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French semis: Sharapova-Bouchard, Djokovic-Gulbis

By WTOP Staff

HOWARD FENDRICH
AP Tennis Writer

PARIS (AP) — This is what Maria Sharapova does. She digs herself a big hole in a match, then figures a way out, no matter what it takes.

She hits shots left-handed. Takes her time between points. Pumps her fists and screams “Come on!” after her opponent’s mistakes. And wins.

Did it in the fourth round at the French Open, turning things around by winning the last nine games. Did it Tuesday, too, reeling off nine of the last 10 games to put together a 1-6, 7-5, 6-1 victory over 35th-ranked Garbine Muguruza of Spain that put 2012 champion Sharapova in the semifinals at Roland Garros for the fourth consecutive year.

“When you just don’t feel like anything is going your way, you want to try to find a little door to get into,” Sharapova said. “Once you start feeling, you know, like you got your foot in the door, then it’s a little bit easier.”

After beating one 20-year-old, Sharapova now faces another, 18th-seeded Eugenie Bouchard of Canada, who earned a semifinal spot for the second straight Grand Slam tournament.

Like Sharapova, Bouchard was not fazed by falling behind in the quarterfinals. Bouchard trailed 5-2 in the first set, and 4-1 in the third, but beat No. 14 Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain 7-6 (4), 2-6, 7-5.

“I’m just proud,” Bouchard said, “of the way I stayed in there.”

Tuesday’s men’s quarterfinals offered far less intrigue. No. 2 Novak Djokovic kept up his bid to complete a career Grand Slam by muting Milos Raonic’s dangerous serve and defeating the eighth-seeded Canadian 7-5, 7-6 (5), 6-4. Djokovic’s next opponent is No. 18 Ernests Gulbis of Latvia, who followed his victory over Roger Federer with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 win over No. 6 Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic.

Djokovic, 27, and Gulbis, 25, go way back, having overlapped in their early teens at a German tennis academy. Their paths quickly diverged, with Djokovic focusing on tennis and thriving, to the tune of six major titles. Gulbis admits he enjoyed the nightlife too much for his game’s good.

Only recently did Gulbis realize he needed to take his job more seriously.

“It’s really important, for my happiness, just to be successful on the tennis court,” Gulbis said. “Forget about the money. Forget about fame. It’s just about my inner comfort. That’s it.”

Djokovic will be playing in his 22nd career Grand Slam semifinal; Gulbis in his first.

Similarly, Sharapova is headed to her 18th, Bouchard her second. Bouchard is 7 years younger, and tracked Sharapova’s career from afar.

“First I noticed, like, her cute dresses and things like that when I was young,” said Bouchard, who recalled being a spectator at a tournament in Florida as a youngster and posing for a photo with Sharapova.

“She, of course, is very strong mentally. It is one of her strengths, I think,” Bouchard said. “I’m just looking forward to the challenge.”

For 18 miserable minutes against Muguruza, Sharapova did nothing right. She lost 15 of the first 20 points and fell behind 4-0.

“I thought, ‘I’m going to win,'” said Muguruza, who was one game away at 5-4 in the second.

Then, serving at 5-all, Muguruza went ahead 30-love.

“Suddenly, I had the impression that it was so easy,” Muguruza said. “Maybe I relaxed a little.”

She double-faulted, opening the door. Sharapova barged through, hitting a pair of backhand winners, then forcing Muguruza’s forehand error, to get the break.

“I’m sure she feels like she has a good chance of getting that game in the bag,” Sharapova said, “and all of a sudden, I’m serving for the set.”

Brushing off a warning from the chair umpire for taking too much time between points, Sharapova broke to go ahead 2-1 in the third, her first lead. In the next game, Sharapova saved five break points to hold for 3-1. And that was that.

Little adjustments, here and there, made the difference. Sharapova took more chances on returns, attacking Muguruza’s second serves. Sharapova tried to extend points — even shifting her racket to her off hand for a couple of lefty strokes — to force Muguruza to hit extra shots. One telling final-set stat: Muguruza made 26 unforced errors, Sharapova five.

“I didn’t do much in the first set to hurt her. She was doing many things well. I also knew that the match wasn’t over,” Sharapova said. “I still had a fair bit of time to change things around.”

___

Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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