Serena unlikely to face ban for U.S. Open rant

REGGIO CALABRIA, Italy - Top-ranked Serena Williams will most likely receive a “significant” fine but no suspension for her U.S. Open tirade, the president of the International Tennis Federation said.

Grand Slam administrator Bill Babcock is expected to give his recommendation to the Grand Slam committee, which probably will announce the sanction Monday or Tuesday.

“I don’t think (an Australian Open ban) would make much sense, because it would penalize the people handing out the punishment,” Francesco Ricci Bitti told The Associated Press on Saturday. “For the Grand Slam committee to exclude her from a Grand Slam doesn’t seem likely.”

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The Grand Slam committee is composed of Ricci Bitti and the four Grand Slam presidents.

Williams was fined $10,000 after her profanity-laced outburst at a lineswoman during her semifinal loss to Kim Clijsters in September. A fine from the ITF could be much greater.

“A significant financial penalty makes much more sense. But it has to be significant enough for the fans (to appreciate) it,” Ricci Bitti said. “Of course it may not be significant for Serena Williams, who earns tens of millions.”

By winning the season-ending tour championship last weekend, Williams set the record for single-season prize money in women’s tennis by topping $6.5 million in 2009. Her career prize money is a record $28.5 million.

Ricci Bitti spoke at the Fed Cup final between the United States in Italy. Serena and Venus Williams decided not to play in the Fed Cup final after meeting in the final of the season-ending championship last weekend in Doha, Qatar.

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Djokovic, Stepanek gain Swiss Indoor semifinals

BASEL, Switzerland (AP) -Novak Djokovic reached the semifinals of the Swiss Indoors on Friday with a 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2 victory over Stanislas Wawrinka.

The second-seeded Djokovic trailed by a set and a service break before rallying against the sixth-seeded Swiss.

The 22-year-old Serb had to work hard for this win, a day after breezing past Jan Hernych 6-0, 6-0 - his first double bagel in an elite tournament.

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Djokovic will play fifth-seeded Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic on Saturday.

Stepanek converted all four of his break points as he fought back to beat fourth-seeded Marin Cilic of Croatia 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Djokovic reached the semifinal stage for the 14th time in 20 tournaments this year, and extended his ATP Tour-leading win total to 69.

Wawrinka broke Djokovic's serve in the eighth game of the opening set, and then for a 4-3 lead in the second.

But Djokovic struck back immediately and went on to take an early lead in the tiebreaker. Wawrinka sent a backhand long on the first set point he faced.

Djokovic raced to a 4-0 lead in the deciding set and soon closed out the win, his sixth straight over Wawrinka.

Stepanek stayed in contention for a place at the ATP Tour finals in London this month, but the loss hurt Cilic's chances.

The 21-year-old Croat likely has to win the Paris Masters next week to qualify for the eight-player lineup.

In later matches, three-time defending champion Roger Federer faced Russian qualifier Evgeny Korolev, and Swiss wild card Marco Chiudinelli played Richard Gasquet of France.

© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Wickmayer withdraws in Bali after year suspension

NUSA DUA, Indonesia (AP) -US Open semifinalist Yanina Wickmayer has voluntarily withdrawn from the ongoing Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions after receiving a one-year suspension by a Belgian anti-doping tribunal.

First alternate Vera Dushevina of Russia takes the third-seeded Wickmayer's place in the draw on the resort island of Bali, and meets Spain's Anabel Medina Garrigues in round-robin play later Friday.

The 20-year-old Wickmayer was suspended Thursday for failing to report her whereabouts to anti-doping officials three times. She has denied any wrongdoing and said on her Web site she planned to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

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Agassi upset by Navratilova’s criticisms

NEW YORK - Andre Agassi responded to criticism of his crystal meth use with a plea for compassion, telling “60 Minutes” he needed help when he took the drug while depressed in 1997.

Discussing his new autobiography, Agassi became emotional when reacting to comments by Martina Navratilova, who compared him to Roger Clemens.

“It’s what you don’t want to hear,” Agassi told interviewer Katie Couric. “I would hope along with that would come some compassion that maybe this person doesn’t need condemnation. Maybe this person could stand a little help. Because that was at a time in my life when I needed help.

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“I had a problem, and there might be many other athletes out there that test positive for recreational drugs that have a problem. So I would ask for some compassion.”

CBS released excerpts from the interview Thursday and will broadcast it Sunday night.

In his book “Open,” which goes on sale Monday, the eight-time Grand Slam champion says he used crystal meth in 1997 and failed a drug test — a result he says was thrown out after he lied by saying he unwittingly took the substance.

In an interview last week with The Associated Press, Navratilova said she was shocked Agassi lied about the drug use. She compared him to Clemens, who repeatedly has denied using performance-enhancing drugs, countering claims by his former personal trainer.

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Agassi told “60 Minutes” he has no regrets about his disclosures.

“I had way more to lose by telling this story in its full transparency than I had to gain,” he said. “The part that I worry and think more about is who this may help.”

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© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Top-seeded Bartoli wins 1st match in Bali

NUSA DUA, Indonesia (AP) -The top three seeds all won their first round-robin matches at the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions on Wednesday, with No. 1 Marion Bartoli beating Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia 6-4, 6-4.

Second-seeded Samantha Stosur of Australia defeated Agnes Szavay of Hungary 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 in Group B and No. 3 Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium overcame Kimiko Date Krumm of Japan 7-6 (5), 6-3 in Group C.

The tournament features the top 10 women who won a WTA Tour event this season - but didn't qualify for last week's WTA championships in Doha, Qatar - along with two wild cards.

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Fourth-seeded Sabine Lisicki lost her Group D match against Aravane Rezai 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.

The 12 players are divided into four groups, with a round-robin stage before the semifinals.

© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Serena breaks WTA season prize money mark

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (AP) -Serena Williams has set the record for single-season prize money in women's tennis by topping $6.5 million in 2009.

Williams broke the WTA mark of slightly under $5.5 million, earned by Justine Henin in 2007.

The American won the season-ending tour championships Sunday, beating older sister Venus in the final, and ends the year ranked No. 1. The younger Williams also won the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2009.

Williams' career prize money is now at a record $28.5 million.

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Federer easily beats Rochus after 6-week break

BASEL, Switzerland (AP) -Roger Federer made a winning return from a six-week break on Monday, beating Olivier Rochus of Belgium 6-3, 6-4 at his hometown Swiss Indoors tournament.

The top-ranked Federer looked rested and refreshed after last playing Sept. 20, when he helped Switzerland beat Italy in the Davis Cup.

"I was eager to come out and play again," Federer said. "It's especially nice to come back on tour with my home tournament where I have so many memories."

Federer broke Rochus' serve in the sixth game of the first set and fifth game of the second.

"I thought it was a good match for me. At key moments when I needed a serve, it was there," Federer said.

Federer is chasing a fourth straight title at the ?1.75 million ($2.58 million) Swiss Indoors, where he once worked as a ballboy.

He will next play 51st-ranked Andreas Seppi of Italy, who rallied to beat Swiss wild-card entry Stephane Bohli 4-6, 6-1, 7-5.

Federer showed a little rustiness early on but created a break point with a forehand crosscourt winner past Rochus, with whom he won the Wimbledon boys' doubles title in 1998.

Federer's blistering forehand winner at 2-2 in the second brought another break point, which he took when Rochus netted.

Rochus saved a match point when Federer netted a forehand volley, but the defending champion took his second with a powerful serve that the Belgian returned wide.

Federer is seeded to meet No. 3 Novak Djokovic in the final. The Serb will play Germany's Andreas Beck on Tuesday.

France's Florent Serra, a lucky loser from qualifying, survived a barrage of 28 aces to beat Croatia's Ivo Karlovic 7-6 (5), 6-4.

The 2.08-meter (6-foot-10) Karlovic has an ATP tour-leading 855 aces this year, but his second serve failed and he couldn't break Serra.

The 71st-ranked Serra will next meet fifth-seeded Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic, who beat Germany's Rainer Schuettler 6-2, 6-0 in the late match.

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