NEW YORK -- Venus Williams basked in the cheers at Arthur Ashe Stadium as the sun set just over the newly operational roof. She had lost her fourth-round match 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (3) to Karolina Pliskova. The match was technically an upset, since Williams had a No. 6 seed and Pliskova was No. 10, but in a few important ways, the result was another success for Williams in a year of success.Yeah, definitely a ton of positives, Williams said of her season. Im looking forward to continuing a lot of positives on the court.Venus left that grateful stadium to her sister Serena, the top-seeded woman in the tournament and one of the greatest players of all time. These women make sisterhood look like a team sport, which, of course, tennis isnt. Serenas greatness naturally attracts the spotlight, while Venus doesnt always get the full measure of her due.So we can let Venus exit the US Open this year, but not before shining just a bit of the spotlight on what she has been able to accomplish this season.This is a woman who has rewritten the rules when it comes to age and competitiveness. At 36 -- think about that for a second -- she has reached a Wimbledon semifinal and the fourth round of the French and US Opens. She remains one of the toughest WTA players when it comes to grass.If she were a young junior just hitting the tour, Williams would be heralded from the rooftops. And yet she isnt. We like our champions to have potential for greatness, and when most of that greatness has been achieved, when the story has been told and the face is familiar, we start looking for the next rising sun.Williams managed her success this year despite her fatigue-inducing autoimmune disorder, Sjogrens Syndrome. In 2011, that condition forced her to withdraw from the US Open, and many thought it was the beginning of the end of her career. Yet Williams has not allowed the inevitability of age and the unpredictability of her illness to dictate the terms of her career.Its just a lot of willpower, Williams said. Thats really what it is. I started to feel better more consistently this year, so Im always trying to find things to help me feel my best.That includes a practice routine that involves relentlessly honing her game and starting a sugar-free nutrition regimen which most people would balk at. She admitted it cuts out a lot of good foods, but it makes a difference in her fitness, so she is sticking with it.Im always trying something different to find a peak performance; its something I started recently, Williams said.She could have a line of cookbooks and frozen meals. She should be selling face cream and workout gear, and her face could be on the side of every bus from Queens to Manhattan for a month.But Venus has never been about gratuitous self-promotion. She has her business, she has her game and she works behind the scenes to make tennis a better place for the next generation.If it were at all difficult to be upstaged by a younger sibling for the better part of one of the longest careers in tennis, Venus gives no indication. Instead, the interactions they have lead one to conclude that tennis may be what they are known for, but it doesnt define them or their relationship.And thats something worth celebrating. Marc Gasol Jersey . Clarke was injured while practicing on the Doha Golf Club range after the pro-am on Tuesday. The Northern Irishman arrived at the course on Wednesday hoping to start, but after hitting a few balls on the practice putting green Clarke advised officials he was not fit to play. Marc Gasol Raptors Jersey . The CFLs leading rusher kept adding to his gaudy numbers this season and scored the winning touchdown with just over two minutes to play. The New Westminster, B.C., native plowed three yards into the end zone for the last score of a heated, see-saw battle between the two teams with the best records in the CFL. http://www.nbaraptorsonline.com/Authentic-Pascal-Siakam-Jersey/ . "Thank you for the warm welcome," Beckham said on an 80-degree February morning. In this case, it was soccer weather. The sport moved a step closer to returning to South Florida on Wednesday, when Beckham confirmed he has exercised his option to purchase a Major League Soccer expansion franchise in Miami. OG Anunoby Jersey . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . Jodie Meeks Raptors Jersey . They reached the 100-point plateau for the fourth time in five games, bested the visiting Trail Blazers by 34 in the paint and scored 19 of the final 25 points in regulation. HAMBURG, Germany -- Thomas Mueller scored twice for the second game running as Germany eased past the Czech Republic 3-0 to maintain its winning start to World Cup qualifying on Saturday.Mueller, who scored twice in the opening 3-0 win in Norway, has yet to score in six Bundesliga games for Bayern Munich this season.We delivered a great game. We could have scored more, Mueller said.The first goal came early when Mesut Ozil sent Mario Goetzes cross onto Mueller, who dispatched simply to the far corner with the aid of a slight deflection.Julian Draxler went close after a good turn shortly afterward, and Czech goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik saved from Mueller.Mario Goetze was the next to go close, lifting the ball just wide after a good one-two with Mueller, who later fired over as the visitors appeared out of their depth.Defender Jerome Boateng even indulged in a neat turn and then a back-heeled pass before the break.Germany had almost three-quarters of the possession, seemingly almost all of it in the Czechs half, while 93 percent passing accuracy was an indication of the home sides dominance.The only quibble coach Joachim Loew could have had was that his side did not add to its goal-tally despite the glut of chances before the break.Toni Kroos remedied that minutes afteer the re-start, firing inside the right post from outside the penalty area after Joshua Kimmich squared the ball.ddddddddddddBorek Dockal had the Czech Republics first attempt on target in the 63rd.But Mueller killed off any vague notions of a comeback with his second two minutes later, converting Jonas Hectors cross from close range.Ilkay Gundogan came on for the final 15 minutes to make his return after almost a year away from the national team.Im very satisfied, Loew said. The team had total control for the whole game. When we play like that the opponent is run ragged after 60 minutes. The Czechs didnt have a chance after that.Loew previously suggested the Czech Republic, which drew with Northern Ireland 0-0 in its opening group game, was Germanys toughest group opponent, but on this display it seems the World Cup champion will have little trouble in qualifying.Elsewhere in Group C, Northern Ireland defeated San Marino 4-0 in Belfast, and Maksim Medvedevs early goal was enough for Azerbaijan to beat Norway 1-0 in Baku, giving the team two wins in a World Cup group for the first time. Azerbaijan opened with a 1-0 win in San Marino. ' ' '