NEWPORT, R.I. -- Nicolas Mahut certainly knows a little something about being on court for a long time. Judging by his smile, it was a lot better feeling this time. The 31-year old Frenchman captured the title at the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships on Sunday, beating Lleyton Hewitt of Australia 5-7, 7-5, 6-3. Mahut, a 2007 Newport finalist and a wild-card entrant this week, won his second career ATP title. The other came at s-Hertogenbosch last month. Mahut lost the longest match in tennis history three years ago, dropping the fifth set to John Isner 70-68 at Wimbledon in a match that lasted 11 hours, 5 minutes. A display with items used in that match is located a few hundred yards away in the International Tennis Hall of Fame. On Sunday morning, Mahut advanced after beating American Michael Russell 6-2, 6-2 in just 63 minutes. Mahut needed 2 hours, 19 minutes to get past Hewitt. Then he had to prepare for a doubles semifinal. "You guys know I can play a long time, stay a long time on the court," he said, breaking into a grin while standing on a rear practice court. "I would like to tell you Im not tired. Im tired, but I have the trophy in my bag, so I just need to get ready to play one more match." In the final set, Mahut broke in the sixth and eighth games to take control. He won the final point with a drop shot at the net, then dropped to his knees, putting both hands to his face before bending face down. "I was not supposed to play," he said of gaining a wild-card entry into the tournament. "I wasnt able to play the (qualifiers). Im really grateful to (the tourney director) for the wild card he gave me." In the second set, Hewitt led 5-3. Mahut held in the ninth game before breaking in the 10th, winning the last two points when Hewitt double faulted. Earlier in the day, two-time defending champion Isners run on Newports grass court came to an end when he was ousted by No. 4 seed Hewitt 5-7, 6-2, 6-4. The loss ended 13 straight match wins in Newport for the 28-year old Isner, the highest ranked American at No. 19. The 32-year old Hewitt, who lost the Newport final to Isner last year, felt the lengthy earlier match affected his play. "It was a long battle this morning. It was tough on both of us," he said. "In the end, I got the better of John. It was going to be tough on both of us this afternoon." Both semifinals were rained out Saturday. "Its never disappointing losing to a guy like Lleyton Hewitt, especially on this surface," said Isner, who called for the trainer after the first changeover. "I was probably eventually going to lose this tournament. It just happened a little earlier than I thought or wanted." The 6-foot-10 Isner said he felt pain in his left knee area, similar to what forced him to retire in his second-round match at Wimbledon last month. "It was obviously not as severe because I was able to continue," he said. "It was a little bit scary. The more I think about it and the more I talk about it, I think its an issue with my quad because the pain is directly above my kneecap." But he said it wasnt the reason he lost the match, which was played in bright sunshine under humid conditions, with temperatures in the mid-80s. "He handled the conditions much better than me, simple as that," he said. "He deserved to win." At 40-30 the final game, Hewitt ended the match with a forehand cross-court shot. He raised both hands in the air before waving to his wife, Bec, seated in the first row on the far end of the court. Adidas Superstar Sale Uk . -- PGA TOUR Canada member Steve Saunders took a three-stroke lead Saturday in the Web. Cheap Superstar Trainers . As he recorded his 23rd and 24th points of the evening, a segment of the sellout Air Canada Centre crowd expressed their appreciation for the Raptors point guard with a smattering of MVP chants. http://www.superstarukdiscount.com/ . With his new coach and six-time Grand Slam singles champion Boris Becker watching him during an official match for the first time, Djokovic appeared tentative early against the Slovakian player, who often appeared content to keep the ball in play. Adidas Superstar Discount . Pence singled in the winning run with no outs in the ninth inning to give the Giants a 7-6 victory over the San Diego Padres on Sunday. Adidas Superstar Clearance Sale . The team says the Spain international has a muscle pull in his right leg. Barcelona hosts third-division side Cartagena in the return leg of their round-of-32 tie after winning their first meeting 4-1. Not as far as youd think.Thats the answer Im giving to folks who are asking me this simple question: How far does LeVeon Bell drop in your rankings?The Pittsburgh Steelers running back and fantasy superstar is facing a four-game suspension for a violation of the NFLs drug policy, according to sources (as reported by ESPNs Dan Graziano).The reports are that the violation is for a missed drug test, not a failed one, and an appeal is underway, which is why it hasnt been announced officially by the league. That means it could go away, it could be reduced or, yes, he could miss the first four games of the season.So lets assume hell miss four games. How far do you drop a guy who, if 100 percent healthy and eligible for all 16 games, is the best running back in fantasy? Not as much as youd think.We talk about this a lot, but its worth noting again: Fantasy football is a weekly game. Here, hang on to that for a second and lets do some quick loosey-goosey math.We project Bell to score 188 fantasy points in ESPN standard scoring this season in 12 games played, which works out to 15.7 points a game. Last season, those 188 points would have made him the third-best running back in fantasy. Bingo bango, lets slot him in at No. 3, right?Of course, there are some off-field concerns, and hes been seriously injured the past two years, so we can drop him a little more and call it a day, right? Hes great when healthy, but theres a definite risk there. Maybe he even misses another game for some reason ... OK, lets drop him into the 9-12 range and were done here, yes?The key is DeAngelo Williams. From Week 9 on last season, he was the best running back in fantasy on a per-game basis. Hell be an easy top-10 running back for Week 1 against the Redskins and a must-own for anyone drafting Bell.dddddddddddd Given Bells injury history and the possibility of further concerns, injury or otherwise, Williams has tremendous upside. Keep in mind, Williams got double-digit carries in only eight games last season and still finished as the fourth-best running back in fantasy.Regardless of whether you get Williams, if you draft Bell, you obviously dont have to start someone who gets you a zero. You get to replace Bell with a viable running back. Say we give you a replacement level of seven points per game from your substitute not named DeAngelo Williams. Now youre at 216 total points from that running back position, or one point less than last seasons No. 2 at the position, Adrian Peterson.Theres risk with Bell for a variety of reasons, but when hes right there is no one better. Frankly, given his injury, extra time to rest before the season and less wear and tear during the course of the season is actually a good thing for Bell.Assuming the four-game suspension and considering the additional risk, I have Bell as my No. 6 RB and an easy selection in the second round overall. I have moved Williams up to RB26 in my ranks and think hes worth grabbing in the seventh or eighth round, though if I owned Bell I would absolutely reach for Williams in the sixth. And for deeper leagues, Fitzgerald Toussaint, who had more than 100 total yards in the Steelers first-round playoff victory against the Bengals last postseason, becomes worth consideration as a late-round flier. ' ' '
