Midway through the second quarter of Sydneys clinical defeat of Geelong, cameras panned to the somewhat incredulous figure of Andre Agassi, sitting next to the AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan. Agassi took that very moment to let out a yawn, choosing his moment of weakness a bit like the Cats had done.On another level, though, Agassi could empathise with the hosts. There had been a day 17 years ago when he was on the end of a similar hiding on a day when he had been expected to be at his best. The 1999 Wimbledon final had been billed as a showdown between a resurgent Agassi and a supposedly fading Pete Sampras. What transpired was a Sampras masterclass, leaving Agassi feeling at times like one of the spectators.I maintained my focus and intensity but I just couldnt stop him, Agassi said after. You have to weather the storm against Pete because then he can be vulnerable. Even when I was two sets down I felt like I could come back but the storm never let up. He was taking chances out there, and people think hes walking on water until he starts missing a few of those. But he didnt. So he walked on water today.Swans, of course, dont need to walk on water. But like Agassi, the Cats needed some early good fortune if they were to weather the storm. An early assault from the Swans had been expected, given their aggressive start against Adelaide last week and also the fact Geelong had played only one match in three weeks due to the pre-finals bye.Yet knowledge of what may be coming does not necessarily equate to an ability to deal with it. If Geelong were to take their time warming into the game, they would need to hope that the Swans did not exactly nail their early lines. Equally, they had to hope the bounce of the ball would fall their way.Instead, the match started in the sort of fashion that suggested this was Sydneys night. The Swans had early momentum, sure, but it was exacerbated by Cats errors. Then when the margin had become substantial, luck weighed in on Sydneys side also.Never was this better exemplified than when Isaac Heeney hurried a kick forward from a pack late in the first term. The margin already stood at 31 points, and Jimmy Bartel was left to look helplessly over his head as an end-over-end mongrel punt cleared him and shot through for six points. Heeney is the sort of player the game tends to roll for, being strong bodied and smart, but this was indeed outrageous fortune.From there, the Swans precision was more than enough to keep a margin between the teams, even as Geelongs high work rate and industry was epitomised as ever by the Brownlow Medal favourite, Patrick Dangerfield. The exemplar for that precision was another fledgling Swan, this time Tom Papley. His set shots at goal were so sure that Papley could be seen reeling away in celebration before the ball had even got halfway there: three times this was a galling sight for the Cats.The obvious threat after the way they played last week was theyd be dominant early and they were clearly that, Cats coach Chris Scott said. So they jumped us and no matter what we tried early we couldnt stop that. Then they were extraordinarily efficient. Their work rate at the contest was great, we didnt play well, but they force us to play poorly around the contest. They were unbelievably clean around the ball, we werent.The first few minutes they had four shots really quickly. We did adjust, the plan we went in with was executed, but even that didnt work, so that put us right behind the eight ball. The last three quarters we dominated a lot of the numbers but unfortunately some for he numbers can tend to outweigh efficiency. Its one thing to go inside 50 a lot, but the looks they were getting [at goal] compared to us didnt augur well for the way the game was going to play out.For his part, John Longmire put his sides swiftness down to an ability to act on best intentions - easier said than done. theres nothing special to it, our blokes just get themselves into a good frame of mind before the game and are really confident in the sort of footy we know we need to play, he said. And we need to play it. Its one thing knowing, another going out and doing it. Our ability to execute over the last couple of weeks with that intensity, particularly early, has been a really high standard.Much as Agassi had tried to rally in the third set against Sampras, Geelong belatedly found some direction and pressure in the third term to bring the margin back to something like manageable dimensions. These sorts of scenarios invariably draw a baying crowd into the equation, and the loudest barracking of the night was certainly for the Cats to close the gap further. However the occasions when that takes effect are memorable for a reason: they are rare.More common is what transpired for both Geelong and Agassi. The Swans steadied, drawing on their greater proficiency over the course of the night, and ultimately carried home a margin comfortable enough to cruise through most of the final term with very little sting in the game. Well-credentialed as they are, Sydney still found exhilaration in the moment: they have regenerated significantly since their last premiership in 2012, even if their last Grand Final appearance was only two years ago.The one parallel amiss from Sampras/Swans and Agassi/Cats is the fact this was not the final, but something like a Wimbledon semi. Whether Agassi will be back next week to sit alongside McLachlan is open to question. Less doubt surrounds the return of the Swans to the MCG for the third time in five years. Mitch Wishnowsky 49ers Jersey . The Browns coaching search remains incomplete. George Kittle Womens Jersey . During the athletes parade, the 23-strong Ukrainian team was represented by a lone flagbearer in an apparent protest at the presence of Russian troops in Ukraines Crimean peninsula. http://www.thesf49ersshoponline.com/Youth-Joe-Montana-49ers-Jersey/ . Robredo, ranked No. 16, bounced back from an upset loss to Leonardo Mayer in the second round of the Royal Guard Open in Chile last week to down Carreno Busta in 1 hour, 25 minutes. On a day filled mostly with qualifying matches, fifth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain also entered the second with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 win over Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia, while Guido Pella of Argentina defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6 (6), 6-4 to advance. Dante Pettis Youth Jersey . Nine days before the opening ceremony, organizing committee chief Dmitry Chernyshenko said Wednesday that Sochi is "fully ready" and will deliver safe, friendly and well-run games that defy the grim reports that have overshadowed preparations. George Kittle Youth Jersey . MORITZ, Switzerland -- Fog prevented downhill racers from getting their Olympic dress rehearsal. RIO DE JANEIRO -- The United States claimed its second straight win against a top-three team in womens field hockey, beating No. 3 Australia 2-1 on Monday.Michelle Vittese and Caitlin van Sickle scored for the Americans, who defeated No. 2 Argentina 2-1 in their Olympic opener on Saturday.United States goalie Jackie Briggs had six saves and had four saves on the four penalty corners she faced. The crowd chanted, Jackie! Jackie! after the match.The fifth-ranked Americans, who lead Pool B with six points, moved closer to qualifying for the quarterfinals. The top four teams in each six-team pool advance.The Americans dealt a major blow to Australia. The Hockeyroos dropped their opener to Britain 2-1 on Saturday and now have no points with three pool play matches remaining.The United States spent the early part of the match defending its goal as the aggressive Australian attack put the Americans on their heels.dddddddddddd Briggs stopped four shots in the first period, and the match remained scoreless.Much like in their opener against Argentina, the Americans retained their composure. Vittese scored on a penalty corner to put the United States up 1-0 in the second period.The Americans went up 2-0 in the third period when van Sickle scored on a penalty corner. There was a video referral because the pass near the goal was high, but it was not considered and the goal was upheld.Australia came back fewer than two minutes later with a goal by Kathryn Slattery.The Hockeyroos got another penalty corner with two minutes remaining in the fourth period, but Briggs deflected a shot high.---Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter (at)CliffBruntAP . ' ' '