefferson said. The Pelicans built the lead back to 10 before Hayward tied the game at 70 with his second 3-pointer during a burst of 10 straight points for the Jazz. Diante Garrett was set to play for Iowa of the D-League but arrived in Salt Lake City on Tuesday and ended up playing 22 minutes for the Jazz, who need a point guard while they await the debut of lottery pick Trey Burke. Burke is a few weeks from playing while recovering from a fractured finger. The Jazz released Jamaal Tinsley and benched John Lucas III after an 0-for-7 shooting start in the game. "I was shopping at Wal-Mart two nights ago when I got the call," said Garrett, who had seven points and five assists and was running the point in crunch time. "I havent even had a practice yet but the coach was just drawing up plays on the white board in timeouts for me." His sense of relief at getting through his first game in Utah was only exceeded by his teammates getting their first taste of victory. "Its been tough to sleep at night as a member of the only NBA team without a win. I hate losing and maybe Ill finally sleep well tonight," Hayward said. NOTES: Two of the worst-shooting teams in the league combined to make more than half their attempts, with the Jazz shooting 51.4 per cent. ... Hayward spent part of the first half with an ice bag on his shin following a collision in the first quarter. ... Greg Stiemsma sat out the game due to a left knee he sprained in Tuesdays loss to the Lakers. ... The final margin was Utahs largest lead of the game. cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '