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TOKYO - Canadas Milos Raonic defeated Denis Istomin 7-6 (8), 6-3 on Friday to reach the semifinals of the Japan Open.The 23-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., now holds the eighth and final qualifying spot for the ATP World Tour Finals which begins Nov. 9 in London.Raonic has been aiming for a place in the elite eight-man field all season after missing out in the points race a year ago. But with the remainder of the Japan Open plus the Shanghai Open next week and three more weeks of ATP season play, nothing is guaranteed for Raonic.Ive put it all at the back of my mind, said Raonic. My goals has always been to do well at everything I play. I want to finish the year well a€” thats where my motivation is coming from.Raonic lost the last two finals in Tokyo and will try to reach his third consecutive Japan Open final when he faces Frances Gilles Simon on Saturday.The unseeded Simon advanced to the tournaments four with a 7-6 (4), 6-1 win over American Steve Johnson.In other quarter-finals, Japans Kei Nishikori defeated unseeded Jeremy Chardy of France 6-4, 6-2 while German Benjamin Becker edged American Jack Sock 4-6, 6-1 6-4.Raonic improved his 2014 record to 42-13 and now stands 13-4 at Tokyos Ariake Colosseum in career ATP play.Raonic won in 79 minutes with 15 aces and one break of serve. His own serve was never threatened by 60th ranked Istomin.But Raonic had hoped to be quicker out of the blocks.I struggled to find rhythm at the start, but I played a good tiebreak so I have to be happy, said Raonic. I was able to improve more and more as I went along.Neither player cracked in the 47-minute first set, with Raonic firing an ace to take it into a tiebreaker.Raonic was put to work in the decider, saving an Istomin set point while requiring three of his own to finally win it after Istomin followed a double-fault with a backhand into the net.The second set went much smoother for Raonic, who scored the only break of the match for 5-3 and closed out the win a game later after serving up a double-fault on the first of his three match points. He advanced on his third chance as Istomin hit the net with a return.The Canadian stands 2-0 over Simon, whom he beat at the French Open this year.Ive done well against him but I always want to do better, thats the match situation right there, said Raonic. Scarpe Air Max 180 Scontate . -- Those impatient for the Stanley Cup to return to Canada will have just one team to root for in the NHL playoffs -- the Montreal Canadiens. Scarpe Air Max 270 Scontate . Wheeler scored two goals, including the winner, as the Winnipeg Jets beat the Minnesota Wild 6-4 on Friday in a game that featured a seven-goal first period. http://www.airmaxitaliascarpe.it/scarpe-air-max-97-scontate.html . A larger-than-life personality known for his intimidating style in the 18-yard box, Schmeichels career spanned some 20 years -- including a memorable tenure at Manchester United. Air Max Shop Online . While he was away, it was the division-rival Baltimore Orioles conducting a little business of their own, scooping up Ubaldo Jimenez on Monday evening to a reported four-year, $50-million contract. Air Max Italia Scarpe . 1. Lions WR Calvin Johnson (6 REC, 101 YDS, 1 TD, 10 targets) leads receivers with 1,299 yards and 12 touchdowns, though his 118.1 receiving yards per game ranks second behind Clevelands Josh Gordon. Gordon (10 REC, 261 YDS, 2 TD, 15 targets) is emerging as a superstar, putting up huge numbers even with Jason Campbell and Brandon Weeden at quarterback.PERTH, Australia -- Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Alize Cornet gave France its first Hopman Cup title on Saturday by winning the decisive mixed doubles match against Poland in the final. The French duo routed Agnieszka Radwanska and Grzegorz Panfil 6-0, 6-2 at Perth Arena. Tsonga had given France the lead by beating Panfil 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in the opening match before Radwanska levelled the best-of-3 series by outlasting Cornet 6-3, 6-7 (7), 6-2 to set up the decisive mixed doubles.dddddddddddd. A series of long rallies in the second set of the womens singles left Cornet so winded she was given a time violation as she tried to recover. She bounced back to win the 80-minute set, but didnt have much energy left in the decider. ' ' '