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MELBOURNE, Australia -- The scorching weather finally brought play to a halt on the fourth day of the Australian Open when the temperature topped 43F (109F), but not soon enough for some players who criticized officials for not stopping matches earlier. The Extreme Heat Policy was enacted at Melbourne Park just before 2 p.m. Thursday, suspending all matches on outer courts until the early evening and requiring the closure of the retractable roofs at Rod Laver and Hisense arenas before play could continue on the show courts. It was the first time since 2009 play had been halted due to heat at the Australian Open. For Maria Sharapova, playing at Rod Laver Arena, the call came too late. The rule dictates the roof cant be closed until the end of a set in progress, so she was forced to finish a grueling third set against Italian Karin Knapp under the blazing sun. "Everyone knows there is no tiebreaker in the third set (at the Australian Open), so once you start that set, youre going to be out there until youre done," she said after closing out the 3 1/2-hour match, 6-3, 4-6, 10-8. Other players wilted in the heat. American Varvara Lepchenko received medical treatment during her match against 11th-seeded Romanian Simona Halep, lying flat on her back during a changeover as trainers rubbed iced on her body. "At first I didnt understand what was going on but then my legs, my arms started to get heavier. I couldnt focus at one point and started feeling dizzier and dizzier," she said. She continued but only won one more game in a 4-6, 6-0, 6-1 defeat. "They definitely should have just not started the matches in the first place," she said. "And the same goes for a couple of days ago when I played my (first) match." The heat wave began Tuesday when the temperature peaked at 42C (108F). The tournament referee did not halt play then because the Extreme Heat Policy also takes into account other factors, such as humidity and wind speed. The distinction is lost on the players, who have grumbled all week about the conditions which some have described as inhumane and dangerous. On Tuesday, Canadian Frank Dancevic blacked out and hallucinated during his match, while Chinas Peng Shuai vomited and suffered cramps. No. 25-seeded Alize Cornet of France sobbed on court Thursday after her draining 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory over Italian Camila Giorgi, then blasted officials for not halting play sooner. "On Tuesday, I dont know why they didnt stop matches," she said. "It was an oven. An oven. It was burning. Why today and not Tuesday?" The heat hasnt just affected players -- its also kept fans away. Total attendance was just 49,860 on Wednesday, down from Mondays high of 63,595. The unshaded seats on the outer courts were virtually empty Thursday, with spectators congregating under trees or in the upper reaches of stands where temporary covers provided a little relief. New Zealander Helen Naylor escaped the sun after watching fellow Kiwi Marina Erakovic play for a bit on Court 13. "Even the seats are really hot -- God knows how (the players) are running around out there." Relief is as least in sight. Friday will be another scorcher, with an expected high of 44C (111F), but Saturday it will only reach 23C (73F). That may feel downright chilly by comparison. Jadon Sancho Jersey . -- Jonas Hiller is cautiously confident he has kicked his vertigo. Marcel Schmelzer Jersey .com) - The Vancouver Canucks recovered from a fluke goal early last time out to knock off one of the top teams in the league. http://www.dortmundfcfanshop.com/c-23-er...und-jersey.aspx. Now the Minnesota Vikings have set their sights on soccer. Mario Gotze Jersey . You can watch all the action on TSN2 beginning at 7pm et/4pm pt. Pineda won his second straight start last Wednesday against Chicago, as he held the Cubs to just four hits over six scoreless innings to run his record to 2-0, while lowering his ERA to 1. Marius Wolf Jersey .com) - Nicolas Colsaerts fired an 11-under 60 on Thursday and grabbed a 3-stroke lead with the opening round of the Portugal Masters suspended by rain.KAMLOOPS, B.C. -- Its crunch time on Thursday for two of the top teams at the Canadian mens curling championships as they fight for the right to play in the one vs. two game on Friday. Should B.C.s John Morris win, he would be guaranteed a top-two finish, most likely No. 1 since he handed Alberta their only loss. That victory gave both teams 8-1 records, with Morris getting an edge because his rink won the head-to-head matchup. "We want that one-two game," he said. "If we win tomorrow morning were in the one-two game." Should Manitobas Jeff Stoughton win, he would be in control and need only beat Ontario in the evening draw to ensure a top-two finish. He was just as anxious Wednesday after a win left Manitoba at 7-2. "We play B.C. which is a huge game for us," he said. "We play them in the morning and that could mean getting into the one-two game which is very important." Stoughton looked more in control and said he felt that way as well. Manitoba started with four wins then lost games to Alberta and Quebec but has bounced back. Alberta continued its roll with a 10-5 win over Ontarios Greg Balsdon in Wednesdays evening draw. Kevin Koe and Alberta have only Prince Edward island (3-6) and Quebec (4-4) standing in their way of a guaranteed top-two finish. The late draw had meaning for the teams jockeying for fourth place and a shot at making the final through the 3-4 game. "This was a big bounce-back game," said Saskatchewans Steve Laycock, after beating Prince Edward Island 8-5 to improve to 5-3, good enough for fourth spot. "We had a couple of tough ones in a row against Alberta and Manitoba, which we knew they would be . . . Heading into the final couple of days we know we control our own destiny now." They play Ontario aand B.ddddddddddddC. on Thursday. Ontario fell to 4-4 with the loss to Alberta. "Tomorrows a big one," said Laycock. Earlier, Morris and B.C. scored a big five in the third end and coasted to an 8-3 win in eight over Ontario. Manitobas Stoughton continued to keep the leaders in sight with a 7-4 win over Laycock. Stoughton and third John Mead looked a lot more in control, although they also benefited from Laycocks mistakes. "We got a great deuce in the first end and then it was pretty mistake free," he said. "A lot of great shots made, you have to do that, and it felt pretty good all around for all of our guys." Stoughton also faces Balsdon Thursday and the Brier rookie from Toronto wasnt giving up hope. "Weve got a tough day tomorrow with Saskatchewan and Manitoba but if we can win our last three games, 7-4 . . . should be okay for a tiebreaker anyway." Morris and B.C. are clicking even more than they did at the Olympic trials, where they lost the final to Brad Jacobs. Jim Cotter, who throws fourth stones for B.C., has gained a lot of confidence and it shows, agrees Stoughton. "I think Johns just brought so much confidence to that team. Hes made them believe that theyre a great team, which they obviously are." Morris was ranked as the top third (based on the stones he throws), Cotter the top skip and Rick Sawatsky the top lead in cumulative percentages after the first two draws on Wednesday. Only Manitoba second Mark Nichols stopped it from being a B.C. sweep. Also, Quebecs Jean-Michel Menard still has hope after improving to 4-4 with an 8-3 win over winless Nova Scotias Jamie Murphy. 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