Kvitova keeps semi loss in perspective (AP)
Kvitova keeps semi loss in perspective (AP)
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP)—Bob Bryan plays for his record 12th Grand Slam doubles title with his brother Mike on Saturday, but he’s advising wife Michelle not to watch on television at home in Miami. He doesn’t want her to go into labor until he’s back in the country. The couple is expecting the birth of their first child—a girl—and Michelle’s due date just happens to fall on the same day as the doubles final. “I’ve been telling her, ‘Don’t watch the matches, it will get your heart rate going and you might spit that baby out,”’ Bob Bryan said after the brothers’ tight semifinal win on Thursday. “She knows she’s a few days away from me coming home. She’s not going to risk it, not now.” Bryan almost caught an earlier flight back to Florida. The top-seeded brothers had to fight off a match point and rally from a 5-2 deficit in the third-set tiebreaker to beat Robert Lindstedt of Sweden and Horia Tecau of Romania. “I think we maybe got a little lucky,” Mike Bryan said. “Played kind of our best tennis at the very end.” The brothers were coming off a tough, three-set quarterfinal win over Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski of Poland that didn’t finish until 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday because they followed the 4-hour-plus men’s singles quarterfinal between Rafael Nadal and Tomas Berdych at Rod Laver Arena. “It was tough to sleep last night because we were used to being up,” Mike Bryan said. The Americans now play the unseeded pairing of Leander Paes of India and Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic in the final for a chance to make history. They’re currently level at 11 career Grand Slam titles with the Australian doubles team of Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge, known at home as the “Woodies.” “They’ve always seemed like they’ve been happy for us and our success,” Bob Bryan said. “They seem very secure with their own achievements and career. They’ve had an amazingly decorated history on the court.” Whatever happens on Saturday, Bob Bryan will be on the first flight out of Melbourne on Sunday morning. “(Michelle’s) been so happy and supportive of what we’re doing,” Bob Bryan said. “That makes it really easy.” ——— RANKINGS SHUFFLE: If Maria Sharapova wins the Australian Open title on Saturday, she’ll rise to the top of the women’s rankings for the fifth time in her career. The 24-year-old Russian has only been No. 1 for a total of 17 weeks in her lengthy career, but those stints at the top have come in three different seasons. Sharapova first reached No. 1 on Aug. 22, 2005, but lost it a week later to Lindsay Davenport. The Russian then moved back into the top spot on Sept. 12 and held it for six more weeks before Davenport supplanted her again. Sharapova returned to No. 1 for seven weeks after losing the Australian Open final to Serena Williams in 2007, and again for three weeks in May 2008 when then-No. 1 Justine Henin retired and took her name off the rankings. Sharapova must beat Victoria Azarenka in the final Saturday to get the ranking back; if Azarenka wins, she’ll become No. 1 for the first time in her career. Current No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, who lost in the quarterfinals, will fall out of the top spot when the new rankings are released next week after spending 67 weeks as No. 1. She’s projected to fall to No. 4, behind Sharapova, Azarenka and Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova. Defending champion Kim Clijsters, meanwhile, is expected to fall from No. 14 to approximately No. 30-32 after her loss to Azarenka in the semifinals. ——— AUSTRALIA’S GOT TALENT: Bernard Tomic isn’t the only tennis phenom Australia is getting excited about. Luke Saville, the world’s top-ranked male junior player, advanced to the semifinals of the boys’ singles competition at the Australian Open with a 7-5, 7-5 victory over Kyle Edmund of Britain on Thursday. Saville, who turns 18 on Feb. 1, is aiming for his second junior Grand Slam title. He captured the Wimbledon junior crown last July and also made the 2011 Australian Open final. The 19-year-old Tomic, who made it to the fourth round of the men’s singles draw this year, was the last Australian champion in the boys’ event in 2008. Saville said after his match Thursday that he doesn’t feel any pressure coming in as the top seed. “Obviously everyone is kind of shooting for me now, trying to take me down, but from a young age I’ve kind of been top in Australia for my age group … so I’ve experienced that feeling of being the top dog,” he said. Saville plays 17-year-old Adam Pavlasek of the Czech Republic in the semifinals Friday. Pavlasek may have a famous face in his corner for the match— he’s dating Petra Kvitova, who lost in the women’s semifinals on Thursday. When asked if she’d stick around to watch her boyfriend play, Kvitova said, “Maybe tomorrow.”
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Bolt to run at Rome’s Golden Gala in May (AP)
Bolt to run at Rome’s Golden Gala in May (AP)
ROME (AP)—Usain Bolt will run the 100 meters at the Golden Gala in Rome again this year as he prepares to defend three sprint titles at the London Olympics two months later. Organizers of the May 31 meet announced the Jamaican’s participation on Thursday. “I’m training hard, the offseason has been good. Everything is going according to plan. The aim is to defend my Olympic titles in London,” Bolt said in a statement provided by Rome organizers. “Rome’s race will be a good early season test and tell me what I need to do on the way to the Olympic Games.” Bolt made his season debut in Rome last year, winning the 100 in 9.91 seconds to narrowly beat former world record-holder Asafa Powell. Tyson Gay (left) ended Usain Bolt’s two-year unbeaten streak last August.(Getty Images) Bolt has also confirmed he will run the 100 at another Diamond League meet in Oslo on June 7. Rome is the first European meet of the Diamond League season, which opens in Doha, Qatar on May 11. Another meet is scheduled in Shanghai on May 19, then Rome is the third stop. Heats for the 100 at the London Games begin Aug. 4. At the 2008 Beijing Games, Bolt swept the 100 and 200 sprints and helped Jamaica to gold in the 4×100 relay—all in world-record times. He then improved his 100 (9.58 seconds) and 200 (19.19) records at the 2009 world championships in Berlin. At last year’s worlds in Daegu, South Korea, Bolt was eliminated from the 100 final for a false start but he then won the 200 in 19.40 and helped Jamaica to another world record (37.04) in the relay. Bolt has said he also wants to run the 4×400 in London and become the first male athlete since Carl Lewis at the 1984 Los Angeles Games to win four gold medals in track and field at the Olympics. Finland’s Paavo Nurmi won five at the 1924 Paris Games.
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Pacers hand Celtics fourth straight loss (AP)
Pacers hand Celtics fourth straight loss (AP)
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)—Danny Granger scored 21 points to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 97-83 victory over Boston on Saturday night, the Celtics’ fourth straight loss. Paul George and Darren Collison each scored 17 points and Roy Hibbert added 11 points and nine rebounds for the Pacers (9-3), who won their third straight. The Pacers improved to 5-0 at home, with four wins by double digits. Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett both scored 21 points for the Celtics, but Brandon Bass was the only other Celtic in double figures with 10 points. Boston (4-7) fell to 1-4 on the road. It was Indiana’s second win in two tries against the Celtics this season. Indiana won at Boston 87-74 on Jan. 6. The Pacers held the Celtics to 39 percent shooting. Indiana led 56-48 at halftime, then took control after the break. Hibbert blocked a shot by Garnett, then Collison drained a 3-pointer at the other end to give the Pacers a 67-54 lead and force Boston to call timeout. Pierce hit a 3-pointer right out of the timeout, but Indiana quickly reasserted itself. A 6-0 run, including a jumper and a fast-break layup by Collison, helped Indiana take a 75-60 lead. Collison’s baskets were part of a 9-0 run by the Pacers during which they held the Celtics scoreless for five minutes. Collison scored 11 points in the third quarter to help Indiana take an 82-67 lead. The Pacers held the Celtics to 7-for-22 shooting in the period. Indiana never looked back. A dunk by George gave the Pacers a 91-73 lead with just over four minutes remaining. Notes: Pierce passed Kevin McHale and moved into third place in Celtics history in games played (972). He still trails John Havlicek (1,270) and Robert Parish (1,106). … Purdue coach Matt Painter attended the game to watch two of his former players, Boston forward JaJuan Johnson and Boston guard E’Twaun Moore. Moore and Johnson both entered the game in the second quarter. Moore hit a 3-pointer late in the third quarter and finished with seven points. Johnson had a dunk in the final minute and finished with four points. … Ray Allen, who entered the game leading the league in 3-point percentage, made 1 of 3 and finished with seven points. … Boston failed to score more than 100 points for the ninth straight game.
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Anthony not expected to face Thunder (AP)
Anthony not expected to face Thunder (AP)
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)—Carmelo Anthony is expected to miss the New York Knicks’ game at Oklahoma City on Saturday night because of a sprained right ankle. Coach Mike D’Antoni gave the update before the morning shootaround. Anthony is the league’s fourth-leading scorer, averaging 25.5 points. He was hurt early in the second half of New York’s loss at Memphis on Thursday night. He also hurt his left wrist during that game but played through that injury.
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Speeds top 200 mph at Daytona test session (AP)
Speeds top 200 mph at Daytona test session (AP)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP)—NASCAR is making gains toward breaking up the two-car tandem racing that has taken over at Daytona and Talladega, but the fix sent speeds soaring over 200 mph Friday in a test session. Kurt Busch posted the fastest lap of the day at 206.058 mph, but was being pushed around Daytona International Speedway in a two-car tandem by Regan Smith. Kyle Busch was clocked at 205.813 while pack racing. NASCAR has traditionally shied away from the 200 mph mark, and four-time series champion Jeff Gordon said he approached series officials about the speeds because he was certain the cars would be slowed. He said he was surprised when NASCAR indicated it was comfortable over 200 mph. “It’s embedded in our minds we can’t go out there over 200 mph in race conditions,” he said. “Somehow it’s become accepted and I think that’s a good thing. It’s very comfortable. It’s extremely comfortable.” But it’s unclear what the racing will actually look like when the season opens with the Daytona 500—NASCAR’s version of the Super Bowl—on Feb. 26. Fans are clear that they want pack racing at Daytona and Talladega, NASCAR’s two biggest and fastest tracks. Drivers figured out about three years ago that hooking up in two-car tandems was the fastest way around the track, and the style evolved so quickly, NASCAR couldn’t stop it. The end result was a two-car hookup in which the trailing driver was pushing the lead car around the track. Only one spotter worked for both cars, as the pushing driver was unable to see anything ahead. Overheating issues forced the cars to swap positions every few laps, and that maneuver added an element of danger because separating slowed the two cars dramatically. NASCAR Chairman Brian France vowed to move away from the two-car tandems in November, and a series of aerodynamic rules changes have done just that. NASCAR also banned driver-to-driver communications over their scanners. It’s all part of a continuous process, that could go all the way up to race day. NASCAR has changed specifications during each of the first two days of testing, and officials summoned the drivers to a Friday meeting during the lunch break to strongly urge them to pack race during the afternoon session. Based on the data gleaned from the two drafting sessions, NASCAR made yet another series of technical changes that will be applied Saturday in the final day of testing. Last year, NASCAR made changes during actual Speedweeks in an effort to break up the tandems. More changes were made before the other three restrictor-plate races on the schedule, too. Earlier Friday, NASCAR President Mike Helton indicated speeds will likely be much different when teams return for the Daytona 500. “(Speed) is one of those things that we have to kind of monitor,” Helton said. “It is a test, so we may be a little bit more lenient at a test than we would be on race weekend. But we’ll see how everything settles out and what kind of rules package we come back with … 204 is OK for a test. It’s OK for now. “But we’ll have to take back everything we learn and then make a decision after that.” But Sprint Cup Series director John Darby said after the drafting sessions that the final product will likely be right around the 200 mph mark. “We’ll still be over 200 mph. We’d like to stay as close to that mark as we can,” said Darby, adding that NASCAR’s confidence of keeping cars from going airborne at those speed has improved through wind tunnel testing. “If we were to put a target mark, it would be right around 200, which the drivers like, the excitement level of 200 mph is always present for the fans.” The drivers seemed comfortable over 200 mph, and most were thankful to run in packs again. Gordon said it was “just reminds me of the good `ol days.” But, most of the drivers admitted the two-car tandem will never go away completely. “Everybody was really having a good time, and trying to get everything they could out of it before we went back to pushing around each other,” said Dale Earnhardt Jr., who pushed teammate Jimmie Johnson to a win at Talladega last year. “Maybe, just maybe, you don’t have to be in a two-car tandem to stay with the lead pack. The two-car tandem is probably the preferred way to go as far as speed. But maybe you don’t have to do it for 500 miles. Maybe you can just kind of save your car, save the tail and the nose of your car and yourself. “That might be the way to go just to get through the race, and be there at the end. But that tandem stuff is what is going to win the race.”
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Flames win seventh straight at home (AP)
Flames win seventh straight at home (AP)
CALGARY, Alberta (AP)—Curtis Glencross had a goal and three assists, Jarome Iginla added a goal and two assists, and the Calgary Flames beat the New Jersey Devils 6-3 Tuesday night. Jay Bouwmeester had a goal and an assist for Calgary, while Cory Sarich, T.J. Brodie and Lee Stempniak also scored as Calgary won its seventh straight at home and improved to 9-0-1 in the last 10 at Scotiabank Saddledome. Miikka Kiprusoff made 35 saves, including 20 in the third period to preserve the Flames’ win, and Olli Jokinen and Mikael Backlund had two assists each. Adam Henrique and Ilya Kovalchuk each had a goal and an assist for the Devils, who snapped a two-game winning streak. Patrick Elias also scored and Zach Parise had two assists. Martin Brodeur started in goal for the Devils, but was pulled at the 7:32 mark of the opening frame after allowing two goals on five shots. Johan Hedberg made just five saves on nine shots in a relief appearance and ended up taking the loss. New Jersey outshot Calgary 38-14. Bouwmeester gave the Flames a 1-0 lead at 5:54 of the first when his wrist shot through traffic found its way into the net behind Brodeur. It was Bouwmeester’s first goal in 39 games. Less than two minutes later, Sarich skated across the blue line and fired a slap shot over Brodeur’s blocker and into the top corner. It was Sarich’s first goal since March 23, and ended the veteran defenseman’s 33-game goal-scoring drought. Hedberg replaced Brodeur after that and didn’t fare much better as he let in the first shot he faced. Olli Jokinen fed a nice backhanded cross-crease pass over to Glencross, who snapped a quick shot off Hedberg’s skate and into the net. Brodie then rifled a point shot past Hedberg on a Calgary power play to give the Flames a 4-0 lead through one period. After Kovalchuk scored his team-leading 16th goal for the Devils with 5:12 to go in the second, Stempniak wired a shot from the slot through Hedberg’s legs to put the Flames back up by four. With the Devils short-handed late in the second, they pulled to 5-2 when Henrique finished off a 2-on-1 by converting a feed from Parise. The Devils continued to press in the third period and were rewarded when Elias one-timed a pass from Kovalchuk by Kiprusoff during a New Jersey power play. It took the Flames nearly nine minutes to get their first shot of the third period, but Iginla made the shot count as he fought for possession of the puck in the slot before snapping a shot past Hedberg. NOTES: Stempniak, acquired by Calgary in the offseason from Phoenix in exchange for Daymond Langkow, played in his 500th career NHL game. … Calgary F Rene Bourque served the third game of his five-game suspension for elbowing Washington’s Nicklas Backstrom to the head during a 3-1 road loss to the Capitals on Jan. 3. … Iginla fought Henrique in the first period. According to hockeyfights.com, it was the first fight of Henrique’s career and Iginla’s 52nd in the regular season.
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