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Angelique Kerber was sweaty. She had just beaten Johanna Konta in the semifinals of the Australian Open to book a trip to her first major final. Her on-court interview had finished about 30 seconds earlier. Adrenaline pumping, she popped out into a quiet hallway at Rod Laver Arena.I had just finished my assignment for ESPN and was wandering back to the ESPN compound that hot Thursday Melbourne afternoon. I had just watched Kerber, 28 years old and playing in her 33rd Grand Slam tournament, pull off a crisp, clean match that included just 11 unforced errors to 14 winners.Kerber had won seven career titles at that point and more than $9 million. She had been ranked in the top 10 for years. She had been to the US Open semifinals in 2011 and the Wimbledon semifinals in 2012. But this -- this 2016 Australian Open moment -- was by far the biggest of her career.Well congratulations! I said.But she wanted more.I cant find anyone from my team, she said (and I swear I could see the excitement and thrill dripping off of her). Ive just gotten to my first major final, and I have nobody to hug.You can hug me if you want,?I said.And she did.Two days later, Kerber went on to beat Serena Williams -- the same Serena Williams who four months earlier was two wins away from a calendar Grand Slam and was holding all four major titles -- in the final to win her first major title.And Kerbers year just kept getting better from there. In addition to winning the Aussie, she was runner-up (to Serena) at Wimbledon, won the title in her home country at Stuttgart, took silver (to Monica Puig) at the Olympics, took out Petra Kvitova, Roberta Vinci, Caroline Wozniacki and Karolina Pliskova to win the US Open. She started 2016 ranked No. 10 in the world and finished ranked No. 1.For so many years in womens tennis, we had been looking for that person, who, like Serena, could follow up a great result at a Grand Slam. That player who could make a run to the semis or the final and then back it up. Nobody had been able to do it. But Kerber was able to break that pattern. She backed it up beautifully. From start to finish -- from the Australian Open to the WTA Finals in Singapore, where she lost in the final -- she was the best player in 2016.I think a lot of her success can be traced to the offseason -- exactly this time last year. She stepped up her physical strength, her conditioning, her footwork. She became more professional in all the little details.But she also worked really hard on the emotional side. That was always the big question mark around Kerber over the years: Could she remain emotionally competent week in, week out, match in, match out. A lot of the time I sit courtside during matches, and I would see her get negative ... the way she would look up at her coach, Torben Beltz, the way she would get testy when the tide of a match would start to turn. In 2016, she had her best attitude -- her most consistent, professional attitude.She was just really grounded, really professional, really consistent, really good.Ive been thinking over the past few days about what we can expect from Kerber in 2017. And I dont see her going away. She passed so many tests in 2016, and she is such a veteran. She turns 29 next month, and shes been a top-10 player for years. I think we can look forward to more from Kerber. Another major? I dont see why not. Another No. 1 at the end of the year? I wouldnt put that past her, either.More on Angelique Kerber? Kerber and the power of positivity?Story ?? The spectacular renaissance of Angelique Kerber?Story ?? 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SEATTLE -- After weeks of mostly poor performances, Marco Estrada once again flirted with a no-hitter for Toronto.And just when the Blue Jays needed that quality of a performance.Estrada took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, Edwin Encarnacion hit his 41st home run and the Blue Jays beat the Seattle Mariners 3-2 on Monday night in the opener of a critical three-game series.Estrada (9-9) had allowed only two walks before Robinson Cano led off the seventh with a line drive up the middle on a 2-1 pitch. Cano and Nelson Cruz walked in the fourth -- an inning that ended on Kevin Pillars sliding catch to save a run -- but Estrada otherwise kept the Mariners off the bases before Canos single.Estradas outing was exactly what the slumping Blue Jays needed. They arrived in Seattle having dropped two straight and four of six, and their wild-card lead dwindled in the process. Estrada was partly to blame for the September swoon. In his previous six starts, he was 1-4 with a 7.53 ERA. In September alone, Estrada had allowed 12 earned runs in 12 2/3 innings.But he was brilliant against the Mariners, keeping the thousands of Blue Jays fans that made the trip south from British Columbia cheering all night as Toronto pulled even with Baltimore for the first wild-card spot. Both teams are 2 1/2 games clear of Detroit and three ahead of Seattle and Houston.Im not really sure whats been going on, as the game gets going I start to struggle a little bit, Estrada said. We looked at video and there have been little things here and there that we caught. We changed it up and felt pretty good today.Estrada was pulled after walking Leonys Martin leading off the eighth inning, leaving to a standing ovation from the huge Blue Jays contingent. He struck out eight and walked three before being replaced by Jason Grilli.The final six outs were trying for the Blue Jays. Pinch-hitter Ben Gamel walked to put two runners on with no outs in the eighth, and Seth Smith walked on a nine-piitch at-bat with two outs to load the bases for Cano.ddddddddddddloser Roberto Osuna entered and got Cano to line out to the warning track in right field where Ezequiel Carrera was playing. Martin hit a two-out, two-run homer in the ninth off Osuna, but Gamel struck out looking to cap Osunas 34th save.We know whats ahead of us, and we arent going to back away from it, Seattle manager Scott Servais said. I thought our guys gave a really good effort tonight, just wasnt enough.Encarnacions two-run homer off starter Taijuan Walker (6-11) came with two outs in the third on a 0-1 pitch that was left up in the strike zone. Pillar added a two-out RBI single in the fourth inning after Troy Tulowitzki led off with a double.NEAR MISSESEstrada has never completed a no-hitter, but hes been close. He lost a no-hit bid in the eighth inning against Boston on June 5, and also pitched hitless ball into the eighth inning in consecutive starts in June 2015.Its not something that I was focused on. Obviously if it would have happened it would have been incredible but it didnt. Cano hit a pretty good pitch, Estrada said.DONALDSON TOSSEDTorontos Josh Donaldson was ejected in the seventh inning arguing with plate umpire Chris Conroy after being called out on strikes. Donaldson was already upset about a check-swing Conroy called a strike earlier in the at-bat and flipped at being called out on a fastball on the outside corner. Donaldson immediately got in Conroys face and was quickly tossed.UP NEXTBlue Jays: LHP J.A. Happ (19-4) goes for his 20th win. Happ would join Bostons Rick Porcello as the only two pitchers in baseball with 20 wins this season. Happ has won 13 of his last 14 decisions.Mariners: RHP Hisashi Iwakuma (16-11) looks for his third straight victory. Iwakuma allowed just one run in 6 1/3 innings in his last start against the Angels. ' ' '