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WIMBLEDON -- British qualifier Marcus Willis went to sleep Tuesday night knowing he would play Roger Federer on Centre Court and thinking it just doesnt get any better than this.Then it did.Spitting rain caused officials to close the stadiums roof Wednesday morning, transforming Centre Court into a luminous, shimmering soap bubble in which serves and forehands echo like cannon fire in a Thunderdome.The indoor atmosphere helped Willis, who has a big serve. His riveting backstory made the crowd love him way beyond the mere fact of his being British. Even Federer loved Willis story, but that only helped to a point. Federer ultimately burst the teaching pros bubble with an entertaining 6-0, 6-3, 6-4 win that left everyone satisfied and feeling good about themselves.Given all the British have been through in recent days -- what with Brexit and the shocking beating the English soccer team suffered at the hands of Iceland -- that was quite an achievement. Credit Willis with a huge assist to Federer.When you win 17 Grand Slam tournaments, you get a feeling for special moments.As I was playing, I was thinking, This is definitely one of the matches Ill remember. Federer said. I start forgetting some, but this one will stand out because its that special -- and probably not going to happen again for me to play against a guy 770 [officially No. 772] in the world.Federer didnt begrudge a single hopeful voice raised in the underdogs cause.Im sure I got less support probably back in 1999 when I got the wild card on Court 8, lost in five sets, because nobody cared, Federer said. But Willis deserved more. He deserved more in the bigger moments. He played some great points. He fought hard. Great personality for a Centre Court like this.Willis is a roguish, self-deprecating 25-year-old who lives with his parents. (Living the life, he quipped the other day.) A droll, dont-worry-be-happy kind of guy, he was a promising junior who delivered mostly trouble and a poor attitude. On one occasion, it got him sent home early from a trip to Australia.He ultimately decided that training was too draining. He planned to migrate to Philadelphia, but then he met his current girlfriend, who convinced him to stay.When told his story sounds like the plot of the rom-com movie Wimbledon Willis said, Ive never seen it, really. Im not a massive film-watcher. Im quite fidgety.A few weeks ago, working a job at the Warwick Boat Club in Warwickshire earning about 40 bucks an hour, Willis founds out he was accepted as the last man into Wimbledon pre-qualifying. Seven matches later, he was looking across the net at the all-time mens Grand Slam singles champion. He described the experience as surreal.I did look up twice as I bounced the ball and saw Roger Federer, and thought, Oh, havent seen this before, Willis said.Willis says his own tennis ruination was partly because of his weakness for seeing off too many pints.But Willis got religious after wasting a few good years, and he showed enough class here to feel hopeful for the future.Against Federer, the first set was an education. For a journeyman, playing against the Swiss maestro is like having to watch a movie in fast forward.He makes you feel like youve got no time, Willis said. He puts a lot of balls on the court in big points. You cant leave the ball anywhere short or high. Its just gone. Hes just ridiculous.Once Willis shed his jitters and adjusted, though, his heavy serve and duplicitous lefty spins and dinks served him pretty well.He has a nice serve, Federer said. I struggled reading it, especially on the ad side. He was doing a great job of mixing that up. I believe he can make big strides. But then again, dont forget the challengers are brutal; so are the futures. When he gets stuck between 200 and 500, 600, 700, its a big step getting out of that.Such realistic concerns are best left for another time. On this gloomy day at Wimbledon, reformed slouch Marcus Willis brought a little magic into the life of everyone, including Roger Federer.And how many people can make that claim?Emmanuel Ogbah Jersey . The Nashville Predators were glad their captain was still on their side. Weber had a goal and two assists, and Roman Josi scored the shootout winner to lift the Predators to a 4-3 win over the Flyers on Thursday night. Tony Gonzalez Jersey . Halladay signed a one-day contract with the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday that allowed the veteran right-hander to retire as a member of team with which he broke into the majors and spent the bulk of his distinguished 16-year career. http://www.prochiefsauthentic.com/Youth-Dorian-ODaniel-Elite-Jersey/ . "No difference at all," chirped U.S. roommate and linemate James van Riemsdyk. "Its still the same cranky Phil. Chiefs Super Bowl Jerseys . The catch: It needs a lot of money, and it needs it fast. Anthony Hitchens Jersey . The Cincinnati Reds remain perfect with their speedy rookie outfielder in the starting lineup.MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- As much as coach Bob Huggins liked watching his West Virginia teams full-court press force turnovers last season, he cringed at how frequently his own ballhandlers threw away possessions.With three veteran guards returning, better ballhandling could make this a special season for the 20th-ranked Mountaineers, who open play by hosting Mount St. Marys on Friday (7 p.m. ET).West Virginia was picked to finish second to Kansas in the Big 12 -- the Mountaineers highest projection in five years since switching conferences.That doesnt mean anything unless you back it up. And now weve got to go back it up, Huggins said.Last seasons 26-9 record, which included a runner-up finish to the Jayhawks during the Big 12 regular season and conference tournament, brought more frenetic defense tempered by frantic offense. While forcing the second-most turnovers per game (17.8) in the nation, the West Virginia ranked 303rd out of 346 Division I teams in turnovers committed (14.2).We need to not throw it out of bounds so much, Huggins said. Our ball security was as bad as its been probably in my nine years here.That sloppiness surfaced during a first-round exit from the NCAA Tournament. A 70-56 upset loss to 14th-seeded Stephen F. Austin saw West Virginia produce 22 turnovers and only 16 field goals.Such upside-down ratios may be a thing of the past now that dual point guards Tarik Philip (9.3 points, 2.5 rebounds) and Jevon Carter (9.5 points, 1.6 steals) return, along with shooting guard Daxter Miles (9.4 points, 1.4 steals). After playing together for two years, the trio set an offseason pace in hopes their shooting catches up with their gritty defense.Huggins will need offensive help after losing top scorers Jaysean Paige (13.7 points), the Big 12s sixth man of the year, and Devin Williams (13.dddddddddddd3 points, 9.5 rebounds), the leagues leading rebounder.This league has come down to last possessions a lot, and youve got to get hard rebounds, Huggins said. Dev could do that for us, so were going to have to have other guys step up.Much is expected of late-developing forward Elijah Macon, who arrived at West Virginia as a top-100 recruit three years ago but has yet to come close to that potential.Sophomore small forward Esa Ahmad (4.9 points, 2.7 rebounds) also anticipates bigger contributions after making 34 starts last season.The sleeper standout could be senior Nathan Adrian, a 6-foot-9 forward who shot nearly 50 percent from 3-point range while averaging 4.5 points and 3.1 rebounds. He has been a breakout scorer in scrimmages and exhibitions.Mount St. Marys, 1-25 all-time against ranked teams and 14-19 last season, returns three starters and was picked fourth in the Northeast Conference.The Mount has dropped seven consecutive season openers to a string of power programs that includes Maryland, Arizona, Pittsburgh, Marquette, Dayton, Oklahoma and West Virginia in 2013.Jamion Christian enters his fifth season as coach with a 63-65 record, though his exciting teams have blended pressure defense and a 3-point attack.This is a mentally tough group, Christian told the Frederick (Md.) News-Post about the teams schedule, which also features Iowa State, Minnesota, Michigan and Arkansas. I feel it wants a challenge like this and can handle it.Mount St. Marys features dynamic 5-foot-5 guard Junior Robinson, a second-team all-conference performer last season, when he averaged 12.2 points and 3.1 assists. ' ' '