MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Defending champion Kei Nishikori of Japan rallied to beat Russian Alex Bogomolov Jr. 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 to advance to the semifinals of the U.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships on Friday. The top-seeded Nishikori will next play 35-year-old American Michael Russell, who upset third-seeded Lleyton Hewitt of Australia 6-3, 7-6 (6) in another quarterfinal match. Bogomolov broke Nishikori for a 3-2 lead in the second set only to drop his next two service games and lose the set. In the third, Nishikori fought off three break points to hold serve and broke Bogomolov in consecutive games to take a 5-2 lead. "Obviously, he was playing really well, I thought," Nishikori said. "He was hitting ball really flat and deep and wasnt making mistakes, especially from the beginning he was very aggressive. I wasnt maybe playing 100 per cent." Fourth-seeded Lu Yen-Hsun of Taiwan beat American qualifier Alex Kuznetsov 6-1, 6-4 in another match and will next face either Jack Sock or Ivo Karlovic, who play later Friday. Russell needed nearly two hours to finish off the former world No. 1 Hewitt. He was broken after double-faulting twice while serving for the match at 5-4 in the second set and also failed to convert a couple of match points in the tiebreaker before finally closing it out. "Every time we play its a battle," Russell said. "Its kind of the mentality knowing, Yeah, youre serving it out. But this guy has a really good return. And vice versa the same thing when hes serving." Russell is the second-oldest player ranked in the top 100 behind Tommy Haas, who will turn 36 in April. He didnt manage a point on his serve while trying to close out the match at 5-4. He then went up 6-4 in the tiebreaker but hit a forehand into the net on his first match point. Hewitt fought off a second match point with a brilliant forehand down the line to level the breaker at 6-all. But the Australian hit a forehand wide and then a return long to allow Russell to advance to just his third ATP Tour semifinal. "My rhythm on my serve wasnt there," Hewitt said. "I was feeling my shoulder a little bit and just couldnt hit my spots. So that was putting me under a lot of pressure then, and he makes a lot of balls and makes you play a lot." Chris Wagner Jersey . Charlottetown scored four times in the third period en route to a 5-2 win over the defending champion Halifax Mooseheads on Friday. Ray Bourque Jersey .FIFA says it is relaxing the rule which forced match officials to leave its international list at the end of the year they turned 45. http://www.thebostonbruinshockey.com/cha...-hockey-jersey/. The Calgary Stampeders announced both moves on Wednesday. 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The Raptors guard left Wednesdays preseason game late in the fourth quarter after he felt his finger pop out while reaching for the ball. "Just not being able to completely use my finger," he said of the adjustment hell need to make as he prepares to open the regular season with the team on Oct. 30. "Its pretty much taped all the way to the top so Im limited to probably four fingers on that hand but I should be okay. Ill figure out how to shoot, score, pass and play defence with it." "Itll be a difficult adjustment but Im not going to complain about it, Im just going to fight through it and help the team as best as I can." Lowry, who is entering his second season in Toronto and the final year of his contract, acknowledged hell have to be more cautious reaching in with the injury but insists his style of play will remain the same. "I doubt its going to change my game because I dont know how to play any different," the starting point guard maintained. "So Im not really going to be concerned about it, Im just going to try to not worry about it and play through it." His coach echoed that sentiment. "I dont think hell be limited at all," Dwane Casey said. "Today he had no problems. He had the special [splint] on there and he was handling the ball, shooting the ball, playing with no problems whatsoever, so I dont think itll affect him." Chip on their Shoulders With the season approaching, Casey referenced an NBA preview article from The New York Times, one he and the team has taken issue with. "When the teams mascot tore an ACL in training camp, it was seen as a bad omen, which says a lot", the author wrote in the piece published on Saturday. "Thats total disrespect and hopefully our guys will use that as motivation," Casey protested. "Masai [Ujiri] saw that this morning and brought it in. It should give us motivation from that standpoint, but weve got to play the game." Although Casey wrestled with the exact wording of the slight at his team, its not the first time hes heard the American media underestimate or crack a joke at the expense of the Raptors franchise. A year ago, the Raptors coach and a number of his players took issue with the 33-win prediction made by former ESPN analyst John Hollinger. They went on to win 34 games. "I like that people are not respecting us," Casey said. "Weve got to have a chip on our shoulders, I have a chip on my shoulder, and if you dont you shouldnt be in uniform." Stone Makes Team, Still Not Satisfied Over the past couple weeks it became clear that guard Julyan Stone was the standoout in a three-player battle for the 15th and final spot on the teams regular season roster.dddddddddddd On Saturday it was made official. "My family told me, I didnt know," Stone said Sunday after finding out the news the day prior. "I was just going on day-by-day." "My mom hit me with the smiley face," he continued, "but for her when she texts smile, she like writes the whole word smile out instead of [using a] smiley face, so I kind of got it from [that]." Stone has endeared himself to Raptors fans and the local media with his personality and quirky stories but his versatility and commitment to defence have kept him around. "He does a good of job of running the show, good things happen when hes out on the floor," Casey said of the versatile 6-foot-6 guard. "Hes a tough kid and he gives us a different defender at that point guard position that can guard the quick guys and guard the big guards so he gives you another tool in your tool box to work with. Hes a hungry kid." The Raptors waived forward Chris Wright and guard Carlos Morais, allowing Stone to stay on. With Lowry playing through injury and back-up point guards D.J. Augustin and Dwight Buycks failing to stand out in camp, Stone has an opportunity to play his way into a the rotation, something hes strived for from the minute he arrived in Toronto. "Everybodys happy with just being in the league [but] my journeys been different," Stone said. "If youre a competitive person youre not just fighting for the 15th spot. I didnt come in here just to fight for the 15th spot. That was never really on my mind." "It was a fight for a position to play," he continued. "So making the cut for me was just something I had to do but I didnt think about it that way. I came in here to play, I came in here to make a name [for myself], I came in here to be in the rotation, thats always been my mindset and that will continue to be my mindset." Believed to be something of a long shot upon receiving a non-guaranteed contract and invite to training camp, Stone has impressed the coaching staff and continues to overcome a variety of injuries that have plagued him over the past couple years. Stone averaged 1.7 points and 1.5 rebounds in 26 games regular season games with the Denver Nuggets over the last two years, also appearing in four playoff contests. The 24-year-old guard was expected to sign a guaranteed deal with the Raptors earlier in the summer before lingering knee and hip injuries put the agreement on ice. Ujiri, who previously acquired Stone in Denver, had maintained that the guard would be given another opportunity to earn a spot on the roster if and when he proved to be healthy. "Masai did a good job of just telling me, I know what youre capable of now go show me, if you dont show me what I saw before you will be out of here. Ive got to respect [him] for that." Stone took a knee to his surgically repaired right hip on Wednesday but returned to practice on Sunday and should be ready to go when the season kicks off next week. ' ' '