She is still only 21.So ask PV Sindhu, who is back home after clinching her first Superseries title in China and following that up by reaching the final of another Superseries event in Hong Kong, what this phase on the road was like, and you get the response of a chirpy, sprightly young person relishing her time in the sun.She describes the two weeks as extremely wonderful, the victory in China as a great achievement and a tremendous experience. She winds down her sentence by saying reaching back-to-back finals made her incredibly happy.So, was the defeat in the final in Hong Kong to Tai Tzu Ying, an opponent she had beaten comfortably on her way to silver in Rio, at all disheartening?Nah. Sindhus default setting is upbeat.My opponent was extraordinarily brilliant on the court on that day, she concedes. And a few foul shots cost me the match.These have been a heady few months. Since that historic run to the podium in Rio, Sindhu has taken pride of place among Indias most prominent sportspersons. Her first two tournaments on returning to competitive play after a couple of months of manic celebrations and felicitations ended in early defeats in Denmark and France.Many wondered if the year would end in a whimper. But not Sindhu. In China, she battled through a string of long matches and backed it up in Hong Kong with four sparkling performances, demolishing the field in her wake, before going down in the summit clash.For coach Pullela Gopichand, who did not travel with Sindhu for these tournaments, the biggest takeaway from the last two tournaments has been watching her evolution as a player. Strokes they would practice on the training court were unleashed in match situations on unsuspecting opponents. To finish her semifinal in Hong Kong against local girl Cheung Ngan Yi , Sindhu jumped to play a reverse drop that caught her opponent completely off-guard because Gopi says nobody had seen her play that stroke ever.From her backhand lane, Sindhu was retrieving and hitting the shuttle cross-court, another addition to her arsenal. Nine-time national champion Aparna Popat likens that shot to Steffi Grafs single-handed, top-spin backhand. She believes Sindhus display of a wider array of shots is a reflection of a much higher level of confidence after Rio.As you grow as a player, against different opponents you find yourself in different situations, Aparna explains. You know you have to hit a particular stroke but you are not so confident to execute it. Thats when you go back to practice and practice very specific strokes under specific situations. For example that backhand cross, maybe 75% of the match you will play straight, but say at 16-all or 17-all you pull out one of those strokes.As you go along these strokes will keep getting added, one by one. The confidence to use the stroke is something that cant be practiced and cannot be taught. It is when you are so confident in general and when you practice it so much that you will dare to do something like that in a match.Aparna reckons Sindhu is a lot more settled with her own game these days. From being unsure at the start of the year whether she could even qualify for the Olympics, having been laid low by injuries and patchy form, to clinching silver has, in Aparnas estimation, relaxed Sindhu mentally.Gopi agrees increased confidence has led to a spurt in the strokes she feels comfortable employing even in closely contested matches. Sindhu is well aware that on an extremely competitive circuit with the top players in the world bunched together in ranking points, continuing to develop an all-round game is essential.Competition has always been there be it a small stage or big, Sindhu says. Meeting the challenges and winning them are the crowning glories that the titles carry. I feel more confident and also I have been working on all my strokes.Sindhus immediate challenge will be the Superseries finals in Dubai from December 14 where an elite field of eight players participate in a round robin and knockout format.For Sindhu to have accumulated enough points to even qualify for the event was a major surprise as she had missed a few Superseries tournaments at the start of the year. She says shes elated to have made the cut even as Gopi chuckles that he is now cancelling other engagements planned for the time to prepare for the event. As to whether she starts as among the favourites for the title on current form, Gopi offers a more cautious perspective.It is a very open event, he says. You cant rule out the Carolina Marins, Tai Tzu Ying and Sung Ji Hyuns of the world. Many of Sindhus wins and losses have been close matches, we have to remember that.Aparna agrees that the tournament is too hard to call. In her view, after the successes of 2016, Sindhu must target a swift rise up the rankings as her primary ambition next season.I think she should get into the top-5 now, it is high time, Aparna says. She has been hovering around the 9-10 level for a long time. That can only happen if she gets consistent success in Superseries events. Custom Braves Jerseys . - Blake Griffin had 30 points and 12 rebounds, J. Tom Glavine Jersey Large . -- Timbers coach Caleb Porter didnt stray from his business-like approach to the season even after Portland downed the two-time defending league champion Los Angeles Galaxy to gain crucial playoff position. http://www.custombravesjersey.com/ . -- Patrick Reed got an early start in golf. Custom Bobby Cox Jersey . -- Catcher Brett Hayes has agreed to a $630,000, one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals, avoiding salary arbitration. Bobby Cox Jersey Large . The Brazilian goalkeeper signed a loan deal with the Major League Soccer club on Friday as he looks to get playing time ahead of this summers World Cup in his home country. NEW YORK -- Chris Davis first-half power surge made him one popular All-Star. Baltimores first baseman with the cool nickname "Crush" slugged his way past Detroits Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera in the final week to claim the most fan votes in All-Star game balloting. Washington outfielder Bryce Harper used a final push to win a spot in the National Leagues starting lineup. Right-hander Max Scherzer was one of a major league-best six Tigers chosen for the All-Star game July 16 at Citi Field in New York. St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina led the NL fan vote announced Saturday night. He is one of the Cardinals five All-Stars, tops in the NL. "I think any time you are getting that recognition, not only from your fan base but from everybody across the nation, I think it feels good to know that people are watching," said Davis, one of 30 first-time All-Stars. Mets young ace Matt Harvey and third baseman David Wright will represent the host team in the 84th All-Star game. Harvey, a first timer, received the most votes among NL pitchers in the player balloting, outpacing the Dodgers Clayton Kershaw. Baseballs latest phenom, Cuban defector Yasiel Puig, didnt make the NL team -- at least not yet. The Dodgers outfielder with just one breathless month in the big leagues is among five candidates for the final NL spot, with fans able to vote online through Thursday. "Hes done a tremendous job since hes been up here and created a lot of interest throughout baseball with what hes accomplished," said Giants manager Bruce Bochy, who will lead the NL squad for the second time in three years. "This gives him a chance to get voted on the club if the public thinks they want to see him there." The Blue Jays will have at least three representatives at Citi Field. Right-fielder Jose Bautista, first baseman/designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion and relief pitcher Brett Cecil were all named to the American League squad. In addition, two Toronto natives also made the cut. Joey Votto will represent the Cincinnati Reds for the fourth time in his career while Jesse Crain of the Chicago White Sox was named to the American League team. The league that wins the All-Star game gains home-field advantage in the World Series. The NL won the last three Midsummer Classics and World Series titles. Manager Bruce Bochy of the defending champion Giants will lead the NL squad for the second time in three years. "You actually enjoy the process," Bochy said. "It does force you to learn even more about players throughout the league, exactly where they are with the numbers." Davis finished with 8,272,243 fan votes to edge Cabrera, who had 8,013,874. Davis has 85 RBIs, matching his career high and only three fewer than Cabrera. But he has hit 33 homers, seventh best before the break in big league history -- he has a week to catch Barry Bonds 39. Davis is the second first-time All-Star to lead the voting, joining Seattle outfielder Ichiro Suzuki (2001). The 27-year-old Davis is one of three Orioles to be selected by fans, the first time that has happened since Cal Ripken Jr. was one of the picks in 1997. Shortstop J.J. Hardy and centre fielder Adam Jones will take the field with Davis. Baltimore third baseman Manny Machado was selected as a reserve. In the only close race for a starting role, the 20-year-old Harper trailed Justin Upton by several thousand votes, but he homered in his return from the disabled list this week and moved into the lead. Now Harper will become the youngest NL starter and fourth youngest overall to start in the game, according to the Nationals. Jerry Walker of the 1959 Orioles was several months younger. "Im really looking forward to it and being aaround the top guys in baseball," Harper said.dddddddddddd Fellow rookie of the year Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels was voted to his first All-Star start, too. Puig is joined in the final NL five by shortstop Ian Desmond of Washington, first basemen Freddie Freeman of Atlanta, Adrian Gonzalez of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and outfielder Hunter Pence of San Francisco. The American Leagues five are all relievers: Detroits Joaquin Benoit, Torontos Steve Delabar, the Yankees David Robertson, Texas Tanner Scheppers, and Bostons Koji Uehara. New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera was one of the 68 players selected chosen by fans, managers and big leaguers. The 43-year-old career saves leader will hop across town as part of his retirement tour for a 13th All-Star appearance, second most by a pitcher behind Hall of Famer Warren Spahn, who made 17 teams. "The fact that I went through all the adversity and Im standing here talking about the All-Star game ... its a privilege," said Rivera, who has 29 saves this year after missing nearly all of last season with a torn knee ligament. While Yankees stars Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez are working their way back from injuries and will be absent in Queens, Robinson Cano was selected to his fourth straight start at second base. Scherzer is the first pitcher to start a season 13-0 since Roger Clemens in 1986. "If they give me the ball that would be pretty special to me," Scherzer said of starting. "You look at how many other great pitchers who are in the game right now who are worthy of starting. If Im selected that would mean so much." Scherzer was joined from Detroit by first baseman Prince Fielder, shortstop Jhonny Peralta, and outfielder Torii Hunter. Tigers manager Jim Leyland, who will run the AL squad after leading Detroit to the World Series, picked his ace Justin Verlander for the team. "This is not a simple thing, but Im proud of it," Leyland said. "We worked hard on it. Were not going to be perfect. I put a lot of time and thought into it. I had a lot of help. Its still not going to make everybody happy. Theres going to be guys who should be All-Stars who are left off. That happens every year." Third base was a talent-laden position, and one player to be left off the AL roster was Oaklands Josh Donaldson. The Athletics only selection was 40-year-old pitcher Bartolo Colon. Colon is an All-Star for the first time since 2005, when he won the AL Cy Young Award with the Angels. At 11-3 with a 2.73 ERA, Colon is making his third All-Star team. This one comes, though, after he began the season finishing a 50-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs. Tampa Bays Evan Longoria and Texas Adrian Beltre also were not chosen in the ALs crowded third base field. In the NL, where the preseason favourites are trailing their divisions, no players from the three first-place teams were selected by fans as starters. But the Central-leading Pittsburgh Pirates, with baseballs best record at 53-32, landed four players on the squad for the first time since 1981: closer Jason Grilli, left-hander Jeff Locke, third baseman Pedro Alvarez, and outfielder Andrew McCutchen. "There are so many guys in this room who are so deserving," Grilli said. "To have as many as guys represented, there could be a lot more. Thats the way it goes. It doesnt always happen the way you want it to." The AL starters: Davis, Cano, Hardy, Cabrera, Jones, Trout, Bautista, Twins catcher Joe and Red Sox DH David Ortiz. The NL starters: Molina, Wright, Harper, Votto and second baseman Brandon Phillps, Cardinals outfielder Carlos Beltran, Colorado outfielder Carlos Gonzalez and shortstop Troy Tulowitzki. ' ' '