Serena Williams was teed up for the upset. You could see it coming for Alize Cornet, the 49th-ranked Frenchwoman, whom Williams faced Monday in the second round of the Olympic Games in Rio. Cornet had beaten Williams the past three times they played, bringing their improbable rivalry square at three wins apiece.Just as ominous, the Olympic tournament was barely two days old and proving to be a hot mess -- a quagmire for favorites and stars.Among the casualties was mens top seed Novak Djokovic, who left the same Centre Court of the Barra Olympic Park weeping following his first-round loss Sunday to Juan Martin del Potro.Was it a further omen when top-seeded and three-time gold medalists Serena and Venus Williams were upset in the first round of doubles?Not hardly.Serena bent, but she did not break as she fought, foundered, recovered and hammered her way to a 7-6 (5), 6-2 win against Cornet.Ive lost some tough matches to her in the past, Williams told the on-court interviewer immediately afterward. I just had to not let all the elements get in my head because I didnt play great against her in the past.Cornets wins against Williams all happened in 2014, a stormy year for the American. And the skies werent always piercing blue for Williams in the interim, either. Who would have predicted that semifinal loss to Roberta Vinci at last years US Open? And what about her shortcomings in her next two Grand Slams, in Australia and France earlier this year?Cornet has the kind of game that makes other players want to teach her a lesson. Shes like a pebble in the shoe of everyone she plays. Shes tireless, her game is unpredictable, her attitude brazen. That puffball serve of hers begs to be clobbered, but its hard to time it right -- especially for a player like Williams, who feeds on pace. Cornets backhand is her pride and joy. Maybe thats why Williams went after it so wolfishly, stubbornly -- and futilely -- trying to break it down.Williams is 34, and questions always follow an aging athlete. Its all the more marked in the case of an icon like Williams. And the questions tend to repeat themselves. So do the answers. Over and over. At Wimbledon, she rebounded with an historic title. So its hardly surprising that once again Williams got into a jam Monday that she found a way to drill her way out of it.After racing to a 3-0 lead, Williams serve deserted her. She was broken, thanks to an untimely double fault in the next game. Then she failed to convert any of four break points in an agonizingly long game that followed, allowing Cornet to find some rhythm and work her way back into contention.Cornet is the wrong cat to let out of a bag. That was painfully clear to Williams when she found herself down double-set point at 4-5. Williams, however, hit a booming serve and powdered a backhand drive volley to dismiss one set point. Then she neutralized the other with an unreturnable serve.She continued hitting her dominant first serve and the crisis passed.An Olympic medal, like a coin, has two sides. The flip side of this one says that despite the drama and struggle, Williams did what Djokovic, Agnieszka Radwanska, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Venus and Ana Ivanovic -- to name a few -- have failed to do.She has lived to play another day in Rio. Basketball Shoes Sale . William Carrier opened the scoring for Cape Breton (6-4-2), but Andrew Ryan tied the game and Brent Andrews put the Mooseheads (8-6-0) in front for good with a short-handed goal at 13:49 of the second period. Cheap Basketball Shoes Free Shipping . The players spoke Jan. 13 during a Major League Baseball Players Association conference call after Rodriguez sued the union and Major League Baseball to overturn an arbitrators decision suspending him for the 2014 season and post-season. https://www.cheapbasketballshoesstore.com/ . Hazard cut in from the left and scored with a swerving right-footed shot for ninth goal of the season, which proved to be enough for the victory despite Chelseas forwards again lacking a cutting edge up front. Basketball Shoes From China . LOUIS -- Lance Lynn was one of the more enthusiastic participants as the St. Basketball Shoes Online Store . From filmmaker Nanette Burstein (On the Ropes), The Price of Gold revisits the saga that rocked the figure skating world ahead of the 1994 Lillehammer Olympic Winter Games: the assault on Nancy Kerrigan, and the plot that led its way back to her rival Tonya Harding. LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Just a few games into the season, its clear 11th-ranked Xavier has some work to do closing out games.The Musketeers nearly let a 16-point second-half lead disappear, but Trevon Bluiett hit some clutch free throws late to help them pull away from Northern Iowa for a 67-59 victory in the Tire Pros Invitational championship game Sunday night.The Panthers came within five points with 1:35 left while Xaviers offense struggled, but then the Musketeers (5-0) hit 9 of 10 free throws in the final 57 seconds. That stalled the rally by Northern Iowa, which seemed poised to overcome a double-digit deficit for the second time in as many games.Id like to have those last four or five minutes back, but its so early, Xavier coach Chris Mack said. Were a little bit better in terms of finishing the game, but we still have a ways to go in that department.Bluiett converted 5 of 6 free throws after missing some critical shots earlier that helped open the door for the comeback attempt.We kind of base everything on a next-play mentality, so you cant really worry over the past plays, said Bluiett, who finished with a game-high 21 points. My teammates do a good job of kind of helping me forget about that.After going into halftime with the game tied 30-30, the Musketeers started the second strong with Bluiett and Edmond Sumner leading the way. Sumner scored 11 of his 17 points in the final 20 minutes.But once the Panthers (3-1) found their rhythm against Xaviers 1-1-3 zone and man-to-man defense, the game began to turn late. Jordan Ashton and Klint Carlson hit some big shots to bring Northern Iowa back, but the Musketeers showed poise just in time to pull away.Sometimes you get into the game and teams are maybe not what they seem like on film, but Xavier is every bit as good and in some ways even better, UNI coacch Ben Jacobson said.ddddddddddddWe had a tremendous amount of respect for them even before this game and Ive got more now because they have so many ways they can beat you, offensively everybody can make plays.Now the two teams get to do it all over again when they meet Saturday at Xavier.Honestly, Im pretty excited, Bluiett said. They are good team and I think they are going to bring their A-game when they come back. They kind of have some motivation now and I think we will be ready for it, as well.BIG PICTUREN. Iowa: The Panthers are great 3-point shooters, but their shots were not falling consistently against Xavier. Morgan was the only shooter to show up on Sunday.Xavier: The Musketeers showed a variety of defenses to keep the Panthers off balance, switching from a 1-1-3 zone to man-to-man. Xavier has plenty of fire power on offense with J.P Macura and Quentin Goodin hitting big shots throughout the game.POLL IMPLICATIONSXavier: A win over previously unbeaten Northern Iowa could help the Musketeers standing.DOUBLING DOWNXavier consistently sent double teams at Northern Iowas Bennett Koch in the post in order to limit him, and it worked.Koch was just 4 of 8 from the field for 11 points and turned the ball over six times in the paint.ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMUNIs Jeremy Morgan joined Bluiett and Macura on the all-tournament team along with Oklahomas Jordan Woodard and Davidsons Jack Gibbs. Bluiett was the tournament MVP after scoring 56 points, grabbing 16 rebounds and getting seven assists over the three games. Morgan led UNI with 20 points in this one.UP NEXTN. Iowa: The Panthers travel to Cincinnati to face Xavier again on Saturday.Xavier: The Musketeers host Northern Iowa on Saturday. ' ' '