MONTREAL -- Organizers of an exhibition tennis event are hoping the rising star power of Milos Raonic and Genie Bouchard will help fill the Bell Centre for a night. Raonic, Canadas top-ranked mens player of all time at No. 15, and Wimbledon junior champion Bouchard will take on opponents yet to be determined at the Montreal Rendez-Vous on March 18. "It was a delightful opportunity because Ive tried to do the same thing in Toronto to help the sport grow," Raonic said at the announcement on Monday. "Tennis is difficult. "You dont know how results and schedules will play out, so if you have something pre-set in advance and advertised well, its pretty special. It gives an opportunity not only for tennis fanatics but sports fans in general to come out and see us play." Players and organizers spoke of top talent like Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or even Roger Federer as possible opponents for Raonic and Serena Williams or Maria Sharapova for Bouchard, but it remains to be seen who they will face. "Anyones special," said 18-year-old Bouchard, the Westmount, Que., native who won junior titles in singles and doubles at Wimbledon and is now tackling a pro career. "Ill see how I do against an opponent like that. "After the off-season, Ill start again in January and play lots of pro tournaments and hopefully Ill be a better player than I am now." The event is run by StarGames, Madison Square Garden and local promoter Evenko. The event started last year with former stars like Andre Agassi and Ivan Lendl and drew 8,200 fans. "We know that the 2013 version, headlined by Milos Raonic, will be even more compelling to the Montreal market," StarGames president Jerry Solomon said. "Itll be top level, world class players. Some of them are players who have played for us in other events. Its a great date on the international tennis calendar. They have a few days off between Indian Wells and Miami, so it works well for them." Solomon said a similar event is going into its sixth year in New York and he plans to announce a third one in another city on another continent soon. The 21-year-old Raonic, of Thornhill, Ont., is coming off a pair of singles wins as Canada downed a depleted South Africa squad 4-1 on the weekend to keep its place in the top-level World Group for next year. Its unusual that Canada won its Davis Cup tie despite losing the doubles match, as veteran doubles ace Daniel Nestor was Canadas strong point before Raonics rise in singles rankings. Vasek Pospisil and Frank Dancevic, as well as Wimbledon and U.S. Open junior champion Filip Peliwo, give Canada added depth in singles. "To be honest, its singles that gets all the limelight and attention," said Raonic. "Its singles performances that are going to help the sport grow, especially here in Canada." The tennis event could get even greater attention if the NHL lockout that began at midnight on Saturday drags through the winter. "I think so, but theres still quite a bit of talk going on about the lockout, so that will take a bit of time, said Raonic. "Its definitely a good opportunity, but at the same time, its an opportunity thats not going to be there consistently. "Maybe we can use it to grow, but Id want tennis to become a tradition where it doesnt depend on hockey being locked out, where it can grow on its own and hold its own." Discount Coach Handbags . Dresslers highlight reel grab defeated Tristan Jacksons 129-yard missed field goal return in the final of a bracket that started with 12 plays from the 2012 season. In their July 19 overtime loss to the Calgary Stampeders, the Roughriders were trailing by a point as half approached and looking for the momentum heading into the second half of the game. Coach Handbags Outlet . Second-seeded Alexandr Dolgopolov faced No. 8 Sam Querrey in the second semifinal. Haas, the German ranked 36th in the world, improved to 4-1 against Fish, and has won six of his last seven matches against top-15 players. [url=http://www.coachhandbags2014new.com/]http://www.coachhandbags2014new.com/[/... . PAUL, Minn.Georges St-Pierre is set to defend his title against Carlos Condit on November 17 at UFC 154 in Montreal, but this post has nothing to do with that. I just wanted GSP in the article so people will actually read this. The UFC is on its way to Macau this weekend. Yes, the UFC is taking the show to China. The card has a strange main event in 38-year-old Rich Franklin taking on 40-year-old Cung Le. Not sure if these two are exactly show stoppers, but it will be a good fight. Its something I have noticed the UFC cant seem to get away from, headlining fights that dont have any bearing on whats going on in a weight division. It is very strange to me that the UFCs first show in China doesnt have a super-stacked card. In fact, its quite the opposite. The UFC is showing them a Fight Night, not a pay-per-view. No one is really talking about this card, and thats the shame of it, since it appears the UFC is spreading itself too thin. Many are looking past this card, and as I said before, are focused on UFC 154: St-Pierre vs. Condit the following Saturday. With all the potential out there, as demonstrated by Aggression MMAs onslaught on Western Canada over the last three weeks, why are we forced to watch two fighters who are far past their primes? No disrespect to either athlete, but they are past the point in their careers where I expect anything new from them. It will be a good fight, probably not a great fight. Neither fighter really has a shot at the title, so the storyline has them not needing to "put it all on the line". I see this fight going to a decision and Franklin taking it. However, not to worry folks, there are other fights with more than enough flash for us all. The fight leading to the main event has Thiago Silva taking on an undefeated Stanislav Nedkov. Nedkov has only fought once before in the UFC and the competition was stiff in Luiz Cane, but it is only one fight. Most fans wont recognize him. Thats a tough sell when trying to break into a market. Silva is always dangerous and a very talented fighter. That means Nedkov will need to have the fight of his career to ensure he stays undefeated and moves up the rankings in the 205-pound division. Silva has made a name for himself with some highlight knockouts and the "thumb across the throat" celebration. Nedkov claims a solid ground game, but with six knockout wins and four submission wins, it would seem he is pretty well rounded. This fight has my interest as Silva is on a losing streak and is fighting for his UFC career, while Nedkov is fighting to make his mark. Its an important fight, on an important night. There is a story line and talent in the cage, that means the fans could get a surprise out of this fight. There is potential for excitement on an otherwise "ho hum" kind of evening. Watch for Nedkov to score a submission win, with high potential for a rear naked choke in the first round. Dong Hyun Kim versus Paulo Thiago has a lot of potential and promise, but no guarantee for excitement. Combined, these two have gone to 13 decisions in their past 18 fights. Kim doesnt get nearly enough press for how long he has been in the game at the highest level and Thiago is a great opponent for him. TThiago is known for his willingness to engage fighters, and Kim will push the pace.ddddddddddddEven in their decision wins, both fighters had good exchanges. This fight really has no meaning in the welterweight division, as neither fighter is in contention at the moment, but it still has potential for a good fight. Kim always surprises with his ability to throw opponents with his Judo. Those takedowns score points and open up the chance for a solid strike. Kicks and takedowns when used properly always improve the odds of a scoring punch or knockout. Given that these two fighters are perfectly matched speed and caliber-wise, this should end with a lot of great back and forth exchanges. I wouldnt be surprised if this goes to a decision with both competitors getting the best of a few exchanges. I am giving the nod to Kim, as his takedowns will score those extra few points. Now for a match that I really think could be a fight of the night. Takanori Gomi against Mac Danzig. Danzig is 5-5 in his last 10, as is Gomi. Dont let their records fool you, these are highly talented fighters who leave it all in the cage every fight. This is also a lightweight fight, and that means a ton of action. The lightweights are fast becoming the show stealing fighters, and this fight will be no exception. Gomi is known for his unique and unorthodox striking. He finds angles during fights that most athletes wouldnt ever consider. That means Danzig will need to be perfect and use his submission and ground game to slow the The Fireball Kid down. This is definitely the fight to watch on the night, and I am surprised it doesnt have a higher billing on the card. I exptect Danzig to catch Gomi in a submission in the final round. There will be a lot of close calls for Gomi, and Mac will eventually make something stick before the final bell. Saturday nights event in Macau is a big deal for the UFC and they are right in the heart of what most consider the birth place of Martial Arts. Expansion like this will truly make the UFC a worldwide phenomena. However, it begs the question of how they will continue the growth if they cannot find more superstars and keep them healthy. UFC Macau represents the biggest step out for the organization, and at the same time perhaps one of their weakest cards for name recognition. The new goal and vision for the UFC has to be the creation of more superstars. That means more time needs to be spent helping the grassroots organizations. The MFC had a fantastic card a few weekends ago. MFC fight cards like that will require the support of the bigger organizations and media outlets to ensure the growth of the sport. Canadian Ryan Jimmo got his start with MFC, and now is tied for the record for the fastest knockout in UFC history. The UFC will have to go looking for more talent soon in order to put together a bigger stable of fighters and ensure that as they expand around the world, they have the talent to draw in viewers. They cant all be St-Pierre vs. Condit. Jordan Cieciwa can be heard on TSN Radio 1290 every Saturday at 11:30am ct with his show The Weigh-In. You can also follow Jordan at www.twitter.com/FitCityJordan and get all your fitness tips at www.onefitcity.com. ' ' '