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MADRID, Spain -- Maria Sharapova held her nerve Saturday to reach her second consecutive Madrid Open final, where shell play Simona Halep of Romania. Sharapova was cruising against Agnieszka Radwanska before allowing the third-seeded Pole to break back in the second set. But the eighth-ranked Russian recovered to secure a 6-1, 6-4 win. Earlier, Halep rallied in the hot conditions to dispatch former champion Petra Kvitova 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-2. "Shes having a great year so its going to be an extremely difficult match," Sharapova said of Halep. Despite a few blips, Sharapova has been steady all week and has lost just three times on clay since the 2011 French Open. All three of those losses came against Serena Williams, the two-time defending champion in Madrid who withdrew with a left thigh injury on Friday. Kvitova, the 2011 winner, looked on course for victory before unforced errors and the rising temperatures took their toll. The Czech was 2-0 up in the second set and cruising against Halep, who was visibly frustrated after a late call went against her during the first-set tiebreaker. But Kvitova hit 66 unforced errors and that inconsistency caught up with her as Halep recovered, with the now composed Romanian hitting 22 winners and breaking Kvitova four times over the last two sets. Kvitova struggled in the final set, looking sapped of energy by the end of a match that lasted more than 2 1/2 hours. "Its been an amazing week for me, I feel very well here in Madrid," said the fifth-ranked Halep, who reached her first Masters series final. "I played really well, I was striking the ball really well." Sharapova hit 28 winners to four for Radwanska, who netted a forehand on match point to be broken for a seventh time. In the mens semis, three-time champion Rafael Nadal faced fellow Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut while David Ferrer was up against Kei Nishikori of Japan. Ken Boyer Cardinals Jersey . His actions are much louder on the Fenway Park mound. De La Rosa had another strong home start, going seven solid innings to lift the Boston Red Sox to a 2-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday night. Steve Carlton Jersey . Diego Costa headed in Gabis corner seven minutes from time to secure victory ahead of the return match in Madrid on March 11. "We know that at Madrid it will be another game, which will also be important and very difficult," Milan coach Clarence Seedorf said. http://www.authenticcardinalspro.com/cardinals-enos-slaughter-jersey/ . But the young forward is more than willing to shed a little blood if thats what it takes to make the team this season. "It caught me pretty good, dazed me for that shift, but I didnt want to be off the ice for too long," he said after practice, his lip still bleeding a little despite the plastic stitches holding it together. Keith Hernandez Jersey . - Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Jason Babin is now a free agent. Michael Wacha Cardinals Jersey . - Free agent defensive end Will Smith has signed with the New England Patriots.Charlotte, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - Manu Ginobili scored 27 points, including two key baskets that stopped a late Charlotte rally, and the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Charlotte Hornets 98-93 on Wednesday. After a pair of Kemba Walker free throws brought Charlotte within a point late in the fourth quarter, Ginobilis bank shot and 3-pointer on back-to-back possessions restored San Antonios comfortable lead as the Spurs won for the third time in four games. San Antonio got 18 points from Danny Green and Tim Duncan chipped in 14 points and 10 rebounds in the victory. Despite 28 points from Walker, Charlotte saw its five-game winning streak come to an end. Bismack Biyombo recorded his second-straight double-double with 12 points, 15 boards and five blocks. Gerald Henderson and P.J. Hairston each added 11 points. Greens triple a minute into the final period extended San Antonios edge to 81-70, but a 15-5 Charlotte run put that lead in jeopardy. Lance Stephenson scored five points, and Hairston hit a pair of 3s before Walkers free throws trimmed the Hornets deficit to one. While Ginobili responded to extend San Antonios lead again, Charlotte went cold to end its chance of a comeback. They went nearly three minutes before Biyombo hit a free throw to snap the Hornets scoring drought, and they went nearly five minutes between shots from the field. Walkers layup with 15 seconds left ended that drought and 11 seconds later, he hit a 3-pointer to again inch closer to the Spurs.dddddddddddd However, each time San Antonio responded with a pair of free throws to hold off the Hornets. The Hornets jumped out to a 7-0 lead, but San Antonio responded with a 17-4 run to go up 17-11 with three minutes to go in the first quarter. San Antonio led 22-18 after one quarter when Stephensons jumper with 32 seconds left cut into the Spurs lead. Stephenson missed the previous 14 games with a pelvic strain. In the second quarter, San Antonio used great ball movement and shooting to increase its lead. Matt Bonner and Green each hit a pair of 3s as the Spurs went 5-of-6 from long distance during the quarter to take a 57-45 lead into the break on Ginobilis buzzer-beating triple. The Hornets limited San Antonio to 26.9 percent shooting in the third quarter, while hitting 9-of-15 shots themselves. Charlotte cut its deficit down to six points twice, but the Spurs did just enough to maintain their steady edge. Walkers bucket with 22 seconds to go trimmed San Antonios lead to 76-68 at the end of the third. Game Notes San Antonio has won eight straight against Charlotte ... Walker scored 25-or- more points for the sixth straight game ... With the win, Duncan and Tony Parker tied Robert Parish and Kevin McHale for second place in wins achieved as teammates with 656, all with the Spurs ... The season series will conclude on Jan. 28 in San Antonio. ' ' '