In brief

Johansson ousted in Portugal

By wire services
Published April 28, 2005

OEIRAS, Portugal - Third-seeded Joachim Johansson of Sweden lost 6-2, 6-4 to Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in the Estoril Open on Wednesday. Second-seeded Gaston Gaudio of Argentina moved into the quarterfinals with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Michal Tabara of the Czech Republic. On the women's side, second-seeded Dinara Safina celebrated her 19th birthday with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Claudine Schaul of Luxembourg in a delayed first-round match.

Johansson was going for his third title of the season.

Kim Clijsters advanced to the quarterfinals of the J&S Cup by beating Russian teenager Maria Kirilenko 6-2, 6-1 in Warsaw. Second-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia, a 2004 finalist in this tourney, struggled before overcoming Israel's Anna Smashnova 6-2, 4-6, 6-0. ... The first top-level men's tournament to be hosted in Vietnam will come to Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon, from Sept. 26-Oct. 2. Two courts have yet to be constructed as part of the 5,000-seat main stadium for the $380,000 indoor ATP event.

Tunney Hunsaker, 75, who lost to Muhammad Ali in the boxing great's first professional fight, died Monday at an extended-care home after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. Hunsaker was Fayetteville's police chief when he lost a decision to then 18-year-old Cassius Clay, at Louisville's Freedom Hall on Oct. 29, 1960. Hunsaker was a journeyman heavyweight who had fought more than 30 bouts.

Italian sprinter Mario Cipollini retired from cycling yesterday after 17 seasons as a professional and a record 42 Giro d'Italia stage wins. Cipollini, 38, was known as the Lion King and Super Mario. He had quit for two months in the summer of 2002. He made his latest announcement 11 days before Italy's elite race begins.

Known for his love of flashy clothing and fast cars, Cipollini won 12 Tour de France stages and became world champion in 2002. He is the only rider in the past six years to deprive Lance Armstrong, the record six-time Tour de France champion, the annual Velo d'Or award for the top cyclist.

While racers such as Armstrong aim for overall victory in the sport's biggest events, sprinters target stage wins.

Chelsea was held to a 0-0 draw by visiting Liverpool in a semifinal opener of soccer's Champions League, only the second time it has failed to score in the tournament this season. Frank Lampard had the Premiership leader's best chance at its Stamford Bridge stadium as he volleyed over from six yards. Liverpool's Milan Baros tested goalkeeper Petr Cech with a 15-yard header.

Team Shosholoza became the first syndicate to launch a new sloop for the 2007 America's Cup. The yacht, Shosholoza RSA 83, is the first America's Cup Class yacht to be designed and built in South Africa, and the first to be built under the Version 5.0 rule for the 2007 America's Cup, which will be held in Valencia, Spain. ... ESPN announced that a five-year agreement was reached to keep the X-Games action sports competition in Los Angeles through 2009. The summer event was previously moved every two years in an effort to attract new fans. ESPN executive Ron Semiao said touring was no longer needed, and placing the X Games in the nation's second-largest media market would allow for increased exposure and stability. ... About 20,000 athletes will take part in the 111th Penn Relays, which begin today at Franklin Field in Philadelphia. Shawn Crawford, the 200 gold-medal winner in Athens, Coby Miller and Allyson Felix are also expected to compete in the "USA vs. the World" relay, which Team USA has swept the past two years.

[Last modified April 28, 2005, 01:19:11]