BIRMINGHAM, England -- Zheng Jie of China overcame the rain and an intensive schedule to beat Roberta Vinci 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 and reach the semifinals of the Aegon Classic on Saturday. Zheng completed the quarterfinal win against the 20th-ranked Italian in the grass-court warmup for Wimbledon after four sessions of play across two rain-drenched days. "It was not easy," Zheng said. "The match was played over two days and we had the warmup 10 times already. Yesterday, after the rain came, I was a little bit nervous." The rain returned Saturday to delay the second quarterfinal, between former No. 1 Jelena Jankovic of Serbia and Misaki Doi of Japan. Zheng has recovered from two wrist operations and she has endured more than her share of difficulties this week. The 2008 Wimbledon semifinalist had to play in the qualifying competition because her entry was placed late. Then when she seemed likely to make smooth progress on Friday, leading 6-3, 5-3, three weather delays broke her rhythm. The extra demands of a schedule in which Zheng has played five matches so far, more than anyone else, looked to have taken its toll when Vinci won five games in a row to lead 1-0 in the deciding set. Vinci, however, double-faulted twice because of the strong wind, allowing Zheng to break and lead 2-1. The Chinese saved a break point to hold a 5-3 advantage and closed out the match on her next service game. "I am just happy to win," Zheng said. "I really wanted to win because this is the first time I have been in the semifinals in Birmingham and also I really like to play on grass. So yeah, I keep fighting." wholesale jerseys from china . The Jays halted the five-game skid by topping the New York Yankees, 10-7, on Sunday in the finale of a three-game set. Rajai Davis drove in five runs and made a superb defensive play, as Toronto avoided the sweep. cheap jerseys . Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers saw to that. Bryant scored 22 points, Lamar Odom added 20 points and 12 rebounds, and the Lakers took command late in the second quarter to rout San Antonio 101-71 Friday night for a 2-0 lead over the Spurs. http://www.comcheapjerseys.com/ . The 22-year-old Marussia driver had the best time of two minutes 49.354 seconds but six drivers -- including Red Bulls Mark Webber -- preferred not to go out in treacherous conditions. "The conditions have proved frustrating for everyone as there has been very little let-up in the rain," Pic said. cheap nfl jerseys . The National Hockey League Players Association announced Thursday that John Tavares and Taylor Hall have been named the coaches of the two teams that will meet in Mississauga, Ontario on Saturday, July 21. cheap nfl jerseys china . The commissioners office announced the penalties on Thursday. St. Louis first baseman Alan Ahmady was suspended after a second violation for a drug of abuse.VANCOUVER -- This time, Trevor Linden is just an interested observer. But the former NHL Players Association president does not like what he sees as another lockout rolls on. "Its disappointing to see the game not being where it should be -- and thats on the ice," he said Thursday. "I follow (the dispute), but its not my issue anymore. So Im happy to be on the sidelines." Linden made his comments around the same time league and NHLPA officials emerged from a second day of unsuccessful mediation efforts and commissioner Gary Bettman proposed that leaders from both sides step aside from the talks and be replaced by owners and players. The former Vancouver Canucks captain led the players union during the 2004-05 lockout that resulted in an entire season being scrapped for the first time in NHL history. He was active in the negotiations then and, in the following summer, helped negotiate an end to the dispute that led to the collective bargaining agreement that expired Sept. 15. Linden, who retired in 2008 following 19 seasons with the Canucks, New York Islanders and Montreal Canadians, was reluctant to discuss the current lockout in detail, but shares the feeling of many fans. He faced heavy criticism from owners and players in 2004-05 as the standoff divided the NHLPA and led to the departure of union head Bob Goodenow. "At that point, (the scrapping of the season) didnt shock me," Linden said. "It was a massive philosophical divide. It was a huge philosophical divide on the economics of the game. ... This isnt." The core of the dispute then was a proposed salary cap which has since been implemented and helped the NHL reap a record $3.3 billion in revenues last season. The current impasse relates to a disagreement over revenue sharing betweeen owners, the guaranteeing of contracts signed under the previous collective bargaining agreement and other issues.dddddddddddd. The NHLPA, now led by Donald Fehr, no longer has a player who serves as president. The organization has been restructured and, from the players perspective, is led by a negotiation committee that consists of representatives from all teams. But if Linden had to reprise his role in negotiations, he would. "Its one of those things, if I had it to do over again, Id definitely be involved," he said. "As hard as it was, I enjoyed being part of it and understanding the business of hockey. "It was a difficult time, but I enjoyed being part of the process." Linden made his comments following a Vancouver Giants news conference at the Pacific Coliseum, where he toiled with the Canucks for many seasons before they moved to the downtown facility now known as Rogers Arena. The Giants, who now call the Coliseum home, will honour Linden during their game Saturday against the Tri-City Americans in tribute to his glory years at the arena, where he helped the Canucks qualify for the 1994 Stanley Cup final against the New York Rangers. Since his retirement, Linden has stayed outside the game, pursuing business interests that include a chain of fitness centres and real estate development while also taking part in public-speaking engagements and many charitable activities. He enjoys the opportunity to create his own schedule and take a long weekend off, but does not rule out a return to hockey in some capacity. "The game has been with me for a long time," said the 42-year-old Medicine Hat, Alta., native who lives in Vancouver and is still revered by Canuck fans. "If the right opportunity came about, you never know." ' ' '