Dein erstes Forum » go. Their coaches trust them, their teammate

BASEL, Switzerland -- Kei Nishikori made a winning return after three weeks out injured, beating Dusan Lajovic 7-5, 6-1 in the Swiss Indoors first round Monday.The third-seeded Japanese got the prime match slot after the opening ceremony at Roger Federers hometown tournament, which is missing the seven-time champion and Rafael Nadal, who ended their seasons through injury.Nishikori, who retired with a glute muscle injury at the recent Japan Open, eased past the 77th-ranked Serbian Lajovic.Nishikori forced the first service break to lead 6-5 then reeled off three more breaks, and clinched the match when Lajovics defensive lob struck the ceiling of the court.Fourth-seeded Marin Cilic of Croatia also won in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2 against Russian Mikhail Youzhny.Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion, fired 11 aces and dominated with his first serve to win in just 66 minutes.Donald Young, the 77th-ranked American, came through qualifying to also win 6-4, 6-2 against Illya Marchenko of Ukraine. Young could next play top-seeded Stan Wawrinka.Wawrinka, the current US Open champion, opens Tuesday against fellow Swiss Marco Chiudinelli. Two-time Basel champion Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina got a wild-card entry and plays Wednesday. FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Coach Dan Quinn appreciates how the Atlanta Falcons are positioned atop the NFC South, holding a one-game lead over Tampa Bay with two games left in the regular season.Now if the Falcons could just stop getting key players hurt, but Quinn is hardly despondent. Inexperienced players are stepping into big roles and impressing the coaching staff.I know were judged by what happens on Sundays, but honestly I thought the game from yesterday was won during the week, Quinn said Monday. It was the preparation that the guys put in and having that mindset to go for it.When Atlanta (9-5) visits Carolina (5-8) this weekend, linebacker DeVondre Campbell will not play after sustaining a concussion in Sundays blowout win over San Francisco.Quinn isnt sure of the status of tight end Austin Hooper, who left the game late with a knee injury. Campbells status, however, is a bigger concern for a defense that has already lost cornerback Desmond Trufant, safety Kemal Ishmael, linebacker Sean Weatherspoon and defensive end Derrick Shebly to season-ending surgeries. Defensive end Adrian Clayborn is likely inactive for a fourth straight week with a sore knee.Its rough and a bummer for those guys, Quinn said. We have a number of guys who are ready if called upon, so well take it through the week as we get ready to play.The Falcons hope that All-Pro receiver Julio Jones, out the last two games with a sprained toe, and cornerback Jalen Collins, sidelined against the 49ers with a knee injury, will be ready to play against Carolina.Despite Jones absence, Quinn was delighted how well Aldrick Robinson filled in with a team-high 111 yards receiving on four catches. The coach also praised C.J. Goodwin, a receiver-turned-cornerback, and Deji Olaltoye, promoted from the practice squad three weeks ago.All the gguys have been in the system long enough to know how we play, Quinn said.dddddddddddd. This is the technique we do.Without Hooper, the Falcons took another hit at tight end. Starter Jacob Tammes season ended in Week 8, which leaves only Levine Toilolo and undrafted rookie free agent Joshua Perkins as the lone players at their position.Without Trufant, the teams best defender, and Collins, a second-round draft pick last year, the Falcons used a four-man rotation at cornerback. Brian Poole, an undrafted rookie free agent who has started seven of his 14 games at nickel, played on every snap. Robert Alford, a full-time starter the last three years, took all but two snaps.Goodwin and Olatoye subbed in for each other all afternoon at the outside spot opposite Alford.Those guys have good length, Quinn said. The times we played them in man-to-man, they really showed up. We thought theyd play well. They were ready to go. Their coaches trust them, their teammates trust them.Improvement on defense has been a season-long quest. The Falcons allowed between 28 and 33 points over the first four weeks, but over the last four games, theyve forced more turnovers and opponents are scoring less.The emergence of second-year end-outside linebacker Vic Beasley, the NFL sacks leader with 14.5, and inside linebacker Deion Jones, one of the leagues most productive rookies, has been timely.Even when (the 49ers) got a few first downs, we made sure that we stopped them, safety Ricardo Allen said. Even though they got a touchdown or two, we kept playing the whole game and got our ball back to our offense and you see what they did.---For more NFL coverage: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '