Jacquelin takes over top spot in India

Delhi, India (Sports Network) - Raphael Jacquelin managed an even-par 72 in windy conditions Saturday to move into the lead after three rounds of the Indian Masters.

Jacquelin, who trailed by two entering the round, completed 54 holes at six- under-par 210.

Second-round leader Damien McGrane struggled to a three-over 75 to slide into a share of second place at five-under-par 211. He was joined there by Graeme McDowell (73) and Jose Manuel Lara (71).

Arjun Atwal and S.S.P. Chowrasia are one stroke further back at minus-four.

During an up-and-down round, four different players owned at least a share of the lead. Jacquelin did not take over the top spot by himself until an eagle on the par-five 14th at Delhi Golf Club...Full Story

Radwanska, Craybas to meet in Pattaya finale

Pattaya City, Thailand (Sports Network) - Top-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland and seventh-seeded American Jill Craybas were Saturday's semifinal winners at the $170,000 Pattaya Women's Open.

The 18-year-old Radwanska dismantled helpless Russian Ekaterina Bychkova 6-1, 6-1, while the 33-year-old Craybas handled Uzbekistan's Akgul Amanmuradova 6-4, 6-0 on the hardcourt at Dusit Resort.

Radwanska will appear in her second career final. She titled in Stockholm in her first-ever title match last year. Craybas will also appear in her second WTA final. She titled in Tokyo in her only other title bout, back in 2002...Full Story

Strong-serving Sharapova wins Australian Open title

Melbourne, Australia (Sports Network) - Russian Maria Sharapova used strong serving to capture her third Grand Slam title, beating Serbian Ana Ivanovic, 7-5, 6-3 on Saturday to win the 2008 Australian Open.

The fifth-seeded Sharapova won 24 of her last 26 service points in the battle of 20-year-olds. Incredibly, she won 24 of 27 points on her first serve for the match.

"This is just incredible," Sharapova said to the crowd at Rod Laver Arena after the match. "If someone had told me in the middle of last year that I'd be standing on this stage in front of all you guys with the big one I'd probably say forget it."

Sharapova, who didn't lose a set over these two weeks, had also won Wimbledon in 2004 and the U.S. Open in 2006. She lost the 2007 Australian Open final to American Serena Williams.

Sharapova said the last year has been a trying one since her coach's mother passed away. Sharapova said she also got inspiration for the match from a text message earlier on Saturday from Hall of Famer Billie Jean King, the 1968 Australian Open champion...Full Story

Nadal, upstart Tsonga reach Oz Open semis

Melbourne, Australia (Sports Network) - Second-seeded Spaniard Rafael Nadal and unseeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga were a pair of quarterfinal winners Tuesday at the 2008 Australian Open.

Nadal prevailed in a tough first set on Day 9 on his way to a 7-5, 6-3, 6-1 decision against 24th-seeded Finn Jarkko Nieminen. The match lasted 2 hours, 19 minutes, as Nadal landed in his first-ever Aussie Open semifinal by breaking Nieminen's serve six times, compared to only one break in eight break-point chances for the overmatched Finn.

"It's a good moment for me -- being my first semifinals on hardcourt at a Grand Slam," Nadal said.

The three-time French Open champion and two-time Wimbledon runner-up Nadal is now 4-0 lifetime against Nieminen.

Nadal's final four opponent here will be Tsonga, who erased 14th-seeded Russian Mikhail Youzhny 7-5, 6-0, 7-6 (8-6) to secure a berth in his first- ever Grand Slam semi. Tsonga is the first unseeded French semifinalist here since Nicolas Escude turned the trick 10 years ago...Full Story

Henin, Serena fall in Aussie quarters

Melbourne, Australia (Sports Network) - World No. 1 Justine Henin and defending champion Serena Williams both lost their quarterfinal matches Tuesday at the Australian Open.

In the marquee match of the day, fifth-seeded Maria Sharapova swatted 30 winners on her way to stunning the 2004 Melbourne titlist Henin 6-4, 6-0. Sharapova was last year's Aussie Open runner-up to the three-time champion Williams.

Sharapova dismissed Henin in 1 hour, 38 minutes. The big Russian needed 61 minutes to capture a tight first set, and then cruised in the second in eye-popping fashion.

The Russian recorded 19 more winners than her Belgian counterpart and broke Henin's serve five times, while losing her powerful serve only once throughout the bout...Full Story

Nadal eases into Aussie quarters; Davydenko out

Melbourne, Australia (Sports Network) - Rafael Nadal easily moved into the Australian Open quarterfinals on Sunday when Paul-Henri Mathieu retired in the second set of their fourth-round match, but Nikolay Davydenko was among the upset victims as the first week of the year's first major concluded.

The second-seeded Nadal had built a 6-4, 3-0 lead when Mathieu called it quits for what appeared to be a calf problem. The 23rd-seeded Frenchman twice received treatment in the first set, then decided he couldn't continue after dropping serve twice in the second.

Nadal will next meet Finland's Jarkko Nieminen in the quarterfinals. Nieminen knocked off Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber, 3-6, 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (11-9), 6-3. Kohlschreiber had eliminated sixth-seeded American Andy Roddick in his last match and was coming off a title in Auckland last week.

Nieminen, seeded 24th, saved a combined 11 set points between the second and third sets before advancing...Fulls Story

Henin reaches quarterfinals at Aussie Open

Melbourne, Australia (Sports Network) - Top seed Justine Henin advanced to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open on Sunday by winning her 32nd straight match, a straight-set victory over Taiwan's Su-Wei Hsieh.

Additionally, third-seeded Jelena Jankovic, fifth seed Maria Sharapova and defending champion Serena Williams, seeded seventh, also advanced to the quarterfinals.

Henin, the 2004 Australian Open champion and reigning French and U.S. Open titlist, had a relatively easy time, winning 6-2, 6-2. Hsieh, who had never advanced beyond the first round at Melbourne before this year's tournament, fought off match point twice in the second set.

But Henin was dominant -- winning 10 straight games after being down 2-1 in the first set -- and eventually closed out the win. She will face Sharapova, who breezed through her match with 11th seed Elena Dementieva, in the quarterfinals. The match, which Sharapova won 6-2, 6-0, took all of 62 minutes....Full Story

Youzhny shocks Nadal in Chennai final

Chennai, India (Sports Network) - Russian Mikhail Youzhny stunned top-seeded Rafael Nadal in straight sets to win the Chennai Open final on Sunday.
The fourth-seeded Youzhny blitzed Nadal from the outset and was never threatened in an easy 6-0, 6-1 victory.
It was the fourth career singles title for Youzhny, who is ranked 19th in the world. He won once last year at Rotterdam and was also a finalist twice in 2007.
Nadal, who had a banner 2007 campaign with six titles, was attempting to garner his 24th career crown. But, the Spaniard looked lost from the start and was clearly suffering the effects of his grueling four-hour semifinal win over fellow Spaniard Carlos Moya on Saturday.
The 25-year-old Youzhny upended Nadal for the fourth time in 10-career matchups and snapped a three-match skid against Nadal.

Garrigues retires injured in Hobart

Hobart, Australia (Sports Network) - Australian wild card Casey Dellacqua advanced at the Moorilla Hobart International tennis event Sunday when eight- seeded Anabel Medina Garrigues retired with of a lower back injury.
Dellacqua was leading 5-4 in the first set when the 34th-ranked Spaniard begged off.
In other first-round matches, Russia's Elena Vesnina dumped Japan's Akiko Morigami in straight sets, 6-4, 7-5, while Greece's Eleni Daniilidou upended Pauline Parmentier of France, 6-3, 6-4.
Anna Chakvetadze beat Vasilisa Bardina in last year's all-Russian Hobart finale.

Mauresmo withdraws from Sydney International

Sydney, Australia (Sports Network) - Amelie Mauresmo withdrew from the Medibank International tennis event, a final Australian Open tune-up, with a left abductor strain.
Mauresmo is joined on the sidelines by China's Na Li, won triumphed at the Australian women's hardcourt Saturday in her first tournament back after a pesky rib injury. Li is out with a right knee injury.
Mauresmo won this tournament in 2000, and was a finalist in 2004.
Although injury news dominated the headlines here, first round play got underway with three matches. Austrian Sybille Bammer upended Russia's Nadia Petrova in straight sets, 7-5, 6-3, while the Czech Republic's Lucie Safarova edged Alicia Molik 7-6 (2), 7-6 (12-10) in a tight-knit affair.

Meanwhile, Virginie Razzano of France had an easy time of it with Austrian wild card Nicole Pratt, 6-2, 6-1.

The since-retired Kim Clijsters defeated Jelena Jankovic in last year's final here.

James, Cavs rally past Raptors

Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - LeBron James scored 24 of his game-high 39 points in the fourth quarter as Cleveland roared back to beat Toronto, 93-90, at Air Canada Centre.

James added 11 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who won their third straight game. Larry Hughes donated 14 points and Drew Gooden chipped in with 10 points and 12 boards.

Chris Bosh had 23 points for the Raptors, who have dropped two straight and six of eight. Anthony Parker finished with 20 points and nine rebounds, while Jose Calderon contributed a double-double with 16 points and 11 assists.

The Cavs trailed by 13 points entering the final frame and barely showed a pulse to that point. But, James took over in a 19-6 run to open the fourth. The dynamic swingman drained a pair of threes and finally evened things at 76 by sticking a jumper with 6:26 left.

James continued to explode from there. After Bosh scored on a layup, James dropped in two more threes to put Cleveland on top, 84-80, with 3:21 remaining....Full Story

Butler leads Wizards over Sonics

Washington, DC (Sports Network) - Caron Butler exploded for 33 points as the Washington Wizards dominated the Seattle SuperSonics, earning a 108-86 victory.
Antawn Jamison notched a double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds for the Wizards, who won their second consecutive game. DeShawn Stevenson added 13 points, while Brendan Haywood scored 10 points and grabbed nine boards. Antonio Daniels dished out 10 assists to go with 13 points, as Washington had all five of its starters score in double-figures.
Kevin Durant had 19 points for the Sonics, as the team dropped its third straight and fifth of its last six contests. Wally Szczerbiak contributed 18 points off the bench. Nick Collison pulled down 17 rebounds while scoring 13 points, and Seattle dropped to 4-13 as the visitor this season.
In the fourth, the Wizards wasted no time putting the game out of reach, opening the period with a 14-2 burst. Darius Songalia stroked a jump hook with 7:41 to go, pushing the Washington lead to 92-71...Full Story

Everett returns to Buffalo

Orchard Park, NY (Sports Network) - Buffalo Bills tight end Kevin Everett returned to Ralph Wilson Stadium on Sunday, more than three months after suffering a severe spinal injury on the same field in the team's season- opener.
Everett met with teammates before the team's home finale against the New York Giants. He was expected to watch the game from a suite in the building.
On September 9, Everett was hurt while trying to make a tackle on Denver's Domenik Hixon during the second-half kickoff. He hit Hixon with his helmet and immediately fell face-first to the turf.
Hixon, coincidentally, is now with the Giants....Full Story

Warriors wrap up road trip against LeBron, Cavs

(Sports Network) - The Golden State Warriors finish a five-game road trip this evening, as they battle the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena.
This is the second and final meeting of the campaign between the squads. On November 6th, Daniel Gibson drained five three-pointers to lift Cleveland to a 108-104 victory over Golden State at ORACLE Arena.
The Cavaliers have won three in a row in the series. Golden State has lost two of three and 14 of its last 16 at Cleveland.
Golden State is 2-2 on the swing, and will try and get back on the winning track against the Cavaliers. On Saturday, Vince Carter's three-pointer with 24.6 seconds left gave New Jersey the lead, and the Nets didn't allow the Warriors to score over the final 3:12 in a 100-95 victory over Golden State at the Izod Center.
Stephen Jackson ended with 21 points to lead Golden State, which shot just 38.6 percent from the field, including 6-of-25 from three-point range. Monta Ellis had 19 points and Andris Biedrins finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Warriors, who have dropped two in a row...Full Story

Knicks, Lakers battle at MSG

(Sports Network) - The Los Angeles Lakers wrap up a four-game road trip, as they visit the New York Knicks this afternoon at Madison Square Garden.
This is the first of two meetings between the clubs this season. The Lakers are scheduled to host the Knicks on January 29, 2008 at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks were 2-0 against the Lakers last season. The Lakers have lost two of their last three at New York.
Los Angeles is 2-1 on the swing. On Friday, Andrew Bynum scored a career-high 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the defeated the Philadelphia 76ers, 106-101, at the Wachovia Center.
Derek Fisher finished with 21 points and seven assists for the Lakers, who won despite a quiet 19-point, seven-rebound performance by superstar Kobe Bryant. Lamar Odom had 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Lakers, who have won three of four, and seven of their last nine games overall.
After tonight's contest, the Lakers return home for a five-game homestand. They will host Phoenix, Utah, Boston, Philadelphia and Indiana at the Staples Center on the upcoming stand....Full Story

Kings open homestand against Iverson, Nuggets

(Sports Network) - The Sacramento Kings begin a four-game homestand when they welcome the Denver Nuggets tonight to ARCO Arena.
This is the second meeting of the campaign between the clubs. On December 8th, Allen Iverson scored 23 points, handed out 10 assists and hit the game-sealing free throws as the Nuggets survived multiple rallies by the Kings to earn a 101-97 victory at the Pepsi Center.
Denver has won three in a row over Sacramento. The Nuggets snapped a 20-game series road losing streak on March 11, 2007.
Sacramento goes for its third straight victory this evening. On Wednesday, Ron Artest scored 26 points and handed out eight assists to lift the Kings over the Milwaukee Bucks, 102-89, at the Bradley Center...Full Story

Pistons try to extend winning streak against Rockets

(Sports Network) - The streaking Detroit Pistons conclude a two-game homestand when they host the Houston Rockets tonight at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
This is the second and final meeting of the campaign between the clubs. On December 12, Tracy McGrady scored a game-high 29 points as the Rockets survived a tense final minute to beat the Pistons, 80-77, at the Toyota Center.
Houston has won two in a row in the series. The Rockets have lost six straight and 10 of its last 11 at Detroit.
Detroit enters tonight's contest on a four-game winning streak. Tayshaun Prince led a well-balanced Detroit attack with 16 points, and the Pistons cruised to a 94-67 stomping of the Memphis Grizzlies at The Palace.
Chauncey Billups ended with 14 points and seven assists, while Richard Hamilton also scored 14 points for the Pistons, who have won 11 of their last 13 games overall. Rookie Arron Afflalo scored 12 points off the bench, and Antonio McDyess collected 11 points and 11 rebounds in the victory...Full Story

Falcons Redman to start against Saints

Flowery Branch, GA (Sports Network) - Chris Redman will get the start at quarterback for the Falcons when Atlanta hosts New Orleans on Monday night. Head coach Bobby Petrino confirmed the decision on Thursday afternoon.
"We're going to start with Chris Redman," Petrino said. "We liked the way he finished the game the other day. He gave us a lift. He's got a lot of confidence. So we're going to start with him."
Despite being out of football for the better part of three years, Redman threw two touchdowns passes and led a fourth-quarter comeback against the St. Louis Rams last week...Full Story

Kidd disputes report about purposely sitting out

New York, NY (Sports Network) - New Jersey Nets star point guard Jason Kidd disputed a newspaper report that said he intentionally skipped Wednesday's game against the New York Knicks in hopes of gaining a contract extension or a trade.
Kidd told WFAN-AM radio in New York that he had a migraine headache and was unable to play in New Jersey's 100-93 loss. The migraine was the official reason given by the Nets for Kidd's absence on Wednesday.
"I did have a migraine and I was sick," Kidd said Thursday afternoon on the Mike and the Mad Dog program. "I would never disrespect the game, first of all, by not playing because the game has been so good to me."
The New York Post, citing team sources, said Kidd simply decided to sit out the game.
"He's on strike," the Post quoted one team source as saying.
There were reports last week that the Nets turned down Kidd's request for a one-year contract extension. Kidd also said those reports were false...Full Story

Skelton to face Chagaev for WBA heavyweight title

London, England (Sports Network) - Ruslan Chagaev will defend his WBA heavyweight title on January 19 by facing Matt Skelton in Dusseldorf, Germany.
Skelton's promoter, Frank Warren, made the announcement Thursday.
The 40-year-old Skelton, a native of Bedford, Bedfordshire in the UK, is 21-1 with 18 knockouts and has won his last three fights. He beat Michael Sprott in July in a majority decision for the British heavyweight title.
Chagaev, who is 23-0-1 with 17 KOs, won the title with a 12-round majority decision over Nikolay Valuev on April 14.
Chagaev was ruled out of a fight with WBO champion Sultan Ibragimov for October 13 due to hepatitis. Evander Holyfield replaced Chagaev and lost a 12- round unanimous decision.