ms are tied, the Big 12 would compare conference records, then conference records against the next-highest-pllaced team(s), then scoring differenti

PARIS -- Seven-time champion Rafael Nadal could face top-seeded Novak Djokovic in the French Open semifinals a year after they met to decide the title. Fridays draw for the clay-court Grand Slam tournament placed Nadal and Djokovic on the same half of the field, while Roger Federer could face David Ferrer in the other semifinal. The news was positive for Canadas Milos Raonic who could see a favourable draw in the first three rounds at Roland Garros. The 14th-seeded Raonic draws Xavier Malisse in the opening round, whom he beat in their only previous meeting. If the draw holds, Raonic would face Michael Llondra in the second round, against whom he holds a 3-0 career record. The third round would then project to have Raonic face Kevin Anderson, whom Raonic has also beat in their only previous meeting. His stiffest opponent would await in the fourth round in the form of fourth-seeded David Ferrer of Spain. Canadas Eugenie Bouchard will make her French Open debut on the ladies side. Her first-round opponent is Tsvetana Pironkova, who is a veteran of six pevious French Opens. Should she win her opening round match, she will almost certainly draw Maria Sharapova in the second round. Federer, the owner of a record 17 major titles including the 2009 French Open, will face a qualifier in the first round -- and if he wins that, hell play a qualifier in the second round, too. Djokovic faces a far more intriguing start: The reigning Australian Open champions first-round opponent is David Goffin, a 22-year-old Belgian who took a set off Federer in the fourth round in Paris last year after making it that far as a lucky loser. No man has won the title at Roland Garros as many times as Nadal, who broke a tie with six-time champion Bjorn Borg by defeating Djokovic in last years final and is 52-1 for his French Open career. Nadal also has reached the finals of all eight tournaments hes played in 2013. But because the Spaniard missed about seven months with a left knee injury, his ranking slipped to No. 4, and the French Open decided not to bump him to a higher seeding. If the tournament, which starts Sunday, had placed Nadal at No. 2, he and No. 1 Djokovic could have met only in the final; instead, a Nadal-Djokovic rematch for the championship cant happen in 2013. "If youre not Nos. 1 and 2 of the world," Nadal said, "that can happen." Jean Gachassin, president of the French tennis federation, said Friday his group has not yet discussed whether to switch to a seeding system similar to Wimbledons, which takes into account past results on a specific surface rather than only the ATP rankings. "That will be a debate that we will have after this French Open," Gachassin said. Nadal has lost eight of his last 11 matches against Djokovic, including on clay at Monte Carlo last month. "It definitely gave me the confidence boost," Djokovic said about that most recent encounter against the Spaniard. "Winning against Nadal on clay is not something that happens every day, you know. Its a big challenge." Nadal is seeded No. 3 because second-ranked Andy Murray, the reigning U.S. Open champion, withdrew from the French Open with a back injury. The possible mens quarterfinals are: Djokovic against No. 8 Janko Tipsarevic, his Davis Cup teammate for Serbia; Nadal against No. 7 Richard Gasquet of France; No. 2 Federer against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France; and No. 4 Ferrer against No. 5 Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic. Berdych was drawn to face Gael Monfils of France in the first round, drawing groans from some members of the audience. The last man from France to win the French Open was Yannick Noah in 1983, a 30-year gap mentioned more than once at Fridays ceremony. Serena Williams wants to end her own, shorter drought in Paris -- her lone French Open title came in 2002 -- and her bid for a second championship will begin against 83rd-ranked Anna Tatishvili in the first round. A year ago in Paris, Williams lost her opening match to 111th-ranked Virginie Razzano, the Americans only first-round loss in 50 career Grand Slam tournaments. Williams is seeded No. 1 this year and is on a 24-match winning streak, the longest of her career. Tatishvili, from the former Soviet republic of Georgia, is 2-10 this season. Shes also 0-2 at Roland Garros and 6-8 overall at Grand Slam tournaments. Williams, in contrast, has won 15 major titles. The possible womens quarterfinals are: Williams against No. 8 Angelique Kerber, defending champion Maria Sharapova against No. 7 Petra Kvitova, No. 3 Victoria Azarenka against 2011 champion Li Na, and No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska against 2012 runner-up Sara Errani. "Its very meaningful to come back as a defending champion. It means you have done something pretty good, and youre coming back into that position and youre trying to defend it," said Sharapova, who completed a career Grand Slam by winning last years French Open. "I think its one of the best honours you can have as a tennis player." One noteworthy first-round matchup is No. 10 Caroline Wozniacki, who used to be No. 1, against 35th-ranked Laura Robson, a British teenager who reached the fourth round at last years U.S. Open. Haason Reddick Youth Jersey .C. -- Al Jefferson joked that he feels he can score from anywhere on the court. Andy Isabella Youth Jersey . The No. 1-ranked Nadal tweaked his back warming up for the Australian Open final, which he lost almost four weeks ago in a major upset against Stanislas Wawrinka. His first stop after the layoff is the clay in Rio as he tests the back and tries to stay healthy for the French Open in three months. http://www.nflcardinalsrookiestore.com/Cardinals-Zach-Allen-Jersey/ . -- Matt Rupert scored once in regulation and again in the shootout as the London Knights extended their win streak to nine games by defeating the Owen Sound Attack 4-3 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. David Johnson Womens Jersey . With the first unit struggling of late and Amir Johnson - one of the teams iron men - hobbling on an injured right ankle, Patterson knew he could get the nod in a challenging matchup against one of the leagues up and coming players at his position. Zach Allen Youth Jersey . Toronto has dropped games to Indiana and Miami since a five-game winning streak and closed out a three-game road trip at 1-2. The Big 12 announced Friday that its championship game, which returns next season, will match the top two football teams in the conference standings.The conference considered going to divisions out of its round-robin format but opted against it in the end -- despite a 7-3 vote among football coaches Wednesday in favor of splitting into divisions, sources told ESPNs Brett McMurphy.There are a number of advantages to matching our top two teams, Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby said in a statement. Given our round-robin, nine-game scheduling model, it is expected the Big 12 champion will be uniquely positioned for College Football Playoff consideration.I would argue there will be no path more difficult than our champions, where it will have played every team in the conference, faced at least one [Power 5] nonconference opponent, and then plays in our championship game. The guaranteed No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup will be a great game for our fans, and its hard to imagine a stronger position for a conference champion.Bowlsby said the Big 12 would continue to use the same tiebreakers to determine the title game participants, with head-to-head matchups being the lone deciding factor when two teams finish with the same record. In the event three or more teams are tied, the Big 12 would compare conference records, then conference records against the next-highest-pllaced team(s), then scoring differential and then a draw -- in that order.ddddddddddddIn June, the Big 12 voted to bring back its championship game beginning in 2017. Since contracting to 10 members in 2011, the Big 12 had staged a round-robin format and has been the only Power 5 conference without a championship game.After failing to put a team in the first playoff, the Big 12, in order to give the conference a larger presence on the final weekend of the season, voted to re-implement the championship game. The conference also was told by the CFP selection committee that it was at a disadvantage, compared to the other Power 5 conferences because it was the only one that didnt give its champion the opportunity to win a 13th game.Data consultants hired by the league also argued that the Big 12s previous format had diminished its chances of putting a team in the playoff.Bowlsby has said a championship game could net the league at least an additional $27 million in revenue a year.The Big 12 is expected to announce where it will hold its championship game next month, and sources told McMurphy that Arlington, Texas, is the prohibitive favorite to host the 2017 game. Kansas City, Missouri, and San Antonio also are in the running. ' ' '