World No. 6 Marin Cilic of Croatia will be the top seed in the 2017 Chennai Open with organisers confirming that four-time champion Stan Wawrinka will, as expected, not defend the title he won this year. Cilic won the title at Indias longest running and most prestigious ATP tournament, in 2009 and 2010.Cilic, the 2014 US Open winner, is in some of the best form of his life, having won titles in Basel and Cincinnati to finish the season at a career-high No. 6. The Croat leads a lineup that includes World No. 14 Roberto Bautista Agut (Spain), No. 27 Albert Ramos-Vinolas (Spain), No. 35 Martin Klizan (Slovakia) and No. 48 Borna Coric (Croatia), adding to the star value of the ATP 250 event, scheduled for January 2-8, at the SDAT Tennis Stadium in Nungambakkam.Former top-10 players Tommy Robredo (Spain) and Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) also return to India, the former after 12 years and the latter after two years, threatening to give the top seeds a run for their money.Robredo, who had gone as high as World No. 5 in 2006, is a player of high pedigree, having won 10 ATP singles and starring in Spains Davis Cup conquests thrice. The first and only time he played in Chennai in 2004, he teamed up with Rafael Nadal to win the doubles title. He is currently No. 57 and, even at 34, cannot be trifled with.Youzhny is a familiar and popular star in Chennai, having won the 2008 title after beating Nadal in straight sets. He pulled out in the second round with an injury during his last stint in Chennai but has been showing glimpses of his much feared all-round game in recent months. He also holds the distinction of making it to the quarterfinals in all Grand Slams, along with the Big Four of Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Nadal.Frenchman Benoit Paire, ATPs most improved player of 2015, will be another star who can cause a ripple in Chennai.This is an impressive lineup, Tom Annear, Chennai Opens tournament director, said. Tennis fans in India can expect high quality tennis this year, he added.Indias campaign will be charged by local hero and wild card entry Ramkumar Ramanathan, who also has a training base in Barcelona. The 22-year-old rose to prominence in 2014 when he toppled Somdev Devvarman in the opening round in Chennai. He has been a national champion and has been part of Indias Davis Cup team as well and is currently No. 2 in AITAs rankings.We have great faith in Ram, TNTA president MA Alagappan said. We believe he will go a long way in world tennis. Moreover, Indias fans love him and will give him all the support that he needs.Moldovas Radu Albot, who has become a bit of a star in his country with his tennis exploits, is one of the upcoming players to look out for. The World No. 97 from the tiny Eastern European country has created a series of records, winning his countrys first ATP Challenger, first doubles title and even the first ATP World Tour event. Adidas NMD R1 White . -- Charline Labonte couldnt have asked for a better homecoming. Wholesale NMD . The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling "puts an end to my dreams of being a top player," the 27-year-old Troicki said in a statement. "I worked my entire life for it, and it has been taken away from me in one afternoon by a doctor I didnt know," said Troicki, whose ranking peaked at No. http://www.cheapnmdonline.com/wholesale-adidas-nmd-2019-china.html . Malkin got tangled up with Detroits Luke Glendening early in the third period and his left skate took the brunt of collision with the boards behind Pittsburghs net. Adidas NMD Womens Sale . Haas said he "felt a lot of pain" in his right shoulder when he slammed his racket to the ground in frustration after losing his serve at 3-3 in the first set. Adidas NMD R1 Womens Raw Pink . Argentina winger Ezequiel Lavezzi and France midfielder Blaise Matuidi scored, with star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic setting up both despite having a poor game by his high standards. Forward Eduardo gave Ajaccio the lead in the sixth minute after being set up by right winger Benjamin Andre, and the Corsican side looked comfortable in the first half, with the lively Johan Cavalli causing problems with his probing runs from midfield. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Of all the things on Jacksonvilles lengthy to-improve list, starting faster is near the top of the list.The Jaguars were among the NFLs worst first-quarter teams in 2015. They scored just 35 points in the opening period, second worst in the league behind San Francisco.There were a number of persistent issues, including turnovers, sacks and penalties. Jacksonville also ranked 31st in three-and-outs, failing to move the chains on 38.3 percent of its drives. Throw in a mediocre running game, and the teams sluggish offense early in games was as big a problem as its porous defense.General manager Dave Caldwell did everything he could to fix the defense this offseason. He spent big in free agency and drafted several youngsters to fill holes on that side of the ball. Offensive coordinator Greg Olson and quarterback Blake Bortles, meanwhile, are still working to find a permanent fix to the slow starts.They will get their first chance to show progress Thursday night in the teams preseason opener at the New York Jets.You want to get in a groove and get moving, Bortles said Tuesday. It would be nice to not have to deal with a third down on the first drive. ... Its not a good feeling to go out there for the first possession and everybodys amped up and ready and you go three-and-out, and then you go and repeat and go three-and-out again.Thats what were trying to eliminate. How do we become consistent in moving the chains and being more efficient on third down and staying on the field?Olson talks about it daily and treats each of the 12 practice periods in training camp like the beginning of a new game. So the Jaguars are getting plenty of chances to work on faster starts, but the first real test comes against the Jets.We have to make the layupss, tight end Marcedes Lewis said.dddddddddddd Thats one of the things that were missing last year. We had way too many silly things put us in holes. And when were faced with adversity, weve got to be able to punch it in the mouth and keep going. That was our issue, too, last year. If something bad happened, the air was just out of the whole sideline and out of the ball. We cant be like that this year.It should help that the Jaguars have the majority of their offensive starters going into their second season in the same offense. There is no learning curve or transition period like during Olsons first season in Jacksonville.Bortles knows the plays as well as anyone. Tight end Julius Thomas is healthy after playing last season with a broken bone in the back of his right hand. The addition of Chris Ivory should bolster the running game. And with center Brandon Linder back from injury and Kelvin Beachum expected to step in at left tackle, the Jaguars should be better up front.All those factors could help the Jags get out of the gates quicker.Of course, then they will be concerned with sustaining it.Its not just about whether we start super-fast, Lewis said. We just need to play ball. In years past, if we didnt start fast, wed be behind and have no momentum and no idea how to get it back. Now, we have players. Lets just go out there and play ball and not worry about starting fast. If we do start fast, great, but you cant get too high or too low about it. Youve got to stay in that zone and be consistent, and I think well finally be able to do that.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '