Sports

In brief

Federer tops Santoro with tiebreakers

Compiled from staff and wire reports
Published January 5, 2006

---

DOHA, Qatar - Top-ranked Roger Federer needed two tiebreakers to beat Fabrice Santoro 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-5) Wednesday and reach the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open.

Federer, the reigning Qatar champion, will face Marcos Baghdatis , who defeated eighth-seeded Feliciano Lopez 6-1, 3-6, 7-5.

In a match where neither player broke serve, Federer used his powerful serve to prevail in the tiebreakers.

"Fabrice is a totally different player from the other guys on the tour," Federer said. "No one plays the forehand chip these days. You have to play him with your mind rather than strength, and you sometimes tend to get caught in between."

Santoro, a two-time champion in Qatar, frustrated Federer by slowing down the tempo and relying on deft placement rather than power. But the Frenchman couldn't cope with his opponent's stronger shots.

SERENA LOSES: Serena Williams won only four games in a 6-3, 6-1 loss to Elena Dementieva at the Champions Challenge exhibition tournament in Hong Kong.

OLYMPICS: Women's soccer agrees to labor deal

Players on the American women's soccer team could earn $200,000 each in years they win the Olympics or World Cup under a labor contract finalized through 2012.

SKI JUMPING: Lars Bystoel got the first victory of his World Cup career Wednesday by taking the third event of the Four Hills ski jumping tour. Bystoel had jumps of 127 meters and 129.5 meters for 264.7 points.

AUTOS: Elliott back to Daytona

Two-time Daytona 500 champion Bill Elliott will enter the race this year in a car fielded by MB2 Motorsports. The 1988 NASCAR Cup champion has run a limited schedule the past two seasons. His last Daytona 500 appearance was in 2003, when he finished 34th.

RACE POSTPONED: The A1 Grand Prix race in Indonesia was postponed because of the death of Sheik Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai and uncle of the series founder.

COLLEGES: Bulls soccer adds two

USF's men's soccer team, solidifying its position as a Big East title contender and national power next fall, added two midyear recruits in midfielders Marc Doherty, a Parade All-American from Newtown, Conn., and Neven Subotic, a member of the U.S. national under-17 team in Bradenton.

Subotic, a 6-foot-4, 175-pound defensive midfielder who scored five goals for the U-17 team, chose the Bulls over Clemson, Dartmouth and Boston College.

"He'll be a huge asset for USF," said former Bulls coach John Hackworth, who coached the Bosnian-born prospect on the national team. "He has great size, is technically very gifted and brings a great work ethic to their program."

Doherty, who led his team to a state title as a junior and a national ranking this season, is also a defensive midfielder who will complement the Bulls' returning scorers.

"Everything really goes through him. He controls the run of the game," said his high school coach, Brian Neumeyer.

ET CETERA

HORSES: Danzig, a 29-year-old son of the great Northern Dancer who grew up to be an internationally influential sire himself, was euthanized Tuesday morning because of the infirmities of old age. Only one American stallion, the late Nureyev, also a son of Northern Dancer, has a higher percentage of stakes winners.

SOCCER: Ahmed Mido and Robbie Keane scored as Tottenham beat Manchester City 2-0 to boost its chances of qualifying for the Champions League. ... Trinidad's soccer federation asked the government for nearly $9-million to prepare for the country's first World Cup.

Times staff writer Greg Auman contributed to this report, which was compiled from Times wires.

[Last modified January 5, 2006, 01:19:08]