NEW YORK -- Stanislas Wawrinka, as he was known then, had lost to Novak Djokovic 10 straight times when they met in the fourth round of the 2013 Australian Open.Wawrinka, summoning something from deep within, pushed the world No. 1 to his outer limits before losing 12-10 in the fifth set. The match lasted longer than five hours -- and, more than three years later, the confidence the 31-year-old Wawrinka gained is still with him.Thats when I start to believe and realize myself that, Yeah, maybe I can beat top player in Grand Slam, Wawrinka said Friday. It took me little time. I did it step by step by coming back into the top 10, by making first quarter, French, first semifinal.Based on the head-to-head record, Sundays US Open mens final between No. 1 Djokovic and No. 3 Wawrinka would seem to be a mismatch. Djokovic, the best player in tennis for five years now, maintains a 19-4 margin.But in the crucible of the Grand Slams, Wawrinka has become a different, dominant player.Two years ago at the Australian Open, he beat Djokovic 9-7 in the fifth set of their quarterfinal match, and then tagged No. 1-ranked Rafael Nadal in the final. It was Wawrinkas first major title, and it changed the trajectory of his career. The second came last year at Roland Garros, when he beat Djokovic in an astonishing four-set final.So, Djokovic said after beating Gael Monfils in a wacky four-set semifinal, both of these Grand Slam trophies that he has, he won against me on the way. So I know right now, having two Grand Slam titles and Olympic medal and Davis Cup under his belt, he believes in himself more.Hes a big-match player. He loves to play in the big stage against big players, because thats when he, I think, elevates his level of performance in his game.According to Wawrinka, who beat Kei Nishikori in four sets in the semifinals, playing against Djokovic leaves him no choice.The secret is simple: I have to play my best tennis, my best game, Wawrinka said. Hes the No. 1 player, amazing fighter, amazing player, but I have enough confidence in myself that when I play my best level I can beat him.When you play Novak, the No. 1 player in the final of Grand Slam, its the biggest challenge you can have.And that challenge will be bigger Sunday because of the way this fortnight has unfolded.Djokovic, who came in nursing right arm and left wrist injuries, received some extraordinary luck when three opponents were forced to quit: Jiri Vesely (withdrew from second-round match), Mikhail Youzhny (retired in the third round after six games) and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (retired in the quarterfinals after two sets).While Wawrinka has played a draining 23 sets and 237 games, Djokovic is at 13 sets, 118 games. He has a chance to tie or surpass the record for fewest sets and games in an Open era major that featured a 128-man draw and only best-of-five-set matches. John McEnroe won the 1979 US Open playing 16 sets and 150 games.Wawrinka, who needed to save a match point against Dan Evans in the third round, has slowly rounded into form. In his past two matches, against Juan Martin del Potro and Nishikori, Wawrinka seemed to get stronger as time went on.I had no pain so far, Wawrinka said Friday. Im quite happy with my body where I am, and we will see now in two days. Hopefully Im going to be fresh enough with Novak, who didnt have too much time on the court.Aesthetically, this is a pleasing matchup. Djokovic said Wawrinka has the best one-handed backhand in the business and admires his variety. Wawrinka, who will be the more aggressive player on offense, acknowledges Djokovic as perhaps the games best defender.For Wawrinka, it all goes back to that match three years ago in Melbourne.I saw so many players not even thinking they can beat [the Big Four] when they step on the court, he said. I always try to believe in something, that maybe one day I can beat them, and thats what happen in the past few years.Wawrinka has won two of the past three meetings against Djokovic in Slams. On this occasion, the intertwined yin-yang of Wawrinkas belief will have to overcome a huge physical disadvantage. Johan Larsson Jersey . The Redskins announced Monday that the quarterback who led the team to the Super Bowl championship in the 1987 season will serve as a personnel executive. Ryan Miller Jersey . Tracey comes to the Blue Bombers after spending over a decade with Queens University. Most recently he was the schools assistant football coach. http://www.cheapsabresjerseyschina.com/benoit-pouliot-jersey/ . Boucher previously coached the Tampa Bay Lightning and had a 97-78-20 record over two-plus seasons. He was dismissed by the team last March after the Lightning struggled in the lockout-shortened season with a 13-18-1 record. Discount Sabres Jerseys .Y. -- Leading 3-0 with only 11:25 left, the Colorado Avalanche committed a seemingly meaningless penalty to give the New York Islanders a power play. Kyle Okposo Jersey .ca NHL Power Rankings for the second straight week, ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche. WACO, Texas -- Lauren Cox learned very quickly that Natalie Chou has a voracious appetite, will sing along to anything that comes on the radio and wont put a skateboard down until she has learned how to skate.Before they became roommates at Baylor this summer, Cox and Chou mostly knew each other as highly competitive, decorated rivals in Dallas.It was always us two, me against Lauren in seventh and eighth grades, Chou said. And then in high school, we were in the same district so we would play against each other at least two times. That would always be a big game.Cox and Chou, ranked the No. 1 and No. 8 recruits in the country by ESPN, will play in many more massive games for the next four years as teammates. The prized freshmen, along with No. 40 prospect Calveion Juicy Landrum, take their first road trip on Thursday, and it will surely will be one they wont forget.No. 2 Baylor visits No. 3 UConn with the Huskies looking to extend their 76-game winning streak with a victory in Storrs. The Huskies (1-0) will be Baylors second top-10 opponent this week after the Bears (2-0) beat ninth-ranked UCLA at home, 84-70.Usually, UConn has the star-studded recruiting class. But Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey might have her best crop of freshmen in her 17 seasons at Waco, and thats saying a lot.While Cox and Chou had been teammates once before on the 2014 USA U17 World Championship team -- they helped USA go 7-0 and bonded half a world away in the Czech Republic -- the two never really considered playing together at the collegiate level.At least not until Mulkey had the two in her office for a visit at Baylor.Mulkey made a detailed, eye-opening pitch of seamless pick-and-rolls, perhaps allowing Cox and Chou to fantasize about becoming the Green and Gold version of Stockton and Malone. The coach also talked about the 6-foot-1 Chous perimeter shooting, passing and versatility to play three positions -- and how that would fit nicely with the 6-foot-4 Coxs stellar post game.Apart, the two would be just fine wherever they went. Together, however, Cox and Chou could be a championship-caliber combination in the future.When I recruited them, I talked about together, Mulkey said. The combination of a post player and a perimeter player and what they could mean to each other.Their personalities are similar in that they are very basketball savvy. They grew up in homes where their parents are very involved in their careers, and now they can go to the next level and do it together.Cox stunned Mulkey by committing as she posed for a photo shoot in a Baylor uniform on her official visit, and Chou signed two weeks later.(Mulkeys pitch about teaming up) was eye-opening, Chou said. She put everything into reality. Lauren is like the best post power forward, and I am a really good shooter, so having her would help me a lot, and we know eeach others games so well so it would be great.ddddddddddddThe two McDonalds All-Americans joined Landrum to give Mulkey whats considered the best recruiting class in the country by some and the second-best class?according to ESPN. All three have deep basketball roots, too. Chous mother, Quanli Li, played professional basketball in China. Coxs parents, Dennis and Brenda, played college basketball, and Landrums sister, Porsha Roberts, plays professionally.How much Mulkey will play her freshmen remains to be seen. Cox logged just four minutes and missed all four of her shots against UCLA as Mulkey relied on an impressive frontcourt with the likes of preseason All-American forward Nina Davis and Kalani Brown. Brown had 25 points, 19 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 blocks against the Bruins.Chou and Landrum play behind a veteran backcourt of Alexis Jones, Alexis Prince and Kristy Wallace. Chou logged 12 minutes and went scoreless, while Landrum did not play against UCLA.Of course, the freshmen trio came to Baylor knowing they would try to support a Bears squad that returned four starters from a 36-2 team last season.I am really hard on myself, so I do have high expectations for myself, said Cox, who is Baylors first No. 1 recruit in the country since Brittney Griner in 2009. If I do want to have that playing time and contribute to the team, I will have to work hard because we have really good returning posts on the team.In Baylors first non-exhibition game of the season, the three freshmen saw extended playing time in a 118-43 blowout over Houston Baptist. Chou led the freshmen with 11 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 1 block, while Cox had 8 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks. Landrum added 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 points, 2 steals and 1 block.Mulkey hopes her freshmen will wreak havoc on opponents in the future. For now, she wants them to find enough harmony on the court to be the pieces that make this Baylor juggernaut a championship team.The three Texas girls havent come up with a nickname for their class, but their goal and the teams motto is clear and catchy: Destination Dallas. Baylor hopes to return to the Final Four for the first time since 2012, when the Bears went 40-0 and won the national championship.Once local rivals, Cox and Chou would love nothing more than to come home and compete for a championship together.From over the years, we would know how each other play, and we knew each others strengths and what we liked to do, Chou said. So having that connection already and history really, I think, helps.We have a lot of Dallas girls on this team. 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