Agassi to play World Team Tennis this summer

NEW YORK (AP) -Andre Agassi will pick up a racket again, playing two matches for the Philadelphia Freedoms in World Team Tennis this summer.

The league announced Thursday that Agassi will compete for the Freedoms on July 10 in Philadelphia and July 17 in Newport Beach, California.

Agassi, who retired in 2006 with eight career Grand Slam titles, played for World Team Tennis from 2002-04. Other stars who will make appearances in the mixed league include Serena and Venus Williams, John McEnroe, Anna Kournikova and Martina Navratilova.

The league, co-founded by Billie Jean King, will play in 10 cities from July 2-26.

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Roddick to lead U.S. Davis Cup team against Swiss

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) -The U.S. Davis Cup team will go with its regular lineup for an opening-round match against Switzerland.

U.S. captain Patrick McEnroe said Tuesday that Andy Roddick, James Blake and the doubles team of twins Bob and Mike Bryan will compete March 6-8 in Birmingham.

McEnroe said the Americans became "a pretty solid favorite'' when 13-time Gland Slam singles champion Roger Federer pulled out of the series because of a back problem.

The U.S.-Switzerland winner advances to face either Chile or Croatia in the quarterfinals on July 10-12.

The Swiss team will include Stanislas Wawrinka, Stephane Bohli, Marco Chudinelli and Yves Allegro.

The U.S. lost to Spain in the semifinals last year.

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Djokovic to play Ferrer in Dubai final

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -Top-seeded Novak Djokovic rallied to beat third-seeded Gilles Simon of France 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 Friday in the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships.

The third-ranked Serb reached his first final of the season and will next face David Ferrer of Spain, who beat Richard Gasquet of France 6-2, 6-2.

Djokovic was broken early in the deciding set, but he broke back in the sixth game and then closed out the match with another break in the final game.

"I feel a bit lucky, but I think you have to work for luck,'' Djokovic said. "It doesn't just fall through the sky. I think I fought my way through in the match, really believed until the end, and mentally, this is a very important win for me.''

Djokovic won the Australian Open in 2008, and added the Masters Cup title at the end of last season. At this year's Australian Open, he retired against Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals.

"If I want to stay on top of the men's game, I have to win these matches,'' Djokovic said. "I made a lot of unforced errors in the first set and at the start of the second set. He was playing kind of solid, but only one style of tennis throughout the whole match. I needed to change something in my game so I could start winning the games and points, and that's what I did. I became more patient and played more from the baseline to give myself opportunities.''

Simon rued his missed opportunity.

"I think I had enough chances to win this match, but finally I lost it,'' the Frenchman said. "That's why it is a very bad match for me.''

Ferrer looked good throughout his win over Gasquet.

"This was the best match of the season for me,'' the 26-year-old Spaniard said. "I was very consistent and very focused. But even though the score reads 6-2, 6-2, it was a tough match and I think I was a bit lucky as well, because I saved a few break points during the match.''

From his side of the court, Gasquet could do little.

"He played really well. That's the worst guy for me to play against,'' Gasquet said. "His game is the worst for me because he has no faults in his game he has a big backhand, big forehand and he runs everywhere, so that's really hard for me.''

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Chardy beats Baghdatis toВ make Delray semis

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. (AP) -Seventh-seeded Jeremy Chardy advanced to his second semifinal of the year with a 7-6 (7), 7-6 (3) win over Marcos Baghdatis at the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships on Friday.

"I think I played well all the match,'' Chardy said. "It was tough but I play very well in the tiebreakers.''

Chardy, who lost his first career tour final to fellow Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Johannesburg earlier this month, initially held a 5-2 lead in the first set.

But Baghdatis forced a tiebreaker. At 7-7, Baghdatis double-faulted and smacked a backhand wide to surrender the set.

Baghdatis erred early on in the second-set tiebreaker. He netted a forehand to fall behind 3-2 then netted a backhand to give Chardy his first match point at 6-2.

Playing in his second quarterfinal of the season, Baghdatis saved the first match point with an ace.

Chardy took control of the second match point on his own serve with a forehand volley that forced Baghdatis into another error.

Chardy will face the winner of the Friday night match between top-seeded Mardy Fish and sixth-seeded Florent Serra.

In the other completed quarterfinal match, Christophe Rochus beat 2000 Delray Beach champion Stefan Koubek 6-3, 7-6 (6).

"I'm really happy because I've never beaten him before,'' Rochus said. "I lost four times. He has the kind of game I don't like to play.

"But I'm playing really good for the moment.''

Koubek struggled with his serve. Rochus broke him in the second and fourth games to secure the first set, but fell behind 5-2 in the second set before rebounding.

In the semifinals, Rochus will play the winner of the match between qualifier Evgeny Korolev and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.

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Venus one victory from Mexican Open title

ACAPULCO, Mexico - Top-seeded Venus Williams beat Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of the Czech Republic 6-0, 6-3 Friday to reach the Mexican Open final.

Williams, who won her 40th career singles title in Dubai last week, will face defending champion Flavia Pennetta for the title.

Pennetta reached her sixth consecutive final at the Mexican Open with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over 2004 champion Iveta Benesova.

“Six finals is incredible. I didn’t expect it or hope for it,” said Pennetta, who is trying to win her third Acapulco title in five years. “Every year I come just hoping to play good tennis and produce a little magic for myself.”

The second-seeded Pennetta has won three of her five career matches against Williams, including their only match on clay in the third round of last year’s French Open.

Benesova beat Pennetta in the 2004 final but the Italian served better on Friday, and created more chances than Benesova could produce. Pennetta claimed four of eight break points and lost her serve only once to the fourth-seeded Czech.

Pennetta, who improved her Acapulco record to 28-4, won the title in 2005 and 2008.

“I think I am more famous here than in Italy, this is like my second home,” she said.

Nicolas Almagro of Spain also will get to defend his title in the men’s final. He defeated unseeded Martin Vassallo Arguello of Argentina 6-4, 6-4. Fourth-seeded Almagro will play for his fifth career title against either second-seeded Gael Monfils of France or fifth-seeded Jose Acasuso of Argentina.

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Venus one victory from Mexican Open title
Venus one victory from Mexican Open title
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Venus one victory from Mexican Open title

ACAPULCO, Mexico - Top-seeded Venus Williams beat Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of the Czech Republic 6-0, 6-3 Friday to reach the Mexican Open final.

Williams, who won her 40th career singles title in Dubai last week, will face defending champion Flavia Pennetta for the title.

Pennetta reached her sixth consecutive final at the Mexican Open with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over 2004 champion Iveta Benesova.

“Six finals is incredible. I didn’t expect it or hope for it,” said Pennetta, who is trying to win her third Acapulco title in five years. “Every year I come just hoping to play good tennis and produce a little magic for myself.”

The second-seeded Pennetta has won three of her five career matches against Williams, including their only match on clay in the third round of last year’s French Open.

Benesova beat Pennetta in the 2004 final but the Italian served better on Friday, and created more chances than Benesova could produce. Pennetta claimed four of eight break points and lost her serve only once to the fourth-seeded Czech.

Pennetta, who improved her Acapulco record to 28-4, won the title in 2005 and 2008.

“I think I am more famous here than in Italy, this is like my second home,” she said.

Nicolas Almagro of Spain also will get to defend his title in the men’s final. He defeated unseeded Martin Vassallo Arguello of Argentina 6-4, 6-4. Fourth-seeded Almagro will play for his fifth career title against either second-seeded Gael Monfils of France or fifth-seeded Jose Acasuso of Argentina.

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Venus one victory from Mexican Open title
Venus one victory from Mexican Open title

Fish bests Spadea to advance at Delray Beach

DELRAY BEACH, Fla., (AP) -Mardy Fish reached the quarterfinals of the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Vince Spadea on Thursday.

"We've always had tough matches,'' Fish said. "We've had three-setter most every time if not every time. I think I've figured out what to do.''

Fish is 4-1 against Spadea, and all their previous meetings went the full three sets. Fish, who reached the final in 2003, is hoping to become the first top seed in the 17 year history of this tournament to score the winner's trophy.

"It's fun to be the marked guy and everybody is gunning for you,'' said Fish, who reached the final in San Jose, Calif., earlier this month.

Spadea, who reached at least the quarters here every year since 2004, has been fighting a virus and fever since playing his first-round match, was his first tour-level victory since Los Angeles in August.

"I think there are some factors, and those factors being that he's improved, he's playing well and I was under-conditioned,'' Spadea said. "I just didn't have a lot of energy out there and my whole game thrives on energy, and grinding, and getting an extra ball back, and winning ugly, really.''

Fish will play sixth-seeded Florent Serra, who outlasted Mischa Zverev 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

Serra, who was behind 0-3 in the third set, won the match with an exquisite crosscourt drop volley from his heels.

"It's very important for me to be in the quarterfinal,'' Serra said. "I need to serve better tomorrow because he serves very good and my return is OK, but I need to focus on my own service percentage.''

Seventh-seeded Jeremy Chardy will play Andrey Golubev and former Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis faces Dudi Sela to determine the two remaining quarterfinalists.

The two other quarterfinal pairings were decided on Wednesday - qualifier Evgeny Korolev will face Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and 2000 Delray Beach champion Stefan Koubek squares off against Christophe Rochus.

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Djokovic to play Ferrer in Dubai final

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -Top-seeded Novak Djokovic rallied to beat third-seeded Gilles Simon of France 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 Friday in the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships.

The third-ranked Serb reached his first final of the season and will next face David Ferrer of Spain, who beat Richard Gasquet of France 6-2, 6-2.

Djokovic was broken early in the deciding set, but he broke back in the sixth game and then closed out the match with another break in the final game.

"I feel a bit lucky, but I think you have to work for luck,'' Djokovic said. "It doesn't just fall through the sky. I think I fought my way through in the match, really believed until the end, and mentally, this is a very important win for me.''

Djokovic won the Australian Open in 2008, and added the Masters Cup title at the end of last season. At this year's Australian Open, he retired against Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals.

"If I want to stay on top of the men's game, I have to win these matches,'' Djokovic said. "I made a lot of unforced errors in the first set and at the start of the second set. He was playing kind of solid, but only one style of tennis throughout the whole match. I needed to change something in my game so I could start winning the games and points, and that's what I did. I became more patient and played more from the baseline to give myself opportunities.''

Simon rued his missed opportunity.

"I think I had enough chances to win this match, but finally I lost it,'' the Frenchman said. "That's why it is a very bad match for me.''

Ferrer looked good throughout his win over Gasquet.

"This was the best match of the season for me,'' the 26-year-old Spaniard said. "I was very consistent and very focused. But even though the score reads 6-2, 6-2, it was a tough match and I think I was a bit lucky as well, because I saved a few break points during the match.''

From his side of the court, Gasquet could do little.

"He played really well. That's the worst guy for me to play against,'' Gasquet said. "His game is the worst for me because he has no faults in his game he has a big backhand, big forehand and he runs everywhere, so that's really hard for me.''

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Djokovic to play Ferrer in Dubai final

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -Top-seeded Novak Djokovic rallied to beat third-seeded Gilles Simon of France 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 Friday in the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships.

The third-ranked Serb reached his first final of the season and will next face David Ferrer of Spain, who beat Richard Gasquet of France 6-2, 6-2.

Djokovic was broken early in the deciding set, but he broke back in the sixth game and then closed out the match with another break in the final game.

"I feel a bit lucky, but I think you have to work for luck,'' Djokovic said. "It doesn't just fall through the sky. I think I fought my way through in the match, really believed until the end, and mentally, this is a very important win for me.''

Djokovic won the Australian Open in 2008, and added the Masters Cup title at the end of last season. At this year's Australian Open, he retired against Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals.

"If I want to stay on top of the men's game, I have to win these matches,'' Djokovic said. "I made a lot of unforced errors in the first set and at the start of the second set. He was playing kind of solid, but only one style of tennis throughout the whole match. I needed to change something in my game so I could start winning the games and points, and that's what I did. I became more patient and played more from the baseline to give myself opportunities.''

Simon rued his missed opportunity.

"I think I had enough chances to win this match, but finally I lost it,'' the Frenchman said. "That's why it is a very bad match for me.''

Ferrer looked good throughout his win over Gasquet.

"This was the best match of the season for me,'' the 26-year-old Spaniard said. "I was very consistent and very focused. But even though the score reads 6-2, 6-2, it was a tough match and I think I was a bit lucky as well, because I saved a few break points during the match.''

From his side of the court, Gasquet could do little.

"He played really well. That's the worst guy for me to play against,'' Gasquet said. "His game is the worst for me because he has no faults in his game he has a big backhand, big forehand and he runs everywhere, so that's really hard for me.''

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Djokovic to play Ferrer in Dubai final
Djokovic to play Ferrer in Dubai final

Fish bests Spadea to advance at Delray Beach

DELRAY BEACH, Fla., (AP) -Mardy Fish reached the quarterfinals of the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Vince Spadea on Thursday.

"We've always had tough matches,'' Fish said. "We've had three-setter most every time if not every time. I think I've figured out what to do.''

Fish is 4-1 against Spadea, and all their previous meetings went the full three sets. Fish, who reached the final in 2003, is hoping to become the first top seed in the 17 year history of this tournament to score the winner's trophy.

"It's fun to be the marked guy and everybody is gunning for you,'' said Fish, who reached the final in San Jose, Calif., earlier this month.

Spadea, who reached at least the quarters here every year since 2004, has been fighting a virus and fever since playing his first-round match, was his first tour-level victory since Los Angeles in August.

"I think there are some factors, and those factors being that he's improved, he's playing well and I was under-conditioned,'' Spadea said. "I just didn't have a lot of energy out there and my whole game thrives on energy, and grinding, and getting an extra ball back, and winning ugly, really.''

Fish will play sixth-seeded Florent Serra, who outlasted Mischa Zverev 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

Serra, who was behind 0-3 in the third set, won the match with an exquisite crosscourt drop volley from his heels.

"It's very important for me to be in the quarterfinal,'' Serra said. "I need to serve better tomorrow because he serves very good and my return is OK, but I need to focus on my own service percentage.''

Seventh-seeded Jeremy Chardy will play Andrey Golubev and former Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis faces Dudi Sela to determine the two remaining quarterfinalists.

The two other quarterfinal pairings were decided on Wednesday - qualifier Evgeny Korolev will face Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and 2000 Delray Beach champion Stefan Koubek squares off against Christophe Rochus.

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Almagro into Acapulco semis

ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) -Jose Acasuso broke Tommy Robredo at the end of both sets to beat him 7-5, 6-2 in their fourth meeting in four weeks and reach the Mexican Open semifinals on Thursday.

They finished their rivalry through the Latin American clay court swing at 2-2, although Robredo still leads 5-4 overall.

The No. 3 seed was on a 12-match winning streak after beating Acasuso in the semifinals en route to titles in Brazil and Argentina in the last two weeks.

Meanwhile, top-seeded Venus Williams and defending champion Flavia Pennetta remained on course to meet in the women's final. Williams overcame a mid-match stumble to put away Hungarian qualifier Agnes Szavay 6-2, 5-7, 6-1.

Coming off her win in Dubai last weekend, Williams has had to sweat through three consecutive three-setters against past winners of clay-court titles to make the semifinals, where she'll play unseeded Barbora Zahlavova Strycova. The Czech was also busy, taking nearly three hours to defeat Maret Ani of Estonia 4-6, 7-5, 6-1.

On Thursday, Acasuso broke the Spaniard to clinch the first set without offering Robredo any break points and then raced through the second.

Seeking his first title in three years, the fifth-seeded Acasuso will play the winner of a late match between second-seeded Gael Monfils and Leonardo Mayer.

Nicolas Almagro continued his title defense with a 6-2, 7-6 (2), win over Daniel Gimeno-Traver and will meet Martin Vassallo Arguello for a place in Saturday's final.

Vassallo Arguello beat qualifier Dan Koellerer 6-3, 7-6 (6) to reach his first semifinals in two years.

Almagro had 14 aces, gave away only nine points in 10 service games, and gave Gimeno-Traver no break chances. Almagro took both of his break points in the first set then needed the tiebreaker to fend off 89th-ranked Gimeno-Traver.

In the women's draw, second-seeded Pennetta maintained her bid for a sixth successive final in Acapulco by overcoming Petra Cetkovska of the Czech Republic 2-6, 6-3, 6-0. The Italian improved her record in Acapulco to 27-4.

The second-seeded Pennetta, the champion in 2005 and 2008, set up a rematch of the 2004 final with another Czech, fourth-seeded Iveta Benesova. Benesova beat Mathilde Johansson of France 6-1, 6-3.

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Djokovic to semifinals, Murray pulls out

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -Top-seeded Novak Djokovic advanced to the semifinals of the $2.23 million Dubai Tennis Championship on Thursday with a straight sets win over Marin Cilic, but the tournament lost second seed and favorite Andy Murray to a virus infection.

Third-seeded Gilles Simon of France defeated compatriot Fabrice Santoro 7-6 (3), 6-1, and will next face Djokovic, who defeated Cilic 6-3, 6-4 in 1 hour 37 minutes.

Murray, ranked No. 4, was scheduled to play the final match of the day on Center Court against France's Richard Gasquet, who will now play fourth-seeded David Ferrer of Spain in the semis.

Ferrer, who beat Igor Andreev of Russia 7-5, 6-1, denied that Murray's withdrawal meant he would now have an easier semifinal.

"No, no. Murray going out doesn't make it any easier for me because Gasquet is a very good player,'' Ferrer said. "The last time I played against him, it was very tough.''

The Spaniard said his match against Andreev "was the best match I played here. I was very focused.''

Santoro, who reached the final of the inaugural tournament in 1993 and won in remarkable fashion in 2002, is playing his last year on the Tour.

"It has been something special,'' Santoro said. "When I first came here in 1993, Dubai was a brand new city and this was a brand new tournament, and I saw this place growing up since 17 years. So it's something special for me to leave the tournament today.''

The Djokovic-Cilic match was perhaps the best match of the tournament so far, with the Serb producing some superb returns to break Cilic three times and inflict only the second defeat of the year on the Croat. Cilic failed to convert any of his six break points.

"I was trying in the last three matches to find this exact rhythm, and that's what I finally did today,'' Djokovic said. "I think the key was movement and focus. I was really trying to move well in the point, be patient, and just wait for the chances, because I was returning very well.''

Murray's withdrawal was another blow for an event already hit by controversy and a spate of injury-related absences. Murray is a doubt for Britain's Davis Cup match against Ukraine next week after his doctor advised him to rest for a week to 10 days.

Earlier, World No. 1 Rafael Nadal and No. 2 Roger Federer withdrew with injuries, while defending champion Andy Roddick of the U.S., withdrew under protest. Russian world No. 5 Nikolay Davydenko and No. 9 Fernando Verdasco of Spain also opted out.

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Fish bests Spadea to advance at Delray Beach

DELRAY BEACH, Fla., (AP) -Mardy Fish reached the quarterfinals of the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Vince Spadea on Thursday.

"We've always had tough matches,'' Fish said. "We've had three-setter most every time if not every time. I think I've figured out what to do.''

Fish is 4-1 against Spadea, and all their previous meetings went the full three sets. Fish, who reached the final in 2003, is hoping to become the first top seed in the 17 year history of this tournament to score the winner's trophy.

"It's fun to be the marked guy and everybody is gunning for you,'' said Fish, who reached the final in San Jose, Calif., earlier this month.

Spadea, who reached at least the quarters here every year since 2004, has been fighting a virus and fever since playing his first-round match, was his first tour-level victory since Los Angeles in August.

"I think there are some factors, and those factors being that he's improved, he's playing well and I was under-conditioned,'' Spadea said. "I just didn't have a lot of energy out there and my whole game thrives on energy, and grinding, and getting an extra ball back, and winning ugly, really.''

Fish will play sixth-seeded Florent Serra, who outlasted Mischa Zverev 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

Serra, who was behind 0-3 in the third set, won the match with an exquisite crosscourt drop volley from his heels.

"It's very important for me to be in the quarterfinal,'' Serra said. "I need to serve better tomorrow because he serves very good and my return is OK, but I need to focus on my own service percentage.''

Seventh-seeded Jeremy Chardy will play Andrey Golubev and former Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis faces Dudi Sela to determine the two remaining quarterfinalists.

The two other quarterfinal pairings were decided on Wednesday - qualifier Evgeny Korolev will face Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and 2000 Delray Beach champion Stefan Koubek squares off against Christophe Rochus.

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Fish bests Spadea to advance at Delray Beach
Fish bests Spadea to advance at Delray Beach

Almagro into Acapulco semifinals

ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) -Jose Acasuso broke Tommy Robredo at the end of both sets to beat him 7-5, 6-2 in their fourth meeting in four weeks and reach the Mexican Open semifinals on Thursday.

They finished their rivalry through the Latin American clay court swing at 2-2, although Robredo still leads 5-4 overall.

The No. 3 seed was on a 12-match winning streak after beating Acasuso in the semifinals en route to titles in Brazil and Argentina in the last two weeks.

On Thursday, Acasuso broke the Spaniard to clinch the first set without offering Robredo any break points and then raced through the second.

Seeking his first title in three years, the fifth-seeded Acasuso will play the winner of a late match between second-seeded Gael Monfils and Leonardo Mayer.

Nicolas Almagro continued his title defense with a 6-2, 7-6 (2), win over Daniel Gimeno-Traver and will meet Martin Vassallo Arguello for a place in Saturday's final.

Vassallo Arguello beat qualifier Dan Koellerer 6-3, 7-6 (6) to reach his first semifinals in two years.

Almagro had 14 aces, gave away only nine points in 10 service games, and gave Gimeno-Traver no break chances. Almagro took both of his break points in the first set then needed the tiebreaker to fend off 89th-ranked Gimeno-Traver.

In the women's draw, Flavia Pennetta maintained her bid for a sixth successive final in Acapulco by overcoming Petra Cetkovska 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 to improve her record in Acapulco to 27-4.

Second-seeded Pennetta, the champion in 2005 and 2008, set up a rematch of the 2004 final with Iveta Benesova, who beat Mathilde Johansson of France 6-1, 6-3.

Unseeded Barbora Zahlavova Strycova defeated Maret Ani 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 in 2 hours,43 minutes, and will play either top-seeded Venus Williams or Agnes Szavay.

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Almagro into Acapulco semifinals

Fish bests Spadea to advance at Delray Beach

DELRAY BEACH, Fla., (AP) -Mardy Fish reached the quarterfinals of the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Vince Spadea on Thursday.

"We've always had tough matches,'' Fish said. "We've had three-setter most every time if not every time. I think I've figured out what to do.''

Fish is 4-1 against Spadea, and all their previous meetings went the full three sets. Fish, who reached the final in 2003, is hoping to become the first top seed in the 17 year history of this tournament to score the winner's trophy.

"It's fun to be the marked guy and everybody is gunning for you,'' said Fish, who reached the final in San Jose, Calif., earlier this month.

Spadea, who reached at least the quarters here every year since 2004, has been fighting a virus and fever since playing his first-round match, was his first tour-level victory since Los Angeles in August.

"I think there are some factors, and those factors being that he's improved, he's playing well and I was under-conditioned,'' Spadea said. "I just didn't have a lot of energy out there and my whole game thrives on energy, and grinding, and getting an extra ball back, and winning ugly, really.''

Fish will play sixth-seeded Florent Serra, who outlasted Mischa Zverev 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

Serra, who was behind 0-3 in the third set, won the match with an exquisite crosscourt drop volley from his heels.

"It's very important for me to be in the quarterfinal,'' Serra said. "I need to serve better tomorrow because he serves very good and my return is OK, but I need to focus on my own service percentage.''

Seventh-seeded Jeremy Chardy will play Andrey Golubev and former Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis faces Dudi Sela to determine the two remaining quarterfinalists.

The two other quarterfinal pairings were decided on Wednesday - qualifier Evgeny Korolev will face Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and 2000 Delray Beach champion Stefan Koubek squares off against Christophe Rochus.

Fish bests Spadea to advance at Delray Beach
Fish bests Spadea to advance at Delray Beach
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Almagro into Acapulco semifinals

ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) -Jose Acasuso broke Tommy Robredo at the end of both sets to beat him 7-5, 6-2 in their fourth meeting in four weeks and reach the Mexican Open semifinals on Thursday.

They finished their rivalry through the Latin American clay court swing at 2-2, although Robredo still leads 5-4 overall.

The No. 3 seed was on a 12-match winning streak after beating Acasuso in the semifinals en route to titles in Brazil and Argentina in the last two weeks.

On Thursday, Acasuso broke the Spaniard to clinch the first set without offering Robredo any break points and then raced through the second.

Seeking his first title in three years, the fifth-seeded Acasuso will play the winner of a late match between second-seeded Gael Monfils and Leonardo Mayer.

Nicolas Almagro continued his title defense with a 6-2, 7-6 (2), win over Daniel Gimeno-Traver and will meet Martin Vassallo Arguello for a place in Saturday's final.

Vassallo Arguello beat qualifier Dan Koellerer 6-3, 7-6 (6) to reach his first semifinals in two years.

Almagro had 14 aces, gave away only nine points in 10 service games, and gave Gimeno-Traver no break chances. Almagro took both of his break points in the first set then needed the tiebreaker to fend off 89th-ranked Gimeno-Traver.

In the women's draw, Flavia Pennetta maintained her bid for a sixth successive final in Acapulco by overcoming Petra Cetkovska 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 to improve her record in Acapulco to 27-4.

Second-seeded Pennetta, the champion in 2005 and 2008, set up a rematch of the 2004 final with Iveta Benesova, who beat Mathilde Johansson of France 6-1, 6-3.

Unseeded Barbora Zahlavova Strycova defeated Maret Ani 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 in 2 hours,43 minutes, and will play either top-seeded Venus Williams or Agnes Szavay.

Marcelo Delighted With First Real Madrid Goal
Torres out to break hoodoo
Almagro into Acapulco semifinals

Djokovic to semifinals, Murray pulls out

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -Top-seeded Novak Djokovic advanced to the semifinals of the $2.23 million Dubai Tennis Championship on Thursday with a straight sets win over Marin Cilic, but the tournament lost second seed and favorite Andy Murray to a virus infection.

Third-seeded Gilles Simon of France defeated compatriot Fabrice Santoro 7-6 (3), 6-1, and will next face Djokovic, who defeated Cilic 6-3, 6-4 in 1 hour 37 minutes.

Murray, ranked No. 4, was scheduled to play the final match of the day on Center Court against France's Richard Gasquet, who will now play fourth-seeded David Ferrer of Spain in the semis.

Ferrer, who beat Igor Andreev of Russia 7-5, 6-1, denied that Murray's withdrawal meant he would now have an easier semifinal.

"No, no. Murray going out doesn't make it any easier for me because Gasquet is a very good player,'' Ferrer said. "The last time I played against him, it was very tough.''

The Spaniard said his match against Andreev "was the best match I played here. I was very focused.''

Santoro, who reached the final of the inaugural tournament in 1993 and won in remarkable fashion in 2002, is playing his last year on the Tour.

"It has been something special,'' Santoro said. "When I first came here in 1993, Dubai was a brand new city and this was a brand new tournament, and I saw this place growing up since 17 years. So it's something special for me to leave the tournament today.''

The Djokovic-Cilic match was perhaps the best match of the tournament so far, with the Serb producing some superb returns to break Cilic three times and inflict only the second defeat of the year on the Croat. Cilic failed to convert any of his six break points.

"I was trying in the last three matches to find this exact rhythm, and that's what I finally did today,'' Djokovic said. "I think the key was movement and focus. I was really trying to move well in the point, be patient, and just wait for the chances, because I was returning very well.''

Murray's withdrawal was another blow for an event already hit by controversy and a spate of injury-related absences. Murray is a doubt for Britain's Davis Cup match against Ukraine next week after his doctor advised him to rest for a week to 10 days.

Earlier, World No. 1 Rafael Nadal and No. 2 Roger Federer withdrew with injuries, while defending champion Andy Roddick of the U.S., withdrew under protest. Russian world No. 5 Nikolay Davydenko and No. 9 Fernando Verdasco of Spain also opted out.

Djokovic to semifinals, Murray pulls out
Camacho Satisfied With Osasuna’s Point At Deportivo La Coruna
Exclusive: Indonesia - Hosting World Cup Is Not Impossible

Djokovic to semifinals, Murray pulls out

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -Top-seeded Novak Djokovic advanced to the semifinals of the $2.23 million Dubai Tennis Championship on Thursday with a straight sets win over Marin Cilic, but the tournament lost second seed and favorite Andy Murray to a virus infection.

Third-seeded Gilles Simon of France defeated compatriot Fabrice Santoro 7-6 (3), 6-1, and will next face Djokovic, who defeated Cilic 6-3, 6-4 in 1 hour 37 minutes.

Murray, ranked No. 4, was scheduled to play the final match of the day on Center Court against France's Richard Gasquet, who will now play fourth-seeded David Ferrer of Spain in the semis.

Ferrer, who beat Igor Andreev of Russia 7-5, 6-1, denied that Murray's withdrawal meant he would now have an easier semifinal.

"No, no. Murray going out doesn't make it any easier for me because Gasquet is a very good player,'' Ferrer said. "The last time I played against him, it was very tough.''

The Spaniard said his match against Andreev "was the best match I played here. I was very focused.''

Santoro, who reached the final of the inaugural tournament in 1993 and won in remarkable fashion in 2002, is playing his last year on the Tour.

"It has been something special,'' Santoro said. "When I first came here in 1993, Dubai was a brand new city and this was a brand new tournament, and I saw this place growing up since 17 years. So it's something special for me to leave the tournament today.''

The Djokovic-Cilic match was perhaps the best match of the tournament so far, with the Serb producing some superb returns to break Cilic three times and inflict only the second defeat of the year on the Croat. Cilic failed to convert any of his six break points.

"I was trying in the last three matches to find this exact rhythm, and that's what I finally did today,'' Djokovic said. "I think the key was movement and focus. I was really trying to move well in the point, be patient, and just wait for the chances, because I was returning very well.''

Murray's withdrawal was another blow for an event already hit by controversy and a spate of injury-related absences. Murray is a doubt for Britain's Davis Cup match against Ukraine next week after his doctor advised him to rest for a week to 10 days.

Earlier, World No. 1 Rafael Nadal and No. 2 Roger Federer withdrew with injuries, while defending champion Andy Roddick of the U.S., withdrew under protest. Russian world No. 5 Nikolay Davydenko and No. 9 Fernando Verdasco of Spain also opted out.

Djokovic to semifinals, Murray pulls out
Djokovic to semifinals, Murray pulls out
Exclusive: Indonesia - Hosting World Cup Is Not Impossible

Fish bests Spadea to advance at Delray Beach

DELRAY BEACH, Fla., (AP) -Mardy Fish reached the quarterfinals of the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Vince Spadea on Thursday.

"We've always had tough matches,'' Fish said. "We've had three-setter most every time if not every time. I think I've figured out what to do.''

Fish is 4-1 against Spadea, and all their previous meetings went the full three sets. Fish, who reached the final in 2003, is hoping to become the first top seed in the 17 year history of this tournament to score the winner's trophy.

"It's fun to be the marked guy and everybody is gunning for you,'' said Fish, who reached the final in San Jose, Calif., earlier this month.

Spadea, who reached at least the quarters here every year since 2004, has been fighting a virus and fever since playing his first-round match, was his first tour-level victory since Los Angeles in August.

"I think there are some factors, and those factors being that he's improved, he's playing well and I was under-conditioned,'' Spadea said. "I just didn't have a lot of energy out there and my whole game thrives on energy, and grinding, and getting an extra ball back, and winning ugly, really.''

Fish will play sixth-seeded Florent Serra, who outlasted Mischa Zverev 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

Serra, who was behind 0-3 in the third set, won the match with an exquisite crosscourt drop volley from his heels.

"It's very important for me to be in the quarterfinal,'' Serra said. "I need to serve better tomorrow because he serves very good and my return is OK, but I need to focus on my own service percentage.''

Seventh-seeded Jeremy Chardy will play Andrey Golubev and former Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis faces Dudi Sela to determine the two remaining quarterfinalists.

The two other quarterfinal pairings were decided on Wednesday - qualifier Evgeny Korolev will face Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and 2000 Delray Beach champion Stefan Koubek squares off against Christophe Rochus.

Valencia Always Go Out To Win - Unai Emery
Fish bests Spadea to advance at Delray Beach
Fish bests Spadea to advance at Delray Beach

Almagro into Acapulco semifinals

ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) -Jose Acasuso broke Tommy Robredo at the end of both sets to beat him 7-5, 6-2 in their fourth meeting in four weeks and reach the Mexican Open semifinals on Thursday.

They finished their rivalry through the Latin American clay court swing at 2-2, although Robredo still leads 5-4 overall.

The No. 3 seed was on a 12-match winning streak after beating Acasuso in the semifinals en route to titles in Brazil and Argentina in the last two weeks.

On Thursday, Acasuso broke the Spaniard to clinch the first set without offering Robredo any break points and then raced through the second.

Seeking his first title in three years, the fifth-seeded Acasuso will play the winner of a late match between second-seeded Gael Monfils and Leonardo Mayer.

Nicolas Almagro continued his title defense with a 6-2, 7-6 (2), win over Daniel Gimeno-Traver and will meet Martin Vassallo Arguello for a place in Saturday's final.

Vassallo Arguello beat qualifier Dan Koellerer 6-3, 7-6 (6) to reach his first semifinals in two years.

Almagro had 14 aces, gave away only nine points in 10 service games, and gave Gimeno-Traver no break chances. Almagro took both of his break points in the first set then needed the tiebreaker to fend off 89th-ranked Gimeno-Traver.

In the women's draw, Flavia Pennetta maintained her bid for a sixth successive final in Acapulco by overcoming Petra Cetkovska 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 to improve her record in Acapulco to 27-4.

Second-seeded Pennetta, the champion in 2005 and 2008, set up a rematch of the 2004 final with Iveta Benesova, who beat Mathilde Johansson of France 6-1, 6-3.

Unseeded Barbora Zahlavova Strycova defeated Maret Ani 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 in 2 hours,43 minutes, and will play either top-seeded Venus Williams or Agnes Szavay.

Almagro into Acapulco semifinals
Marcelo Delighted With First Real Madrid Goal
Almagro into Acapulco semifinals

Djokovic to semifinals, Murray pulls out

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -Top-seeded Novak Djokovic advanced to the semifinals of the $2.23 million Dubai Tennis Championship on Thursday with a straight sets win over Marin Cilic, but the tournament lost second seed and favorite Andy Murray to a virus infection.

Third-seeded Gilles Simon of France defeated compatriot Fabrice Santoro 7-6 (3), 6-1, and will next face Djokovic, who defeated Cilic 6-3, 6-4 in 1 hour 37 minutes.

Murray, ranked No. 4, was scheduled to play the final match of the day on Center Court against France's Richard Gasquet, who will now play fourth-seeded David Ferrer of Spain in the semis.

Ferrer, who beat Igor Andreev of Russia 7-5, 6-1, denied that Murray's withdrawal meant he would now have an easier semifinal.

"No, no. Murray going out doesn't make it any easier for me because Gasquet is a very good player,'' Ferrer said. "The last time I played against him, it was very tough.''

The Spaniard said his match against Andreev "was the best match I played here. I was very focused.''

Santoro, who reached the final of the inaugural tournament in 1993 and won in remarkable fashion in 2002, is playing his last year on the Tour.

"It has been something special,'' Santoro said. "When I first came here in 1993, Dubai was a brand new city and this was a brand new tournament, and I saw this place growing up since 17 years. So it's something special for me to leave the tournament today.''

The Djokovic-Cilic match was perhaps the best match of the tournament so far, with the Serb producing some superb returns to break Cilic three times and inflict only the second defeat of the year on the Croat. Cilic failed to convert any of his six break points.

"I was trying in the last three matches to find this exact rhythm, and that's what I finally did today,'' Djokovic said. "I think the key was movement and focus. I was really trying to move well in the point, be patient, and just wait for the chances, because I was returning very well.''

Murray's withdrawal was another blow for an event already hit by controversy and a spate of injury-related absences. Murray is a doubt for Britain's Davis Cup match against Ukraine next week after his doctor advised him to rest for a week to 10 days.

Earlier, World No. 1 Rafael Nadal and No. 2 Roger Federer withdrew with injuries, while defending champion Andy Roddick of the U.S., withdrew under protest. Russian world No. 5 Nikolay Davydenko and No. 9 Fernando Verdasco of Spain also opted out.

Djokovic to semifinals, Murray pulls out
Camacho Satisfied With Osasuna’s Point At Deportivo La Coruna
Exclusive: Indonesia - Hosting World Cup Is Not Impossible

Fish bests Spadea to advance at Delray Beach

DELRAY BEACH, Fla., (AP) -Mardy Fish reached the quarterfinals of the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Vince Spadea on Thursday.

"We've always had tough matches,'' Fish said. "We've had three-setter most every time if not every time. I think I've figured out what to do.''

Fish is 4-1 against Spadea, and all their previous meetings went the full three sets. Fish, who reached the final in 2003, is hoping to become the first top seed in the 17 year history of this tournament to score the winner's trophy.

"It's fun to be the marked guy and everybody is gunning for you,'' said Fish, who reached the final in San Jose, Calif., earlier this month.

Spadea, who reached at least the quarters here every year since 2004, has been fighting a virus and fever since playing his first-round match, was his first tour-level victory since Los Angeles in August.

"I think there are some factors, and those factors being that he's improved, he's playing well and I was under-conditioned,'' Spadea said. "I just didn't have a lot of energy out there and my whole game thrives on energy, and grinding, and getting an extra ball back, and winning ugly, really.''

Fish will play sixth-seeded Florent Serra, who outlasted Mischa Zverev 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

Serra, who was behind 0-3 in the third set, won the match with an exquisite crosscourt drop volley from his heels.

"It's very important for me to be in the quarterfinal,'' Serra said. "I need to serve better tomorrow because he serves very good and my return is OK, but I need to focus on my own service percentage.''

Seventh-seeded Jeremy Chardy will play Andrey Golubev and former Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis faces Dudi Sela to determine the two remaining quarterfinalists.

The two other quarterfinal pairings were decided on Wednesday - qualifier Evgeny Korolev will face Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and 2000 Delray Beach champion Stefan Koubek squares off against Christophe Rochus.

Fish bests Spadea to advance at Delray Beach
Valencia Always Go Out To Win - Unai Emery
Fish bests Spadea to advance at Delray Beach

Almagro into Acapulco semifinals

ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) -Jose Acasuso broke Tommy Robredo at the end of both sets to beat him 7-5, 6-2 in their fourth meeting in four weeks and reach the Mexican Open semifinals on Thursday.

They finished their rivalry through the Latin American clay court swing at 2-2, although Robredo still leads 5-4 overall.

The No. 3 seed was on a 12-match winning streak after beating Acasuso in the semifinals en route to titles in Brazil and Argentina in the last two weeks.

On Thursday, Acasuso broke the Spaniard to clinch the first set without offering Robredo any break points and then raced through the second.

Seeking his first title in three years, the fifth-seeded Acasuso will play the winner of a late match between second-seeded Gael Monfils and Leonardo Mayer.

Nicolas Almagro continued his title defense with a 6-2, 7-6 (2), win over Daniel Gimeno-Traver and will meet Martin Vassallo Arguello for a place in Saturday's final.

Vassallo Arguello beat qualifier Dan Koellerer 6-3, 7-6 (6) to reach his first semifinals in two years.

Almagro had 14 aces, gave away only nine points in 10 service games, and gave Gimeno-Traver no break chances. Almagro took both of his break points in the first set then needed the tiebreaker to fend off 89th-ranked Gimeno-Traver.

In the women's draw, Flavia Pennetta maintained her bid for a sixth successive final in Acapulco by overcoming Petra Cetkovska 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 to improve her record in Acapulco to 27-4.

Second-seeded Pennetta, the champion in 2005 and 2008, set up a rematch of the 2004 final with Iveta Benesova, who beat Mathilde Johansson of France 6-1, 6-3.

Unseeded Barbora Zahlavova Strycova defeated Maret Ani 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 in 2 hours,43 minutes, and will play either top-seeded Venus Williams or Agnes Szavay.

Marcelo Delighted With First Real Madrid Goal
Almagro into Acapulco semifinals

Almagro into Acapulco semifinals

ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) -Jose Acasuso broke Tommy Robredo at the end of both sets to beat him 7-5, 6-2 in their fourth meeting in four weeks and reach the Mexican Open semifinals on Thursday.

They finished their rivalry through the Latin American clay court swing at 2-2, although Robredo still leads 5-4 overall.

The No. 3 seed was on a 12-match winning streak after beating Acasuso in the semifinals en route to titles in Brazil and Argentina in the last two weeks.

On Thursday, Acasuso broke the Spaniard to clinch the first set without offering Robredo any break points and then raced through the second.

Seeking his first title in three years, the fifth-seeded Acasuso will play the winner of a late match between second-seeded Gael Monfils and Leonardo Mayer.

Nicolas Almagro continued his title defense with a 6-2, 7-6 (2), win over Daniel Gimeno-Traver and will meet Martin Vassallo Arguello for a place in Saturday's final.

Vassallo Arguello beat qualifier Dan Koellerer 6-3, 7-6 (6) to reach his first semifinals in two years.

Almagro had 14 aces, gave away only nine points in 10 service games, and gave Gimeno-Traver no break chances. Almagro took both of his break points in the first set then needed the tiebreaker to fend off 89th-ranked Gimeno-Traver.

In the women's draw, Flavia Pennetta maintained her bid for a sixth successive final in Acapulco by overcoming Petra Cetkovska 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 to improve her record in Acapulco to 27-4.

Second-seeded Pennetta, the champion in 2005 and 2008, set up a rematch of the 2004 final with Iveta Benesova, who beat Mathilde Johansson of France 6-1, 6-3.

Unseeded Barbora Zahlavova Strycova defeated Maret Ani 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 in 2 hours,43 minutes, and will play either top-seeded Venus Williams or Agnes Szavay.

Marcelo Delighted With First Real Madrid Goal
Almagro into Acapulco semifinals

Djokovic to semifinals, Murray pulls out

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -Top-seeded Novak Djokovic advanced to the semifinals of the $2.23 million Dubai Tennis Championship on Thursday with a straight sets win over Marin Cilic, but the tournament lost second seed and favorite Andy Murray to a virus infection.

Third-seeded Gilles Simon of France defeated compatriot Fabrice Santoro 7-6 (3), 6-1, and will next face Djokovic, who defeated Cilic 6-3, 6-4 in 1 hour 37 minutes.

Murray, ranked No. 4, was scheduled to play the final match of the day on Center Court against France's Richard Gasquet, who will now play fourth-seeded David Ferrer of Spain in the semis.

Ferrer, who beat Igor Andreev of Russia 7-5, 6-1, denied that Murray's withdrawal meant he would now have an easier semifinal.

"No, no. Murray going out doesn't make it any easier for me because Gasquet is a very good player,'' Ferrer said. "The last time I played against him, it was very tough.''

The Spaniard said his match against Andreev "was the best match I played here. I was very focused.''

Santoro, who reached the final of the inaugural tournament in 1993 and won in remarkable fashion in 2002, is playing his last year on the Tour.

"It has been something special,'' Santoro said. "When I first came here in 1993, Dubai was a brand new city and this was a brand new tournament, and I saw this place growing up since 17 years. So it's something special for me to leave the tournament today.''

The Djokovic-Cilic match was perhaps the best match of the tournament so far, with the Serb producing some superb returns to break Cilic three times and inflict only the second defeat of the year on the Croat. Cilic failed to convert any of his six break points.

"I was trying in the last three matches to find this exact rhythm, and that's what I finally did today,'' Djokovic said. "I think the key was movement and focus. I was really trying to move well in the point, be patient, and just wait for the chances, because I was returning very well.''

Murray's withdrawal was another blow for an event already hit by controversy and a spate of injury-related absences. Murray is a doubt for Britain's Davis Cup match against Ukraine next week after his doctor advised him to rest for a week to 10 days.

Earlier, World No. 1 Rafael Nadal and No. 2 Roger Federer withdrew with injuries, while defending champion Andy Roddick of the U.S., withdrew under protest. Russian world No. 5 Nikolay Davydenko and No. 9 Fernando Verdasco of Spain also opted out.

Djokovic to semifinals, Murray pulls out
Camacho Satisfied With Osasuna’s Point At Deportivo La Coruna
Djokovic to semifinals, Murray pulls out
Exclusive: Indonesia - Hosting World Cup Is Not Impossible

Fish bests Spadea to advance at Delray Beach

DELRAY BEACH, Fla., (AP) -Mardy Fish reached the quarterfinals of the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Vince Spadea on Thursday.

"We've always had tough matches,'' Fish said. "We've had three-setter most every time if not every time. I think I've figured out what to do.''

Fish is 4-1 against Spadea, and all their previous meetings went the full three sets. Fish, who reached the final in 2003, is hoping to become the first top seed in the 17 year history of this tournament to score the winner's trophy.

"It's fun to be the marked guy and everybody is gunning for you,'' said Fish, who reached the final in San Jose, Calif., earlier this month.

Spadea, who reached at least the quarters here every year since 2004, has been fighting a virus and fever since playing his first-round match, was his first tour-level victory since Los Angeles in August.

"I think there are some factors, and those factors being that he's improved, he's playing well and I was under-conditioned,'' Spadea said. "I just didn't have a lot of energy out there and my whole game thrives on energy, and grinding, and getting an extra ball back, and winning ugly, really.''

Fish will play sixth-seeded Florent Serra, who outlasted Mischa Zverev 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

Serra, who was behind 0-3 in the third set, won the match with an exquisite crosscourt drop volley from his heels.

"It's very important for me to be in the quarterfinal,'' Serra said. "I need to serve better tomorrow because he serves very good and my return is OK, but I need to focus on my own service percentage.''

Seventh-seeded Jeremy Chardy will play Andrey Golubev and former Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis faces Dudi Sela to determine the two remaining quarterfinalists.

The two other quarterfinal pairings were decided on Wednesday - qualifier Evgeny Korolev will face Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and 2000 Delray Beach champion Stefan Koubek squares off against Christophe Rochus.

Fish bests Spadea to advance at Delray Beach
Fish bests Spadea to advance at Delray Beach
Valencia Always Go Out To Win - Unai Emery

Fish bests Spadea to advance at Delray Beach

DELRAY BEACH, Fla., (AP) -Mardy Fish reached the quarterfinals of the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Vince Spadea on Thursday.

"We've always had tough matches,'' Fish said. "We've had three-setter most every time if not every time. I think I've figured out what to do.''

Fish is 4-1 against Spadea, and all their previous meetings went the full three sets. Fish, who reached the final in 2003, is hoping to become the first top seed in the 17 year history of this tournament to score the winner's trophy.

"It's fun to be the marked guy and everybody is gunning for you,'' said Fish, who reached the final in San Jose, Calif., earlier this month.

Spadea, who reached at least the quarters here every year since 2004, has been fighting a virus and fever since playing his first-round match, was his first tour-level victory since Los Angeles in August.

"I think there are some factors, and those factors being that he's improved, he's playing well and I was under-conditioned,'' Spadea said. "I just didn't have a lot of energy out there and my whole game thrives on energy, and grinding, and getting an extra ball back, and winning ugly, really.''

Fish will play sixth-seeded Florent Serra, who outlasted Mischa Zverev 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

Serra, who was behind 0-3 in the third set, won the match with an exquisite crosscourt drop volley from his heels.

"It's very important for me to be in the quarterfinal,'' Serra said. "I need to serve better tomorrow because he serves very good and my return is OK, but I need to focus on my own service percentage.''

Seventh-seeded Jeremy Chardy will play Andrey Golubev and former Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis faces Dudi Sela to determine the two remaining quarterfinalists.

The two other quarterfinal pairings were decided on Wednesday - qualifier Evgeny Korolev will face Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and 2000 Delray Beach champion Stefan Koubek squares off against Christophe Rochus.

Fish bests Spadea to advance at Delray Beach
Lotina Pleased With Deportivo La Coruna’s Point Against Osasuna
Fish bests Spadea to advance at Delray Beach
Valencia Always Go Out To Win - Unai Emery

Roddick to lead U.S. Davis Cup team against Swiss

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) -The U.S. Davis Cup team will go with its regular lineup for an opening-round match against Switzerland.

U.S. captain Patrick McEnroe said Tuesday that Andy Roddick, James Blake and the doubles team of twins Bob and Mike Bryan will compete March 6-8 in Birmingham.

McEnroe said the Americans became "a pretty solid favorite'' when 13-time Gland Slam singles champion Roger Federer pulled out of the series because of a back problem.

The U.S.-Switzerland winner advances to face either Chile or Croatia in the quarterfinals on July 10-12.

The Swiss team will include Stanislas Wawrinka, Stephane Bohli, Marco Chudinelli and Yves Allegro.

The U.S. lost to Spain in the semifinals last year.

Roddick to lead US Davis Cup team against Swiss
Capello: Spain Are The Best National Team At The Moment
Barcelona Are The Perfect Team For Me - Dani Alves

Almagro into Acapulco semifinals

ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) -Jose Acasuso broke Tommy Robredo at the end of both sets to beat him 7-5, 6-2 in their fourth meeting in four weeks and reach the Mexican Open semifinals on Thursday.

They finished their rivalry through the Latin American clay court swing at 2-2, although Robredo still leads 5-4 overall.

The No. 3 seed was on a 12-match winning streak after beating Acasuso in the semifinals en route to titles in Brazil and Argentina in the last two weeks.

On Thursday, Acasuso broke the Spaniard to clinch the first set without offering Robredo any break points and then raced through the second.

Seeking his first title in three years, the fifth-seeded Acasuso will play the winner of a late match between second-seeded Gael Monfils and Leonardo Mayer.

Nicolas Almagro continued his title defense with a 6-2, 7-6 (2), win over Daniel Gimeno-Traver and will meet Martin Vassallo Arguello for a place in Saturday's final.

Vassallo Arguello beat qualifier Dan Koellerer 6-3, 7-6 (6) to reach his first semifinals in two years.

Almagro had 14 aces, gave away only nine points in 10 service games, and gave Gimeno-Traver no break chances. Almagro took both of his break points in the first set then needed the tiebreaker to fend off 89th-ranked Gimeno-Traver.

In the women's draw, Flavia Pennetta maintained her bid for a sixth successive final in Acapulco by overcoming Petra Cetkovska 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 to improve her record in Acapulco to 27-4.

Second-seeded Pennetta, the champion in 2005 and 2008, set up a rematch of the 2004 final with Iveta Benesova, who beat Mathilde Johansson of France 6-1, 6-3.

Unseeded Barbora Zahlavova Strycova defeated Maret Ani 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 in 2 hours,43 minutes, and will play either top-seeded Venus Williams or Agnes Szavay.

Marcelo Delighted With First Real Madrid Goal
Almagro into Acapulco semifinals

Police mobilized for Sweden-Israel Davis Cup match

MALMO, Sweden (AP) -About 1,000 police officers from seven counties are expected to be mobilized ahead of Sweden's Davis Cup match against Israel next week amid fears that protests could turn violent, police said Thursday.

Organizers of a "Stop the Match'' campaign, which was formed after Israel's offensive in Gaza started in December, expect that between 8,000 and 12,000 people will demonstrate on March 7 before the doubles match.

The first-round World Group match will be played March 6-8 without fans at the 4,000-seat Baltic Hall. Other than the teams, only officials, some sponsors and journalists will be allowed to enter.

Police commissioner Hakan Jarborg Eriksson said officials expect the march to be relatively calm, but fear that protests from small, radical groups could turn violent.

"They have said that they want to stop the match at all costs,'' Jarborg Eriksson told Swedish news agency TT.

Also planning to demonstrate during the best-of-five series are left-wing groups, human rights organizations and pro-Palestinian groups.

The Israeli team is due to arrive Sunday. Sweden's squad is working out in Stockholm this weekend before heading to Malmo.

Malmo, Sweden's third largest city, has a left-leaning local government and a large Muslim minority. Its leaders have strongly criticized Israel over the Gaza invasion, and some have called for the Davis Cup match to be dropped altogether.

Malmo officials announced the decision to have the match played behind closed doors after a vote on the issue in the city's recreational committee last week. The Swedish Social Democratic Party and the Left Party won the vote 5-4 after a long debate. The committee said it could not guarantee security for the fans.

This will be the second time a Davis Cup match will be played in an empty arena in Sweden. In 1975, two years after a military coup led by Augusto Pinochet against the elected Chilean government of Salvador Allende, Sweden played Chile in Bastad and no spectators were allowed.

A seven-time Davis Cup champion, Sweden also played Israel last year in the first round and won 3-2 outside Tel Aviv.

No fans allowed when Sweden hosts Israel
No fans allowed when Sweden hosts Israel
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Agassi to play World Team Tennis this summer

NEW YORK (AP) -Andre Agassi will pick up a racket again, playing two matches for the Philadelphia Freedoms in World Team Tennis this summer.

The league announced Thursday that Agassi will compete for the Freedoms on July 10 in Philadelphia and July 17 in Newport Beach, California.

Agassi, who retired in 2006 with eight career Grand Slam titles, played for World Team Tennis from 2002-04. Other stars who will make appearances in the mixed league include Serena and Venus Williams, John McEnroe, Anna Kournikova and Martina Navratilova.

The league, co-founded by Billie Jean King, will play in 10 cities from July 2-26.

Agassi to play World Team Tennis this summer
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Agassi to play World Team Tennis this summer
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Agassi to play World Team Tennis this summer

NEW YORK (AP) -Andre Agassi will pick up a racket again, playing two matches for the Philadelphia Freedoms in World Team Tennis this summer.

The league announced Thursday that Agassi will compete for the Freedoms on July 10 in Philadelphia and July 17 in Newport Beach, California.

Agassi, who retired in 2006 with eight career Grand Slam titles, played for World Team Tennis from 2002-04. Other stars who will make appearances in the mixed league include Serena and Venus Williams, John McEnroe, Anna Kournikova and Martina Navratilova.

The league, co-founded by Billie Jean King, will play in 10 cities from July 2-26.

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Agassi to play World Team Tennis this summer
Agassi to play World Team Tennis this summer

Agassi to play World Team Tennis this summer

NEW YORK (AP) -Andre Agassi will pick up a racket again, playing two matches for the Philadelphia Freedoms in World Team Tennis this summer.

The league announced Thursday that Agassi will compete for the Freedoms on July 10 in Philadelphia and July 17 in Newport Beach, California.

Agassi, who retired in 2006 with eight career Grand Slam titles, played for World Team Tennis from 2002-04. Other stars who will make appearances in the mixed league include Serena and Venus Williams, John McEnroe, Anna Kournikova and Martina Navratilova.

The league, co-founded by Billie Jean King, will play in 10 cities from July 2-26.

Hleb Won’t Be Leaving Barcelona
Agassi to play World Team Tennis this summer
Agassi to play World Team Tennis this summer

Djokovic to semifinals, Murray pulls out

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -Top-seeded Novak Djokovic advanced to the semifinals of the $2.23 million Dubai Tennis Championship on Thursday with a straight sets win over Marin Cilic, but the tournament lost second seed and favorite Andy Murray to a virus infection.

Third-seeded Gilles Simon of France defeated compatriot Fabrice Santoro 7-6 (3), 6-1, and will next face Djokovic, who defeated Cilic 6-3, 6-4 in 1 hour 37 minutes.

Murray, ranked No. 4, was scheduled to play the final match of the day on Center Court against France's Richard Gasquet, who will now play fourth-seeded David Ferrer of Spain in the semis.

Ferrer, who beat Igor Andreev of Russia 7-5, 6-1, denied that Murray's withdrawal meant he would now have an easier semifinal.

"No, no. Murray going out doesn't make it any easier for me because Gasquet is a very good player,'' Ferrer said. "The last time I played against him, it was very tough.''

The Spaniard said his match against Andreev "was the best match I played here. I was very focused.''

Santoro, who reached the final of the inaugural tournament in 1993 and won in remarkable fashion in 2002, is playing his last year on the Tour.

"It has been something special,'' Santoro said. "When I first came here in 1993, Dubai was a brand new city and this was a brand new tournament, and I saw this place growing up since 17 years. So it's something special for me to leave the tournament today.''

The Djokovic-Cilic match was perhaps the best match of the tournament so far, with the Serb producing some superb returns to break Cilic three times and inflict only the second defeat of the year on the Croat. Cilic failed to convert any of his six break points.

"I was trying in the last three matches to find this exact rhythm, and that's what I finally did today,'' Djokovic said. "I think the key was movement and focus. I was really trying to move well in the point, be patient, and just wait for the chances, because I was returning very well.''

Murray's withdrawal was another blow for an event already hit by controversy and a spate of injury-related absences. Murray is a doubt for Britain's Davis Cup match against Ukraine next week after his doctor advised him to rest for a week to 10 days.

Earlier, World No. 1 Rafael Nadal and No. 2 Roger Federer withdrew with injuries, while defending champion Andy Roddick of the U.S., withdrew under protest. Russian world No. 5 Nikolay Davydenko and No. 9 Fernando Verdasco of Spain also opted out.

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Djokovic to semifinals, Murray pulls out
Djokovic to semifinals, Murray pulls out
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Korolev stops Kendrick at Delray Beach

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. (AP) -Qualifier Evgeny Korolev defeated American Robert Kendrick 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 Wednesday to move into the quarterfinals of the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships.

The 105th-ranked Korolev double-faulted twice at 30-30 to lose his serve in the first game of the second set and trailed 0-2. But the Russian rallied to win six of the next seven games.

In the third set, Korolev squandered a 3-1 lead against the 91st-ranked Kendrick and trailed 5-4. But Korolev, cheered on by his cousin Anna Kournikova in the stands, won the next three games to clinch the match.

Korolev will play Guillermo Garcia-Lopez , who rallied to defeat Gilles Muller of Luxembourg 5-7, 6-3, 6-3.

"It's my second quarterfinals of the year because I played quarterfinals in Johannesburg,'' Garcia-Lopez said. "So it's good chance to keep playing better for the year.''

After splitting the first two sets, Garcia-Lopez took a 3-0 lead in the third set. But Muller tied it 3-3 before Garcia-Lopez closed out the match.

Later Wednesday, second-seeded Sam Querrey of the United States plays Christophe Rochus, and eighth-seeded Lu Yen-Hsun faces Stefan Koubek.

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Korolev stops Kendrick at Delray Beach
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Korolev stops Kendrick at Delray Beach

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. (AP) -Qualifier Evgeny Korolev defeated American Robert Kendrick 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 Wednesday to move into the quarterfinals of the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships.

The 105th-ranked Korolev double-faulted twice at 30-30 to lose his serve in the first game of the second set and trailed 0-2. But the Russian rallied to win six of the next seven games.

In the third set, Korolev squandered a 3-1 lead against the 91st-ranked Kendrick and trailed 5-4. But Korolev, cheered on by his cousin Anna Kournikova in the stands, won the next three games to clinch the match.

Korolev will play Guillermo Garcia-Lopez , who rallied to defeat Gilles Muller of Luxembourg 5-7, 6-3, 6-3.

"It's my second quarterfinals of the year because I played quarterfinals in Johannesburg,'' Garcia-Lopez said. "So it's good chance to keep playing better for the year.''

After splitting the first two sets, Garcia-Lopez took a 3-0 lead in the third set. But Muller tied it 3-3 before Garcia-Lopez closed out the match.

Later Wednesday, second-seeded Sam Querrey of the United States plays Christophe Rochus, and eighth-seeded Lu Yen-Hsun faces Stefan Koubek.

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Israeli tennis player Ram loses in Dubai doubles

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -Protected by two bodyguards as he walked onto court, Andy Ram became the first Israeli to play in this Gulf state Wednesday, losing a first-round doubles match a week after Israel's Shahar Peer was denied a visa for the women's tournament.

Despite the tight security, Ram appeared relaxed and focused once he and partner Kevin Ullyett of Zimbabwe began the match against Marat Safin of Russia and Spain's David Ferrer at the Dubai Tennis Championships. The fourth-seeded Ram and Ullyet fell 6-3, 2-6, 10-8.

Spectators had to leave their belongings outside, and metal detectors were set up outside the court.

There were no protests or incidents, with about 100 spectators watching the match on an outside court.

Ram did not hold a news conference after the match, but organizers issued a transcript of comments made to a pool reporter.

"It was obviously something big, history here, what's been done, the first Israeli coming to play sport in Dubai,'' Ram said. "I fought for something really, really big and coming here was something big because it showed that we should not involve sports with politics.''

Ram was granted special permission late last week to play in Dubai after Peer was barred from entering the country to play in the women's tournament.

At the time, organizers cited security concerns for the decision, which prompted widespread protests and pressure to allow Ram to compete.

"It was different. It was an experience for me,'' Ram said. "They did everything possible to secure me ... Coming to the court, obviously with a couple of bodyguards, was nice. I felt like, OK, as soon as we start the match, hitting the first shot to warm up, I was thinking tactics and concentrating to win the match, but it did not happen today.''

Ram said he was received well in Dubai and did not encounter any hostility.

"Not at all really,'' he said. "From the first moment I arrived to the airport, (they) took me to the hotel, (treated) me very good. (I) went out...obviously with the body guards, the guys were watching me. Just really, they let me feel very comfortable.''

The small stand around the court was about three-quarters full.

"A few people were supporting him because of the controversy, but apart from that, it was just another tennis match,'' said Matt Nickels, a Dubai-based retail company employee from Britain.

The United Arab Emirates has no diplomatic relationship with Israel, but Israelis with dual citizenship have entered the country for international sporting and business events using second-country passports.

On some occasions, Israeli passport holders have been allowed entry for meetings held by the United Nations or other international agencies.

Dubai tournament organizers said Peer was denied an opportunity to play in the women's event because they feared fan anger over Israel's recent military offensive in Gaza. The WTA fined organizers a record $300,000 last week and the UAE granted a permit to Ram to play in this week's men's tournament.

Ram's next brush with politics is not far away. Swedish organizers of next week's Davis Cup match between Sweden and Israel decided the teams will play without spectators in Malmo.

Organizers said they opted for the closed-door policy because anti-Israeli demonstrations are expected.

"When I heard about the decision playing without crowd, that freaked me out,'' Ram said. "This is really something bad I think, and there's nothing I can do about it.''

Ram was chosen Tuesday for the Israeli Davis Cup team on Tuesday, along with Dudi Sela, Harel Levy and Noam Okun.

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Israeli tennis player Ram loses in Dubai doubles
Israeli tennis player Ram loses in Dubai doubles

Agassi, Graf to play first matches under new roof

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -Former Wimbledon champions Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf will return to the All England Club in May to try out the playing conditions under the new Centre Court roof.

Agassi and Graf - who are husband and wife - will join Kim Clijsters and Tim Henman for a series of exhibition matches on May 17, five weeks before the Wimbledon tournament.

The event - dubbed "A Centre Court Celebration'' - is designed to test the new roof and air management system with live matches in front of a capacity crowd of 15,000.

The program will feature a men's singles, a women's singles and a mixed doubles match. The matches will be played in a pro-set format - the first to eight games, with a tiebreaker at 8-8.

Tickets, which will cost 35 pounds ($50), will go on sale March 12.

The new sliding roof will help alleviate Wimbledon's perennial rain delays.

The traditional roof overhang on Centre Court was removed after the 2006 tournament, leaving the grass surface more open to the elements in 2007. The overhang was back in 2008, along with 1,200 extra seats.

This year's Wimbledon tournament will be held June 22-July 5.

"Though this project has been a sophisticated engineering feat, we always wanted to capture the essence of Wimbledon's history and tradition in a new, modern Centre Court which itself would still be celebrated as the stage of some of the most memorable moments in tennis,'' All England Club chief executive Ian Ritchie said.

"With players of the caliber of Agassi, Graf, Clijsters and Henman this test event promises to be hugely entertaining. Brilliant players, great tennis, an iconic venue and the chance to be part of Wimbledon history - what more could one want?''

Agassi, who retired in 2006 with eight career Grand Slam titles, won Wimbledon in 1992 and lost in the 1999 final to Pete Sampras.

"I have great memories of playing at Wimbledon and to be among the first to play under the new Centre Court roof is really exciting,'' he said.

Graf retired in 1999 with 22 major titles, including seven Wimbledon crowns.

"There is no tennis venue more special to me than Centre Court at Wimbledon,'' the German said. "It just doesn't get any better. I couldn't be more honored to play there again with my husband Andre, and tennis greats Kim and Tim. It will mean so much to return to Wimbledon and ... relive so many wonderful memories.''

Clijsters, the 2005 U.S. Open champion, twice reached the Wimbledon semifinals and retired from tennis in 2007. Her only career match against Graf came in a fourth-round loss at Wimbledon in 1999.

"It was quite an experience,'' Clijsters said. "I was very nervous to play against my idol and because of the rain the match took two days to finish. The new roof will prevent that this time around.''

Henman, Britain's former No. 1 player, reached the Wimbledon semifinals four times.

"Wimbledon's Centre Court was always a special place for me,'' he said.

Agassi, Graf to play first matches under new roof
Agassi, Graf to play first matches under new roof
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Korolev stops Kendrick at Delray Beach

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. (AP) -Qualifier Evgeny Korolev defeated American Robert Kendrick 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 Wednesday to move into the quarterfinals of the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships.

The 105th-ranked Korolev double-faulted twice at 30-30 to lose his serve in the first game of the second set and trailed 0-2. But the Russian rallied to win six of the next seven games.

In the third set, Korolev squandered a 3-1 lead against the 91st-ranked Kendrick and trailed 5-4. But Korolev, cheered on by his cousin Anna Kournikova in the stands, won the next three games to clinch the match.

Korolev will play Guillermo Garcia-Lopez , who rallied to defeat Gilles Muller of Luxembourg 5-7, 6-3, 6-3.

"It's my second quarterfinals of the year because I played quarterfinals in Johannesburg,'' Garcia-Lopez said. "So it's good chance to keep playing better for the year.''

After splitting the first two sets, Garcia-Lopez took a 3-0 lead in the third set. But Muller tied it 3-3 before Garcia-Lopez closed out the match.

Later Wednesday, second-seeded Sam Querrey of the United States plays Christophe Rochus, and eighth-seeded Lu Yen-Hsun faces Stefan Koubek.

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