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ROME -- Milos Raonic was a few points away from locking up a spot in a Masters 1000 final for the second time in his career. Instead a letdown in a second-set tiebreaker proved costly for the Canadian as he dropped a three-set decision to Novak Djokovic on Saturday at the Italian Open. The second-ranked Djokovic will now renew his rivalry with top-ranked Rafael Nadal in the championship match Sunday. There will be an enticing womens championship too, with top-ranked Serena Williams to face Sara Errani, the tournaments first Italian finalist in nearly 30 years. Djokovic took his time before figuring out Raonics massive serve for a 6-7 (5), 7-6 (4), 6-3 victory in a three-hour match at the Foro Italico. "I did the things I wanted to do. I didnt execute in the moments I would have liked but I did create a lot of opportunities for myself," Raonic said. "I just wish I would have played a few situations differently. I had the right approach but wasnt able to execute well (all) of the time. "I felt I had a chance in the match. I brought my best tennis (so) I could give myself an opportunity -- which I was able to do today. It came down to a few moments and he performed better in those moments than I did." Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., had 55 winners but also made 42 unforced errors. The 23-year-old missed out on three break-point chances in the second set while Djokovic earned an early break in the third for a lead he wouldnt relinquish. "It was a tight match that was decided in the first two sets on a few points," Djokovic said. "He put a lot of pressure on my service games. And when you serve that well, you dont have as much pressure on your return games." Raonics serve flirted with the 230 km/h mark at times and he fired 17 aces. "I cant recall the last time when I was feeling so helpless in the return games," Djokovic said. "It was brutal." In mens doubles action, Canadas Daniel Nestor and Serbian partner Nenad Zimonjic reached the final with a 7-6 (3), 4-6, 12-10 win over Bob and Mike Bryan of the United States. Raonic lost to Nadal in the final of the 2013 Rogers Cup in his lone Masters 1000 final appearance. He will return to a career-high No. 9 in the world rankings on Monday. Raonic will also be a top-eight seed at the French Open in two weeks since Argentinas Juan Martin Del Potro -- currently the world No. 7 -- will be unable to compete because of injury. The Italian Open is the last key clay-court tuneup before the upcoming French Open. Having been stretched to three sets in his opening three matches this week, Nadal finally put in a complete performance with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Grigor Dimitrov in the late semifinal. "Today was a good confirmation that I really played better ... a lot of positive things," Nadal said. "(Djokovic) is playing great and its going to be a really tough match." Nadal holds a 22-18 career edge vs. Djokovic but the Serb won their last meeting for the Sony Open title in March in Key Biscayne, Florida. Nadal already has a record seven titles in Rome, while Djokovic is seeking his third championship at the Foro Italico. They have met in three finals here, with Nadal winning two of them. Williams overcame a second-set lapse to beat Ana Ivanovic 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 and gain a measure of revenge for a fourth-round loss to the Serb at this years Australian Open. Using vocal crowd support to her advantage, Errani fought back from a 4-1 deficit in the second set for a 6-3, 7-5 win over two-time Rome champion Jelena Jankovic. Williams is aiming for her third Rome title, having won this clay-court tuneup for Roland Garros in 2002 and last year. The American is 6-0 in her career against Errani and lost just one game in their last meeting, in the semifinals of last years French Open. "Shes just taken her game to a whole new level and she has so much confidence beating two really good top-10 players and two really great clay-court players," Williams said, also referring to Erranis win over second-seeded Li Na in the quarter-finals. "So I have a lot of work to do tomorrow. Its not going to be easy. And she has nothing to lose and she has the crowd behind her. So its going to be a really tough match for me." Nadal went the distance against Gilles Simon, Mikhail Youzhny and Andy Murray in his opening rounds this week but had relatively little trouble against Dimitrov, who was playing in his first Masters series semifinal. Afterward, Djokovic appealed for help for his flood-hit native Serbia, and wrote a message of support on a camera lens, adding I love you in Cyrillic. "This is a total catastrophe of biblical proportions," he said. "Half the country is in danger of not having electricity." Errani drew emotion from the crowd. "There were a few moments when I thought I might not pull it off but the fans were huge," said Errani, who is attempting to become the first Italian to win the tournament since Raffaella Reggi took the 1985 title in Taranto. The last Italian man to win was Adriano Panatta back in 1976. Its already Erranis best result since reaching the 2012 French Open final. Jankovic, the 2007 and 2008 Rome champion, repeatedly asked the chair umpire to come down and check marks but none of them were overturned, resulting only in the crowd stepping up its encouragement for Errani. "Just do it, Sara. Just do it, Sara," the fans cheered late in the second set. The highly partisan crowd frequently applauded Errani while points were still being played and cheered even when Jankovic double-faulted. "(The crowd) was all on her side but its normal, shes the local player," Jankovic said. "I tried to stay focused on my game, and play my tennis but she was the better player today." ------ With files from The Canadian Press. Wholesale Chiefs Jerseys China . Kyle Denbrook, a soccer player from Saint Marys University, took the CIS male athlete of the week honour. Stanley, a fourth-year business administration student from Charlottetown, scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Dalhousie on Friday and tallied again in a 1-0 win over Saint Marys on Sunday. Joe Montana Jersey . "Rob brings a wealth of coaching experience, having worked both in Canada and overseas in player development," Canada Soccer technical director Tony Fonseca said in a release. http://www.cheapchiefsjerseysauthentic.c...an-okoye-jersey. -- The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Cuban shortstop Erisbel Arruebarrena to a $25 million, five-year contract Saturday. Marcus Allen Jersey . - Quarterback Brady Quinn says he has been released by the Miami Dolphins. Len Dawson Jersey . The Marlies centre set up three goals, including the game-winner, as Toronto cruised to a 4-1 victory over the Oklahoma City Barons in American Hockey League action.CLEVELAND -- Danny Salazar pumped his fist, broke into a big smile and hugged his teammates. A pitchers first career shutout is certainly reason to celebrate. Salazar (6-6) struck out nine and didnt walk a batter, and the Cleveland Indians beat the Detroit Tigers 7-0 on Wednesday night. "I really wanted to finish," he said. "They asked me after the eighth how I felt and I said I was ready. I felt better in the ninth than I did in the first." Salazar, who has pitched 17 consecutive scoreless innings, was given a loud ovation by the sparse crowd of 11,739 when he took the mound for the ninth. The 24-year-old right-hander gave up a one-out single to Steven Moya, but struck out J.D. Martinez for the fourth time. With the crowd on its feet and Salazars adrenaline pumping, Nick Castellanos swung and missed at a 2-2 pitch -- the 118th of the night -- to end the game. "I was excited, but I tried to keep my focus," Salazar said. "I was saying, get an out, a strikeout, a groundout, it didnt matter." Indians manager Terry Francona was pulling for Salazar to finish it off. "You want the kid to get the shutout, but that was his last hitter," he said. "He sure answered the bell tonight. He really dialed it up." Carlos Santana hit a two-run homer in the first off Justin Verlander (12-12), who allowed seventh runs in 6 2-3 innings. Cleveland scored twice in the fourth on Lonnie Chisenhalls RBI double and Yan Gomes run-scoring single. Michael Bourns RBI single and rookie Jose Ramirezs run-scoring double finished Verlander in the seventh. The Tigers (76-63), who entered play a half-game behind Kansas City in the AL Central, won the first two games of the crucial series against their division rivals. Cleveland (71-66) has won sevven of 10 and is trying to stay in playoff contention.dddddddddddd Verlander pitched for the first time since nude photos of him and model girlfriend Kate Upton were allegedly hacked from an online account and posted on the Internet. The right-hander told reporters Tuesday that he wouldnt comment on his personal life and his focus was on helping the Tigers make the playoffs. Verlander, who struck out seven and allowed nine hits, has been dealing with a sore shoulder and his 4.80 ERA is the second-worst ERA of his career. Salazar hasnt allowed a run since the third inning on Aug. 23 against Houston. The right-hander pitched five scoreless innings against Kansas City last week, a start that was cut short by a rain delay. "He was throwing mid-to-upper 90s the entire game and overpowered us at times," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. Santana homered to right on a 2-1 pitch, his 24th of the season. BIG G DH Jason Giambi started for the first time since June 11 and had a second-inning single in three at-bats. Giambi, 43, was activated from the 60-day disabled list on Monday with soreness in his left knee. FULL PEN RHP Josh Tomlin returned from paternity leave, giving the Indians a total of 11 relievers. Tomlin pitched two scoreless innings for the win Saturday against Kansas City. TRAINERS ROOM Indians: Utilityman Mike Aviles (whiplash symptoms) was out of the lineup for the second straight day. He was injured trying to make a diving catch in right field Monday. UP NEXT Tigers: RHP Max Scherzer (15-5) will start the finale of the four-game set Thursday for Detroit as the Tigers go for the series win. Indians: RHP Trevor Bauer (5-7), who has pitched 11 2-3 consecutive scoreless innings, will start for Cleveland. The Indians have won each of his last four starts. 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