Formula 1: Hamilton leads McLaren sweep of front row at Indy

Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - Rookie Lewis Hamilton captured the pole for Sunday's United States Grand Prix at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The No.2 McLaren Mercedes driver circled the 2.605-mile,13-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in one minute, 12.331 seconds.

The pole win was Hamilton's second in a row and second of the season.

"I'm quite surprised, to be honest," said Hamilton. "Going into qualifying we hadn't really found the best, the optimal setup and I knew Fernando (Alonso) was extremely quick here."

Starting on the front row with Hamilton will be his teammate Fernando Alonso, the two-time World Champion, who posted a second-best time of 1:12.500.

Ferrari drivers Felipe Massa (1:12.703) and Kimi Raikkonen (1:12.839) will make up row two.

Sebastien Vettel, in the 19-year-old's first career start, qualified seventh quickest. He is substituting for the injured Robert Kubica who suffered a concussion and sprained ankle in last Sunday's race in Montreal.

Alonso won the first qualifying session which saw the only American driver in the field, Scott Speed, among six drivers who were eliminated.

Alonso also won the second session edging his McLaren teammate Hamilton. The six drivers dropped after the second session were: David Coulthard, Ralf Schumacher, Jenson Button, Nico Rosberg, Rubens Barrichello and Anthony Davidson.

But in the all-important final 15-minute session Hamilton put up a quick time and then improved on it on the final lap to guarantee the pole.

Auto Racing: Kvapil makes late pass to win at MIS

Brooklyn, MI (Sports Network) - Travis Kvapil passed Kyle Busch with two laps remaining and went on to capture Saturday afternoon's Michigan 200 Craftsman Truck Series race at the Michigan International Speedway. The No.6 Roush Racing Ford driver crossed the finish line ahead of Busch.
The victory was Kvapil's first of the season and sixth of his career.
Brendan Gaughan, Mike Skinner and Ted Musgrave completed the top-five.

Nationwide Golf Tour: Delsing and Toledo on top at Somerby

Byron, MN (Sports Network) - Overnight leader Jay Delsing shot a four-under 68 on Saturday, but fell into a tie for the lead with Esteban Toledo after three rounds of the Rochester Area Charities Showdown at Somerby.

Toledo fired a six-under 66 in round three and posted 15-under-par 201. Delsing joined him there at Somerby Golf Club after a bogey-free round.

Former American Ryder Cupper Chris Riley (67), Greg Chalmers (67) and Jason Enloe (66) are knotted in third place at 14-under-par 202.

Delsing wasted little time in breaking into red numbers for the day. He tallied birdies at the second and fourth holes to reach 13-under par for the championship.

He went on a par binge with six consecutive until a birdie at the par-five 11th. Delsing, a college teammate of Corey Pavin and Steve Pate at UCLA, birdied the 15th to join Toledo in the lead.

"I'm fired up for tomorrow," said Delsing, a two-time winner on the Nationwide Tour. "I am excited, but tonight will be a restful night. I hope to come out tomorrow to do the same things I've been doing. I'll be mentally prepared and I'll be looking forward to it."

Toledo, who began the round tied for fourth place, recorded three birdies in his first seven holes to get to 12-under par. He too birdied the par-five 11th, then parred the next four.

European PGA Tour: Suneson leads by one in France

Lumbres, France (Sports Network) - Carl Suneson, who is looking for his first European Tour win, posted a one-under 70 Saturday to take a one-stroke lead after three rounds of the Open de Saint Omer.
Suneson, who was one of three second-round leaders, completed 54 holes at six- under-par 207.
The third round was completed despite gusting wind and occasional heavy rain.
Marcus Higley, who shared the second-round lead with Suneson and Peter Fowler, managed an even-par 71 to finish alone in second place at minus-five.
Meanwhile, Fowler struggled to a three-over par back nine to shoot one-over 72. He was joined in third at four-under-par 209 by Mikael Lundberg (71). Stuart Davis and Francois Calmels are one stroke further back at minus-three.
Suneson and Higley either shared the lead or were alone atop the leaderboard throughout the third round. Suneson moved one ahead with a birdie on the first. He parred nine straight to remain at six-under.
Higley opened with five consecutive pars. The Englishman then dropped in back- to-back birdies from the sixth to move atop the leaderboard at minus-seven.
Fowler birdied the eighth and ninth on the Val Course at Aa Saint Omer Golf Club to remain in the mix at seven-under, but trouble loomed around the turn. Bogeys at 10, 14 and 16 dropped the Australian down the leaderboard.
Higley birdied No. 9 for a brief two-stroke lead over Suneson. However, Higley dropped a shot at the 10th and Suneson birdied the 11th to forge a tie at minus-seven.

WTA: Jankovic, Sharapova move into Birmingham semis

Birmingham, England (Sports Network) - Top-seeded Russian Maria Sharapova and French Open semifinalist Jelena Jankovic were among Saturday's quarterfinal winners at the $200,000 DFS Classic.
After rain postponed a pair of third-round matches as well as the quarterfinals on Friday, the wet stuff delayed the start of play here on Saturday.
When action finally got underway, Sharapova defeated Tamira Paszek 6-3, 4-6, 6-2, while third-seeded Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova downed 15th-seeded Eleni Daniilidou 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 to wrap up the third round.
In quarterfinal action, Jankovic whipped sixth-seeded Ukrainian Alona Bondarenko 6-4, 6-3, while eighth-seeded Italian Mara Santangelo ousted fourth-seed Na Li 6-2, 7-5.
After a short rest following her third-round victory, Sharapova, who was the back-to-back Birmingham titlist in 2004 and 2005, downed Elena Likhovtseva 6-2, 6-3.
More rain then moved into the area and delayed the start of the Hantuchova/Marion Bartoli match, which was eventually suspended due to darkness.
Birmingham serves as a tune-up for Wimbledon, which will commence June 25 at the All England Club.

ATP: Roddick, Mahut reach final in London

London, England (Sports Network) - Three-time champion Andy Roddick and Frenchman Nicolas Mahut were semifinal winners Saturday at the grass-court Artois Championships, a Wimbledon tune-up.
After the start of play was delayed nearly three hours due to rain, the second-seeded Roddick, who is seeking his fourth title here in five years, defeated seventh-seeded Russian Dmitry Tursunov 6-4, 7-5 to advance to Sunday's final.
The former world No. 1 Roddick captured this London event back-to-back-to-back from 2003-05.
Roddick's opponent Sunday in the final will be Mahut, who downed 14th-seeded Arnaud Clement 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) to continue his stellar tournament. Mahut advanced to the semis after stunning French Open champ Rafael Nadal on Friday.
Mahut started his day Friday by defeating fifth-seeded Croat Ivan Ljubicic in the third round. Rain forced the suspension of that match here on Day 4.
Mahut's victory over fellow countryman Clement moved him into his first career ATP final.

NBA: Mavs' Dampier undergoes shoulder surgery

Dallas, TX (Sports Network) - The Dallas Mavericks announced that center Erick Dampier underwent successful shoulder surgery to repair a small tear in his right rotator cuff.
The surgery was performed in Dallas by Dr. Richard Levy and no timetable was set for the veteran's return. Dampier is expected to begin rehabilitation in about one week.
The 7-foot-1 Dampier averaged 7.1 points and 7.4 rebounds in 76 games for Dallas last season.

NFL: Saints release Lewis, Whitehead

New Orleans, LA (Sports Network) - The New Orleans Saints released wide receiver Michael Lewis and defensive lineman Willie Whitehead on Friday.
Lewis is the team's all-time leader in kickoff returns (243 for 5,903 yards) and punt returns (142 for 1,482 yards) and had four touchdown returns with the Saints, three on kickoffs and one on a punt return.
In 2002, Lewis set single-season records for kickoff return yardage (1,807) and punt return yards (625) and was voted to the Pro Bowl. His 2,432 combined return yards that season set an NFL record.
"Michael is part of the fabric of our community and will always have a special place in the history of our club," Saints owner Tom Benson said. "The way he made our team, as a player who worked hard, wasn't drafted, supported his family and followed his dream, is unique and something we're all proud to be a part of."
Whitehead appeared in 105 games with New Orleans and tallied 266 tackles, 24.5 sacks, a pair of forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries in his career."
Both Michael and Willie made big contributions to our success last year and we hope they have successful futures in the NFL," Saints coach Sean Payton said. "They are quality people who have proven that hard work and dedication can get you just as far as reputation or pure talent. We have the utmost respect for them as individuals and players."
The Saints have also waived rookie tackle Peter Dyakowski, an undrafted free agent from LSU.

MLB: Big Unit to miss start

Baltimore, MD (Sports Network) - Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Randy Johnson will miss his scheduled start against Baltimore Saturday due to lower back pain.
Johnson is off to a 4-2 record with a 3.52 ERA in his return season to Arizona. The five-time Cy Young Award winner has fanned 70, while walking only 11 in his first nine starts. He began the season on the disabled list after undergoing back surgery in the offseason.
The Diamondbacks will replace Johnson with Edgar Gonzalez on Saturday. Brandon Webb will pitch for Arizona Sunday. The Orioles flipped their pitchers for this weekend, choosing to go with Daniel Cabrera on Saturday and Brian Burres Sunday.

NHL: Bruins axe Lewis

Boston, MA (Sports Network) - After just one season behind the bench, the Boston Bruins fired head coach Dave Lewis on Friday.
The Bruins also relieved associate coach Marc Habscheid of his duties. Both are expected to be reassigned to other positions within the organization.
"Since the season has ended I have completed a thorough review of the team and the coaching staff, and I have determined that Dave Lewis and Marc Habscheid are not the proper fit for the Bruins at this time," said Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli. "I have a short list of candidates in mind, and I hope to have a new head coach in place in the near future."
Lewis became Boston's head coach last June and led the club to a 35-41-6 record this past season. The Bruins missed out on the playoffs for the second consecutive season.

Nascar: Yeley breaks Newman's pole win streak

Brooklyn, MI (Sports Network) - J.J. Yeley captured the pole for Sunday's Citizens Bank 400 at the Michigan International Speedway, ending Ryan Newman's three-race pole win streak. The No.18 Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet driver circled the fast two-mile oval in 38.399 seconds (187.505 m.p.h.).
The pole victory was the first of Yeley's Nextel Cup career.
"This is awesome," said Yeley. "We needed this."
It was also just 0.001 seconds faster than runner-up 2006 Nextel Cup champion Jimmie Johnson. Johnson was also looking for his first pole of the season, but he owns nine career poles.
"That would have been my quota for the year," said Johnson, who has nine career pole wins in six years of "Cup" racing.
Kyle Busch (38.538), the soon-to-be free agent after this week's Hendrick Motorsports signing of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Newman (38.586) will make up row two.
Series points leader Jeff Gordon will start sixth.
Other drivers of note and their starting positions: Denny Hamlin (7th), Martin Truex Jr. (8th), Jeff Burton (9th), Carl Edwards (12th), Mark Martin (15th), Earnhardt Jr. (23rd), Matt Kenseth (26th) and Tony Stewart (41st).
Michael Waltrip will race for the second time in three weeks. The improving No.55 NAPA Toyota team was 18th quickest.
"We're going to get this thing straightened out," said a smiling Waltrip.
With 14 races completed and 12 to go until the "Chase" begins, the race for the final spots in the playoffs couldn't be much closer.
Martin currently holds down the 12th and final position, but he has consistently said he will not change his part-time schedule to make the "Chase." That makes Newman the "de facto" holder of the final spot.
Newman has been on a roll of late, winning three consecutive poles and finishing second at both Dover and Pocono. He is 685 points behind Gordon.
Behind Newman is Earnhardt Jr. (-33) and Jamie McMurray (-77).
Drivers holding the ninth through 11 positions are also not a "lock" and will be points racing over these final dozen races. Kevin Harvick in ninth, is just 117 points ahead of "Junior." Kyle Busch and the suddenly formidable Truex Jr. have even less of a hold on their "Chase" positions.
The race for the "Chase" should be great summer fare. It starts this weekend at MIS.

Formula 1: Kubica's crash will keep him out of USGP

Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica has been ruled out of this Sunday's United States Grand Prix in Indianapolis. Kubica suffered a concussion and sprained ankle in a dramatic crash last Sunday in Montreal.
Doctors for the FIA and the track said he should not drive this weekend. BMW Sauber test driver Sebastien Vettel will behind the wheel on Sunday.
"I'm disappointed because I felt absolutely ready to race, but I respect the decision," said Kubica.
"I am looking forward to my first F1 race but I wish it had come under different circumstances," said the 19-year-old Vettel.

Spanish Soccer: Madrid on the brink of La Liga title

Madrid, Spain (Sports Network) - Real Madrid can clinch its first La Liga title since the 2002-03 season on Sunday at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu with a win against Mallorca.
Madrid looked to have squandered its title hopes last week as they trailed Real Zaragoza 2-1 in the game's final minutes. However, a late Ruud van Nistelrooy goal allowed Madrid to claim a point, while Barcelona conceded a late equalizer against Espanyol to prevent the Catalan side from moving into the top spot.
Despite the lucky break, Madrid earned its spot in the drivers seat by winning nine of its last 11 games and now the team just needs a win against middle-of- the-table Mallorca at home to secure the crown.
Fabio Capello's men have been a different team since David Beckham was brought back into the lineup, and the British midfielder will once again be looking to set up strikers Robinho and Van Nistelrooy.
The Dutchman in particular has enjoyed a resurgence since Beckham's return, scoring four goals in the team's last three games to carry the offense.
Three points should be in the cards for Madrid, which would give them the title, but if Mallorca jumps up and surprises Capello's men, Barcelona is in a great spot to pounce.
Barca cannot dwell on the fact that they once again missed an opportunity to move to the top. They instead must focus on their contest this week against last-placed Gimnastic. The Catalan side came away with a 3-0 win in the first meeting between the two clubs, and there is no reason for any other result on Sunday.
Gimnastic is already headed down next season and with Barca having plenty of incentive to win, they should take all three points easily. However, they must rely on Mallorca to earn at least a draw to have a chance.

WTA: Jankovic sneaks into QFs in rainy Birmingham

Birmingham, England (Sports Network) - French Open semifinalist Jelena Jankovic was among Friday's third-round winners on another rainy day at the $200,000 DFS Classic. Rain completely wiped out all eight third-round matches here on Thursday, and the wet stuff postponed a pair of third-rounders and the quarterfinals on Friday.
Jankovic landed in the quarters by overcoming 16th-seeded Russian Maria Kirilenko 3-6, 6-3, 7-5. The surging Serb will next face sixth-seeded Ukrainian Alona Bondarenko in the round of eight.
Another quarterfinal will pit fourth-seeded Chinese Na Li against eighth- seeded Italian Mara Santangelo, as Li handled Ukrainian qualifier Yuliana Fedak 6-4, 6-4, while Santangelo advanced, despite trailing 1-3 in the first set, when ninth-seeded Ukrainian Julia Vakulenko retired from their bout because of a left ankle sprain at Edgbaston Priory Club.
For the second day in a row, matches between top-seeded Russian Maria Sharapova and Austrian Tamira Paszek and third-seeded Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova and 15th-seeded Greek Eleni Daniilidou were washed out. The eventual winners will have to play their third-round and quarterfinal matches here on Saturday. The U.S. Open champion and Aussie Open runner-up Sharapova, like Jankovic, was a semifinal loser at Roland Garros last week.
Sharapova was the back-to-back Birmingham titlist in 2004 and 2005.
In other action on Friday, fifth-seeded Marion Bartoli of France drilled German Angelique Kerber 6-2, 6-0, the aforementioned Bondarenko blitzed American Vania King 6-1, 6-3 and Russian Elena Likhovtseva leveled Japanese qualifier Ayumi Morita 6-2, 6-0.
Birmingham serves as a tune-up for Wimbledon, which will commence June 25 at the All England Club.

ATP: Roddick reaches semis; Nadal bows out in London

London, England (Sports Network) - Three-time champion Andy Roddick was among Friday's quarterfinal winners, while French Open champ Rafael Nadal was shown the exit at the grass-court Artois Championships, a Wimbledon tune-up.
The top-seeded Nadal saw double duty on Day 5 and was not able to advance in his latter bout.
Earlier in the day, the 2006 Wimbledon runner-up Nadal completed a 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 victory over Belarusian Max Mirnyi. The Spaniard was leading 5-3 in the second set when that match was suspended because of rain here on Thursday.
In his second bout on Friday, Nadal was ousted by Frenchman Nicolas Mahut 7-5, 7-6 (7-0) at The Queen's Club. Nadal was fresh off his third straight title at the French Open, where he, of course, excels on the red clay at Roland Garros.
Mahut started his day Friday by stunning fifth-seeded Croat Ivan Ljubicic 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 in the third round. Rain forced the suspension of that match here on Day 4.
The second-seeded Roddick, meanwhile, avoided an upset by handling Croatian wild card Marin Cilic 6-4, 7-6 (7-5). The former world No. 1 Roddick captured this London event back-to-back-to-back from 2003-05.
Another quarterfinal upset came when seventh-seeded Russian Dmitry Tursunov tripped up third-seeded Aussie Open runner-up Fernando Gonzalez of Chile 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4.
One other quarter saw 14th-seeded Frenchman Arnaud Clement dismiss 6-foot-10 Croat Ivo Karlovic 7-5, 6-4. Earlier in the day, Clement stunned fourth-seeded Serbian Novak Djokovic 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 in third-round action. Djokovic was a semifinal loser at the hands of Nadal last week in Paris. Karlovic lost to Roddick in the 2005 Queen's Club finale.
Saturday's semis will pit Roddick against Tursunov and Clement versus his fellow Frenchman Mahut. Tursunov bested Roddick in an epic Davis Cup rubber last year, as he propelled the Russians into the final with a five-set victory over the American, including a 32-game (17-15) fifth set win.

NBA Final Game 4: Spurs 83 win over Cavaliers 82

CLEVELAND (AP) -- True roundball royalty, the San Antonio Spurs are once again wearing the crown.

LeBron James, Cleveland's preordained King, isn't quite ready for his.

Tony Parker scored 24 points, Manu Ginobili had 27 -- 13 in the fourth quarter -- and the Spurs, who bounced over from the ABA in 1976, moved in among the NBA's greatest franchises with an 83-82 victory Thursday night for a sweep of the Cavaliers -- court jesters through much of their first finals.

With their fourth championship since 1999 -- and third in five years -- the Spurs joined the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls as the only teams in NBA history to win four titles.

And No. 5 might not be far away either with Parker, Ginobili and Tim Duncan leading this Texas-oiled machine. Coach Gregg Popovich and the Spurs, now a perfect 4-for-4 together in finals appearances, spent most of the postseason dismissing talk that they should be considered a dynasty.

But with titles in 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007, there's no more reason to pretend they aren't one.

NBA Final Game 4: Spurs 83 win over Cavaliers 82

Tony Parker set the tone and the Spurs held on at the end to beat the Cavs 83-82 and win their fourth NBA title on Thursday.

San Antonio 83, Cleveland 82

Preview - Box Score - Recap - Series Breakdown

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1 2 3 4 Total San Antonio 19 20 21 23 83 Final Cleveland 20 14 18 30 82

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NHL: Sid the Kid has big night at 2007 NHL awards

Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - Sidney Crosby finished his fantastic season with another two awards to go with his Art Ross trophy, as he garnered the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player and was also awarded the Lester B. Pearson award as most valuable player as voted upon by the NHL Players Association at the season-ending awards ceremony on Thursday.
Crosby finished the season with 120 points (36 goals, 84 assists) to become the youngest player ever to secure the Art Ross Trophy as the league's leading scorer at the age of 19 years, seven months. It was later revealed that he skated the last few weeks of the regular season and the entire postseason with a broken foot. Crosby was the youngest Hart finalist since Wayne Gretzky was nominated at 19 years, five months in 1979-80. Gretzky took home the Hart that season.
"It kinda hits you right away when you win," said Crosby. "Any honor is a privilege, I can't rank them, it's a great accomplishment. Getting recognition from the guys you play against each and every night is special, these guys are part of the NHL family. I'm not going to say that the Hart doesn't mean more with the writers here."
The Hart is voted upon by the Professional Hockey Writer's Association.
Of the other two Hart finalists, one took home one trophy while the other went home empty-handed.

Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils won his third Vezina trophy as the 35- year-old set an NHL record this season with 48 wins. His win total eclipsed Bernie Parent's record of 47 wins in the 1974-74 season. In addition, he posted career-highs in games played (78), shutouts (12) and minutes played (4,696). He finished the season with a 48-23-7 mark with a 2.18 goals-against averaged and a .922 save percentage.

European PGA Tour: Two share lead in France

Lumbres, France (Sports Network) - Ireland's David Higgins and Australian David Bransdon each posted rounds of six-under-par 65 to share the lead after the opening round of the Open de Saint-Omer.
Another Australian, Simon Nash, is one stroke further back at minus-five on the Val Course at Aa Saint Omer Golf Club. Seven more players are tied for fourth at four-under-par 67.
The first round was completed despite an 80-minute weather delay.
Higgins got his round going with a birdie on the par-four third. He birdied the eighth and came right back with an eagle on the par-five ninth to make the turn in four-under.
The Irishman was not finished. He birdied the 10th to grab a piece of the lead at five-under.
Higgins parred six in a row, then birdied the 17th to get to six-under. He parred the last to grab a share of the first-round lead for the third time in his career.
"I have been playing well for the last two months, but I haven't been finishing the tournaments off the way I should have so it's great to start the way I did today," said Higgins.
Bransdon played the back nine first Thursday. He reeled off five straight birdies from the 11th to grab a share of the lead. He parred his next five holes around the turn.
"That was a very satisfying start," Bransdon stated. "A nice little par on the 10th and then I reeled off five straight birdies. I was trying to recall the last time that happened and I struggled to remember to be honest."
The Australian climbed to six-under with a birdie on the par-four third. Bransdon closed with six consecutive pars to share the lead with Higgins. Bransdon leads after one round for the first time in his career.
"Six-under is not a bad round," said Bransdon. "I have started to show some form over the last few weeks."
Daniel Denison, Michael Lorenzo-Vera, Santiago Luna, Carl Suneson, Marcus Higley, Anders S. Hansen and Raphael Eyraud are the seven tied for fourth at minus-four.

England's Soccer: Bent giving up Premiership to stay in Charlton

London, England (Sports Network) - After much speculation about a move to West Ham, striker Darren Bent put all rumors to rest on Thursday, agreeing to a new contract that will keep him with Charlton.
The Addicks are coming off a disappointing season in the Premiership where they finished with only eight wins. Since the club was relegated with the second worst record in the league, there were rumors that Bent would switch teams to stay in the top flight.
West Ham and Tottenham both showed serious interest the 23-year-old England international, but in the end Bent decided to stay put.
"We set a valuation for Darren and West Ham were the only club prepared to meet that valuation," said Charlton chief executive Peter Varney. "This morning we gave them permission to speak to Darren, which he did, and he has decided not to join West Ham."
A move to West Ham was thought to be intriguing because it would have re- united Bent with former manager Alan Curbishley. It was Curbishley who brought Bent to Charlton two years ago from Ipswich.
Bent has netted 31 league goals in 68 starts since joining the Addicks in January of 2005. In his first season with the club Bent collected 22 goals, 18 in the Premiership, before posting 13 goals in the Premiership last season.
Charlton is a 6-1 favorite to win the Championship next season.
"We therefore look forward to Darren starting with us in the Championship next season, which is a massive boost to our chances of returning to the Premier League," said Varney.

ATP: Roddick sneaks into Queen's Club quarters

London, England (Sports Network) - Three-time champion Andy Roddick needed the help of instant replay in order to win his third-round match Thursday at The Artois Championships, a grass-court Wimbledon tune-up.
The second-seeded Roddick snuck past Britain's Alex Bogdanovic 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 with the help of 22 aces at The Queen's Club.
In the second-set tiebreak, Roddick and Bogdanovic were tied at 5-5 when the American called for a Hawk-Eye challenge. Roddick was the beneficiary of an overturned call, which gave him a set point and took a match point away from his British counterpart.
"I've been a big supporter of Hawk-Eye and today is the reason why," Roddick said. "There's a big difference between being down match point and up set point."
Roddick captured this event back-to-back-to-back from 2003-05.
Top-seeded Spaniard Rafael Nadal was leading Belarusian Max Mirnyi 7-6 (7-3), 5-3 when their match was suspended until Friday because of rain. The 2006 Wimbledon runner-up Nadal is fresh off capturing his third straight French Open championship.
Third-seeded Aussie Open runner-up Fernando Gonzalez of Chile got past 15th- seeded American Robby Ginepri 6-2, 7-5, while 6-foot-10 Croat Ivo Karlovic knocked out eighth-seeded Russian Marat Safin 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-4). The former world No. 1 and two-time major titlist Safin was pelted with 22 aces by the massive-serving Karlovic, the 2005 runner-up here to Roddick.
Earlier in the day, Safin completed his second-round match by besting Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. Grosjean was the Queen's Club runner-up to Roddick in 2003 and 2004.

NBA: Bobcats add former big man Mokeski as assistant coach

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Charlotte Bobcats coach Sam Vincent completed his staff Wednesday by hiring former NBA center Paul Mokeski as an assistant coach.
The 7-foot Mokeski played 12 seasons in the NBA, including a seven-year stint with the Milwaukee Bucks. He most recently served as a scout with the Dallas Mavericks and an assistant coach with Fort Worth of the NBA's developmental league.
Mokeski will join Lee Rose, Phil Ford and Jeff Capel on Vincent's bench. Vincent was hired to replace Bernie Bickerstaff last month.
Vincent said he chose the 50-year-old Mokeski to help groom Charlotte's front line, which includes center Primoz Brezec and power forward Emeka Okafor.
"We have a lot of confidence in his ability to make our big guys better," said Vincent, who worked with Mokeski coaching the Mavericks' summer league team.

MLB: Brewers' Capuano scratched from start

Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - Milwaukee Brewers left-hander Chris Capuano was scratched from Wednesday's start against the Detroit Tigers due to a strained left groin.
Capuano, who is 5-5 with a 4.35 ERA this season and is on a career-high five- game personal losing streak, was replaced by Carlos Villanueva. Capuano last started on Friday versus Texas, when he was tagged for six runs on eight hits and four walks over four innings.
Capuano, who is 0-5 with a 6.89 ERA over his last six starts, was forced out of a game on May 2 against St. Louis after getting hit on the right knee by a comebacker.

MLB: Orioles' Loewen to have season-ending surgery

Baltimore, MD (Sports Network) - Baltimore Orioles pitcher Adam Loewen has opted to have season-ending surgery on his left elbow after visiting with Dr. James Andrews on Wednesday
The left-hander spent a month trying to rehab from a stress fracture, but it was ultimately determined that surgery was the best course of action.
Loewen, the fourth overall pick in the 2002 draft, was 2-0 with a 3.56 ERA in six starts this season.
He is expected to be ready for Spring Training next season.

NFL: LB Armstead officially retires as a Giant

East Rutherford, NJ (Sports Network) - Linebacker Jessie Armstead signed a one-day contract with the New York Giants and officially retired with the team he spent nine years with.
Armstead, originally the 207th player chosen in the 1993 draft, played in the five straight Pro Bowls for New York and helped lead the team to Super Bowl XXXV. He never missed a game with the Giants, playing in 144 straight contests.
After being cut by the Giants in 2002, Armstead played two seasons with division-rival Washington. He signed with Carolina prior to the 2004 season, but injuries prevented him from taking the field.

NHL: Tampa Bay welcomes back Gratton for the third time

Tampa, FL (Sports Network) - The Tampa Bay Lightning reacquired forward Chris Gratton from the Florida Panthers on Wednesday in exchange for a second-round pick in either the 2007 or 2008 draft.
Gratton was the Lightning's first-round choice, third overall, in the 1993 entry draft. He played four seasons in his first stint in Tampa from 1993-97, then parts of two seasons in his second stint from 1998-2000, accumulating 88 goals and 236 points in 404 games. The 6-4, 220-pounder recorded career highs in goals (30), points (62), and penalty minutes (207) in 1996-97.
"We have been pursuing Chris for some time now," said Lightning executive vice president and general manager Jay Feaster. "He has great size and strength, he is very good on face-offs, he has excellent grit and is willing to take care of both himself and defend his teammates. They say in life that 'the third time is the charm,' and we truly believe that his third time in a Lightning uniform is going to be a great one for Chris and our team."
The 31-year-old native of Brantford, Ontario has bounced around the NHL during his 13-year career. He signed as a free agent with Philadelphia in the summer of 1997, then was sent back to Tampa in a December, 1998 trade. Following that tenure, he was acquired by the Buffalo Sabres late in the 1999-2000 season, spending parts of four seasons there until Phoenix acquired him in a deal for Daniel Briere in 2003.
He spent parts of two seasons with the Coyotes before moving onto Colorado at the tail end of the 2003-2004 campaign. Gratton signed with Florida in 2005, scoring 30 goals and 74 points in 157 games over the last two seasons.
Gratton has played in 1,008 games with six teams, scoring 204 goals, collecting 340 assists and amassing 1,549 penalty minutes.

Nascar: Its official, Earnhardt Jr. chooses Hendrick

Mooresville, NC (Sports Network) - On Wednesday, Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced that he would sign to drive for Hendrick Motorsports in 2008.
Earnhardt Jr., son of seven-time Nextel Cup champion Dale Earnhardt and the most popular driver in the series, has driven for the company his dad started, Dale Earnhardt Inc., since 1996. He has earned 17 wins and 114 top-10s in 269 Cup starts with DEI. He also won two Busch Series titles in 1998 and 1999.
But after Dale Earnhardt's tragic death in a last-lap crash at the 2001 Daytona 500, Teresa Earnhardt took over at DEI and the relationship between driver and stepmother/team owner has not been a smooth one.
Over this past winter, "Junior" demanded that he be given 51-percent ownership in the company so that he could have control of the operations. The current management team headed by Teresa Earnhardt and Max Siegel balked at the idea and on May 10th the driver announced that he would leave DEI.
Since then rumors as to his destination have been everywhere. The most popular idea is that he would drive for Richard Childress Racing, the same team his father drove for from 1981-2001 and won six championships.
Another was that he might take his own JR Motorsports team which runs in the Busch Series and make it a Nextel Cup team. Other teams that have shown interest in Earnhardt Jr. included Ginn Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing.
Interestingly, owner Rick Hendrick had said that he didn't have room for Earnhardt Jr. They had talked informally and Hendrick offered to supply "Junior's" Busch team with engines and chassis so they could go Cup racing.
Kyle Busch is the odd man out and the 2008 Hendrick Motorsports lineup will be Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Earnhardt Jr. and Casey Mears.

PGA Tour: Pinehurst to host 2014 US Open

Far Hills, NJ (Sports Network) - The United States Golf Association announced that Pinehurst will host the 2014 U.S. Open championship
The revered North Carolina course has hosted eight USGA championships, including two Opens in 1999 and 2005.
The 2014 US Open will be played from June 12-15.
"The USGA is excited to return to North Carolina and the classic setting of Pinehurst, the site of two successful Opens in the past eight years," said Jim Hyler, chairman of the USGA championship committee. "The previous championships at Pinehurst No. 2 featured exceptional play and incredible support from the community, which truly embraced its role as host. The course provides a stern but fair test for our national championship and lends itself nicely to the scope of all operational aspects. We believe the 2014 Open at Pinehurst will be another great experience."
After this year's Open in Oakmont, PA, the event will be played at Torrey Pines Golf Club in San Diego, CA in 2008; at Bethpage State Park's Black Course in Farmingdale, NY in 2009; at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, CA in 2010; at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, MD in 2011; at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, CA in 2012; and at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, PA in 2013.

WTA: Schiavone falls in Barcelona

Barcelona, Spain (Sports Network) - Top-seeded Italian Francesca Schiavone was among Wednesday's second-round upset victims at the inaugural $145,000 Barcelona KIA tennis event.
Hungarian qualifier Agnes Szavay drubbed Schiavone in 6-1, 6-1 fashion at this clay-court event. Another upset came when Romanian Edina Gallovits disposed of fifth-seeded Spaniard Lourdes Dominguez Lino 6-4, 6-2.
Five other seeds avoided upsets, including third-seeded Frenchwoman Emilie Loit and sixth-seeded American Meghann Shaughnessy. Loit leveled her countrywoman Camille Pin 6-1, 6-1, while Shaughnessy got past Spanish wild card Laura Pous Tio 7-5, 6-4.
Fourth-seeded Estonian Kaia Kanepi handled Argentine qualifier Maria Emilia Salerni 6-3, 6-0, while seventh-seeded Frenchwoman Virginie Razzano held off Hungarian Melinda Czink 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 6-2 and eighth-seeded Italian Flavia Pennetta dismissed German Tatjana Malek 6-3, 6-4.
One other second-round result saw Russian Alla Kudryavtseva erase Swiss Emmanuelle Gagliardi 6-0, 6-4.
Thursday's quarterfinals will pit Loit against Pennetta, Kanepi versus Gallovits, Shaughnessy against Szavay and Razzano versus Kudryavtseva.

ATP: Nadal wins; Hewitt bows out in London

London, England (Sports Network) - Top-seeded Rafael Nadal posted a second- round victory, while defending champion Lleyton Hewitt came up a loser Wednesday at The Artois Championships, a grass-court Wimbledon tune-up.
The reigning three-time French Open champion Nadal made a smooth transition to grass with a 6-4, 6-4 win against promising Argentine Juan Martin del Potro on Day 3 at The Queen's Club. The Spanish Nadal won 40-of-46 points on serve en route to victory.
The 2006 Wimbledon runner-up Nadal is fresh off his championship at Roland Garros, where he defeated the great Roger Federer in the final for a second straight year.
The sixth-seeded Hewitt, meanwhile, was stunned by big-serving French qualifier Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-2). The former world No. 1 and former Wimbledon champion Hewitt topped American James Blake in last year's Queen's Club finale and also captured this event back-to-back-to-back from 2000-02.
Three other stars avoided Day-3 upsets here, as third-seeded Chilean Fernando Gonzalez snuck past Serbian Janko Tipsarevic 7-6 (9-7), 4-6, 7-6 (9-7), fourth-seeded Serbian Novak Djokovic overcame American Robert Kendrick 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 and seventh-seeded Russian Dmitry Tursunov doused Canadian Frank Dancevic 7-5, 6-1. Gonzalez was January's Aussie Open runner-up to Federer, while Djokovic was a semifinal loser against Nadal at Roland Garros last week.

Horse Racing: Pletcher has two in Stephen Foster Handicap

Louisville, KY (Sports Network) - Belmont Stakes winning trainer Todd Pletcher has the expected morning-line favorite for Saturday's $750,000 Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs. Master Command, undefeated this year, is the probable favorite versus seven rivals in the 1 1/8 mile race.
Master Command has picked up victories this year in the Mineshaft, New Orleans and National Jockey Club Handicaps. John Velazquez, who has been aboard for all three races, is back after his win in the Belmont Stakes. Horse and jockey will start from post two.
Owned by Aaron and Marie Jones, Master Command has won eight of 15 career starts for $1.1 million. Last year his two stakes wins were in the William Schaefer Handicap and Meadowlands Breeders' Cup.
Pletcher also sends out Magna Graduate in the Foster Handicap. The five-year- old will be ridden by Garrett Gomez from post three. Velazquez is the usual rider on Magna Gratuate.
Magna Graduate is owned by Elisabeth Alexander and is on a two race win streak. He is coming off a victory in the Excelsior Handicap after taking the Razorback Handicap. In 22 lifetime starts, Magna Graduate has won nine times for better than $2 million.
Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito will saddle local winner Wanderin Boy. The six- year-old will start from post six with Corey Nakatani riding.
Wanderin Boy is coming off a win in the Alysheba Handicap here in his first start of the year. Owned by Arthur Hancock, Wanderin Boy won the Brooklyn Handicap in 2006 and was second in the Pimlico Special to Invasor as the favorite. He has earnings of $722,215 in 16 career starts with eight victories.

NHL: Ducks sign Moen and Parros

Anaheim, CA (Sports Network) - The Anaheim Ducks have signed left wing Travis Moen and right wing George Parros each to a two-year contract extension.

Both players are now under contract through the 2008-2009 season. Per club policy, no financial terms were disclosed.

Moen, 25, played a critical role in Anaheim's 2007 Stanley Cup title run. In the 2007 playoffs Moen scored three game-winning goals, including the championship-clinching goal in Game 6 which brought the Ducks their first- ever title. In 82 regular season games for the Ducks, Moen scored 11 goals and had 10 assists for 21 points, setting career highs in all three categories.

Parros, 27, was scoreless in five appearances for the Ducks in the 2007 playoffs. In 32 regular season games for Anaheim, he scored one goal and led the team with 102 penalty minutes.

WNBA: Lawson leads Monarchs past winless Comets

Houston, TX (Sports Network) - Kara Lawson scored 24 points on 8-of-10 shooting to boost Sacramento to an 82-67 win over Houston.
Nicole Powell tallied 17 points, Rebekkah Brunson 14 and Yolanda Griffith 10 for the Monarchs, who won for the fourth time in five games. Ticha Penicheiro had 10 assists for Sacramento, which shot 54.5 percent from the field and made 10-of-20 three-pointers.
Tina Thompson had 33 points for the Comets, who at 0-7 remained one of two winless teams in the league. Washington is the other. Thompson missed just one of her 18 foul shots and the Comets went 29-of-32 at the foul line, but were undone by going 18-of-41 from the field and committing 27 turnovers.
The Monarchs scored the game's first eight points and never relinquished the lead. Thompson's layup had the Comets within 32-28 in the opening minute of the third quarter, but Sacramento rattled off the next nine points.

MLB: Zambrano leads Cubs over Astros

Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Carlos Zambrano pitched eight strong innings and aided his cause with a home run, as Chicago edged Houston, 2-1, in a make- up game of a postponed contest from earlier this season at Wrigley Field.
The two clubs were originally set to wrap a three-game series on April 11, but the contest was postponed due to snow and rain.
Zambrano (7-5) gave up an unearned run on three hits for the Cubs, who ended a two-game slide. Zambrano also fanned eight and walked just one while Ryan Dempster pitched a scoreless ninth to record his 13th save of the season.
Mike Fontenot went 2-for-3 with a double and run scored in the victory for Chicago.
Woody Williams started for Houston and was the tough-luck loser, allowing two runs on four in seven innings. Williams (2-9) struck out five and walked two.
Lance Berkman, Luke Scott and Brad Ausmus had the only hits for the Astros, who have dropped two straight.
The Cubs went up 1-0 in the second after Fontenot doubled and scored on Ryan Theriot's base hit to right-center field.
Zambrano helped himself in the third inning, leading off the frame with a home run into the seats in left to make it 2-0.
Zambrano then dominated Houston's hitters, retiring nine straight at one point before Berkman led off the seventh with a single for just the Astros' second hit of the contest.
The Astros got on the board in the eighth as Mike Lamb walked to start the inning and pinch-hitter Scott poked a single to center. A fielder's choice by Ausmus brought Lamb home to make it 2-1 as Fontenot's throw after a force at second got past Derrek Lee at first. Zambrano though battled back and struck out Orlando Palmeiro and got Craig Biggio to fly out to end the inning.
In the ninth, Dempster walked Berkman with one out, but got Carlos Lee to ground into a double play to end the game.

WTA: Schiavone, Shaughnessy reach second round in Spain

Barcelona, Spain (Sports Network) - Top-seeded Italian Francesca Schiavone and sixth-seeded American Meghann Shaughnessy highlighted Monday's first-round winners at the inaugural $145,000 Barcelona KIA tennis event.
Schiavone was leading fellow Italian Romina Oprandi 6-2 when Oprandi retired due to a right arm bruise at this post-French Open clay-court event. Shaughnessy, meanwhile, handled Spanish crowd favorite Nuria Llagostera Vives 6-3, 6-4.
Third-seeded Emilie Loit of France moved on by beating Swiss Timea Bacsinszky 7-5, 6-3.
In other Day-1 action, German Tatjana Malek was leading Iveta Benesova 5-2 when the Czech retired due to a right lumbar disfunction.

ATP: Bjorkman, Mathieu, Ginepri move on at Queen's Club

London, England (Sports Network) - Swedish veteran Jonas Bjorkman, 12th-seeded Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu and 15th-seeded American Robby Ginepri were among Monday's first-round winners at The Artois Championships, a grass-court Wimbledon tune-up.

The 11th-seeded Bjorkman, a 2006 Wimbledon semifinalist, held off American Justin Gimelstob 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, while Mathieu snuck past Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3 and Ginepri handled Brit Richard Bloomfield 6-4, 6-2 at The Queen's Club.

Fourteenth-seeded Frenchman Arnaud Clement also advanced by besting Spaniard Ivan Navarro Pastor 7-6 (7-2), 6-4.

Mild upsets came when Colombian Alejandro Falla took out 10th-seeded Frenchman Julien Benneteau 7-5, 6-3, Brit Alex Bogdanovic beat 13th-seeded Korean Hyung- Taik Lee 6-4, 6-4 and Belarusian Max Mirnyi erased 16th-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 6-3.

Argentine Juan Martin del Potro dismissed former Australian Open champion Thomas Johansson of Sweden 6-2, 6-4, while Czech Radek Stepanek bested Italian Davide Sanguinetti 6-2, 2-0, retired.

LPGA: Pettersen up eight spots in rankings; Webb new No. 2

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Suzann Pettersen won the McDonald's LPGA Championship on Sunday and moved up eight places to No. 4 in the latest Rolex Rankings for women's golf.
Karrie Webb finished runner-up for the second year in a row and knocked Annika Sorenstam from the No. 2 position. Sorenstam, the longtime No. 1 before Lorena Ochoa supplanted her earlier this season, is the new No. 3.
Morgan Pressel, Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr, Juli Inkster, Ai Miyazato and Se- Ri Pak round out the top 10.
Mi Hyun Kim, Brittany Lincicome, Jeong Jang, Shiho Oyama, Stacy Prammanasudh, Jee Young Lee, Yuri Fudoh, Mi-Jeong Jeon, Ji-Yai Shin and Pat Hurst held positions 11-20.
Further down, three surprising top-five finishers from Sunday received huge bumps in the rankings.
Rookie Na On Min finished third and was up 201 places to No. 80; Lindsey Wright was fourth and moved up 31 spots to No. 62; and another rookie, Angela Park, placed fifth to advance 15 spots to No. 41.

Formula 1: Polish driver injured in spectacular crash

MONTREAL (AP) -- Robert Kubica broke his right leg during a spectacular crash Sunday near the midway point of the Canadian Grand Prix.
Kubica, a 22-year-old driver from Poland, is one of the rising stars of Formula One.
Medical personnel removed him from the car and took him to the track's medical facility. He was transferred by helicopter to a hospital for further examination. Team officials said he never lost consciousness.
Kubica was racing with the Toyota of Jarno Trulli and the Ferrari of Felipe Massa when he suddenly veered off course into the grass as they drove toward the hairpin turn.
Kubica's BMW Sauber slammed into the inside concrete wall, then somersaulted across the track in a shower of debris. It hit the outside wall and came to rest with what was left of his car on its side.

European PGA Tour: Green downs Remesy in playoff to win at Fontana

Vienna, Austria (Sports Network) - Richard Green bogeyed the final hole of the BA-CA Golf Open on Sunday to slip back to 16-under-par 268 and create a playoff with Jean-Francois Remesy, which he won.
Green closed with a one-under 70 Sunday, while Remesy fired a seven-under 64 to force the extra session. Remesy never had a piece of the lead until Green's bogey at the last.
In the playoff, the two returned to the par-five 18th at Fontana Golf Club where Green walked off with his first win since the 1997 Dubai Desert Classic.
"I've had that self-doubt in me for quite a long time," Green stated. "I've got myself into position and played three rounds great, but not four, so to get across the line is a huge relief. I was probably as nervous as I've ever been on the 18th green and I think that showed with the three putts. I was fortunate that I got into a playoff and still had a chance."
Chris Gane closed with a six-under 65 to end in a tie for third at 15-under- par 269. He was joined there by Michael Jonzon (66) and Miguel Angel Jimenez (67). Stephen Gallacher took sixth at minus-14 thanks to a closing 65.
Green was in trouble early. He found the rough off the tee at the par-four third, then three-putted his way to a double-bogey. That dropped him to 13- under, one clear of the field.

Champions PGA Tour: Haas coasts to three-stroke win in Des Moines

West Des Moines, IA (Sports Network) - Jay Haas stumbled to bogeys on the final two holes Sunday, but it didn't matter as he still claimed The Principal Charity Classic by three strokes.
Haas closed with a two-under 69 to finish at 12-under-par 201. The win was his third of the season and ninth of his Champions Tour career.
He matched Hale Irwin's hot start to a Champions Tour career. Irwin, and now Haas, both picked up nine wins in their first 49 tour starts.
"It's a thrill holding off some great players," said Haas, who earned $240,000 for the win. "Brad Bryant and R.W. Eaks came on there and David Edwards made a nice couple of birdies coming in. It was a long day, but it never seemed like the 18th hole was going to get here."
Eaks fired a seven-under 64 in the final round to end in a share of second place at nine-under-par 204. He was joined there by Bryant (67). Jay Sigel joined Edwards and Mark James in fourth place at minus-eight.
Haas, the reigning Champions Tour Player of the Year, got off to a solid start to put things out of reach. He dropped in a six-foot birdie putt at the first.
The 53-year-old drained a 15-footer for birdie at the fourth to move six clear of the field at 12-under. Two holes later, Haas converted a three-footer for birdie.

NBA: Nuggets' Smith injured in car crash

Millstone Township, NJ (Sports Network) - Denver Nuggets forward J.R. Smith was injured Saturday when the sport utility vehicle he was driving hit another car.
The Newark Star-Ledger reported that Smith and a passenger were both ejected from the SUV in the crash. Smith was taken by ambulance to Neptune's Jersey Shore University Hospital and was listed in fair condition. His father told the newspaper that he expects Smith home sometime Sunday.
The passenger suffered serious head wounds and was airlifted to the same hospital, where he was listed in extremely critical condition.
The driver of the second vehicle along with a second passenger in Smith's SUV also received minor injuries during the crash.
Smith averaged 13 points and 2.3 rebounds in 63 games with Denver last season but struggled badly in the team's first-round playoff loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

Formula 1: Hamilton captures Canadian GP

Montreal, Canada (Sports Network) - Rookie Lewis Hamilton captured Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix and in the process won his first career Formula One race. The No.2 McLaren Mercedes driver crossed the finish line 4.3 seconds ahead of Nick Heidfeld.
Alexander Wurz, Heikki Kovalainen, Kimi Raikkonen, Takuma Sato, Fernando Alonso and Ralf Schumacher completed the top-eight.

ATP: Nadal topples Federer again for French crown

Paris, France (Sports Network) - Rafael Nadal continued his sensational success at the French Open, capturing his third consecutive championship with a four-set triumph over Roger Federer in Sunday's title match.
The second-seeded Nadal posted a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory to remain undefeated on the red clay at Roland Garros. The Spaniard has won all 21 matches he has played at the French Open and became the first man to three- peat since the great Bjorn Borg won four in a row from 1978-81.
Not only did Nadal keep his incredible streak intact, but he denied Federer a place in history. The top-seeded Swiss superstar was trying to complete a career Grand Slam and a victory would also have made him the first player to hold all four men's major championships at the same time since Rod Laver captured each in 1969.
The French Open is the only Grand Slam event Federer has not won and Nadal has been the main reason. He lost to Nadal in the semifinals two years ago and dropped a four-setter in last year's title match. After losing last June, Federer went on to capture the Wimbledon crown and the U.S. Open to close out 2006, then won this year's first Grand Slam at the Australian Open in January.