es to be one of those guys, even though he squandered his chance last week by making two bogeys and a double bogey over the last four holes at Bethpage Black. Fowler is the defending champion at the Deutsche Bank Championship.It would have been nice to seal the deal last week, Fowler said. But very co

This is time of season when under-the-radar players have ample opportunity to make up ground in the rankings or establish some momentum heading into the next year.For Caroline Wozniacki and a couple of precocious ATP stars, they did both. Here are a few notable items that resonated with our cache of tennis writers this past week:@CarlBialik: A month ago, Caroline Wozniacki had a career résumé most players would envy: 23 career titles, two major finals and 67 weeks at No. 1 (more than Victoria Azarenka, Maria Sharapova, Kim Clijsters and Venus Williams).But Wozniacki had never beaten two top-10 players in two successive tournaments. Now she has, with two such wins on her way to the US Open semifinals earlier this month and two more on her way to the Tokyo title last week. The championship gave Wozniacki 24 career titles.There was no particular reason to expect Wozniacki to create career highlights heading into the US Open. She was ranked 74th in the world and hadnt reached a quarterfinal in six months and hadnt beaten a top-10 player in 11 months. Further, she hadnt won a tournament in 18 months.But Wozniacki was starting to feel healthy again, and her good form coincided with her best major, where she reached the final in New York in 2009 and 2014.Now Wozniackis comeback is on an accelerated schedule. She beat Samantha Stosur in Wuhan on Monday -- the Danes fifth top-20 win in a month after scoring just one in the prior 11 months. Wozniacki could return to the top 20 herself with a few more wins.Win another title this week, Wozniacki has a chance to qualify for the WTA Finals. The last time she got there, in 2014, she won three matches and came within two points of upsetting Serena Williams. Wozniacki might be playing even better tennis today.@ptbodo:?Lucas Pouille did some fair racket work this past weekend. He won the first ATP Tour title of his career at Metz, France. In the final, he knocked off Dominic Thiem.Pouille was playing against a generational rival -- and a player in Thiem who, with justification, has always been more highly touted. Thiem already has four ATP titles this year alone.Pouille is the No. 2-ranked player in the under-23 category behind Nick Kyrgios. And while his game isnt as flashy, it is no less explosive. And Pouilles temperament is in an entirely different league. Hes savvy, self-controlled and good under pressure.Growing up, Pouille admired Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. I didnt copy the way they played, Pouille told the ATP communications staff. But I tried to emulate their attitude on the court and their mental strength.Pouille demonstrated those qualities as he made the quarterfinals at the last two majors of the year. At Wimbledon, he knocked off Juan Martin del Potro. At the US Open, he upset No. 5 Nadal in the fourth-round.The win against Thiem was Pouilles fifth over a top-10 opponent this year -- and his 30th overall. Pouille did benefit from a home-court advantage of sorts: French players have won Metz seven of the past eight years.@mattwilansky: Its not easy to create buzz this time of year on the tennis circuit, but Alexander Zverev did just that Sunday. One of the highly touted up-and-comers, Zverev upset US Open champ?Stan Wawrinka?6-2, 3-6, 7-5 in the final of the St. Petersburg Open.Zverev, a flashy 19-year-old from Germany, has been the centerpiece of a next generation of stars. Hes 6-foot-6 with an stout all-court game. At No. 24, hes the youngest player in the top 50. His triumph Sunday was his first career title.Talented as Zverev is, his win has to come as a major surprise given his red-hot opponent. Wawrinka had been riding a 10-match winning streak, which included his run in New York. The Swiss, arguably the best big-game player at the moment, had won his past 11 finals.Even more stunning, Wawrinka was up 3-0 in the final set before succumbing.Zverev summed up his performance succinctly and accurately afterward, telling the media: This victory is something special.@natkinESPN: It speaks to Andy Murrays character that he is already thinking about his legacy while in the prime of his career. Aside from trying to win more titles, Murray told the British media he will try to leverage his weight in bringing an ATP Tour 250 event to Glasgow, where he launched an annual charity exhibition event at the SSE Hydro last week.This comes as a slice of good news, as Murrays mother, Judy, has voiced concerns, saying Scotland is failing to capitalize on the buzz and opportunity created by her two sons.Just ￡800,000 is allocated to Scotland from the Lawn Tennis Associations ￡64 million annual budget, a paltry amount given how much Andy and Jamie Murray -- both three-time Grand Slam champions in singles and doubles, respectively -- have contributed to highlighting the sport.More tennis courts must be built in working-class areas of Scotland -- there are none in the east end of Glasgow for instance -- or the risk of losing the next generation of British tennis talent is high.Cheap Atlanta Hawks Jerseys China . After taking two big hits this week -- losing at home and dropping back-to-back games for the first time all season -- Indiana struck back by playing its most complete game of the year. Clearance NBA Jerseys Store . To the surprise of many, it isnt the Wolverines but their in-state rivals the Michigan State Spartans. http://www.cheapbasketballchina.com/cheap-charlotte-hornets-jerseys-china_134r.html . A big centre with all the tools to be an elite player, Johansen paced the Blue Jackets with a standout game Saturday night. He had a goal and two assists for a career-high three points as Columbus beat the New York Islanders 5-2 to snap a five-game losing streak. Cheap Boston Celtics Jerseys China . Vaives lawyer Trevor Whiffen claims the former 50-goal man wasnt provided with a copy of the claim beforehand and that he would not have agreed to the allegations made against the NHL had he been asked to review its contents. Wholesale NBA Jerseys China . Now that hes hitting streaking teammates with pin-point passes for easy layups, Love is asserting himself as one of the true superstars in the league.NORTON, Mass. -- The Ryder Cup is a month away and Phil Mickelson already has identified a big problem with the American team.In the Boston area for the Deutsche Bank Championship, the eight automatic qualifiers had their first team session Wednesday night at Gillette Stadium. They were given a tour of the New England Patriots home and heard an inspirational speech from Mike Eruzione, the captain of the 1980 hockey team that won Olympic gold.And then it was time for golf.From a platform in the stadium, they hit wedges to a target about 80 yards away. It was closest to the pin, and Mickelson won.One problem.There was no left-handed clubs, and he hit it righty, Jordan Spieth said. Phil hit it to about 4 feet right-handed on his second try, which made us all feel really bad. Because he sure let us know about it.Mickelson wasnt done chirping the next day.It was a 60-degree wedge from only 80 yards. It wasnt like it was rocket science, he said Thursday after his pro-am round at the TPC Boston. I feel like it identified a weakness in the U.S. team that we need to work on in the next four or five weeks, because if Im hitting right-handed inside of them ... weve got time to fix it. But weve got an issue.Then again, he only had to beat seven players.Europe completed its 12-man team Tuesday when Darren Clarke made his three captains picks. The U.S. team has just eight players at the moment. Not until the next two tournaments are over will Davis Love III announce three picks. A fourth pick will come after the Tour Championship, just five days before the Ryder Cup begins.The reason behind the staggered picks is having the option to take a hot player.That means two cups are at stake for a few dozen Americans -- an audition for the Ryder Cup, and the FedEx Cup that offers a $10 million bonus and a five-year exemption. Love said earlier this week that the entire field at the Deutsche Bank Championship has to be on our radar.Zach Johnson got the final spot on the American team, but only after Rickie Fowler fell apart on the closing holes at The Barclays. Love said he felt Johnson would be freed up to perform better now thaat making the Ryder Cup team no longer hangs over him.ddddddddddddIf thats the case, what to make of J.B. Holmes or Scott Piercy, Justin Thomas or Daniel Berger?I dont have that extra pressure, Spieth said. Thats a team that everybody want to be on ... as bad as anything theyve tried to accomplish this year. Now the guys that are just off the list that are in consideration, they pretty much have a playoff with each other over the next couple weeks. And it certainly adds excitement for those watching. But for those guys, thats tough.Mickelson doesnt see it that way.While the task force agreed to wait as long as possible to make the picks so they could identify the hot players, Love has said the three picks on Sept. 12 should be easier to make than the final pick on Sept. 25. Are the next two weeks really an audition?I dont think theres that much pressure because I think the picks are fairly obvious, Mickelson said. If we get who gets a hot hand, and we need that hot hand at the Ryder Cup and it gives us the best chance to win, then we have that option. For the most part, its fairly obvious who the picks are without naming them.Fowler figures to be one of those guys, even though he squandered his chance last week by making two bogeys and a double bogey over the last four holes at Bethpage Black. Fowler is the defending champion at the Deutsche Bank Championship.It would have been nice to seal the deal last week, Fowler said. But very confident with where the games at and that we can put some good golf together and make sure that Davis gives us a pick.With the staggered picks, the Ryder Cup touches every FedEx Cup playoff event, at least for those involved. Almost as an afterthought, the second playoff event begins Friday with the traditional Labor Day finish in Boston.Patrick Reed moved to No. 1 in the standings with his victory at The Barclays. Chad Campbell got the 100th and final spot. The top 70 after this week will move on to the third playoff event at Crooked Stick next week. ' ' '