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BEIJING -- Seeking to dismiss lingering doubts, a top Chinese sports official says the country has committed to a zero-tolerance stance on doping ahead of the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.Vice Director of the General Administration of Sports Gao Zhidian told the official Xinhua News Agency on Thursday that Olympics-bound athletes and coaches are required to sign pledges not to cheat, saying violators would be severely punished.Gao said athletes, coaches and team doctors must also pass a written exam on banned substances with only those scoring 80 percent or more permitted to go to Rio.China has been firmly against doping and has a zero-tolerance approach to this particular problem, said Gao, who is also deputy chef de mission of Chinas 711- member Olympic delegation. We have made it very clear that we want to ensure fair play and the well-being of athletes.China has sought to shake off a reputation for doping, particularly in distance running and swimming that gave rise to multiple scandals in the 1990s.That resolve was questioned when it emerged that officials waited six months before revealing that champion swimmer Sun Yang served a three-month suspension after testing positive in May 2014.Sun, the gold medalist in the 400- and 1,500-meter freestyle at the 2012 London Olympics, was named male swimmer of the meet at the world championships in Kazan, Russia, last August.China is sending 416 athletes to Rio, including 35 former Olympic champions. China topped the table at the 2008 Games and won the second largest number of medals in London, including 38 golds.Based on recent performances by Chinese athletes, some studies predict the country could return to the top of the table at Rio with as many as 39 golds. Mack Strong Jersey Store . However, he did make them miss him a little less. Cundiff, who had the unenviable job of replacing Dawson last season, agreed Thursday to a one-year, $1. Brandon Jones Jersey Store . PAUL, Minn. https://www.chinacheapjerseys.net/tandon-doss-jersey-store/ ., and Rudi Swiegers of Kipling, Sask., took sixth spot on Saturday in pairs at the NHK Trophy ISU Grand Prix figure skating competition. Geoff Schwartz Jersey Store . LOUIS -- The New Orleans Saints looked like a team playing out the string. Cosmo Iacavazzi Jersey Store . Louis Blues teammates who would also be participating in the Olympics, Alex Pietrangelo felt right at home, no different in some ways to the travel experience of any old road trip – save for the length of the journey, that is. NEW YORK -- It seems surreal, but this US Open is the first Grand Slam since the 2004 French Open that doesnt have either Roger Federer, Andy Murray or Rafael Nadal in the semifinals. Top seed Novak Djokovic is the only representative of the Big Four left in the singles. That seems to put him back on track to win his third major of 2016. Or does it? Heres what you need to know:How to watch all the action FridayAt noon ET, the mixed-doubles final between No. 7 Coco Vandeweghe/Rajeev Ram and Laura Siegemund/Mate Pavic will begin on ESPN2 & WatchESPN.?Click to watchAt noon ET, a number of American juniors will be in action on the outer courts. Click to watch?At 3 p.m. ET, the mens semifinals will begin on ESPN & WatchESPN. Click to watchTo view starting times of upcoming days at the US Open, click here.?Live scoringOur real-time scoreboard, updated stats and social handles can be found in one spot: US Open CourtCast.?Fridays mens semifinals breakdownNo. 1 Novak Djokovic versus No. 10 Gael Monfils, 3 p.m. ET on ESPN and WatchESPNCase for Djokovic: The Serbian star came into this tournament hoping that his injured wrist and an unspecified right-arm problem wouldnt wreck his chances over the course of a punishing two-week major played under grueling late-summer conditions. He ominously hinted that he was hoping just to get through the beginning of the event and take his chances from there. But the tennis gods must look upon Djokovic with great favor, because its almost as if he couldnt help making it into the semis. He has played just nine-plus sets, benefiting from a walkover and two retirements. Hes hit enough balls under fire to be seasoned, but his wrist and arm have been spared and given extra recovery time. This much luck must make him confident as well. And to top it off, while Monfils was Djokovics feared junior rival, Novak is 12-0 in their pro matches.Case for Monfils: The whippet-lean Frenchman won the most significant singles title of his career a few weeks ago in Washington, D.C. For a player of his talent, that simply isnt an adequate career best. Monfils seems to know it, too. Hes been playing this summmer with a new and uncharacteristic sense of purpose.dddddddddddd Hes won 19 straight sets on hard courts since losing to Kei Nishikori (after holding a match point) at the Rio Olympics. Monfils must continue to play aggressive, first-strike tennis and serve with gusto. He must also avoid challenging Djokovic to rallying contests -- even if they give Monfils great opportunities to show off his spectacular retrieving abilities.Prediction: Djokovic in fourNo. 3 Stan Wawrinka versus No. 6 Kei Nishikori, after Djokovic-MonfilsCase for Wawrinka: After surviving a scare in the third round versus Dan Evans, Wawrinka thanked the crowd for believing in me sometimes more than I believe in myself. The reality is that the pundits and camp followers often overlook him in their focus on the Big Four, even though hes won the same amount of majors as Nadal and Andy Murray since the start of 2014 (two). Nobody, but nobody, is more dangerous than when Wawrinka is at the top of his game. Twenty percent of his shots at the US Open have been winners; thats tied for eighth-best in the tournament, and only one other semifinalist can match him. Wawrinka will likely try to smother Nishikori and keep him from turning the match into a track meet. Wawrinka leads this rivalry 3-2.Case for Nishikori: The conventional wisdom casts Nishikori as a baseline grinder. Its a deceptive oversimplification. This years youngest Open semifinalist at 26, Nishikori doesnt have enough pop on his serve to build a conventional attacking game. Instead, he uses his quickness and mastery of angles to open up the court and force an error or win a point outright. Thats why he, not the spectacular Monfils or the precise Djokovic, is one of three men tied with Wawrinka in the winners stats department in New York. This match will be loaded with David vs. Goliath overtones. Nishikoris game plan will be to get one more ball back, thereby increasing his chances to wear down Wawrinka and/or tease out an error.Prediction: Wawrinka in three ' ' '