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(06/27/07 11:30pm)
WIMBLEDON, England – After another slow start, Serena Williams got her grass-court game back on track.\nThe two-time champion rallied from 4-1 down in the first set and beat Australia’s Alicia Molik 7-6 (4), 6-3 on Wednesday to reach the third round of Wimbledon on another day of rain delays at the All England Club.\n“I just got really angry,” Williams said. “I thought it was unfair that I got down so far. I was like, OK, it’s just one break. But 4-1 looks worse than one break.”\nAlso getting past the second round was third-seeded Andy Roddick, who defeated 114th-ranked Danai Udomchoke of Thailand 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (3).\nRoddick, served at speeds up to 140 mph aces and 40 winners and broke three times. Udomchoke converted only one of nine break points.\n“I felt like I played some of my best tennis in the third-set tiebreak,” Roddick said. “I was a bit up and down mentally in the match, but got through.”\nTop-seeded Justine Henin took one hour to oust Vera Dushevina of Russia 6-0, 6-4 on Centre Court to make the third round in her bid for the only Grand Slam title to elude her.\n“I hope I can make it here one day,” said Henin, a two-time losing finalist at Wimbledon. “I hope I will have another chance and be at my best level. It’s a good motivation for me.”\nHenin played with a long strip of black tape on her right shin. She said she has been bothered by tendinitis in her right foot, but that it hasn’t affected her game.\nPlay was interrupted by rain for 45 minutes early in the day, and suspended again in late afternoon by heavier showers. The delay came with four-time defending champion Roger Federer – seeking his 50th straight win on grass – leading 6-2, 7-5, 2-0 against 18-year-old Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina.\nWilliams, who also struggled in the first set of her opening-round win Monday over Lourdes Dominguez Lino, fell behind again early against Molik in windy conditions on Court 1. But she finally got her power game going and finished with 10 aces and 35 winners to 18 errors.\n“I’m playing OK,” said Williams, who rated her performance six out of 10, compared to two out of 10 for the first round. “I actually don’t think I’m playing that great, no.”\nWilliams, who was affected by a tight hamstring in her first match, said she experienced no problems Wednesday.\n“Not at all,” she said. “Not today. I was feeling better. Don’t jinx me.”\nWilliams showed lots of emotion during the match as her sister, Venus, and parents watched from the stands.\n“The angry Serena is very crazy to say the least,” she said. “Sometimes she comes out.”\nThe turning point came in the tiebreaker with Molik leading 4-2. The Australian made groundstroke errors on the next four points and Williams pounded a 121 mph ace down the middle to close out the set, punctuated by a fist pump and scream of “Come on!”\nThe match ended in bizarre circumstances on Williams’ third match point in the final game. A line judge called Molik’s shot wide, but the two continued playing until Williams hit a winning forehand volley.\nThe players approached the net to congratulate each other, but Molik was allowed to challenge the line judge’s call. The new “Hawk-Eye” replay system showed the ball was out. The two smiled, and Williams saluted the crowd.\nWilliams said she didn’t mind that Molik contested the call.\n“I told her, `You may as well. I would have challenged it, too. I’m not upset. I’m not going to hold it against you,’” Williams said. “She was like, ‘OK.’”\nA similar incident occurred at the end of Henin’s victory. Serving for the match, Henin saved a break point, then produced two straight aces to finish the contest. Dushevina challenged the call on the final ace, but the replay showed the ball was on the line.
(07/10/06 5:23am)
WIMBLEDON, England -- Nobody can stop Roger Federer on grass.\nNo. 1 got even against No. 2 as Federer ended a five-match losing streak to Rafael Nadal on Sunday, winning 6-0, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (2), 6-3 to earn his fourth straight Wimbledon title and eighth Grand Slam championship .\nNadal had beaten Federer in four finals this year, including at the French Open last month, but couldn't match him on the Swiss star's favorite surface.\nNot here, not in my house, not on Centre Court, not on the biggest stage in tennis. That was Federer's response to the 20-year-old \nSpaniard's challenge.\nAfter dropping the third set, the only set he lost all tournament, Federer lifted his game in the fourth to show who's boss.\nThe milestones keep piling up for the 24-year-old Federer, who strengthens the case for consideration as being among the greatest players of all time.\nIn winning his 48th consecutive match on grass, he became the third player in the Open era to capture four successive Wimbledon championships, joining Bjorn Borg (five straight from 1976-80) and Pete Sampras (1997-00).\n"They're heroes of the game," Federer said. "This is the most important tournament, and to win four is out of this world. I'll come back and try for a fifth."\nWhen Nadal sliced a backhand wide on match point, Federer raised his arms in the air, threw back his head and closed his eyes.\nAfter the two players embraced at the net, Federer slipped into his customized cream-colored blazer to receive the winner's trophy from the Duke of Kent.\nAsked about his rivalry with Nadal, he said, "Now I like \nit again."\nFederer is the eighth man in history to win four or more Wimbledon titles. William Renshaw and Sampras lead the list with seven championships, but Federer is on course to break the mark.\n"It's fantastic," he said. "I never thought it possible, but I made it. It's really an incredible feeling. I was doubting myself early on in the tournament, with the draw and the expectations. So to be through all over again and to play against Rafael in the finals is \nobviously fantastic."\nNadal came into Sunday's match with a 6-1 record against Federer . Federer's only losses this year have been to Nadal, he is 55-0 against everyone else.\nBut anyone who thought Nadal had gotten into Federer's mind was wrong on this day.\nFederer proved he's on another level on grass with his big serves, smooth strokes and quick hands. While Nadal, winner of a record 60 straight clay-court matches, surprised everybody by getting this far, his brutal, relentless game wasn't enough to take Federer out of his comfort zone.\n"This is a difficult surface," Nadal said. "But this year I played my best tournament here. It's unbelievable. I hope next year I don't play against one guy who plays like Roger. He played unbelievable on this surface."\nThe defeat ended Nadal's streak of victories in 14 \nconsecutive finals.\nIt wasn't quite up to the standard of Federer's near flawless performance in the semifinals against Jonas Bjorkman. Both players were almost even on winners, 43-42 for Federer, and Federer had more unforced errors than Nadal, 32 to 26.\nBut Federer could always count on his serve: He won 77 percent of points on first serve, compared to 68 percent for Nadal. Federer broke Nadal six times and lost serve three times.\nNadal was seeking to become only the second Spaniard to win the title. The only one to do it, 1966 champion Manolo Santana, was in the Royal Box for the occasion.\nThere was a real buzz in the stadium when the players arrived on court, Federer in his blazer and Nadal in his biceps-baring sleeveless white shirt. Nadal sprinted to the baseline and hopped up and down like a boxer before a \ntitle fight.\nBut Nadal looked lost in the first set, as Federer reeled off six straight games in 25 minutes. He broke Nadal three times and finished the set with two clean forehand winners. It was the first time Nadal had lost serve since the second round, and the first time he's dropped a set at love in 131 matches, since a defeat to Gaston Gaudio in Buenos Aires in February 2005.\nNadal bounced back quickly, breaking Federer in the opening game of the second set. He served for the set at 5-4, but was broken as Federer won 12 of 13 points at one stretch to force a tiebreaker.\nNadal had his chances again, going up 3-1 in the tiebreaker, but handed back the advantage with two errors. Federer went up 6-3, and, after missing two set-point chances, converted on the third.\nThere were no breaks in the third set. Federer played some loose points in the tiebreaker and, from 2-2, Nadal won five straight to win the set. He backpedaled and pumped his arms three times, then thumped his chest as he sat in his chair. Federer, meanwhile, went to the locker room for a break.\nFederer came back out and dominated most of the fourth set, going up two breaks at 5-1. Uncharacteristically, he was broken serving for the match. But Federer got another chance two games later, and served out \nthe match at love.\nFederer won $1.2 million, while Nadal got $600,000.
(09/18/03 6:13am)
LONDON -- Romanian gymnast Andreea Raducan paid a heavy price for listening to her doctor and taking a common cold tablet during the 2000 Sydney Olympics. She was stripped of a gold medal.\nAthletes who did little more than drink too much coffee or cola often ended up similarly disgraced -- or suspended.\nSuch disqualifications would end under a proposed new list of banned substances drawn up by the World Anti-Doping Agency, The Associated Press learned Wednesday.\nOne key recommendation calls for caffeine and pseudoephedrine, an ingredient in Sudafed and other over-the-counter cold remedies, to be removed from the banned category, along with phenylpropanolamine, another minor stimulant found in cold medicines.\nCannabis, or marijuana, would remain on the banned list. Modafinil, the medication that could cost American sprinter Kelli White two world championship gold medals, would be listed by name for the first time among banned stimulants.\nFollowing more than two years of research, analysis and debate, experts now have prepared an all-encompassing list of prohibited steroids, stimulants, blood-boosters, narcotics and other drugs.\nDetails of the proposed list were disclosed to the AP by Arne Ljungqvist, the Swedish anti-doping official who heads WADA's medical research committee.\n"We must adjust our list to modern thinking and to changes of attitude and changes of knowledge," said Ljungqvist, who is also head of the medical commissions of the International Olympic Committee and International Association of Athletics Federations, the governing body for track and field.\nThe list must still be approved by the doping agency's executive committee, which meets in Montreal next Monday and Tuesday.\nWADA chief Dick Pound said he would support a continued ban on marijuana, but declined comment on the proposed changes for caffeine and pseudoephedrine.\n"It's not right for me as chairman to anticipate what the executive committee may decide," he said. "The list is proposed for discussion and we haven't discussed it yet. I don't know enough about it."\nWADA has set a deadline of Oct. 1 for final ratification of the list, which would go into effect globally on Jan. 1. The list applies to all sports and all countries covered by WADA's global anti-doping code; it would be in force for next year's Summer Olympics in Athens.\n"Hundreds and hundreds of man hours have been devoted to this," Ljungqvist said. "The result is not revolutionary. You end up with compromises."\nRaducan was 17 when she was told to turn in her all-around gymnastics gold medal in Sydney after testing positive for pseudoephedrine. She took it because her doctor told her to. Olympic officials acknowledged the penalty was harsh, but said they had no choice but to follow their own rules.\n"We cannot look retroactively at what has happened in the past," Ljungqvist said. "The list in existence is the one you have to observe. In 2000, pseudoephedrine was on the list."\nThis year alone, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency has reported two positive pseudoephedrine cases in swimming, one in speedskating and one in Paralympic events -- none among top-name athletes. A positive test results in disqualification from the event and a public warning, but no ban.\nLjungqvist stressed that among the substances that would remain banned was ephedrine, considered a stronger stimulant than pseudoephedrine.\nCaffeine has also produced its share of positive findings. A urine sample showing a concentration of caffeine greater than 12 micrograms per milliliter has been considered a positive test.\nAmong the higher profile cases, U.S. sprinter Inger Miller was stripped of a bronze medal in the 60 meters at the 1999 world indoor championships after a positive caffeine test. At last month's Pan American Games, Letitia Vriesde of Surinam lost her gold in the 800 meters for the same thing.\nModafinil, which figured in White's case, is on the proposed banned list.\nWhite tested positive for the substance at last month's World Championships in Paris, where she won the 100 and 200 meters. She said she used the medication for a sleep disorder and didn't know it contained banned substances because it didn't appear on the list.\nThe IAAF said modafinil was covered under the category of "related substances." It rejected White's explanation and ordered U.S. authorities to take disciplinary action. She stands to lose her gold medals.\nLjungqvist said his panel has recommended removing the "related substances" clause from the new list, but the issue remains open.\nThe status of cannabis, which covers marijuana and hashish, was the subject of particularly intense debate.\nSome have argued that cannabis should be left off the list because it's not performance-enhancing. But Ljungqvist noted that the new definition of doping also covers substances that violate the "spirit of sport."\nRoss Rebagliati, a Canadian snowboarder, was initially stripped of a gold medal at the 1998 Nagano Olympics after a positive marijuana test. He was reinstated because cannabis wasn't officially on the banned list. It has been specifically prohibited since then.
(09/10/03 6:14am)
LONDON -- Track and field's governing body wants American sprinter Kelli White stripped of her two gold medals from the World Championships. Now it's up to U.S. anti-doping officials.\nThe International Association of Athletics Federations ruled Tuesday that White committed a doping offense when she tested positive for a stimulant and should lose her world titles in the 100 and 200-meter events.\nThe IAAF rejected White's explanation that she took the stimulant for a sleep disorder and sent the case to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for a hearing and disciplinary action.\nRich Wanninger, a spokesman for the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, said his organization had not received any information from the IAAF as of Tuesday afternoon. Once that information is received, Wanninger said, the agency will begin a review process that could last months.\nThe IAAF made clear it expects U.S. authorities to remove White's medals.\n"The proper sanction under IAAF rules will be a public warning and disqualification from the competition concerned," IAAF general secretary Istvan Gyulai said.\nIf the IAAF isn't satisfied with the U.S. action, the international body would take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.\n"She is disqualified only at the end of the procedure because further legal issues need to be exhausted," Gyulai told The Associated Press by phone from IAAF headquarters in Monaco. "This can only happen after she has been given a hearing by her national federation."\nWhite, the first American woman to sweep the sprint events at the worlds, tested positive for modafinil after winning the 100 on Aug. 24. She passed a drug test after winning the 200 four days later.\nThe IAAF gave White until Tuesday to produce medical documents explaining her use of the drug. She said her personal doctor prescribed the medication for narcolepsy.\n"The explanation has been studied and turned down," Gyulai said. "Our experts have determined the stimulant is performance-enhancing."\nWhite was unavailable for comment Tuesday. She said last week she will fight to keep her medals.\n"Whatever I have to do to keep them, I will do that," she said.\nModafinil is not on the sport's list of banned drugs, but the IAAF says it falls under the category of "related substances."\nWhite denied taking the medication to enhance performance and said she didn't know it contained a banned substance. However, she did not declare modafinil on her doping control form as required or apply for a medical exemption to use the product.\nThe IAAF ruled last Wednesday that modafinil was a minor stimulant, similar to ephedrine, and carries a penalty of a public warning and disqualification. The decision allowed White to continue competing.\nHad modafinil -- sold in the United States under the brand name Provigil -- been classified as a stronger stimulant, White also would have faced a two-year ban and been ineligible for the 2004 Athens Olympics.\nAlthough White tested clean after the 200, the IAAF considers one positive test enough for disqualification from the entire championships.\nIf White loses the medals, the golds would go to fellow American sprinter Torri Edwards in the 100 and Russia's Anastasiya Kapachinskaya in the 200. White would also lose the $120,000 in prize money she won at the worlds.\nUnder the sport's policy of strict liability, athletes are considered guilty of a doping violation if banned substances are found in their bodies, regardless of the circumstances.\nWhite competed at the Golden League meet in Brussels, Belgium, last Friday and won the 100 in 10.87 seconds. She is to run in the Grand Prix final in Monaco this weekend and a meet in Moscow on Sept. 20.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
WIMBLEDON, England -- First Pete Sampras, then Andre Agassi.\nThe two biggest Americans in men's tennis lost in the second round at Wimbledon in stunning upsets Wednesday.\nOn an upset day at the All England Club, second-seeded Marat Safin was also eliminated.\nSampras rallied from two sets down on a court nicknamed the "graveyard of champions" but came up short 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 6-4 against George Bastl, a Swiss player ranked 145th in the world.\nIt was the seven-time champion's earliest exit from the grass-court championships in 11 years.\nLater, on Centre Court, the third-seeded Agassi -- champion in 1992 -- went down in straight sets, 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-2, to 67th-ranked Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand.\nIn the past two days, the tournament lost five of the top-8 seeded men. No. 7 Roger Federer and No. 8 Thomas Johansson lost Tuesday.\nAgassi's one-sided defeat -- which took only 1 hour, 47 minutes -- ranked as an even bigger surprise than Sampras' ousting. While Sampras' game has been in decline, Agassi has been playing well and was considered a stronger contender for the title.\n"I'm a little stunned," he said. "I'm certainly disappointed. I never found my rhythm out there today. I played a very average match against a guy who's taking it to me and deserved to win. It was a bit of shocker for me."\nSrichaphan, 23, came into the match with a career Grand Slam record of 5-10 and had won only two matches at Wimbledon.\nBut, on Wednesday, he played the match of his life on the sport's most famous court against the only player to win all four Grand Slam singles titles since Rod Laver in 1968.\nAgassi usually dominates matches with his punishing baseline game, but he was on the defensive. Srichaphan dictated the points, moving Agassi from side to side with ground strokes to all corners of the court.\nAgassi had an unusually high number of unforced errors (35), 10 more than Srichaphan. The Thai player also served 15 aces and broke Agassi six times.\nAfter Agassi hit a backhand wide on match point, Srichaphan threw up his arms, then covered his face with his hands. He pressed his hands together in a prayer gesture and bowed to all four corners of the stadium -- a ritual usually carried out by Agassi after his wins.\nSrichaphan's father and coach, Chanachai, jumped to his feet and pulled out a small camera to take photos of his son's celebration.\nIn another major surprise, Safin was ousted 6-2, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (1) by Belgium's Olivier Rochus -- a player nearly a foot shorter than the Russian.\nNo. 2 Serena Williams sailed into the women's third round with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Francesca Schiavone of Italy, and No. 3 Jennifer Capriati was a 6-2, 6-1 winner over Marta Marrero of Spain. Four lower seeded women were ousted.\nSampras experienced one of the worst defeats of his career and, on paper, one of the biggest upsets in recent Wimbledon history.\nBastl, who had won just one previous grass-court match, only made it into the draw Sunday as a "lucky loser" after Spain's Felix Mantilla pulled out with a knee injury.\nFor much of his match, Sampras appeared out of sorts. He made glaring unforced errors, struggled with his serve, failed to run full-out for some shots and didn't resemble the player who won a record 13 Grand Slam singles titles.\n"I wasn't at my best," he said. "But I felt like I was going to win the match, even though I was down two sets to love. It's disappointing. I fought hard to get back into the match. It will be a tough flight home, knowing this is going on and I'm not here."\nSampras lost in the second round at Wimbledon in 1991. Since then, he has won a record seven singles championships, including four straight from 1997-2000. He lost in the fourth round last year to Roger Federer.\nBut Sampras hasn't won a tournament since Wimbledon in 2000 and came into the tournament with his lowest seeding (No. 6) in 11 years. Wednesday's defeat will inevitably raise questions about the future of the man considered the greatest grass-court player in history.\nSampras vowed to return.\n"You know, I'm not going to end my time here with that loss," he said. "I want to end it on a high note, and so I plan on being back. ... As long as I feel like I can continue to win majors and contend, I'll just continue to play."\nBastl, who played collegiate tennis at South Florida and Southern California, had lost in the first round of all six previous grass-court tournaments he played.\n"It's a nice story isn't it?" he said. "I gave myself chances because I was practicing on grass for the last three weeks. I had won my last three matches and I knew my game was improving match by match. I felt I would have some sort of a chance."\nSampras' body language after his defeat was particularly downcast.\nAfter he hit a forehand way long on match point, he trudged head down and shoulders slumped to the net.\nBastl pumped his fists, shouted, "Come on!" and tossed his wrist bands into the crowd.\nSampras stayed behind, slumped on his chair with head bowed, for about two minutes after Bastl left the court. The former champion then walked off very slowly, briefly raising his right hand as the crowd gave him a standing ovation.\nDuring a few changeovers in the match, Sampras unfolded a piece of white paper and read notes. He said it was something that his wife, Bridgette Wilson, had written for him.\nSampras, who is used to playing on Centre Court or Court 1, looked out of place on Court 2 -- a small, intimate court that seats about 3,000.\nHe's the latest champion to lose on that court, joining a list that includes Agassi, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Ilie Nastase, Richard Krajicek and Pat Cash.\n"When I heard about it, I wasn't happy about it," Sampras said. "I'd rather be on a show court. Having won this thing a few times, I thought they might have put me on one."\nBastl broke Sampras twice in each of the first two sets and appeared headed to a straight-set win. But Sampras, who has come back to win from two sets down five times in his career, broke for the first time for 2-1 in the third set and broke again in the ninth game.\nSampras broke twice again in the fourth set, sending the match into a decisive fifth, where he was up 4-3 and had a break point to go up 5-3.\nBut Bastl saved the point with an overhead, held and got the decisive break in the next game. He hit a backhand serve return at Sampras' feet, forcing a forehand volley error. Bastl then served out the match.\nSampras had only eight aces, along with 10 double faults and 25 unforced errors. His first-serve percentage was just 57 percent. Bastl had 12 aces.\n"I had my chances," Sampras said. "Give him credit, he played well. My serve just let me down. One shot I can usually rely on is my serve, but I wasn't getting any in."\nEarlier, Rochus outplayed Safin on Centre Court.\nSafin leads the ATP Champions Race, which counts points in tournaments this year, but couldn't handle the quickness and clever play of the 63rd-ranked Rochus.\nThe result wasn't totally unexpected: Rochus had beaten Safin once before in 2001 and extended him to five sets on clay at the French Open last month.\nRochus had advanced to the second round by defeating his brother Christopher in his opening match, the first between brothers at Wimbledon since 1988.\nSafin finished with 45 unforced errors, compared with only 10 for Rochus. Safin had 21 aces, but also served eight double faults.\nIn another men's upset Wednesday, Australia's Mark Philippoussis ousted No. 14 Thomas Enqvist of Sweden 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 on Court 1 to move into the third round. He finished the match with his 30th ace.\nFifth-seeded Yevgeny Kafelnikov beat France's Nicolas Thomann 7-6 (8), 6-2, 6-2.\nFour seeded women's players were eliminated in mild upsets.\nMary Pierce, a former French Open champion who has been struggling with injuries, ousted eighth-seeded countrywoman Sandrine Testud 6-3, 6-4.\nAmerican Chanda Rubin, who won last week's warmup tournament at Eastbourne, downed No. 14 Iroda Tulyagonova of Uzbekistan 6-3, 6-1.\nMiriam Oremans beat No. 13 Meghann Shaughnessy of the United States 7-5, 6-3. French Open semifinalist Clarisa Fernandez, seeded No. 30, lost 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 to Els Callens.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
WIMBLEDON, England -- If there were ever any doubts about Lleyton Hewitt's status as the world's top player, there aren't any more.\nThe 21-year-old Australian crushed David Nalbandian in straight sets Sunday in the Wimbledon final to win his second Grand Slam title, solidify his No. 1 ranking and confirm the changing of the guard in men's tennis.\nIn a tournament where aging former champions Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi lost in the second round, Hewitt swept through without a hitch and put on a ruthless performance Sunday to win 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 in less than two hours.\nHewitt became the youngest Wimbledon men's champion since Boris Becker won his second title in 1986 at age 18 -- and the first baseliner to lift the trophy since Andre Agassi in 1992.\nHewitt's victory was also the most dominating final in terms of games lost since John McEnroe beat Jimmy Connors 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 in 1984.\n"I kept looking at the scoreboard to see if it was real," Hewitt said. "It's an unbelievable feeling. I always dreamed that someday I would be playing for this trophy."\n"Now this is a real ripper," he said, using an Australian expression meaning, "This is great."\n"I don't really want to let go of it. I think I should retire now and go and play Aussie Rules football!"\nAfter winning match point, Hewitt climbed up through the stands to embrace his friends and family in the guest box, emulating the celebrations of Pat Cash, the last Australian to win Wimbledon in 1987.\n"I had no idea what I was going to do if I won," Hewitt said. "I went to my chair and thought, 'Stuff it, I'll go and do it.' It's been 15 years since an Aussie won"