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MONTPELLIER, France -- Top-seeded Richard Gasquet beat third-seeded Jerzy Janowicz of Poland 7-6 (6), 7-6 (4) on Saturday to set up an all-French final in the Open Sud de France against Gael Monfils. Maury Wills Dodgers Jersey . The fifth-seeded Monfils earlier beat sixth-seeded Jarkko Nieminen of Finland 6-2, 3-6, 6-1. Monfils improved to 4-0 against Nieminen. Monfils dropped his serve in the second set, before breaking Nieminen twice in the deciding set. Janowicz had 16 aces compared to eight for Gasquet, and both players dropped serve once. Defending champion Gasquet is chasing his 11th career title. Monfils won the tournament four years ago and will aim on Sunday for his fifth career title, but his first since winning indoors at Stockholm three years ago. Three of his titles were on indoor hard-courts. The final will be the 10th meeting between the 27-year-olds, with Monfils leading 5-4. "Gael is an incredible player, he does everything well," Gasquet said. "Its always a bit weird to play a friend in a final, but I am looking forward to it. I think its the best final we could have here in Montpellier and I hope it will be a good match." Gasquet, ranked ninth, is Frances No. 1 player ahead of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, while Monfils has slipped to 30th after persistent knee injuries. "Richard has so much talent (and) he is not (in the) top 10 for nothing. He has improved a lot physically and mentally lately, which makes him a difficult player to beat," Monfils said. "Hes going to be the favourite. He is the top seed and the defending champion. I am really looking forward to playing my buddy in the final, it makes it more fun." St. Louis Cardinals Jersey . "What Im hoping to accomplish, not only with that line, with each line, is production, just positive production and hope we can move forward," Noel said after practice. The move was telegraphed Thursday when Byfuglien wore a forwards jersey during practice, but with a couple of players out with the flu it could be explained away and Noel wouldnt confirm the change. Chris Tillman Orioles Jersey . -- For nearly two months, the Philadelphia 76ers couldnt win a road game.ST. LOUIS -- Attorneys for the St. Louis Rams have filed a tax appeal with the state of Missouri, seeking a refund of about $400,000. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the Rams have also asked the state to forgive an additional $445,000 in unpaid taxes. So far, the state has refused to give any money back to the NFL team. The Rams have contested tax assessments before -- theyve filed six appeals since 2008, amounting to $4.7 million at face value. Theres no way to tell what happened with each case, but the Missouri Department of Revenue says four of the cases were settled. The state would not offer details, claiming that sales tax receipts are closed records. A message seeking comment from the Rams on Thursday was not returned. The Post-Dispatch reported that the appeals began after a state audit in September 2008, when the Rams were told that the team owed nearly $1.4 million in unpaid taxes on luxury club memberships. The Rams protested that assessment -- the first of the six appeals. "Some people are just a little more aggressive in trying to diminish their state tax bills," said Henry Ordower, a tax law professor at Saint Louis University. He said appeals have been more common in recent years because states have sought ways to increase their tax collection.Colorado Rockies Jersey. "Every state has been more assertive in collecting state taxes," Ordower said. "States need money." The Rams collect about 4 per cent in state sales tax, 4.5 per cent in city sales tax and an additional 5 per cent for the city amusement tax, totalling about $13.50 on a $100 ticket. The team also sells something called a "club membership." Club memberships add $1,000 on top of the ticket price, and members get food and beverage discounts, entry to draft previews, training camp practices and special events, and other benefits. In the 2008 filing, the Rams argued that club memberships are benefits, not tickets, and shouldnt be subjected to sales taxes. In the other appeals, the team argued it is not subject to states sales tax at all. Then in 2011, the Rams said they discovered they were "erroneously" calculating sales taxes on a base ticket price inflated by the city taxes. That means the city was collecting about 40 cents too much on each $100 ticket. That led to appeals for reimbursement of $401,000 and $445,000 over the past two years. cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys ' ' ' |
