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MELBOURNE, Australia - At an Australian Open marked by upsets and new story lines, Rafael Nadal will play Sundays final against a man often called the "other" Swiss tennis player. Now, after a stunning run in Melbourne, Stanislas Wawrinka has a new nickname: The Stanimal — a tribute to his gritty, fight-until-the end style of tennis. Fittingly, perhaps, the name was apparently coined by none other than Roger Federer, in a tweet of support for his friend which quickly caught on earlier in the tournament. Now that Federer is out of the running — he lost to Nadal in the semifinals — the 17-time Grand Slam winner and long-time ambassador for Swiss tennis has joined those cheering for Wawrinka to win his first Grand Slam final. It is a match that holds historical significance for all three players. If the No. 1-ranked Nadal wins, as the odds suggest he will, the 27-year-old Spaniard will become the first player to win each of the majors twice in the Open era. It would be his 14th Grand Slam trophy and bring him one step closer to Federers all-time record of 17. If No. 8-ranked Wawrinka beats Nadal to win his first major title, he catapults to a career high of No. 3 in the rankings. Just reaching the final assures Wawrinka of the No. 5 spot, meaning for the first time he will pass Federer, who is now ranked sixth. On the eve of the final, Wawrinka said he was still shocked by his success. "Its insane. Its incredible," the 28-year-old Wawrinka said Saturday, speaking to reporters in English and in his native French. "I never imagined that one day I would be here, playing in the final." After a breakthrough year in 2013, Wawrinka is playing the best tennis of his life in Melbourne. He knocked out three-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals and beat No. 7 Tomas Berdych in the semifinals. He knows how tough it will be to beat Nadal — hes tried and failed 12 times. "Ive played him so many times, and lost so many times, but Im going to try again," Wawrinka said. "I know what I have to do. I know that I have to play aggressive, serve really well, and try to always push him." "Im playing my best tennis here," Wawrinka added. "Physically, Im ready.". Nadal says hes ready, too, for a breakthrough at what he calls his unluckiest Grand Slam. Nadal won in Melbourne in 2009 but in subsequent years struggled with injuries during or before the seasons first major. He missed the 2013 Australian Open during a seven-month layoff for illness and a knee injury. He returned to win the French and U.S. Open last year but reaching the final in Melbourne holds special significance. "After missing last year for me its really, really emotional to be back on this court, Rod Laver Arena, and to be able to play another final," said Nadal, who has known Wawrinka since they were teens, playing junior tournaments in Europe. "Hes a good friend, a great guy. Im so happy for him that hes in the final. He deserves it," Nadal said. "I know it will be a very, very tough match." Wawrinkas other longtime friend, Federer, had hoped Sundays story would be about an all-Swiss final. But after losing the latest installment of the Federer-Nadal rivalry, hes cheering for Wawrinka. "I hope he wins, and I hope he gives everything he has," Federer said. "Theres no reason not believe that he can beat Rafa." "Stans in his first Grand Slam final, so that makes Stan also unpredictable. Hes got to use that to his advantage." Byron Buxton Jersey .Michael Briscoe is serving a life sentence for sexual assault, kidnapping and first-degree murder in the death of 13-year-old Nina Courtepatte in 2005. Jose Berrios Twins Jersey . Braden Calverts Winnipeg rink rallied to defeat Italy 8-7. After giving up three points in the second end, Calvert came back with a single, then stole two more points in the next two ends to tie it up at the fifth-end break. https://www.cheaptwins.com/1532t-tom-bru...rsey-twins.html. Adding playoff teams. Monitoring instant replay from league headquarters. Possibly creating a set of guidelines to prevent locker-room bullying. Terry Steinbach Twins Jersey . He, the 25-year-old Toronto backup net-minder and Manitoba native, would be making just his fourth start in the past 16 games against the Jets the following evening. It was the word of opportunity for Reimer, who has fallen into the role of backup, outmatched in recent weeks by Jonathan Bernier, his Quebec counterpart. Sean Poppen Twins Jersey .com) - Real Madrid claimed its 20th consecutive win across all competitions by cruising to a 4-1 victory at Almeria on Friday.PHOENIX -- Matt Barnes knows shooting nights like this are rare moments to be savored. The 11-year NBA veteran scored 18 of his 28 points in the third quarter and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Phoenix Suns 104-96 Tuesday to match their season best of five victories in a row. Barnes made 12 of his first 13 shots and scored 16 points in the first 5:09 of the third quarter. "I felt like I got good looks every time," he said. "I found a little bit of space and was able to get the shot up. Every time it left my hands it felt good. One of those nights." Blake Griffin added 22 points and Darren Collison had 18 for Los Angeles. DeAndre Jordan had 10 points and 17 rebounds and blocked Goran Dragics layup try with the Suns still in it with 41 seconds to go. P.J. Tucker scored 18 and Gerald Green 17 on 6-of-19 shooting for the Suns, who played without centre Miles Plumlee (right knee sprain). They also lost guard Leandro Barbosa to a broken left hand in the first half. Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said Barbosa would be out four to six weeks. After Jordans block, his two free throws sealed it at 101-94 with 39.5 seconds left. Phoenix led by as many as 12 in the third quarter and trailed by as many as 15 in the fourth before cutting it to three late. Trailing 61-49, Los Angeles outscored the Suns 32-10 to take an 81-71 lead on Barnes layup after a Clippers offensive rebound with 38.9 seconds to go in the third quarter. Markieff Morris scored to cut Los Angeles lead to 81-73 entering the fourth. Barnes shot 7 of 7 for 18 points in the third quarter. Griffin added 12 in the period. The Clippers won despite a 4-for-14 shooting night from Chris Paul. Dragic, his Phoenix counterpart, was 5 for 14. They had nine assists apiece. "It is not going to be Blake and Chris every night," Barnes said. "We have a deep team and you have to be accountable for everybody and we have been showing that lately." Clippers coach Doc Rivers credited his teams second-half defence. "The seconnd quarter was horrendous," he said.dddddddddddd "But then I thought our defence, to hold them to 39 points in the second half -- everybody was in the right spots. We were rotating, and we played with intensity." Los Angeles built its biggest lead at 90-75 on Jared Dudleys layup with 8:48 left. Phoenix got back in it with an 11-0 run. Morris scored on a baseline dunk, then followed with a 3-pointer that cut the Clippers lead to 90-86 with 6:31 left. Green was 3 for 16 before making two 3s and bouncing in a 16-footer to cut the lead to 97-94 with 2:37 to go. Griffin made a fadeaway 13-footer with 2:09 left. "The third quarter, they were more physical, especially on defence," Dragic said. "We were catching the ball way out and we didnt get open shots. They just played hard defence, like we should do." Early on, Phoenix dominated. The Suns outscored the Clippers 16-2 over the final 3 1/2 minutes of the first quarter and the opening 1:45 of the second to lead 30-24 after newcomer Shavlik Randolph made one of two free throws with 10:15 left in the half. Dragic got his offence in gear in the final 1:19 of the half. He sank a 3-pointer, stole Barnes pass for a layup, then fed Alex Len for a layup as Phoenix used a 9-2 run to lead 55-44 at the break. NOTES: Barbosa was hurt taking a charge late in the first quarter but stayed in the game another 6 minutes. ... Phoenix is a half-game ahead of Memphis for the No. 8 playoff spot in the West. ... The Clippers were without Jamal Crawford (strained left calf) for the second game in a row. ... Len, a first-round draft pick, got his first start in place of Plumlee and struggled with six points and six rebounds in 19 minutes. ... Plumlee injured his knee in practice last week and had been trying to play through it. ... Suns G Eric Bledsoe, coming back from knee surgery, participated in a full scrimmage Monday. ... Bledsoe was hurt in the Suns 107-88 win over the Clippers in Los Angeles on Dec. 30, the only other time the teams have met this season. ' ' '