Santoro, Mahut advance in Hall of Fame semis

Newport, RI (Sports Network) - Fifth-seeded Frenchman Nicolas Mahut and countryman No. 4 Fabrice Santoro both advanced in Saturday's semifinal action at the $416,000 Hall of Fame Tennis Championships.
Mahut, who also reached the title match at the Artois Championships falling to four-time champion Andy Roddick this month, downed Dick Norman of Belgium 6-4, 6-7 (2-7), 6-2.
Facing Mahut will be countryman and fourth seed Santoro, who edged South Africa's Wesley Moodie 7-6 (7-2), 6-3. Moody had reached the semifinals after upsetting No. 2 Vincent Spadea on Friday.
Santoro, reaching his first final of the year, will meet Mahut for the first time. Santoro's last championship match appearance was in 2002 when he won in Dubai for his fourth career title.

Kevin Harvick wins USG Durock 300 Busch Series

Joliet, IL (Sports Network) - Kevin Harvick hung around the top-10 for 170 laps before taking his first lead of the race and went on to capture Saturday's USG Durock 300 Busch Series race at the Chicagoland Speedway. The No.21 Richard Childress Chevrolet driver crossed the finish line 1.012 seconds ahead of Matt Kenseth.
The victory was Harvick's third of the season and 29th of his Busch career.
After winning his fourth pole of the season earlier in the day, Denny Hamlin led the 43-car field, comprised of 25 "Cup" drivers, to the green flag for 200 laps of racing.
The No.20 Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet driver led the field through the first caution flag on lap three for a Ryan Newman crash.
On lap seven the first lead change occurred when the race got back underway. series points leader Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch ducked under Hamlin to take over the top-two spots, respectively.
Edwards started to pull away from his competitors. He expanded the margin to over two seconds as Busch, Hamlin and Kenseth battled for second. Hamlin eventually won the battle for second and begun to cut into Edwards' lead.
The No.60 Ford driver lost the first position on lap 31 when Hamlin used the high side to pass him. Edwards fought back though and would trade the top spot with Hamlin. Hamlin won the battle on lap 35 as Edwards lost a few spots when Busch and Kenseth passed him.
Hamlin continued to lead, but Kenseth was closing the gap between the two. And on lap 49 Kenseth was able to get around the No.20 Chevrolet for the first spot. Busch, Edwards and Jeff Burton battled for position behind these drivers.
On lap 58 the leaders started to make their way down pit road for their first stops of the afternoon as the race stayed under the green flag. Todd Kluever, the last driver to cycle through the stops, stayed out to lead three laps before he came down for service.
When the stops were complete Busch found himself leading Kenseth, Hamlin, Burton and Harvick.

Venus Williams wins; U.S. tied with Russia

Stowe, VT (Sports Network) - Venus Williams battled back in the first and third sets to defeat Nadia Petrova in three sets on Saturday to help the U.S. draw even with Russia in the semifinal showdown between the United States and visiting Russia after the first day of their Fed Cup semifinal matchup at Stowe's Stadium at Topnotch.
Williams, the 2007 Wimbledon champion, trailing 3-4 in the second, came back to with the next three games and walk away with a 7-6, 0-6, 6-4 win.
For the match, Petrova converted on 3-of-3 break points, while Williams was 0-3.
Earlier of Saturday, Russia's Anna Chakvetadze defeated U.S.'s Vania King 6-1, 6-3....Full Story

Eaks grabs first at Dick's Sporting Goods Open

Endicott, NY (Sports Network) - R.W. Eaks used an ace, an eagle and six birdies to fire a 10-under 62 on Saturday and move into the lead after two rounds of the inaugural Dick's Sporting Goods Open.
He finished 36 holes at 11-under-par 133 and is one clear at En-Joie Golf Club, the host course of the former B.C. Open on the PGA Tour.
Bruce Vaughan shot an eight-under 64 in round two and is alone in second place at minus-10.
Scott Hoch finished with four birdies in his last five holes to shoot a six- under 66. The first-round co-leader has third place at nine-under-par 135, one shot better than Craig Stadler, another overnight leader...Full Story

Mathews grabs first truck pole

Sparta, KY (Sports Network) - Ryan Mathew captured the pole for Saturday night's Built Ford Tough 225 at the Kentucky Speedway. The No.22 Bill Davis Toyota driver circled the 1.5-mile oval in 31.222 seconds (172.955 m.p.h.).
The pole victory was the first of Mathews' Craftsman Truck Series career.
Starting on the front row with Mathews will be Bill Lester who posted a second-best time of 31.223 seconds.
Jack Sprague (31.228) and series points leader Mike Skinner (31.229) will make up row two.
Travis Kvapil won the race two week's ago, but he didn't gain much on the leader Skinner or second-place Ron Hornaday, Skinner finished fourth and Hornaday Jr. came across the stripe in third place.
Skinner's lead is 103 points on Hornaday Jr., 228 points on defending series champion Todd Bodine and 263 points on Kvapil.
The No.5 Toyota has built the lead with consistency. It is what NASCAR values the most. Skinner has put up 12 top-10s in 12 starts, winning three times. He leads the series not only in points, but also in winnings ($392,875), laps led (654), poles (7), top-fives (10) and driver rating (122.9).
The race is set to start at 8 p.m. (et).

Dolphins WR Chambers drove while impaired

Miami, FL (Sports Network) - Miami Dolphins wide receiver Chris Chambers was arrested in Charlotte, North Carolina early Saturday and charged with driving while impaired, a Miami newspaper reported.
The Miami Herald reported on its website Saturday that Chambers, the Dolphins' top receiver, was arrested at 2:31 a.m. in Charlotte and released on a $1,750 bond.
This continues a less-than-stellar offseason for Dolphins players, as Chambers is the third Miami player to be arrested since the end of last season. Joey Porter, a free-agent addition, was arrested after punching Bengals tackle Levi Jones in a Las Vegas casino in March, and defensive tackle Fred Evans was arrested in Miami on June 23 for disorderly conduct, resisting arrest with violence, battery on a police officer and trespassing, according to the Herald.
Porter was not punished for his arrest, but Evans, who has been arrested twice in the past three months, was let go by the Dolphins.
Chambers, who will turn 29 in August, is entering his seventh season in the NFL, all with the Dolphins. He had 59 receptions for 677 yards and four touchdowns in 2006, a step down from 2005, when he hauled in 82 catches for 1,118 yards and 11 scores.

Artest, Jackson suspended seven games

New York, NY (Sports Network) - The National Basketball League suspended Sacramento's Ron Artest and Golden State's Stephen Jackson seven games without pay each for their recent off-the-court troubles with the law.
Jackson was suspended for pleading guilty to criminal recklessness, in violation of the law of the State of Indiana.
Ron Artest was suspended without pay for seven games for pleading nolo contendre to infliction of injury on a spouse, in violation of the law of the State of California.
Both suspensions will commence with the first game of the 2007-08 NBA regular season.

Mauresmo defeated; Italy tied with France

Castellaneta Marina, Italy (Sports Network) - Francesca Schiavone stunned former world No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo in straight sets Saturday to help Italy draw even with France after the first day of their Fed Cup semifinal matchup at Nova Yardina.
Schiavone, the 31st-ranked player in the world, followed a strong first set and an early break in the second to escape with the 7-5, 6-3 win. The Italian broke Mauresmo, the sixth ranked player, to go ahead 1-0 in the second and held serve the rest of the way on the red clay.
Earlier in the day, France's Tatiana Golovin defeated Italy's Tathiana Garbin, 6-3, 2-6, 6-2...Full Story

Mickelson moves one clear at Loch Lomond

Glasgow, Scotland (Sports Network) - Phil Mickelson carded a three-under 68 Saturday to move one stroke clear of the field after three rounds of the Scottish Open.
Mickelson completed 54 holes at 12-under-par 201. Gregory Havret, who shared the second-round lead, managed a one-under 70 and is one stroke back at minus-11.
Steve Webster used a third-round 69 to move into third place at nine-under-par 204. Louis Oosthuizen fired the round of the day with his seven-under 64. That moved him from 52nd place, which was the cut line of minus-one, into a share of fourth at minus-eight. He was joined there by Phillip Archer (69).
Ernie Els, a two-time winner here, shares sixth at seven-under-par 206 with Mikko Ilonen and Jose Manuel Lara, who led with Havret after round two....Full Story

Nets agree to terms with Magloire

East Rutherford, NJ (Sports Network) - The New Jersey Nets have agreed in principle with free agent forward/center Jamaal Magloire on a contract, team President Rod Thorn announced today. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not released and the agreement is contingent on Magloire passing a required physical.
"We are very pleased to add Jamaal to our roster," Thorn said. "He is an experienced low post player who will add depth to our frontcourt rotation."
The 29-year-old veteran, and 2004 All-Star selection, averaged 6.5 points and 6.1 rebounds in 81 games for the Portland Trail Blazers last season.
Magloire, who was selected with the 19th overall pick in the 2000 NBA draft by the Charlotte Hornets out of Kentucky, is averaging 9.1 points and 7.5 rebounds in seven seasons with Charlotte/New Orleans, Milwaukee Bucks and Portland.

Hamlin hustles around Chicagoland for pole

Joliet, IL (Sports Network) - Denny Hamlin won the pole for this afternoon's USG Durock 300 Busch Series race at the Chicagoland Speedway. The No.20 Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet driver circled the 1.5-mile oval in 30.083 seconds (179.503 m.p.h.).
The pole victory was Hamlin's fourth of the season and 10th of his Busch career.
Starting with Hamlin on the front row will be series points leader Carl Edwards who posted a time of 30.114 seconds.
Edwards is the man to beat in 2007 as he jogs to his first Busch Series championship. On the back of 15 top-10s and a series-leading four wins, Edwards has a stranglehold on the driving title - by 798 points. The all-time winning margin is 824 points which Kevin Harvick set last year.
Aric Almirola (30.210) and Kasey Kahne (30.302) will start in row two.
This week's Busch Series race at Chicagoland is likely to see a first-time winner make the turn into Victory Lane. In six previous races, there have been four first-time winners.
In 2001, Jimmie Johnson won the only Busch race of his career. The next year, Johnny Sauter held off late charges from Todd Bodine and Jeff Burton. Skip to 2004 and Justin Labonte won his first and only Busch race squeezing out every drop of fuel to get to the checkered flag. Casey Mears became the fourth member of the club one year ago when he beat Edwards to the checkers.
A possible choice for this year's first-timer would be Brad Keselowski. After a great run substituting for Ted Musgrave in a Craftsman Truck race, he will get a shot behind the wheel of Jr. Motorsports' No.88 U.S. Navy Chevrolet.
The 24-year-old made 13 starts for a smaller team - Keith Coleman Racing before it suspended its operations. When Musgrave was suspended for one race because of an on-track incident, Keselowski finally got the chance to compete in a top quality, competitive truck.
Keselowski won the pole, led four different times for a total of 62 laps and contended for the win.
"I've watched Brad for a while and he's shown a lot of promise in the few Busch races he's run," said Earnhardt Jr. on the team's website. "He became available at a time when we were looking to make some changes to our program and everything just lined up for us to put him in the Navy Chevrolet for the next three races."
The race is set to drop the green flag at 3 p.m. (et).

Ferrer advances, Moya ousted at Swedish Open

Bastad, Sweden (Sports Network) - Second-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer and fellow countryman Nicolas Almagro advanced to the Swedish Open final with semifinal wins on Saturday.
Ferrer needed just over an hour to cruise past fifth-seeded Italian Filippo Volandri, 6-2, 6-1, while Almagro defeated fourth-seeded countryman Carlos Moya, 6-3, 1-6, 6-2, on the clay court.
After splitting the first two sets, Almagro broke Moya in the second game of the third set and jumped out to a 4-1 lead. Moya, the 2002 champion at this event, missed out on a break point in the seventh game that would have drawn him within 4-3, but Almagro held and broke Moya for the win...Full Story

Mathieu, Seppi advance to Swiss Open final

Gstaad, Switzerland (Sports Network) - Fifth-seeded Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu and Italian Andreas Seppi advanced to the final of the Swiss Open Gstaad by recording semifinal wins on Saturday.
Mathieu, the only seeded player remaining, downed Czech qualifier Radek Stepanek, 6-3, 6-4, while Seppi stopped Russian Igor Andreev, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5) on the red clay of Roy Emerson Arena.
Seppi downed Andreev, a former finalist at this event, for the first time in five meetings. Sunday will mark his first final appearance, becoming the first Italian to advance to the title match at this tournament since Adriano Panatta in 1976....Full Story

Portland brings back G Blake

Portland, OR (Sports Network) - The Portland Trail Blazers signed free agent guard Steve Blake to a three-year contract Friday. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The 27-year old Blake returns to the team he spent the 2005-06 season with. The guard averaged 8.2 points, 2.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists, while shooting 41 percent from three-point range in 68 games with the Trail Blazers in 2005-06.
"Steve embodies the kind of culture we're building here in Portland," said Blazers general manger Kevin Pritchard. "He's an intelligent, hard-working, team player with a tremendous grasp as to what it takes to play the point guard position."...Full Story

Coyotes re-sign Thomas

Glendale, AZ (Sports Network) - The Phoenix Coyotes re-signed right wing Bill Thomas to a one year contract Friday.
As per team policy, financial terms were not disclosed.
The 24-year-old Thomas played 24 games with the Coyotes last season, registering eight goals and six assists. He also scored 13 goals and 20 assists with the San Antonio Rampage (AHL) last season.
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound forward originally signed with the Coyotes as a free agent on March 27, 2006 and recorded one goal and two assists in nine games at the end of the 2005-06 campaign.

Dixon wins IndyCar qualifying in Nashville

Lebanon, TN (Sports Network) - Scott Dixon captured the pole for Saturday night's Firestone Indy 200 at the Nashville Superspeedway. The No.9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing driver circled the 1.333-mile oval in 22.8947 seconds (204.414 m.p.h.).
The pole victory was Dixon's second of the season and eighth of his IndyCar career. Dixon, the defending Firestone Indy 200 champion, won last week's road course race at Watkins Glen, his third in a row at the upstate New York site.
"The car has been fast all weekend," said Dixon. "It's good for what we need. You know we need to put the pressure on the AGR guys any time we can, leading sessions and leading qualifying. Hopefully we'll have a good car in the race tomorrow."
Dario Franchitti will start alongside Dixon on the front row after a best lap of 22.9555 seconds.
Franchitti has been great all season and it shows in the standings. He has three wins, including the Indianapolis 500, and has yet to finish below seventh. Franchitti has been even better over the last three weeks winning two times and finishing third in the other.
Franchitti has taken a close championship race that had at least six drivers thinking titles and turned it into a two-man, maybe a three-man, race.
The Edinburgh, Scotland native owns a 47-point lead over Dixon. Franchitti's Andretti Green Racing teammate Tony Kanaan is in third place, 75 points back.
Kanaan (22.9668) and Sam Hornish Jr. (22.9815) will make up row two.
The race is set to drop the green flag on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. (et).

Duisburg adds former top scorer in Bundesliga

Duisburg, Germany (Sports Network) - Newly promoted Duisburg has signed former Bundesliga leading scorer Ailton to a one-year contract.
Ailton, 33, was named Germany's Player of the Year in 2004 when he led the league with 28 goals and led Werder Bremen to the title. He scored 105 goals in 221 Bundesliga matches, playing with Werder Bremen and Schalke 04.
Duisburg acquired the Brazilian striker on a transfer from Red Star Belgrade. He scored eight goals in 13 matches last season on loan to Grasshopper Zurich.

Caparros to take over at Bilbao

Madrid, Spain (Sports Network) - Spanish La Liga club Athletic Bilbao will name Joaquin Caparros as its new coach, the team reported on its Web site.
Caparros, 51, is expected to sign a three-year contract. He coached Deportivo Coruna the last two years and previously spent five years at Sevilla.

Allred, Summerhays share lead in Columbus

Columbus, OH (Sports Network) - Jason Allred posted a three-under 68 Friday to move into a share of the lead after two rounds of the Children's Hospital Invitational.
Allred stands atop the leaderboard at five-under-par 137 with amateur Daniel Summerhays, who shot 69 on Friday.
Richard Johnson (69) shares third place at minus-three with Kelly Grunewald (71) and first-round leader Chris Nallen (72).
Allred tripped out of the gate with a three-putt bogey on the first. He recovered that lost stroke with a two-putt birdie on the par-five fourth.
The 27-year-old Allred moved to three-under with a four-foot birdie putt on the seventh on the Scarlet Course of Ohio State University Golf Club....Full Story

Stadler, Hoch and Spittle lead new Champions event

Endicott, NY (Sports Network) - Craig Stadler, Scott Hoch and Rod Spittle each shot three-under 69 Friday to take the lead at a new Champions Tour event, the Dick's Sporting Goods Open.
They led a group of seven players who were tied at two-under 70.
The new event swept into En-Joie Golf Club this year after the PGA Tour's B.C. Open, a longtime staple of that circuit's schedule, was lifted this season, leaving the area without a professional golf tournament.
Stadler played in his first B.C. Open in 1977 and posted six top-10 finishes in 13 starts, eventually winning it in 2003 -- his last victory on the PGA Tour.
He's glad there is still a professional stop at En-Joie....Full Story

Se Ri Pak on cruise control in Ohio

Sylvania, OH (Sports Network) - Se Ri Pak posted a three-under 68 Friday, but it was enough to push her lead to five strokes after two rounds of the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic.
Pak, a four-time winner at this event, completed 36 holes at 11-under-par 131, which tied Kelly Robbins' 1997 record.
Jin Young Pak, who is playing in just her fourth event this year, shot a 69 to move into second place at six-under-par 136.
Carri Wood (69) and Meg Mallon (65) are one back at minus-five. Kraft Nabisco winner Morgan Pressel and Jimin Kang share fifth at four-under-par 138.
Se Ri Pak parred her first five holes Friday, then finally got on the board with a six-foot birdie putt on the sixth. Pak came right back with a five-foot birdie effort on the seventh at Highland Meadows Golf Club....Full Story

Green shoots 63, leads John Deere Classic

Silvis, IL (Sports Network) - The John Deere Classic has seen the likes of Nathan Green before. Every year, it seems, somebody make this tournament his first PGA Tour win.
On Friday, Green set off on becoming the latest first-time winner by firing an eight-under 63 to take the second-round lead at TPC Deere Run.
A 32-year-old Australian playing just his second season on the PGA Tour, Green is looking to follow in the footsteps of countrymen Mark Hensby and John Senden, who both made the John Deere Classic their first win in the last three seasons.
Seven of the last 10 champions have been first-timers...Full Story

Spadea falls in Hall of Fame quarters

Newport, RI (Sports Network) - South African Wesley Moodie upended second- seeded and former finalist Vincent Spadea in Friday's quarterfinal action at the $416,000 Hall of Fame Tennis Championships.
The unseeded Moodie dismissed the American Spadea in 6-4, 6-4 fashion on the grass courts at the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The veteran Spadea reached the final here two years ago, only to lose to Greg Rusedski.
Moodie will meet fourth-seeded Frenchman Fabrice Santoro, who cruised past Mischa Zverev 6-4,6-3.
Fifth-seeded Frenchman Nicolas Mahut secured a berth in the final four by handling Indian qualifier Prakash Amritraj 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), while big Belgian Dick Norman outlasted qualifier and fellow non-seed Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi of Pakistan 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. Mahut and the 6-foot-8 Norman will square off in Saturday's other semi.

Fulham signs Konchesky to four-year contract

London, England (Sports Network) - Fulham made its fifth signing of the offseason Friday, giving Paul Konchesky a four-year contract.
Konchesky previously played for West Ham. He joins offseason signings Chris Baird, Aaron Hughes, Steve Davis and Diomansy Kamara at Fulham.

King will open for U.S. against Russia in Fed Cup semis

Stowe, VT (Sports Network) - American teenager Vania King will face Anna Chakvetadze in Saturday's opening singles rubber in the Fed Cup semifinal showdown between the United States and visiting Russia.
The best-of-five tie will be staged on a hardcourt at Stowe's Stadium at Topnotch on Saturday and Sunday. The USA-Russia winner will meet the France- Italy victor in the World Group final in mid-September.
The 18-year-old King and world No. 8 Chakvetadze will be followed on Saturday by a bout between Wimbledon champion Venus Williams and ninth-ranked Russian Nadia Petrova...Full Story

Andreev ousts Gasquet in Swiss Open quarters

Gstaad, Switzerland (Sports Network) - Former finalist Igor Andreev of Russia upset defending champion Richard Gasquet in Friday's quarterfinal action at the Swiss Open Gstaad.
The 2004 runner-up Andreev, a wild card this week, knocked out the third- seeded Gasquet 7-5, 6-2 on the red clay at Roy Emerson Arena. The French Gasquet was riding a seven-match winning streak at this tournament, including a victory over Spaniard Feliciano Lopez in last year's finale.
Gasquet reached the semifinals at Wimbledon last week, only to lose to Swiss great Roger Federer.
Andreev, who will turn 24 on Saturday, posted his ninth career victory against a top-10 player by dousing Gasquet on Day 5. Gasquet made his debut in the top 10 just this week...Full Story

Mears edges Truex Jr. for pole in Chicago

Joliet, IL (Sports Network) - Casey Mears captured the pole for Sunday's USG Sheetrock 400 at the Chicagoland Speedway. The No.25 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet circled the 1.5-mile oval in 29.580 seconds (182.556 m.p.h.), just 0.013 seconds ahead of Martin Truex Jr.
The pole victory was Mears' first of the season and third of his Nextel Cup career. His last pole was at Indianapolis in 2004.
"It's a great day for the National Guard/GMAC team, the guys have been doing a great job," said Mears. "This is the car that we won Charlotte with so everyone is pretty pumped this weekend."
Truex Jr.'s time was 29.593 seconds (182.476 m.p.h.). Ryan Newman (29.595) and Mark Martin (29.622) will make up row two.
Other drivers of note and their starting positions: Dale Earnhardt Jr. (fifth), Jimmie Johnson (eighth), Matt Kenseth (10th), Jeff Gordon (11th), Denny Hamlin (13th) and Kevin Harvick (14th).
Gordon ended his Joliet, IL winless streak last July and climbed into the top-10. He has been in the top-10 ever since - 37 weeks. It is the second longest active streak in Nextel Cup behind the 44-week streak by Jeff Burton. (The all-time record is held by Dale Earnhardt - 174 weeks from 1986 - 1992.)
Gordon has been almost perfect in 2007 winning four times and posting 16 top-10s in 18 starts. Even after being penalized 100 points for a COT infraction, Gordon owns a 277-point lead over Hamlin. With just eight races left before the start of the "Chase for the Nextel Cup," Gordon can coast into the "playoffs." He is 733 points ahead of 12th-place Earnhardt Jr.
Also safely ensconced in the "Chase" are Hamlin, Kenseth, 2006 Nextel Cup champion Johnson, Jeff Burton and Carl Edwards.
The final six playoff positions are being contested by 11 drivers. Currently, two-time Nextel Cup champion Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, Daytona 500 winner Harvick, Truex Jr., Clint Bowyer and Earnhardt Jr. hold the positions. But Jamie McMurray, winner of last week's race in Daytona, is just 49 points back. The win was his first in 166 starts.
"That guy (McMurray) works as hard or harder than anybody down here; he deserves it," said Edwards, his teammate at Roush Racing.
Also within striking distance are Newman (-61), Kurt Busch (-121), Greg Biffle (-204) and J.J. Yeley (-236).
The race is scheduled to drop the green flag on Sunday at 4 p.m. (et).

Argentina sets up Copa final against Brazil

Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela (Sports Network) - Juan Roman Riquelme scored his fifth goal of the tournament to lead Argentina to a 3-0 win over Mexico on Wednesday and set up an anticipated Copa America final against Brazil.
Defender Gabriel Heinze and striker Lionel Messi also scored for Argentina. Mexico, which beat Brazil in the group stage, hit the post and the crossbar in a very entertaining semifinal.
South American powers Argentina and Brazil play the final on Sunday at 5:05 p.m. (ET).
Heinze scored Argentina's first goal late in the first half. The goal was set up by a Riquelme free kick and Heinze put the ball past Mexico goalie Oswaldo Sanchez with his left foot.
Messi scored an upstanding goal in the 61st minute, collecting a pass from Carlos Tevez and chipping the ball into the net. The play started when Heinze made a nice pass across the field to Tevez to open space. Tevez then found Messi, who finished beautifully.
Argentina put the game away in the 65th minute when Tevez went down in the area to earn a penalty kick. Riquelme converted with a little chip shot into the back of the net.
Mexico coach Hugo Sanchez was celebrating his 49th birthday but his club's two missed opportunities were costly.
Andres Guardado had Mexico's first near-miss in the 18th minute, putting a shot off the outside of the post that would have given the club a 1-0 lead. Nery Castillo, Mexico's leading scorer in the tournament with four goals, hit the crossbar in the 55th minute when the team was down just one goal.
Mexico has never won the Copa America. Mexico plays Uruguay in the third-place match on Saturday at 5:05p.m. (ET).
Brazil is the defending champion - the tournament was last played in 2004 - and has won three of the last four tournaments. Brazil has won seven titles overall.
Argentina last won in 1993 but has captured the title a record 15 times.

Venus pads Hall credentials

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - A recently-overlooked Venus Williams added to her Hall of Fame credentials last week by capturing her fourth Wimbledon and sixth major title.
The former world No. 1 Venus Ebony Starr Williams often has her spotlight stolen by her younger (and more talented) sister Serena, but the 27-year-old Venus pulled within two Grand Slam singles titles of Serena by securing her fourth Wimbledon championship in eight years when she got past upstart Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli in last week's finale at the storied All England Club...Full Story

Santoro reaches Hall of Fame quarters

Newport, RI (Sports Network) - Crafty Frenchman Fabrice Santoro highlighted Thursday's second-round winners at the $416,000 Hall of Fame Tennis Championships.
The fourth-seeded Santoro fought back to beat Canadian Frank Dancevic 6-7 (6-8), 6-3, 6-4 on the grass courts at the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Up next for the veteran Santoro will be German Mischa Zverev.
Santoro's fellow Frenchman, fifth-seeded Nicolas Mahut, joined the charge into the quarterfinals by holding off his qualifier countryman Antony Dupuis 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 6-1 on Day 4 here. Mahut's round-of-eight opponent on Friday will be Indian qualifier Prakash Amritraj.
Other second-round results saw the aforementioned Zverev overcome Thai Danai Udomchoke 2-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7-4) and Amritraj handle American wild card Scoville Jenkins 6-4, 6-3.
The other quarters will pit second-seeded American Vincent Spadea against South African Wesley Moodie and Pakistan's Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi versus Belgian Dick Norman. Spadea was a finalist here two years ago.

Ferrer, Soderling win Bastad openers

Bastad, Sweden (Sports Network) - Second-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer and sixth-seeded Swede Robin Soderling were among Tuesday's first-round winners at the clay-court Swedish Open.
Ferrer drilled fellow Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-2, 6-1, while Soderling dismissed Italian Simone Bolelli 6-3, 6-3 at Bastad Tennis Stadium. Ferrer's second-round opponent will be Chilean Nicolas Massu, while Soderling will encounter Spaniard Fernando Verdasco.
Two other seeds advanced, as No. 7 Argentine Juan Monaco snuck past Latvian Ernests Gulbis 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, 6-4 and No. 8 Swede Jonas Bjorkman overcame Polish qualifier Michal Przysiezny 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 at this post-Wimbledon event.
Former Aussie Open champion Thomas Johansson of Sweden handled Spaniard Oscar Hernandez 6-4, 6-4, while the aforementioned Verdasco vaulted past Norwegian qualifier Erling Tveit 7-5, 6-1.Additional Day-2 wins came for Argentine Carlos Berlocq, Russian qualifier Yuri Schukin and French qualifier Gilles Simon. Schukin took out former two- time Bastad titlist Mariano Zabaleta of Argentina 6-1, 1-6, 7-5.

Sharapova pulls out of Fed Cup semis

Moscow, Russia (Sports Network) - Maria Sharapova will not play for the Russian team in this weekend's Fed Cup semifinal matchup against the United States.
The World No. 2 bowed out after struggling over the past few months with a shoulder problem.
"Over the past 48 hours I have consulted with my medical team and I have been advised that I need to rest my shoulder for the next 10 days with no activity," said Sharapova on her web site.
Sharapova is coming off a drubbing at the hands of eventual champion Venus Williams in the fourth round of Wimbledon last week,
The Russian star will be replaced by Elena Vesnina for the July 14-15 tie in Vermont.

Sidney Crosby inks extension with Pens

Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby has signed a five-year contract extension that will keep him with the club through the 2012-13 season.
Financial details of the new deal were not released, but Crosby will play the upcoming season under the terms of his original entry-level contract. The extension will take effect with the start of the 2008-09 campaign.
Crosby had a banner second season with the Penguins in 2006-07 at just 19 years of age, winning the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL scoring champion and the Hart Trophy as the league's regular-season MVP.
"Sidney has proven himself to be a dynamic player and team leader at a very young age, and it is exciting news for our franchise and our fans to have him under contract for the next six seasons, through 2013," said Penguins general manager Ray Shero in a statement Tuesday. "When you've got a guy who leads the league in scoring and wins the MVP award at the age of 19, you know have someone very special. But Sid also is a tremendous asset for this organization as a leader in the dressing room, and as the face of our franchise in the community. And the fact that he wants to be here long-term is a great statement about the city of Pittsburgh and our organization."
Crosby notched 36 goals and 84 assists for 120 points last season, helping the Penguins to their first playoff berth since 2001. In addition to the Hart Trophy, he was also named a First-Team All-Star at center and won the Lester B. Pearson Award as the league's most outstanding player in voting by his peers.
"I really enjoy playing and living in Pittsburgh and I want to be here for a long time," said Crosby in a statement Tuesday. "Individual honors and scoring championships are great, but my No. 1 goal is to win the Stanley Cup. I'd love to be a part of bringing the Cup back here to Pittsburgh."
The 5-foot 11, 193-pound native of Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia became the youngest player to win a scoring title in North American professional sports. Through two NHL seasons, his career totals are 75 goals, 147 assists and 222 points in 160 games. He will turn 20 years old on August 7.
Crosby, the first pick of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, is the youngest player in NHL history to record 100 and 200 career points.

Nets sign first-round pick Williams

East Rutherford, NJ (Sports Network) - The New Jersey Nets signed first-round draft pick Sean Williams on Monday.
Terms of the deal for the troubled forward were not released.
Williams was the 17th overall pick in the most recent NBA Draft. The 6-foot-10 forward played 69 games in three seasons at Boston College, leading the team in blocks each season.
As a junior in 2006-07, he played in and started 15 games, averaging 12.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.0 blocks, while setting a school record with 75 blocks.
He was dismissed from the team for continuous violations of team rules, causing his draft stock to drop.

Few changes mark top of women's rankings

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - While the LPGA Tour had an off-week, the Ladies European Tour was in full swing over the weekend, with Becky Brewerton winning the Ladies English Open.
Brewerton's win netted her a 35-spot bump to No. 92 in the latest Rolex Rankings for women's golf.
The top 13 players all held onto their spots from a week ago: No. 1 Lorena Ochoa was followed by Karrie Webb, Annika Sorenstam, Cristie Kerr, Suzann Pettersen, Morgan Pressel, Paula Creamer, Se-Ri Pak, Juli Inkster, Mi-Hyun Kim, Ji-Yai Shin, Ai Miyazato and Brittany Lincicome...Full Story

Spadea wins Hall of Fame opener

Newport, RI (Sports Network) - Former finalist Vincent Spadea highlighted Monday's opening-round winners at the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships.
The second-seeded Spadea handled fellow American Justin Gimelstob 6-4, 6-3 on the grass courts at the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Spadea reached the final here in 2005, while Gimelstob was last year's runner-up to big Aussie Mark Philippoussis, who is not defending his title this week.
An upset came when Croat Roko Karanusic took out sixth-seeded Russian Teimuraz Gabashvili 6-4, 6-3, while eighth-seeded German Michael Berrer avoided an upset by straight-setting Aussie Chris Guccione 6-4, 7-6 (7-5)...Full Story

Kohlschreiber advances in 2007 Swiss Open Gstaad

Gstaad, Switzerland (Sports Network) - Fourth-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany was one of only two first-round winners on a rainy Monday at the 2007 Swiss Open Gstaad.
Kohlschreiber advanced by edging out Czech Jan Hernych 7-6 (7-0), 7-6 (7-3) on the red clay at Roy Emerson Arena. The start of play was delayed by torrential rain.
In other opening-round action, Belgian Kristof Vliegen knocked out former champion Gaston Gaudio of Argentina 6-4, 6-7 (3-7), 6-4. The fading Gaudio, the 2004 French Open champ, captured this event in 2005 and was the runner-up here in 2002.
Croatian Marin Cilic was tied with Czech Radek Stepanek 4-4 in the first set, while Italian Andreas Seppi was leading Spaniard Bartolome Salva-Vidal 3-1 in the opening stanza when play was suspended on Day 1. Another match was on court, as Spaniard Albert Montanes and Russian Igor Andreev just got underway when rain forced them back to the clubhouse...Full Story

Bryant wins Senior Open

Kohler, WI (Sports Network) - Brad Bryant fired a four-under 68 Sunday to win the U.S. Senior Open as third-round leader Tom Watson collapsed on the back nine.
Bryant collected his first major championship win and fourth Champions Tour crown as he finished at six-under-par 282.
The 52-year-old Bryant, who trailed by five strokes at the beginning of the round, notched the second biggest final-round comeback in U.S. Senior Open history. Allen Doyle closed with an eight-under 63 in 2005 to overtake D.A. Weibring and Loren Roberts for a one-stroke win...Full Story

Scott Dixon wins at Camping World Watkins Glen Grand Prix IndyCar race

Watkins Glen, NY (Sports Network) - Scott Dixon captured Sunday's Camping World Watkins Glen Grand Prix IndyCar race on the Watkins Glen International road course for the third consecutive year. The No.9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing driver crossed the finish line 6.2591 seconds ahead of Sam Hornish Jr.
The victory was Dixon's first of the season and seventh of his IndyCar career.
"Our car was bloody fast," said Dixon.
Helio Castroneves led Dixon to the green flag for the first of 60 scheduled laps. Dixon tried to go to the inside at the first turn, but couldn't get it done. In fact, Dario Franchitti got even with Dixon and almost completed a move around the outside of the No.9 Target Chip Ganassi car.
Castroneves quickly built his lead to almost half-a-second in the opening laps. By lap 10 the gap had increased to 1.0611 seconds. Franchitti was hanging close, but fourth-place Tony Kanaan had fallen more than six seconds off the pace.
The top-three stayed in close proximity and all three pitted together on lap 16. They returned to the track in the same order they entered. Marco Andretti inherited the lead, but he had yet to make his first stop.
After the stop, Dixon seemed to be a little quicker than Castroneves as he closed the gap to just a few car lengths. On the other hand, Franchitti dropped back almost three seconds from the leaders.
They were coming out of turn 11 and heading to the start/finish line to begin lap 21 when Castroneves got loose and slammed the outside wall. Dixon avoided the incident, ducking to the inside and assumed the race lead.
Castroneves got out of the car, unhurt, but frustrated. It was his third DNF this season compared to 2006 when the Brazilian had one for the entire season.

Colin Montgomerie gets first win in 19 months

Straffan, Ireland (Sports Network) - After 19 months of waiting, Colin Montgomerie was a champion again.
The eight-time Order of Merit winner shot a five-under 65 Sunday to hold off Niclas Fasth and win the Smurfit Kappa European Open, picking up his 31st European Tour victory and first since December 2005.
After finishing his round, Montgomerie waited out an 80-minute weather delay to see if Fasth could catch him. When Fasth failed to make birdie at the 18th after play resumed, Montgomerie had his win.
He finished at 11-under-par 269...Full Story

Black and Huber take Wimbledon doubles title

Wimbledon, England (Sports Network) - Second-seeded Cara Black and Liezel Huber upended Katarina Srebotnik and Ai Sugiyama to win the Wimbledon women's doubles final on Sunday.
Black and Huber dropped the first set but roared back to take the final two frames over the fourth-seeded Srebotnik and Ai Sugiyama, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Roger Federer wins Wimbledon

Wimbledon, England (Sports Network) - Roger Federer outlasted Rafael Nadal in a grueling five-set classic to win his fifth consecutive Wimbledon final on Sunday.
The Super Swiss becomes just the second man in the Open Era to capture five straight Wimbledon championships. Swedish icon Bjorn Borg turned the trick previously from 1976-80
The top-seeded/World No. 1 Federer used his legendary conditioning to overwhelm the second-seeded Nadal in the final set to secure things. It took nearly four hours for him to down the talented Spaniard 7-6 (9-7), 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 2-6, 6-2, and claim his 11th Grand Slam title.
Federer is now a dominating 38-4 lifetime at the All England Club and upped his record grass-court winning streak to 54, including 34 straight at Wimbledon.

Bryan twins drop Wimbledon doubles final

Wimbledon, England (Sports Network) - Top-seeded Americans Bob and Mike Bryan dropped their Wimbledon men's doubles final to Frenchmen Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra on Sunday.
The 10th-seeded Clement and Llodra lost the first set in a tiebreaker but battled back and dominated the twins, who were appearing in their third straight Wimbledon final.
With the 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory, Clement and Llodra became the first French men's doubles champions at Wimbledon in 74 years.

Raikkonen makes it two in a row

Silverstone, England (Sports Network) - Kimi Raikkonen is beginning to show the world why he was hired by Ferrari capturing Sunday's British Grand Prix Formula One race at the Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit for his second consecutive win. The No.6 Ferrari driver crossed the finish line 2.459 seconds ahead of Fernando Alonso.
The victory was Raikkonen's third of the season and 12th of his F1 career.
The action started even before the green flag dropped when Felipe Massa stalled on the grid and had to start from pit lane which left in last place.
Local hero Lewis Hamilton, the favorite after his pole victory, had a fight on his hands right from the start. He had to fend off Raikkonen at the first corner of the first lap (Copse). Which Hamilton did.
Meanwhile, Massa was flying and after just four laps had passed eight cars.
Hamilton's lead over Raikkonen was one second after four laps, but the Finn was hanging tough. On lap five he was faster and cut into Hamilton's lead. Raikkonen set "fastest lap" on lap eight to further cut into the Englishman's lead. Lap eight also saw the first retirement (Mark Webber) and Massa, still on a charge, cracked the top-10.
Hamilton reset "fastest lap" on lap 11 to open the lead back up to one second. On the next lap Massa set "fastest lap," but his error on the starting grid left him still 27 seconds behind Hamilton.
Raikkonen closed right onto Hamilton's rear bumper and he shadowed him around the old World War II airport course.
Hamilton pitted on lap 16, a little earlier than normal, probably because he was struggling with his handling. A tiny pit lane error for Hamilton, he almost jumped the gun and left his pit too early.
Raikkonen is really fast and puts up a lap of 1:20.638 to build on his lead. He pits one lap later and when he returns to the track he has done enough to stay ahead of Hamilton.
Alonso pits and he comes out ahead of both Raikkonen and Hamilton. The pit error has cost Hamilton two positions.
All the leaders have made their first stops by lap 22 and Alonso owns a 3.2-second lead on Raikkonen and 6.0 seconds on Hamilton. It seems as if McLaren has short-pitted Alonso to get him the lead.
Alonso's laps are faster than both Raikkonen and Hamilton and he is building the margin on each lap. The race is half over and Alonso holds 4.4 seconds on Raikkonen and 11.6 seconds on his McLaren teammate Hamilton.
Alonso continues to build the margin, but will he have to pit before Raikkonen and Hamilton and can they take advantage when he does?
Alonso does pit first, on lap 37, and Raikkonen inherits the lead. The Ferrari driver has clean air and builds the lead to 27.9 seconds on Alonso which should be enough to make his final stop and keep the lead
Raikkonen pits on lap 42 and his stop takes just 6.6 seconds. He makes the drive down pit lane and returns to the track still in the lead of the British Grand Prix. Only a mental mistake or a mechanical failure could keep Raikkonen from the win.
Raikkonen's lead on lap 50 is 6.4 seconds over Alonso and 36.0 seconds over Hamilton. The Ferrari driver cruises to the win.
Hamilton, Robert Kubica, Massa, Nick Heidfeld, Heikki Kovalainen and Giancarlo Fisichella completed the points-scoring positions.
A ninth consecutive podium finish for Hamilton leaves him with a 12-point lead in the drivers championship (70-58).
The second half of the F1 season will begin on Sunday, July 22nd at the German Grand Prix.