Andy Murray won Wimbledon, retained Olympic gold at Rio and ended the year as world No. 1 -- but the Scot was not the only reason why 2016 was such a remarkable year for British tennis.Heres a look at some of the highlights...Konta cracks top 10For the first time in 32 years, Britain has a player in the top 10 of the womens world rankings.Jo Kontas rise has been nothing less than extraordinary -- consider how, as recently as June 2015, she was outside the top 150.At this years Australian Open she became the first British woman to appear in the semifinals of a Grand Slam singles tournament since Jo Durie in 1983. Durie was also the last British female to be in the top 10, way back in 1984.Murray the elder leads the wayJamie Murrays new partnership with Brazils Bruno Soares has brought him the most successful year of his career.After winning a first mens doubles Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, he snaffled a second at the US Open.In between, he became the first Briton -- getting there before his younger brother -- to hold the No. 1 ranking for singles or doubles.With Andy following suit later in the year, the Murray brothers have now achieved something that eluded even the great John and Patrick McEnroe. Never before have two brothers been simultaneously at the top of the singles and doubles team rankings.Willbomb shocks WimbledonIn which other year has a British qualifier ranked No. 661 sent the most perfect lob over Roger Federers head on Centre Court?This years Wimbledon Championships will long be remembered for the improbable tale of Marcus Willis.The 26-year-old from Slough became the lowest-ranked qualifier to reach the second round at a Grand Slam since the 1988 US Open.What a turnaround for a man who once refuelled during changeovers with chocolate bars and cans of cola.?Evans goes toe-to-toe with Federer & WawrinkaDan Evans, once known as the rascal of British tennis, had the greatest season of his career with his ranking peaking at No. 53.It took Roger Federer to stop him at Wimbledon, in the third round, after Evans knocked out 30th seed Alexandr Dolgopolov along the way.At the US Open, and again in the third round, Evans had a point to beat Stan Wawrinka, who would not only salvage that but go all the way to winning the title.Edmund rises to the challengeAny 21-year-old who breaks into the top 40 -- as Kyle Edmund did this season -- is doing something right.As well as prospering on the circuit -- with a highlight being a run to the fourth round of the US Open, beating Richard Gasquet and John Isner along the way -- Edmund also played some fine tennis in Britains Davis Cup quarterfinal against Serbia in Belgrade.The tie was played just days after Andy Murray won Wimbledon and both he and Novak Djokovic sat it out, leaving Edmund to take centre stage by winning two singles rubbers.That took Britain, the defending Davis Cup champions, into a semifinal against Argentina in Glasgow. But unfortunately that was where the run ended, with Murrays epic against Juan Martin Del Potro a stirring way to lose grip of the trophy.Watson adds to the mixHeather Watsons victory in Wimbledons mixed doubles tournament -- in partnership with Finlands Henri Kontinen -- made her the first British woman to score a title on those lawns since Durie won the same trophy with compatriot Jeremy Bates in 1987.However, Watson did not perform as well as she would have liked in the singles, crashing out in the first round at three of the four Grand Slams in 2016.?... And then there was Andy, of courseAndy Murray achieved the unthinkable on Centre Court this year -- he ripped most of the stress and drama out of a Wimbledon final.If Murrays 2013 triumph was historic -- ending as it did a 77-year wait for a British male to win the nations most treasured tennis event -- it was also a match of great angst and tension capped by an epic final game where Murray had to save breakpoints against Novak Djokovic.Had he lost any one of those, Murrays afternoon -- and possibly career -- would have been flipped on its head.Its true that both the 2013 and 2016 finals were straight-sets victories for Murray. But it is there the similarities end.This years title-match, against Milos Raonic, was a one-sided affair -- It never looked as though Murray would lose. There was hardly even the smallest of kink in the narrative. Such was Murrays class as he won his third Grand Slam, and his first for three years.?Then it was on to Rio. While some tennis players are ambivalent about the Olympics, Andy Murray most definitely isnt.With his gold medal in Brazil -- captured after a brutal, four-hour victory over Juan Martin del Potro -- he became the first player in history to retain an Olympic singles title.How dearly Federer would like a singles gold medal, and Djokovic, too. Murray now has a couple of them. But here is the surest sign of Murrays resilience and determination -- that seven years passed between first becoming the world No. 2 and when ascending to the No. 1 ranking. Thats a record.At 29, Murray was also the oldest first-time No. 1 since 1974 (so the oldest of his lifetime).After all those years of trailing Federer, Rafael Nadal and Djokovic, Murray finally had true alpha status.Since the official rankings were introduced in 1973, only a very select group of men have held that status, with Murray only the 26th. And then his victory over Djokovic in London in November brought him membership of an even more elite club.For the first time in the history of the ATP World Tour Finals, the title-match determined who would end the year as the World No. 1.So, with his victory, Murray not only won the season finale for the first time but also became only the 17th different man to finish a season at the top of the standings. Cheap Lebrons Online .ca NFL Power Rankings, overtaking the Denver Broncos and remaining ahead of NFC competition San Francisco, Carolina and New Orleans. Wholesale Lebrons China . -- The Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake played to a 0-0 tie Saturday night that left the top of the Western Conference standings unchanged. http://www.cheaplebronsfromchina.com/ . -- Three close looks at the bucket, three misses. Cheap Lebrons For Sale .Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres have placed centre Cody Hodgson on injured reserve and recalled two players from their AHL affiliate in Rochester. Cheap Lebrons From China . William Carrier opened the scoring for Cape Breton (6-4-2), but Andrew Ryan tied the game and Brent Andrews put the Mooseheads (8-6-0) in front for good with a short-handed goal at 13:49 of the second period.BALTIMORE -- Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon wanted to stay away from overworked closer Fernando Rodney and setup man Joel Peralta. He had to throw that idea out when the Baltimore Orioles staged a big rally, and Peralta stepped up. The right-hander got four outs for his first save of the season and the Rays held on for a 12-10 victory over the slumping Orioles on Friday night. "Weve been blowing some games, so tonight was really special for me," Peralta said. Kelly Johnson hit a three-run homer and an RBI single in Tampa Bays highest scoring game of the season. Yunel Escobar had three hits and three RBIs, and Desmond Jennings added a two-run single. The Orioles surrendered a season-high 17 hits for the second straight game and gave up their most runs in any game this season. Baltimore has allowed 27 runs and 52 hits while losing four of its last five games. Chris Dickerson hit a three-run homer in Baltimores six-run eighth inning, but the Orioles rally stalled from there. "I felt like we were going to make a run at them somewhere if we could keep them from scoring. That was our challenge tonight," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "We dug ourselves a pretty big hole." Jeremy Hellickson (2-2) was charged with eight runs and 10 hits in 7 2-3 innings, but still managed to get the win. Johnson drove a full-count pitch from Jason Hammel (5-2) over the wall in right in the third, capping Tampa Bays four-run outburst with his sixth homer. Johnson singled in James Loney, Escobar doubled home a run and Jennings had his big hit in the fifth, helping the Rays open a 9-3 lead. "Weve been playing good offence up and down the lineup," Madddon said.dddddddddddd Hammel (5-2) allowed a season-high seven runs and 10 hits in 4 2-3 innings with four strikeouts and two walks in his first loss since April 7. The right-handers ERA has increased from 4.10 to 5.72 after allowing 13 runs and 18 hits over his last two starts. "Im missing over the plate, arm-side fastballs," Hammel said. "Thats honestly about it. Its a pretty simple fix, but for right now its seemingly difficult for me." Manny Machado, Chris Davis and Matt Wieters each drove in two runs for Baltimore, which finished with 13 hits. J.J. Hardy went 2 for 3 with his eighth homer, extending his hitting streak to 12 games. After Dickerson connected against Kyle Farnsworth in the eighth, Yamaico Navarro reached on a two-out single. Peralta came in and got Nate McLouth to fly out, then pitched a perfect ninth. "We really should have been able to put that game away a lot better," Maddon said. "I did not want to have to get Joel or Fernando up tonight. That was the concern." Tampa Bay had lost two in a row after winning six straight games. Rodney blew a save opportunity when he was charged with three runs in a 4-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Thursday. NOTES: Tampa Bay 3B Evan Longoria went 2 for 3 while extending his hitting streak to 11 games. ... Baltimore RHP Miguel Gonzalez (blister) likely will start Tuesday against the New York Yankees barring a setback, Showalter said. Placed on the 15-day DL on May 4, Gonzalez is 2-2 in six starts. ... RHP Jair Jurrjens will be recalled from Triple-A Norfolk to start on Saturday, Showalter said. The former National League All-Star will face RHP Roberto Hernandez. ' ' '