DELRAY BEACH - Second-seeded Mardy Fish of Tampa, a silver medalist at the Athens Olympics, defeated qualifier Andres Pedroso 6-1, 6-2 Tuesday night in the first round of the Millennium International Tennis Championships.
Fish needed just 59 minutes to oust Pedroso, who qualified for his first ATP main draw this week.
Fish's win followed a victory by close friend James Blake of Tampa, who beat local wild-card entry Adrian Bohane 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. It was Blake's first ATP match win since April, when he reached the quarterfinals at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships in Houston.
It also was just the third ATP appearance by Blake since he sustained a neck injury in May. He also has battled the Zoster virus, which has wrought havoc with his balance and a facial nerve for the past two months.
GOLF: Women's final set
Virginia Derby Grimes, a two-time Curtis Cup player who had spinal fusion surgery in 2002, will face Corey Weworski in today's 18-hole championship match of the U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur. Grimes, 40, of Montgomery, Ala., who won this event in 1998, posted a 4-and-3 victory over 2002 champion Kathy Hartwiger of Birmingham, Ala., in the semifinals at Holston Hills Country Club in Knoxville, Tenn. Weworski, 42, of Carlsbad, Calif., rallied for a 1-up victory over former Arizona State standout Thuhashini Selvaratnam of Tempe, Ariz.
MOTORSPORTS: Indy 500 makes changes
The Indianapolis 500 will return to four days of qualifying for next year's race, but with a new format of bumping. The first 11 positions would be determined on the first day of qualifications, the next 11 on the second day, and the final 11 on the third day. The fourth day will be the traditional bump day, with the slowest qualifiers subject to being bumped from the field, regardless of the day they set their speed. Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Tony George also said the starting time of the race would be moved from 11 a.m. to noon in hopes of attracting a larger television audience.
COLLEGES: UF women top FSU again
Junior outside hitter Jane Collymore notched her sixth straight double-double (18 kills, 13 digs) while freshman outside hitter Marcie Hampton and senior setter Lauren Moscovic added double-doubles as No. 4 Florida defeated intrastate rival Florida State for the 13th consecutive time, 3-1 in Tallahassee.It also was the Gators' 27th straight win against teams from the state, and head coach Mary Wise improved to 63-2 all-time against state teams. The scores were 27-30, 30-16, 30-23, 30-18.
MORE VOLLEYBALL Host Saint Leo defeated Webber International 30-21, 30-25, 29-31, 30-25 in a nonconference meeting.
GOLF: Florida State placed 15th in the Cougar Fall Classic hosted by the College of Charleston at Hanahan, S.C. Sophomore Jaclyn Burch shot a career-low 228 for three rounds to lead the Seminoles and tie for 36th individually. LSU won the event.
SOCCER: Florida International junior midfielder Jared Rose of Tampa was named Atlantic Soccer Conference player of the week after scoring the tying goal to force overtime against North Carolina and assisting on the winning goal in a 2-1 victory.
ET CETERA
WNBA: Tina Thompson scored 27 and Sheryl Swoopes added 15 as host Houston ended a four-game losing streak and kept its playoff hopes with a 70-59 victory over the Minnesota Lynx. ... Cheryl Ford had 20 points and 13 rebounds and the Detroit Shock moved a step closer to the playoffs with an 82-71 overtime win over the visiting New York Liberty.
CYCLING: American David Zabriskie of the U.S. Postal Service team won the 103-mile 11th stage of the Spanish Vuelta from San Vicente de Raspeig to Caravaca de la Cruz while countryman and teammate Floyd Landis retained the overall lead.
