What was once almost unthinkable in tennis now happens more and more often: Roger Federer loses.
The latest defeat came yesterday, a 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (9-7) decision to 27th-ranked Radek Stepanek in the Rome Masters quarterfinals.
This was the top-ranked Federer's sixth loss of the year. He lost only nine matches in all of 2007.
Federer piled up a string of defeats at the beginning of this year when he was diagnosed with mononucleosis. He won his first title of 2008 at the Estoril Open last month, the longest he's waited in nine years.
In the semifinals, Stepanek will face Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic. He advanced when Nicolas Almagro retired with an apparent wrist problem while the Serb led 6-1, 1-0.
The Rome Masters is a tuneup for the French Open, which begins May 25.
In the other half of the draw, sixth-seeded Andy Roddick eliminated No. 14 Tommy Robredo 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (7-4). His semifinal opponent will be Stanislas Wawrinka, who rallied past eighth-seeded James Blake 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-5), 6-1.
Serena Williams' 17-match winning streak ended with a 2-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7-5) loss to Dinara Safina in the German Open quarterfinals in Berlin. In the semifinals, Safina will face 18-year-old Victoria Azarenka, who ousted 15th-seeded Alona Bondarenko 7-6 (7-2), 6-2.
Top-ranked Justine Henin has withdrawn from next week's Italian Open, citing fatigue, and the WTA Tour said she will be fined $20,000 for the late withdrawal.
Rejecting pleas from its players and coach, the Spanish tennis federation chose Madrid's bullring as the venue for the Davis Cup semifinal series in September against the United States. The Spanish team said Madrid's 2,100-foot altitude will remove the squad's home-court advantage.
TRACK AND FIELD
It came as little surprise that American Allyson Felix dominated the sprints at the Doha Super Grand Prix in Qatar, winning the 100 meters in a personal-best 10.93 seconds and the 400 in 49.83.
David Oliver's winning time in the 110-meter hurdles was much more of a shock. The American won in 12.95 seconds, 0.07 off the world record held by China's Liu Xiang and the eighth-best time in history. Oliver bettered his personal best by a whopping 0.13.
NFL
The Green Bay Packers released Koren Robinson, the latest setback for the veteran wide receiver trying to resurrect his career after serving an NFL suspension and jail time.
Not long after Green Bay signed the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Robinson in 2006, the league suspended him for a year for alcohol-related problems. He sought treatment that included attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and taking a drug that would make him sick if he drank alcohol again.
The Patriots recorded signals of the Dolphins' offensive signals during a game in 2001, a league source confirmed, although it is uncertain whether the taping will result in further sanctions against New England and/or coach Bill Belichick. ESPN.com reported yesterday that one of the tapes submitted by former Patriots video employee Matt Walsh included the offensive signals. Previously, it was believed the Patriots had taped only opposing teams' defensive signals.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Last year's Pacific Life Holiday Bowl produced an economic impact of $30.3 million in direct and indirect spending, according to a study by the San Diego State Center for Hospitality and Tourism Research. The study said the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl produced an impact of $11.2 million.
Attendance for the Holiday and Poinsettia Bowls was 64,020 and 39,129, respectively. In 2006, the Holiday's measured impact was $34.2 million. The Poinsettia's was $6.8 million.
In recent years, the Holiday has received nearly $400,000 annually from city hotel room tax revenues as part of the city's efforts to promote tourism.
Alabama coach Nick Saban said sophomore linebacker Rolando McClain was involved in a motorcycle accident in Decatur, Ala., but sustained only minor injuries.
Jackson State coach Rick Comegy said he is attempting to lure dismissed LSU quarterback Ryan Perrilloux to campus for a visit in hopes of signing the troubled player.
HORSE RACING
Big Brown has not scared off all the 3-year-old horses with his overpowering victory in the Kentucky Derby.
The probable field for next Saturday's Preakness Stakes at Pimlico grew to 13 yesterday, with only fifth-place Derby finisher Recapturetheglory taking another shot at the unbeaten colt trained by Rick Dutrow Jr.
Hey Byrn and Icabad Crane were the latest confirmed starters, joining fellow new shooters Behindatthebar, Giant Moon, Kentucky Bear, Racecar Rhapsody, Riley Tucker, Stevil, Tres Borrachos and Yankee Bravo. Harlem Rocker remained a possible starter.
It will be at least two weeks before additional information is known about what caused Eight Belles to break down in the Kentucky Derby, the filly's owner, Rick Porter, said. A lab at the University of Kentucky has begun to examine the body of the horse that was euthanized following her runner-up finish to Big Brown in the Derby.
JUDO
Valerie Gotay won the gold medal in the women's 66-kilogram weight class of the Pan American Judo Championships in Miami, defeating former Cuban world champion Yurileidys Lupetey along the way. The San Diego native, who was on 1992 U.S. roster in Barcelona before an illness forced her to withdraw, beat Argentina's Oritia Gonzalez to win the United States' first gold and only medal of the day. USA Judo has collected three medals – one bronze, one silver, and one gold – in the first two days of competition.
BOXING
Samuel Peter will defend his WBC heavyweight title in the fall against unretired former champion Vitali Klitschko after the fighters' camps reached a financial agreement for the long-awaited fight.
COURTS AND CRIME
A California Highway Patrol captain has been placed on leave while authorities investigate whether he tampered with a speeding ticket issued to Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf.
Ken Rosenberg is accused of removing the ticket filed by an officer who stopped Getzlaf on March 14 after he was spotted driving about 84 mph on a toll road.
New England Patriots defensive back Willie Andrews entered a plea to a marijuana possession charge but won't face any prison time. He admitted in court there was enough evidence to convict him at trial but did not plead guilty.
Donald Charles Elam, the older brother of New York Jets safety Abram Elam, was fatally shot in Riviera Beach, Fla., the third sibling in the family to die by gunfire since 1987.
Auto magnate Norman Braman's lawsuit challenging a huge Miami project that includes a new stadium for the Florida Marlins will go to trial in July.
MISCELLANY
Russia's Yulia Pakalina and Anastasia Pozdniakova won the 3-meter synchronized event at the USA Diving Grand Prix in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., with a score of 316.62 points . . . The U.S. women's soccer team will play exhibitions in Norway on July 2 and in Sweden three days later as it prepares to defend its Olympic gold medal at the Beijing Games . . . Argentine cyclist Maximiliano Richeze tested positive for steroid use in a recent race and has been excluded from the Giro d'Italia, which begins today with a team time trial in Palermo, Sicily.
– FROM NEWS SERVICES
