the final, often matching Williams stroke by stroke, but falling sh

MONACO -- Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso posted the fastest time in the rain-disrupted second practice session at the Monaco Grand Prix on Thursday. Formula One leader Lewis Hamilton was second. Alonso, third overall in the championship, clocked 1 minute, 18.482 seconds. Hamilton was .419 seconds behind, and Sebastian Vettel .535 behind for Red Bull. Frenchman Jean-Eric Vergne was fourth best for Toro Rosso. Spectators waited for nearly 40 minutes as drivers stayed in their garages until the track dried after some showers. Hamilton was fastest in the morning session ahead of Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg, and Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo. There is a final practice session on Saturday morning before qualifying in the afternoon. Hamilton, who has won 26 races, has never started from the pole in Monaco despite securing 35 career poles elsewhere. "It felt really good out there today. I had a good first session and was then really pleased to get those last few laps in the dry this afternoon," Hamilton said. "Im feeling pretty set for Saturday. There is still some work to do, but we have tomorrow to look into that." The British driver is confident he can end his barren run in Monaco, where he has not won since 2008, the year he won the F1 title. "This track is one of the coolest ever," Hamilton said. "Its such a classic race, and Ive been trying to win here again since 2008, so Im hoping this is the year as we have such a great car." Hamilton has four poles this season, with Rosberg clinching the other, meaning Mercedes have swept all five races and all five poles. Hamilton has won the previous four and Rosberg took the opening GP in Australia, where Hamilton retired with engine failure. Rosberg, who secured his maiden Monaco GP win last year, trails Hamilton by three points overall. "It seems that we are looking very quick here again, although our main competitors seem to be a little closer to us than in Barcelona," the German said. "The conditions werent great this afternoon so I didnt take any risks as there was nothing to learn on the wet parts of the track." Monacos tight, sinewy circuit makes overtaking almost impossible and puts whoever gets pole into a prime position. But given that engine power is less important than at other races, Red Bull could end Mercedes winning streak if Vettel or Ricciardo can upstage Hamilton and Rosberg in qualifying. "The nature of the circuit doesnt put such a premium on straight-line performance, which has obviously been our weakness this year. Were hoping to give these guys (Mercedes) a run for their money," Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said. "Its been an encouraging start to the weekend. When you consider where we were preseason, weve come a long way in a couple of months." Vettel was fifth fastest in the first practice behind Alonso. The Spaniard is 51 points behind Hamilton but four ahead of Vettel, his main rival from previous seasons, who is fourth. In the mornings run in overcast, chilly conditions, British driver Max Chilton spun off in his Marussia car, while struggling German driver Adrian Sutil stalled his Sauber. Swedish driver Marcus Ericsson slammed his Caterham into the barriers with a minute remaining in the afternoon run. Air Force 1 Cheap Wholesale .com) - The Boston Bruins announced Monday that the team has signed goaltender Niklas Svedberg to a one-year contract. Air Force 1 Cheap Online . Viewers in the Canadiens region can watch the game on TSN at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt and listen on TSN 690. The Canadiens have won three in a row and four of their last five games and recently put the finishing touches on a 3-1-0 road trip. http://www.cheapairforce1.us/ . The New York State Supreme Court only partially dismissed the lawsuit, meaning the case could be headed for trial. The tour announced a year ago that Singh would be suspended for saying in a Sports Illustrated story that he took deer antler spray, which was believed to contain the banned substance IGF-1. Nike Air Force 1 Sale Cheap . -- Arkansas didnt need a spectacular dunk to beat No. Nike Air Force 1 Wholesale China . The defending champions sent their preliminary list to FIFA on Tuesday, with coach Vicente del Bosque to announce the final 23-man squad on May 25. Costa is set to lead the attack in his native Brazil, with Atletico Madrid teammate David Villa and Chelseas Fernando Torres also included, while David de Gea replaces injured goalkeeper Victor Valdes.DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Venus Williams won her 45th career WTA title at the Dubai Championships in an impressive 6-3, 6-0 victory over Alize Cornet of France in the final on Saturday. The 44th-ranked Williams, playing courtesy of a wild card, also won this title in 2009 and 2010. Shes won her last 15 matches in Dubai. Williams, who will move up to No. 29 in Mondays updated rankings, last won a title at the 2012 Luxembourg tournament. "I have had a good week," she said. "Everything is falling together." The former world No. 1, Williams won all five of her matches this week in straight sets. "Just a lot of match toughness, mental toughness," said Williams, when asked to explain her remarkable week of play. "When things got tough, I definitely got going this week. "If I was down break point, when push came to shove, I was pushing and shoving, I guess," she added, laughing. The scoreline didnt indicate how strong an effort Cornet put into the final, often matching Williams stroke by stroke, but falling short in the end. After Cornet squandered a 2-1 lead with a service break by losing the next four games, she was in tears during the changeover..dddddddddddd "I think 6-3, 6-0 is a bit tough in an hour and 30, so I guess there was a battle on the court, but she was just better than me today," Cornet said. "She was playing more aggressive. "She was pushing me out of the court very far from the baseline, and I didnt play as deep as yesterday, didnt serve as well. She deserved to win." Williams closed out the first set on a third set point with a clean backhand winner. In the second set, it was Williams all the way. The 26th-ranked Cornet was attempting to post back-to-back wins over the Williams sisters. On Friday, Cornet scored her first career upset over a No. 1-ranked player by beating Serena Williams 6-4, 6-4 in the semifinals. "The difference between me and Serena was just I put a few more balls in the court," Williams said. But Cornet walked away hoping if she ever had a similar opportunity to play the Williams sisters in the same tournament the result might go in her favour. "For sure, beating the Williams sisters in the same tournament would have been amazing, and maybe next time if I have the chance (I can) do it," said Cornet, offering her only smile of the night. ' ' '