MELBOURNE, Australia - Rafael Nadal kept telling anyone who would listen that his fitness levels wouldnt stand up to the rigours of a two-week Grand Slam tournament. Tomas Berdych proved him right.Nadal, who had played only eight matches since last June coming into the Australian Open because of a right wrist injury and appendix surgery in early November, was knocked out in the quarterfinals 6-2, 6-0, 7-6 (5) on Tuesday by Berdych — who had lost 17 straight matches to the Spaniard.It is obvious that I needed something more to be more competitive, Nadal, a 14-time major winner, said. As I said when I arrived here, the process always is not easy. When you have injuries, comebacks are difficult. But without being at my top level of tennis, I was able to be here in quarterfinals. Is not a bad result at all for me.Berdych, while thankful for the win, was reminded of a quote from the late Vitas Gerulaitis after beating Jimmy Connors for the first time in 16 matches: Nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row.So no one, not even Nadal, could beat Berdych 18 times in a row?Ive heard that one already, Berdych said, smiling.The other mens semifinalists will be determined on Wednesday when top-seeded Novak Djokovic plays Milos Raonic and defending champion Stan Wawrinka takes on U.S. Open runner-up Kei Nishikori.Berdych will play sixth-seeded Andy Murray in the semis after the British player beat local hope Nick Kyrgios 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3. Kyrgios came back from two sets down and saved a match point in the fourth round Sunday before beating Italian Andreas Seppi, the player who eliminated Roger Federer in the third round, but there was no such comeback on Tuesday.The 19-year-old Kyrgios, who walked onto the court with his headphones on and gave two thumbs-up to the crowd, was at his crowd-pleasing best. After hitting a backhand drop shot at the net for winner in the second set, he spread out his arms for applause, and in the third set, he hit a between-the-legs shot that Murray easily returned.It was a tricky match, Murray said. I tried to start as quick as possible because I know how dangerous Nick is. Hes a huge hitter of the ball, so I tried to keep it out of his strike zone as much as possible. Thankfully it worked.Kyrgios, who beat Nadal in the fourth round at Wimbledon last year, likes Murrays chances now that both Nadal and Federer are out of the Scotsmans half of the draw.I said to him at the net, This is your time, go for it. I think hes got a really good chance of winning the whole thing, Kyrgios said.On the womens side, Maria Sharapova moved closer to another Australian Open title, defeating 20-year-old Eugenie Bouchard 6-3, 6-2.The Russian made all the big points look easy and advanced to play Ekaterina Makarova, who earlier beat third-seeded Simona Halep 6-4, 6-0.I felt pretty good from the start, didnt feel I had too many letdowns, Sharapova said, adding that her close call in the second round — facing two match points against a qualifier — sharpened her focus for the rest of the tournament.The last time Sharapova and Bouchard met — in the semifinals at the French Open last year — Bouchard won the first set before Sharapova came back to take the next two. The Russian then won the title at Roland Garros.This time, Bouchard, who made the finals of Wimbledon and two other Grand Slam semis last year, didnt come close to taking a set, looking flat from the outset while being broken in her opening service game. The Genie Army, a group of young Australian men who croon about the Canadian player, was left to sing another day.She didnt give me many chances, and against the great players you have to take any chances you can get, Bouchard said.The other womens semifinalists will be determined on Wednesday when No. 1-ranked Serena Williams plays last years finalist, Dominika Cibulkova, and Venus Williams, playing in her first Grand Slam quarterfinal in nearly five years, takes on 19-year-old American Madison Keys.If the Williams sisters play each other in the semifinals, it would be their first meeting in a Grand Slam tournament since the Wimbledon final in 2009 — won by Serena. Pittsburgh Steelers Jerseys Outlet . Weise left the arena with a splint on his wrist and underwent tests to determine whether the tendon is torn. Winger Travis Moen will also miss some time after suffering a concussion in Mondays contest. Cheap Pittsburgh Steelers Jerseys Online . -- Canadas Nicole Vandermade won the Four Winds Invitational on Sunday for her first Symetra Tour title, closing with a 4-under 68 for a one-stroke victory. http://www.cheapsteelers.com/. Rockhold." Known as an aggressive striker, Belfort (23-10) instead paced himself as the engaged in the early going and showed restraint by not overcommitting against the larger Rockhold (10-2). But when the opportunity presented itself, Belfort delivered an incredible spinning heel kick that landed flush on Rockholds chin and sent him toppling to the floor. Pittsburgh Steelers Devin Bush Jersey . UCI President Brian Cookson said Wednesday the commission will investigate allegations "that the UCI has been involved in wrongdoing in the past -- allegations which have done so much to hurt the credibility of the UCI and our sport. Custom Steelers Jerseys . The English Football Association had charged the German right back with violent conduct after retrospectively reviewing video evidence of an incident that was missed by match officials at Craven Cottage on Saturday.ST. LOUIS -- Allen Craig is starting to feel comfortable and the St. Louis Cardinals are hoping that continues for a long time. Craig, batting cleanup, had three hits, drove in a run and scored twice and Lance Lynn allowed two runs over seven innings to lead the Cardinals to a 5-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Friday night. After batting.315 with 97 RBIs in 134 games in 2013, Craig has struggled to find his stroke. He was hitting .192 on April 29, but his average has risen slowly but steadily since. He was up to .231 after Fridays game. Craig said he is feeling better and better at the plate, even if the results have not been readily apparent. "Guys know when theyre feeling good in the box," Craig said. "The results may not be there, but you can still feel good and feel like good things are going to happen. Its just a matter of time and being patient. I feel like Im at that point." Nevertheless, Craig was happy with the multihit game. "Im definitely excited because I dont take success for granted," Craig said. "This games tough and a lot goes into having a good game." Lynn (5-2) allowed seven hits walked two and struck out three. He seemed to get stronger as the game went on. "It was just one of those things where everything clicked and all of a sudden I was throwing the ball where I wanted to," Lynn said. "I was throwing the ball in the strike zone and when that happens, its fun to pitch." Carlos Martinez retired the Braves on four pitches in the eighth and Trevor Rosenthal set down the side in order for his 12th save in 13 opportunities. Matt Carpenter and Kolten Wong had two hits each and scored a run for St. Louis. Matt Holiday, Matt Adams and Yadier Molina all drove in a run for the Cardinals. St. Louis finished the game without manager Mike Matheny and centre fielder Peter Bourjos, both of whom were ejected by home plate umpire Sean Barber at the end of the fourth inning for arguing balls and strikes. "I loved to see the fire and the fight that Peter showed there," Matheny said.dddddddddddd "Frustrated and knew a couple of pitches didnt get called to what he thought was the strike zone in big situations. You cant take the emotions out of these guys." The Braves Chris Johnson went 2 for 4 with a run scored. Johnson is batting .377 (20 for 53) in May. While Johnson has been hot, his teammates have not. The Braves, who have lost 11 of 16, were held to two or fewer runs for the 18th time. "We get one or even two guys hot and theyre so far apart in the lineup that we dont get it going," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "Sooner or later well start swinging like were capable of." Ervin Santana (4-1) took his first loss as a member of the Braves. Santana lasted five innings and allowed five runs and 10 hits with one walk and three strikeouts. St. Louis broke open a 2-2 tie by scoring three times in the fifth. With one out, Carpenter and Wong singled. Holliday followed with an RBI double down the right field line to score Carpenter. Wong scored on Craigs single to left and Molina made it 5-2 with a sacrifice fly. The Braves took a 1-0 lead in the second on a two-out RBI single by Tyler Pastornicky, but the Cardinals tied it in the bottom of the inning on Adams RBI double. After the Braves took a 2-1 lead in the fourth on Andrelton Simmons 6-4-3 double play ball, the Cardinals tied it in the bottom of the frame when Craig scored from third on Santanas wild pitch with two outs. NOTES: Jhonny Peralta stole second in the fourth inning for his first stolen base as a member of the Cardinals. ... Santana had two wild pitches, giving him a total of five, one behind Arizonas Wade Miley for the most in the National League. ... Atlantas Aaron Harang (4-3) will oppose Shelby Miller (5-2) in the second game of the series Saturday. ... Friday was the first time that Santana has allowed five or more earned runs since Aug. 9, 2013, in a 9-6 win over Boston when he was with Kansas City. 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