FINHAUT-EMOSSON, Switzerland -- Nairo Quintana was expected to celebrate Colombias national holiday with a major offensive in the Alps that would see him close in on Tour de France leader Chris Froome.It didnt happen.Despite being a specialist in mountain stages, Quintana surrendered to the defending champion in the first Alpine leg of this years Tour -- won by Russian all-rounder Ilnur Zakarin on Wednesday.Froome made the most of a brutal final ascent to the artificial lake of Finhaut-Emosson to tighten his grip on the race and take another step toward a third title in four years at cyclings biggest event.Its been a very difficult Tour for Nairo, said Froome, after the Colombian lost another 28 seconds. Hes still a great rival and a big challenger for me, but he lost more time today. I think for him to re-enter into the game again hes going to have to do a real good time trial tomorrow.Having already lost a considerable amount of time during the two first weeks of racing, Quintana was expected to be in the thick of the action in the Alps. Instead, he was powerless to do anything but watch when Froome accelerated with less than two kilometers left.My yellow dream is over, but Im just 26, and the riders in front of me have more experience, said Quintana, who finished twice runner-up at the Tour behind Froome in 2013 and 2015. I have many years left to realize that dream.While Quintana struggled, Froome reasserted his superiority over his direct rivals in the sizzling heat that hit the Swiss Alps.Im feeling better than Ive ever felt in the third week of a Grand Tour before, Froome said. Given the big gaps which the Kenya-born rider has already opened up, the news does not bode well for his rivals.With four stages remaining before the finish in Paris, Froome leads Bauke Mollema by 2 minutes 27 seconds overall. Adam Yates is third, 2:53 off the pace and Quintana sits in fourth place, 3:27 behind his British rival.Once the stage reached the mountains, Froomes teammates deployed their usual tactics, moving to the front to set a sustained tempo and tire his rivals. Riding several minutes behind the breakaways, Richie Porte finally attacked from the yellow jersey group around two kilometers from the finish.On the steep ramps leading to the line, Quintana, Yates and Mollema were unable to respond, and Froome accelerated. Quintana first followed the defending champions frenetic pace but cracked after a few hundred meters.Porte -- who rode in support of Froome at Team Sky before he joined BMC this season -- crossed the finish line with his former leader. Along with the 28 seconds lost by Quintana to Froome, Mollema reached the summit 40 seconds behind the defending champion.I really want to be on the podium, so these are the moves you have to pull, said Porte, who moved to sixth overall, 4:27 back. I thought Quintana was the one who was going to go, so I sat on his wheel. It was a good attack and Froome was the only that came with me. I think its a good day.Zakarin was part of a breakaway that formed early in the 184.5-kilometer (114.6-mile) stage starting in Bern. It featured two major climbs in the final 30 kilometers: the Col de la Forclaz, a 13-kilometer climb with an average gradient of 7.9 percent, and the brutal beyond-category 10.4-kilometer ascent to the finish line.The day began with an early crash involving Quintanas teammate Gorka Izaguirre, who was forced to abandon with a suspected fractured collarbone.After several breakaway attempts, a group of 14 riders including world champion Peter Sagan formed at the front of the race. Froomes teammates did not chase and the leading pack built a 13-minute gap.The scenic route near Mont Blanc took the peloton up and down serpentine roads between neatly arranged vineyards with snowcapped peaks in the distance. Once the pack reached the mountains, Sagan got dropped at the bottom of the Col de la Forclaz.Rafal Majka and Jarlinson Pantano jumped out of the pack on the descent and started the final climb with a small lead of 30 seconds. Zakarin joined them and launched a furious attack on the last climb with 6.5 kilometers left.Zakarin, who was suspended in 2009 for two years after testing positive for the forbidden anabolic steroid methandienone, finished 55 seconds ahead of Pantano. Majka was third, 1:26 back.The race now crosses back into France for Stage 18 on Thursday, a 17-kilometer individual time trial from Sallanches to Megeve. Cheap Custom Basketball Jerseys Store . Any real chance at payback wont come until the playoff. Still, Pittsburgh knows its taut 3-2 win over the Bruins on Wednesday night is a pretty good place to start laying the groundwork. "They are a very good defensive team," Penguins forward Brandon Sutter said. Custom Basketball Jerseys Outlet . -- Stanford squashed Oregons national championship hopes again, schooling the Ducks in power football. http://www.customjerseysbasketball.com/ . Now tied for second in the league in shootout goals, the 24-year-old likes to see what the opposing goaltender has in store before he ultimately lands on a move. Sale Custom Basketball Jerseys . -- Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Alrdridge were again the go-to duo for the Trail Blazers against the Kings. Clearance Custom Basketball Jerseys . Collaros, 25, was solid last season, posting a 5-2 record as the starter while incumbent Ricky Ray was injured. Collaros also started Torontos 23-20 regular-season finale loss to Montreal — Ray didnt dress because the Argos had already clinched first in the East Division — but was one of three quarterbacks to play that day.LONDON -- Still only 19, Laura Robson is busy accumulating a list of accomplishments that include the words "first British woman since." At last years U.S. Open, she became the first British woman since 1991 to reach the fourth round there. Thanks to a 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 comeback victory Saturday over Marina Erakovic of New Zealand, a match that included a crucial overturned call, Robson is now the first British woman since 1998 to make it that far at Wimbledon. And shes also assured of becoming the first British woman since 1987 -- more than a quarter-century ago -- to climb into the top 30 in the WTA rankings. Robson, a lefty with a fairly big serve who beat Kim Clijsters in the final match of the four-time major champions career, is nonplussed by it all. "I didnt even know about it until you (told) me," Robson said when asked about the significance of some of her milestones. "I just focus on, you know, playing my match, things like that. Things that actually matter." And she noted: "I dont go into the match thinking, If I win this, Im going to be top-30." Needless to say, the attention paid to her by the locals is increasing: Photos of Robson were all over the front pages of Saturdays newspapers, and she was thrilled with the vocal support she heard on Court 2 against Erakovic. The spectators got so loud that their roars could be heard across the grounds at Centre Court. "I dont think they had much to support in the first set," Robson joked, "but they were amazing. I thought they helped a lot." That sort of focus and backing only will increase in a place desperate for tennis success; the last British woman to win Wimbledon was Virginia Wade in 1977. Thats nothing, of course, compared to the wait since 1936 for a male champion at the All England Club, but its enough to get everyone around here rather excited about Robson. "Its good to do well, especially at Wimbledon," said Robson, currently ranked 38th. "But Im going to be playing for, like, another 10 years, so its all bonuses for now." Playing for a second day in a row, Robson did not start well. Not at all. "I was getting my butt kicked, basically," Robson said. "I was really struggling to return her serrve.dddddddddddd She was playing really well. So I just thought: Just going to try as best as I can, work as hard as possible and just stick with it until she starts to get nervous -- which is what happened." Indeed, the 71st-ranked Erakovic, who was trying to become the first woman from New Zealand to get to Wimbledons fourth round since 1959, was up a set and a break and served for the match at 5-4 in the second. But she set up a break point with one of her eight double-faults, and Robson pulled even at 5-all. "I think anyone would be tightening up serving for the match in that situation. And (I) knew that she hadnt made the fourth round of a Slam. That was what I was told," said Robson, who eliminated 10th-seeded Maria Kirilenko in her opening match. "So I kind of just tried to put the pressure on her serve, and she made a couple of double-faults, which helped me. But I knew that that was my chance to get in her head a little bit, and thats what I did." After holding to go up 6-5, Robson got a set point when Erakovic double-faulted to make it 30-40. Then came a key moment. Robson barely got a return back that looped high and just caught the edge of a line, but was called out before Erakovic finished hitting what would have been a winner. Robson successfully challenged the "out" ruling, the point was replayed, and Erakovic double-faulted yet again to cede the set. From there, Robson took complete control, building a 4-0 lead in the third set. After Wimbledons traditional day of rest on the middle Sunday, Robson moves on to Week 2 at Wimbledon. On Monday, she will face 46th-ranked Kaia Kanepi of Estonia, a four-time major quarterfinalist who beat 126th-ranked wild-card entry Alison Riske of the United States 6-2, 6-3. "Its now my second time in the second week of a Slam, so thats pretty cool. Except at the U.S. Open, I played on the Sunday, so it didnt quite feel like a second week," Robson said, "and my brother said it didnt count." Well, as far as all of a certain country is concerned, this one most certainly will count. And if Robson wins again, she will be the first British woman since Jo Durie in 1984 to reach the quarterfinals at Wimbledon -- or any Grand Slam tournament. ' ' '