and work hard. And theyre the type of lads who you want to see do wel

TOKYO - Montreals Eugenie Bouchard will try to continue her string of big wins at the Pan Pacific Open when she faces American star Venus Williams in the quarter-finals. Bouchard upset sixth-seeded Jelena Jankovic of Serbia 7-5, 6-2 on Wednesday, a day after ousting No. 8 Sloane Stephens of the U.S. Bouchard, making her debut in the Tokyo tournament, broke Jankovic to go up 5-2 in the second set and then held serve to win the match in one hour 10 minutes at Ariake Colosseum. Jankovic had a 5-4 lead in the first set but Bouchard won the last three games after a talk with her coach. "I felt like I wasnt playing my best in the first set," Bouchard said. "But I stayed with her and started to get a lot more aggressive near the end of the first set and that was the turning point." Bouchard, who is 46th in the world rankings, said winning last years junior Wimbledon title has given her confidence to compete at a higher level. "That gave me a lot of confidence to play in the pros," Bouchard said. "Playing week in, week out against the top players has made me a better player." Williams rallied from a set down to defeat Simona Halep of Romania 4-6, 7-5, 6-3. Williams, making her first appearance in the Tokyo tournament since 2009, broke serve to lead 5-3 in the third set at Ariake Colosseum and then won with a cross-court forehand that No. 13-seeded Halep hit into the net. "It was a very tough match," Williams said. "She played very well. I dont know how I was able to win the match. I just wanted to stay in Japan longer." Williams, who has slipped to 63rd in the world rankings, ousted top-seeded Victoria Azarenka on Tuesday. In other third-round matches, fourth-seeded Caroline Wozniacki defeated Magdalena Rybarikova 6-1, 6-1, and second-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska beat Dominika Cibulkova 6-3, 6-4. Fifth-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany overpowered No. 11-seeded Ana Ivanovic of Serbia, 6-4, 6-2, and Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic beat No. 12-seeded Samantha Stosur of Australia, 6-4, 6-4. Custom NHL Jerseys . Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone dismissed Tuesdays massive anti-government protest in Manama as "a lot of kids having a go at the police." "I dont think its anything serious at all," Ecclestone was quoted as saying in The Guardian newspaper on Wednesday. NHL Jerseys Outlet . Others describe it as taking the parrot for a walk. https://www.chinanhljerseys.us/ . Aaron Hill and Cliff Pennington hit home runs in the first inning for the Diamondbacks, who beat the Miami Marlins 3-2 on Friday night. NHL Jerseys China . -- 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. Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys . -- Howie Kendrick had a two-run single in his first game batting leadoff this season, Chris Iannetta hit a pair of RBI singles and the Los Angeles Angels beat Cleveland 6-4 Tuesday night, sending the Indians to their fifth straight defeat.TORONTO -- Ask people who know Bradley Orr and the reviews of the veteran English fullback are glowing. A great teammate. An experienced professional. A player to watch and learn from. "Hes a fabulous member of any squad," said Toronto FC captain Steven Caldwell, whos known the 31-year-old Orr for more than 15 years and shares an agent. "A real character, a real winner." That character, in part, was forged the hard way. As a young man, he made mistakes that led to jail. Then the Liverpool native learned from them. If Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment is looking for someone to mentor 21-year-old Raptors centre Jonas Valanciunas, charged this week with drunk driving, it probably need look no further than its sister soccer team and Orr. He made headlines in 2006 when he was one of three Bristol City players jailed for their part in a nightclub brawl. A fourth player was given community service. Orr and a teammate were sentenced to 28 days in jail. Wales international David Partridge was given two months behind bars. The players were also suspended and fined two weeks wages by their club. "Soccer Heroes in Prison Shame" was the headline in Englands Sun tabloid. It didnt help that just days before sentencing, Orr was sent off for attempting to head-butt a teammate during a nationally televised game. Some eight years later, Orr believes his biggest mistake was just being at the Romeo Browns nightclub. "Not a lot of people actually know the story and what happened," said Orr, who doesnt shy away from his past or his missteps. A teammate -- "not necessarily a friend" -- was thrown out of the nightclub and then became involved in a brawl with bouncers, two of whom were also charged later. "Things got out of hand. It was wrong place wrong time," said Orr. "He ended up getting a beating. I tried to stop it, got caught up in it and ended up finding myself in prison at the age of 23. "Not ideal but I probably wouldnt change it, because from that, a lot of thought and reflection went on. I decided there and then its either give it everything youve got and try to make the most of this amazing opportunity that Id been given. Or Im going to find myself like many other lads around the same age, and certainly from the same city, on the scrap heap where youve got a bit of ability, youve got the talent but you havent quite got the mentality or the maturity or the discipline to succeed." Orr said he made "little adjustments," worked on his weaknesses and "really knuckled down and gave it everything." "Its eight years down the line and Im still playing football for a living. Ive got an amazing family here with me. Ive got a lot of people who mean a lot to me." Many of those stuck by him during those "dark times." "I was a young lad, I was distraught. I thought my career was finished. You think the worst at that age and I had 23 hours a day to think about it in a cell." "Im just glad I learned from a mistake, in a positive way," he added. "The outcome since then has pretty good so far. I think Ive had a decent enough career and oone I can look back (at) with pride.dddddddddddd "Even though that was an isolated incident and Im not proud of it, I certainly wouldnt change it because its probably helped make me who I am." Orr pleaded guilty based on advice that he would get some kind of community service. His father and girlfriend came to court, expecting to drive him home. Instead he was taken directly below to the cells. Orrs soccer journey featured stints with Newcastle United, Burnley, Bristol City, Queens Park Rangers, Blackburn Rovers, Ipswich Town and Blackpool before joining Toronto FC on loan in late January. He spent the bulk of his career with Bristol City, playing more than 225 games between 2004 and 2010. At 31, Orr is one of the grey beards on Toronto FCs squad. Only Dwayne De Rosario (35), Caldwell (33) and Jermain Defoe (by less than a month) are older. Orr showed his value Saturday in Columbus when injuries and suspension pressed him into service as centre back, alongside 21-year-old rookie Nick Hagglund. Toronto blanked the previously unbeaten Crew 2-0 with Orr one of three TFC players subsequently named to the MLS team of the week. The performance out of position is just why manager Ryan Nelsen acquired Orr. "For me, we needed just hardened guys who have kind of seen both sides of the tracks, if you know what I mean," Nelsen said. "Just so our young guys can learn what it takes to be a pro, to win away (games), to do the little things that it takes to be a good team. And you generally learn that from experience." Nelsen knows talent is not everything. Character plays a huge role in how far a player goes. "Our young guys have got to see that. Because its the best lesson to learn, that theyve got to do a lot of ugly stuff before they can kind of get to that top." Ask Orr about Hagglunds performance in Columbus and the veteran beams. "He was fantastic. I was delighted for Nick. His attitude towards his profession is absolutely (a) different class. He comes in every day really willing to learn and work hard. And theyre the type of lads who you want to see do well." One of the reasons Orr opted for MLS was he wanted to take himself out of his comfort zone and test himself. He has not regretted the move. Orr, who came to Canada with his wife and five-year-old twin boys, has marvelled at the passion of Torontos fans for sports. "Its really mind-blowing," said Orr. He is also blown away by Toronto FCs set-up "How can you not love this place?" he asked, pointing at the clubs well-appointed training centre. "The facilities are world-class. The citys fantastic." "So far Im loving it. Hopefully that can continue and I cant see no reason why not," he added. Orr has jumped right into Torontos sports community, taking in both Leafs and Raptors games. Hes also not afraid of getting out among the fans. A lifelong "big, big" Liverpool fan -- his 21-year-old nephew Jon Flanagan plays for the Reds -- Orr recently found out where the local supporters club was based. So he and Caldwell, with sons in tow, dropped in to see a recent Sunday game over breakfast. ' ' '