Tuesday’s sports in brief
Published 11:42 am Wednesday, September 3, 2008
NEW YORK – Avoiding as big an upset as tennis has seen in a while, Roger Federer came back to beat 23rd-seeded Igor Andreev of Russia 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 Tuesday night to reach the quarterfinals at the year’s last Grand Slam tournament.
Federer couldn’t stop smiling at the end of the 3½-hour test, in part because, he explained, he found it fun to be pushed into a fifth set.
Novak Djokovic felt the same way about his five-setter on the same court. When Djokovic’s 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 victory over No. 15 Tommy Robredo of Spain was over, the 2007 runner-up to Federer at the U.S. Open looked up in the stands and saw his mom pounding her chest repeatedly.
Djokovic advanced to play 2003 U.S. Open champion Andy Roddick, who overpowered No. 11 Fernando Gonzalez 6-2, 6-4, 6-1. Federer will play 130th-ranked Gilles Muller, who beat No. 5 Nikolay Davydenko 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (10).
In the women’s draw, No. 2 Jelena Jankovic beat No. 29 Sybille Bammer 6-1, 6-4, advancing to a semifinal against No. 5 Elena Dementieva, who beat No. 15 Patty Schnyder 6-2, 6-3.
GOLF
NEW YORK – Chad Campbell made one last impression on U.S. captain Paul Azinger and was rewarded with a spot on the Ryder Cup team, joining Steve Stricker, Hunter Mahan and J.B. Holmes as captain’s picks for the event Sept. 19-21 at Valhalla in Louisville, Ky.
The four picks fill out a team that includes Phil Mickelson, Stewart Cink, Kenny Perry, Anthony Kim, Justin Leonard, Jim Furyk, Ben Curtis and Boo Weekley.
European captain Nick Faldo picked Ian Poulter and Paul Casey on Sunday to fill out his 12-man team, overlooking Darren Clarke, who had won twice in the last four months.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Even with his golf done for the year, Tiger Woods found something to celebrate: His wife is pregnant with their second child.
Woods has not played since his U.S. Open victory in June, and two weeks later had reconstructive surgery on his left knee that put him out for the year. Woods’ first child, daughter Sam, was born the Monday after the 2007 U.S. Open.
PRO FOOTBALL
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Richard Collier was shot and critically wounded outside an apartment building early Tuesday as he and a former teammate waited for two women they had met at a nightclub, police said.
Collier, 26, and former Jaguars defensive end Kenneth Pettway were waiting in a Cadillac Escalade when a gunman fired into the vehicle, said Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office spokesman Ken Jefferson. Collier was shot several times, but it wasn’t clear where he was hit.
Collier was in critical condition at Shands Jacksonville Medical Center, a nursing supervisor said early Tuesday. Later, spokesman Chris Turner said the hospital was no longer giving updates on Collier’s condition.
NEW YORK – The NFL will honor the late Gene Upshaw with his initials and his uniform number stenciled on the field for all 16 games this opening weekend.
The league had announced that all NFL players would wear a patch all season with the initials “GU” and the number 63, his former uniform number to honor the Hall of Fame guard and longtime union leader, who died two weeks ago.
ALLEN PARK, Mich. – Rudi Johnson, who was waived by the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday, signed with the Detroit Lions. Johnson will join rookie Kevin Smith as the featured backs in Detroit’s new run-oriented offense.
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — The Denver Broncos traded versatile defensive back Domonique Foxworth to the Atlanta Falcons for a conditional seventh-round draft choice in 2009.
The Falcons said the draft pick could be higher, based upon Foxworth’s playing time.
Foxworth, a fourth-year pro, became expendable when the Broncos claimed cornerback Calvin Lowry off waivers from the Tennessee Titans this week.
TAMPA, Fla. – The Tampa Bay Buccaneers traded backup guard Dan Buenning to the Chicago Bears for an undisclosed draft pick, then replaced the fourth-year pro by acquiring center-guard Sean Mahan from the Pittsburgh Steelers.
HOCKEY
TORONTO – The Maple Leafs traded veteran defenseman Bryan McCabe and a fourth-round draft pick to the Florida Panthers for defenseman Mike Van Ryn.
McCabe waived his no-trade clause to allow the deal, that had been rumored for weeks, to go through. McCabe’s willingness to be traded was a change in philosophy as it was earlier stated that the Maple Leafs would have to buy out his contract to get rid of him.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – The Canucks traded forward Ryan Shannon to the Ottawa Senators for defenseman Lawrence Nycholat.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Nashville Predators suspended Alexander Radulov indefinitely without pay for deciding to stick with his Russian KHL team rather than return to the NHL club.
SWIMMING
NEW YORK – Michael Phelps will put his $1 million bonus from Speedo to good use, announcing plans to start a foundation promoting water safety and youth swimming.
The company, which has sponsored Phelps since he was 16, promised him a $1 million bonus if he tied or broke Mark Spitz’s record for most gold medals at a single Olympics. The swimmer eclipsed the mark by winning eight golds at the Beijing Games — seven of them in world records.