ear and third in two seasons.The 20-year-old Australian chipped to 3 feet from the front runoff area on the par-5 18th for her winning birdie, forcing Jessica Korda to make an 18-footer for eagle from just off the back of the green to get into a playoff. Korda misse

RIO DE JANEIRO -- If youre a casual sports fan, aware of tennis only through the likes of Serena, Roger or Novak, you hear the name Steve Johnson and one word springs to mind: Who?But as the Olympic tennis tournament heads toward its final stretch here, the 26-year-old American realizes the chance a stage like Rio provides. Its a chance to make his name stand out.It just doesnt get much bigger than this for me, he said, sitting under the stands at center court here on a day when all matches were suspended because of rain, including both of Johnsons scheduled matches.The bearded right-hander with a booming serve and a hard-spinning forehand has slipped quietly under the radar here. He is suddenly a few victories away from winning medals in both singles and doubles. In the singles round of 16, he is the favorite to win against Russian Evgeny Donskoy on Thursday. In doubles, Johnson and partner Jack Sock have served their way into the semifinals. Theyre a strong enough tandem to have a solid chance at gold.To be in my first Olympics and in this spot right now, to have [two medals] an attainable goal in the next four or five days, its something truly remarkable, Johnson said.Beyond his next singles match, Johnson understands that his draw is extremely rough. His opponent in the quarterfinals would likely be Andy Murray. But having toiled first in the American college ranks before rising slowly through the unforgiving ATP World Tour, Johnson is not the type to back down. Anything can happen, said Johnson, who reached a career-high ranking of No. 21 just a few weeks back. Its mens pro tennis. Nothing is set in stone.Tennis is as top-heavy a sport as there is. All the attention goes to the top stars. The stories of the strong but not spectacular players are often skipped over. They are generally seen as early-round Grand Slam fodder for the biggies. Rio provides a real opportunity for someone like Johnson, who might have been left off the U.S. team if two higher-ranked players -- John Isner and Sam Querrey -- had not opted out of the Games.Johnson shares little with a high-tensile star such as Murray, one of the biggest names in global sports. Murray turned professional as a teen and has won $49 million in prize money and 38 titles, three of them Grand Slams.In four full-time years on tour, Johnson has one singles title and $2.5 million to his name. But he is unbothered by his comparatively paltry résumé or his late start. I was not ready at 18, he said. If I turned pro at 18, there is no way I would be here now. I had so much to learn. I found a love for tennis and the work ethic I needed in college.Little-known fact: Johnson isnt just the rare top-100 pro tennis player who played college tennis for four years. Hes the most decorated player in mens NCAA history. At USC, he won four Division I team titles to go along with two singles championships, and he strung together what is almost certainly the longest winning streak in college tennis history: 72 matches.He has probably the most gifted right arm Ive ever seen, said his former USC coach, Peter Smith, who knows something about the subject matter. Smith was a frequent practice partner for Pete Sampras when the eventual 14-time major champion was on the rise.Johnson -- 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds -- entered the wily world of pro tennis in 2012. It took him two years to make it into the top 100. But he stayed at it. Last summer, he was No. 49. This year, he won his first tournament, on the grass at Nottingham, England. A few days later, he faced Federer in Wimbledons round of 16. It was a 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 loss, but it also taught him much.OK, now I get it, Johnson said of Federer. You realize when he hits these shots and finds his way out of tricky situations with such ease, thats just what he does and why hes arguably the best ever.Can that kind of match -- a learning experience against an all-timer on the biggest stage -- translate into more success here at Rio?Hed like to think so. A perfect world means getting gold, he said.Is that realistic for a guy with his pedigree?Why not? he said.A necessary answer, and just the proper attitude for a little-known righty trying to make his name stand out. Detroit Tigers Pro Shop . Now that hes hitting streaking teammates with pin-point passes for easy layups, Love is asserting himself as one of the true superstars in the league. Tigers Jerseys China . LUCIE, Fla. https://www.cheaptigers.com/ . -- Canadian Andrew Wiggins got the ball on the wing, made a nifty spin move and then let go with a soft floater from about 10 feet that swished through the net in Allen Fieldhouse. Detroit Tigers Gear . Zvonareva, who won the tournament in 2009 and 10, couldnt handle her opponents big groundstrokes in only her third event back after 17 months out with a shoulder injury. Zvonareva made her comeback in January in Shenzhen and played in the Australian Open but lost her first matches at both tournaments. Custom Detroit Tigers Jerseys . "No difference at all," chirped U.S. roommate and linemate James van Riemsdyk. "Its still the same cranky Phil. HAINAN, China -- Minjee Lee got up-and-down one last time at Jian Lake on Sunday to win the Blue Bay LPGA for her second victory of the year and third in two seasons.The 20-year-old Australian chipped to 3 feet from the front runoff area on the par-5 18th for her winning birdie, forcing Jessica Korda to make an 18-footer for eagle from just off the back of the green to get into a playoff. Korda missed to the left.It was a good fight out there, and I fought to the end, Lee said.Ariya Jutanugarn tied Lee with a 2-stroke swing on the par-3 17th, then hooked her 3-wood drive into the water on 18 to end her chances for a tour-high sixth victory.I knew that I had a good opportunity, but I wasnt getting ahead of myself, Lee said. I knew Jess was going to make birdie -- was probably going to make birdie -- and so I thought to myself, I need to make birdie here. I just put myself in good spots and then I ended up making birdie. Just stuck to my game plan.Lee rebounded after losing a 6-stroke lead Saturday, closing with a 2-under 70 in hot and humid conditions to finish at 13-under 275.Korda had a 71. Jutanugarn shot 70, her closing bogey leaving her 2 strokes back.Five days after Typhoon Sarika blew through the South China Sea beach resort, the wind jumped up on the final holes, making it more difficult to hit the valleys and plateaus on the large greens.It played like a totally different golf course, Korda said. It wasnt the same as every day. The golf course conditions were a lot harder today. Some greens were slow and there were some greens that were fast. All in all, it was a tough day out there.Lee chipped in for birdie on the par-4 first to break a tie with Korda, chipped to 2 feet for birdie on the par-5 eighth and had eight straight pars before stumbling on the 154-yard 17th. She ran her 30-foot first putt 6 feet past, watched Jutanugarn make a 15-footer for birdie, then missed the comebacker to give up sole possession of the lead for the first time since the start of the round.Lee earned $315,000 and is projected to jump from 17th to 16th in the world ranking.dddddddddddd She won last year at Kingsmill and in April in Hawaii.She tied for 37th last in South Korea and was one of the many players who didnt get to Hainan until Wednesday afternoon, leaving little time to prepare.I really came into this week with no expectations because last week, I just played OK and I was like, Oh, maybe Ill have a better week this week. Lee said. Just wanted to have fun.She did, and her mother and grandmother were there to celebrate with her.My Nan, shes my biggest supporter, Lee said. I love having her around. She normally comes around for the Asia Swing, so yeah, its nice to have won in front of her. She was here, so thats really nice.Korda bogeyed the par-3 seventh, blasting over the green a day after hitting to 6 inches. The defending champion next week in Malaysia, the 23-year-old American birdied the par-3 11th and par-5 14th. She 3-putted the par-4 16th for a bogey, charging a 25-footer 15 feet long.I think considering we had zero preparation for the tournament and came in on Wednesday, I think I would have taken a second place if you would have told me that thats what I would have gotten, Korda said. We didnt get a lot of preparation. But with the typhoon, theres nothing you can do.Jutanugarn padded her lead over Lydia Ko in the player of the year points race. The 20-year-old Thai star was 10 shots behind Lee after two rounds.Thailands Pornanong Phatlum (72) and Germanys Caroline Masson (73) tied for a distant fourth at 6 under. Englands Charley Hull (69) was 5 under, and Swedens Pernilla Lindberg (72) 4 under.Brooke Henderson (71) was 3 under. The 19-year-old Canadian has played all four weeks in Asia and plans to make it six in a row with stops in Malaysia and Japan.Michelle Wie was one of the 13 players to break par, closing with a 74 to tie for 10th at 1 under. She had her best finish of the year, topping a tie for 25th in February in the second event of the season. ' ' '