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SHANGHAI - Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer set up a rematch of their Wimbledon final with convincing straight-set wins to reach the semifinals of the Shanghai Masters on Friday.The top-ranked Djokovic defeated David Ferrer 6-4, 6-2 to extend his winning streak in China to 28 matches, while Federer played a nearly flawless second set to beat Julien Benneteau of France 7-6 (4), 6-0.It will be the 36th meeting in their rivalry, which has been remarkably close, with Federer taking 18 of their matches and Djokovic 17. The players have split their four matches this year, though Djokovic earned the far biggesr prize with his second Wimbledon trophy in July.There is no clear favourite, Djokovic said. Every time we play against each other, its a thriller.The Serb would seem to have a slight advantage given his recent dominance in China, where he hasnt lost since a semifinal defeat to Federer in Shanghai in 2010. Since then, hes captured the China Open three times, and the Shanghai Masters twice.But Djokovic doesnt believe the court — or his sizeable contingent of Serbian-flag-waving Chinese fans — will give him an edge.Well, its not like he didnt have a lot of success anywhere he went, including China, he said. He knows how to play here. He has also big support.Djokovic played much better on Friday than he did in the previous round, when he struggled to put away big-hitting Mikhail Kukushkin.He was tested just once against the fifth-seeded Ferrer, while serving for the first set at 5-4. The Spaniard played remarkable defence to fight off three set points, then held two break points for 5-all. He failed to convert either, though, and Djokovic finally ended the tiring, 13-minute game with a drop shot followed by a volley into the open court.Federer, too, played his most solid match of the week against Benneteau. He had 34 winners to only 13 unforced errors, and won nearly all of the points on his first serve (34 of 37).The Swiss star, who will overtake Rafael Nadal to return to No. 2 in the rankings next week, said he has faced Djokovic so many times now, there were no secrets to each others games.Well see how much he can actually do, how much he can neutralize me, and how much I can do with him, he said. But hes playing a great season again. Ill give it the best shot I have. I have a good game at the moment.The other semifinal will feature two veterans playing some of their best tennis — Gilles Simon and Feliciano Lopez.Lopez, who knocked out an ailing Rafael Nadal in the second round, defeated Mikhail Youzhny 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 in the quarterfinals.At 33, the Spaniard is having a resurgent year, winning his fourth career title at Eastbourne and rising to No. 16 in the rankings, one off his career high. Hes also a three-time semifinalist in Shanghai, though hes never advanced to the final.Simon upset sixth-seeded Tomas Berdych 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-0. It was his second top-10 win of the week after beating fourth-seeded Stan Wawrinka in the second round.Asked the last time he managed to do that, he said, I dont know. You tell me. Maybe never.Lopez has won two of their three previous meetings, though both matches were on grass. Dante Exum Jersey .com) - Blake Griffin led five Clippers in double figures with 24 points and the LA Clippers got back on track with a 101-97 win over the Utah Jazz. Adrian Dantley Jersey . Modin, 36, tallied seven goals and three assists in 36 games with the Thrashers this season. 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Those who impressed in each of the three events were asked to attend the main CFL Combine which begins Friday in Toronto.MONTREAL - Montreal Impact players painted a picture of a leaderless, clique-ridden squad as they wrapped up a dismal Major League Soccer season Monday.A 1-1 draw with D.C. United on Saturday left Montreal with a 6-18-10 record and last overall in the 19-team league. It was a season that started badly and only got marginally better.There will be changes for sure, but I also believe in continuity, said coach Frank Klopas. Were not here to make a lot of changes.The team that squeaked into the fifth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot despite a second-half collapse in 2013 carried its disjointed, error-prone play into this season by posting only one win in its first 11 matches.The low points were seven straight losses in July and August and an 0-12-5 road record for the year. The positives were winning the Canadian Championship and reaching the quarter-finals of the CONCACAF Champions League.As players were brought out three at a time to meet the media, a few veterans spoke of how the loss of defender Alessandro Nesta to retirement and moving captain Davy Arnaud to D.C. left the team short of leadership needed to get through the bad times.Alessandro and Davy leaving left a big void for sure, said goalkeeper Evan Bush. Looking forward, thats something that definitely needs to be addressed, as far as which guys will step up in leadership roles.A guy like (captain) Patrice Bernier, maybe its not his character to be the vocal one, but he leads in other ways. There are other guys who lead by example as well, but you also need guys that step up when things are going poorly and kind of right the ship in the locker room by saying things as well.That the Impact had no one take charge may stem from the other problem — cliques.The club has its Americans, a French-speaking Canadian contingent mostly from the teams academy, Latin Americans and Italian stars Matteo Ferrari and Marco Di Vaio, who retired after the final regular-season game.Most MLS clubs have players from around the world, but Montreals squad is especially diverse. The team has actively sought an international flavour and style of play rather than the more physical American game preferred by many of its opponents.The challenge in that approach is maintaining unity.Were always going to be a cosmopolitan team, said Bernier. Players hang around with guys from their own country.In tough moments, its not easy because youre always asking questions. And when you lose, people say you have cliques. The ethnicity of this team is what makes it what it is. Montreals always going to be compared to other clubs as a team with a lot of foreign backgrounds.Its going to have to be worked on from the beginning so players coming in feel at home here and feel like theyre part of the project.Last years Swiss coach, Marco Schallibaum, was big on team-building exercises, doing things not necessarily related to soccer away from the pitch. The Greek-American Klopas isnt so much.Canadian midfielder Issey Nakajima-Farran, acquired in midseason from Toronto FC, said it should be part of next seasons program.Theres a lot more diversity in this group of guys than in any group Ive ever dealt with, which is 10 or 12 teams, the veteran said. Thats definitely something well have to work on for next year because what happens in the changing room and training field is what happens on the pitch.There was a lot of controversy throughout the season that weve got to address. Were not as colleective as we should be.ddddddddddddThings like that take team activities, things outside the training ground.Of course, the natural leader would be Ignacio Piatti, the designated player from Argentina who arrived in August on a three-year contract. Piatti made it clear from the start with his play that hell be one of the most gifted and entertaining players in MLS.However, Piatti speaks Spanish and Italian but not English so locker-room speeches may be a problem. Same for midfielder Andres Romero, an Argentine who was named the teams player of the year.Romero, who was dreadful last season, was one of Montreals best and most consistent attacking players. He was also one of the few midfielders to stay healthy, unlike Justin Mapp, who had a strong start, or striker Di Vaio.Bernier, a native of Brossard, Que., is one of four players whose contracts are up. The others are defenders Heath Pearce and Futty Danso and goalie Troy Perkins.Klopas said he wants the 35-year-old Bernier back but added the players salaries will be part of the decision on which are signed.Hed like to keep Perkins and Bush as a goaltending tandem but salary may come into play. That bodes poorly for Perkins, who was the starter for the first half of the season but then lost his job to Bush, who has the added bonus of being much less expensive.First off, I wouldnt want to return to a place Im not wanted, said Perkins. I didnt think I deserved the blame for what happened in the first part of the season and I think it was put on me.Nakajima-Farran didnt like being used sparingly either, although minutes were scarce with a glut of attacking midfielders.Its always up to the coach and hes always going to have his preferences, but with the season we had I felt there should have been a lot more experimenting, he said. It was the same kind of lineup and it made it predictable what we were going to do, which a lot of teams also saw and took away the points from.The central defence will be looked at closely. The Impact were caught short when Nelson Rivas did not shake off his chronic injury trouble and Spaniard Adrian Lopez suffered a second season-ending ailment in as many years.That left Ferrari with inexperienced partners for most of the season, which is partly why the Impact repeatedly gave away points on late goals.Help may come from Gege Soriola, a Nigerian signed late in the season who has yet to play a match, and Adam Straith of Victoria, who is currently without a club but trained with the Impact on Monday.They also need to replace Di Vaios skill and experience at striker. Jack McInerney, acquired from Philadelphia early in the season, will be the first choice but Montreal will likely go outside to seek depth at that position.Despite the losses, there were players who stepped up their game this season, including Romero.Calum Mallace, all but forgotten his first two seasons, emerged as an imposing defensive midfielder and Dilly Duka, acquired in midseason from Chicago, proved to be a decent playmaker.The focus at training camp in January will be preparing for a Champions League tie with powerful Pachuca of Mexico. But Montreal doesnt want another weak regular season.I feel this was a year of transition, said Ferrari. We changed the coach, we changed a lot of players.Its difficult to find all the right things. After a while, we started to play better. Piatti helped us a lot. So next year we should have momentum to start better. 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