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Roddick shows a return to form

By TIMES WIRES
Published August 21, 2006

MASON, Ohio - Andy Roddick got down on his chest and placed his lips on the blue tennis court that was pockmarked by his latest barrage of aces.

The 23-year-old American won his first championship in more than a year Sunday, beating Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-3, 6-4 at the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters to complete his remarkable comeback from injury and futility.

"It was kind of a relief," Roddick said. "This is a special place for me, and I definitely wanted to share it with whoever I could in the crowd."

For most of the year, the former U.S. Open champion and No.1 player has been lost in the crowd. His flameout at Wimbledon brought suggestions his career was on the downswing.

Just when he started playing well again last month, he strained his side and couldn't serve, sidelining him for two weeks. With the U.S. Open approaching, he was erased from the short list of players who might beat defending champion Roger Federer.

He has put his name back on the list.

"I'm going to play well," he said. "That much I know. Right now, I like my chances as much as anybody not named Roger. I'm just happy to be playing well again. It's been a while."

ROGERS CUP: Ana Ivanovic advanced to the final with a rain-interrupted 6-1, 6-4 victory over Dinara Safina in Toronto. The players completed a match that was suspended due to rain Saturday night. Ivanovic takes on former world No.1 Martina Hingis in the final, which was moved to today because of more bad weather.

U.S. OPEN: Defending champion Kim Clijsters pulled out of the tournament, which begins Aug. 28, with a left wrist injury.

SWIMMING

Phelps wins fifth gold

Michael Phelps powered past American teammate Ryan Lochte on the final lap to win the 200-meter individual medley in world-record time, touching in 1 minute, 55.84 seconds for his fifth gold medal at the Pan Pacific Championships in Victoria, British Columbia.

Phelps won six medals, including five gold, and set world records in the 200 IM, 200 butterfly and 400 freestyle relay. His only loss was to teammate Aaron Peirsol in the 200 backstroke.

Whitney Myers upset American teammate Katie Hoff in the 200 individual medley, finishing in 2:10.11 and denying Hoff a third individual gold medal.

TRACK AND FIELD

Dismay over Jones

America's top female sprinters, defending their sport, said it was disappointing to hear Marion Jones had failed a doping test.

Allyson Felix, the world 200-meter champion and silver medalist at the Athens Olympics in 2004, said she was dismayed when she heard reports of Jones failing an initial doping test at the U.S. championships in June.

"There are a lot of young girls who are coming up in athletics, like I was, and a lot of them look up to Marion, so I do hope it's not true," Felix said after winning the 200 in 22.19 seconds at the Birmingham (England) International.

Jones' "A" sample from the championships in Indianapolis, where she won the 100, came back positive for the performance-enhancer EPO, various news organizations reported. If a second "B" test is positive, Jones could face a minimum two-year ban.

COLLEGES

Ex-Miami star dies

Dick Hickox, who led Miami basketball to its highest national ranking, died Friday in Miami. He was 68.

Mr. Hickox scored 1,529 points during three seasons at Miami, and averaged 19.4 points. During the 1959-60 season he led the Hurricanes to a 23-3 record and a No.8 national ranking.

ELSEWHERE: Two goals from junior forward KeLeigh Hudson helped visiting Florida defeat UCF 3-1 in a women's soccer exhibition. . . . Georgia football coach Mark Richt named senior Joe Tereshinski the team's starting quarterback over redshirt freshman Joe Cox.

ET CETERA

HORSE RACING: Siren Lure came into the stretch four-wide and rallied late to win the $300,000 Pat O'Brien Breeders' Cup Handicap by 2¼ lengths over Pure as Gold at Del Mar, Calif. Later in the day, Lava Man became the first horse to sweep Southern California's big three Grade I handicaps in the same year, taking the lead in the middle of the far turn and winning the $1-million Pacific Classic by 2½ lengths. . . . Flamethrowintexan held off a challenge from Papi Chullo to win the $250,000 Longacres Mile in Auburn, Wash.

SOCCER: Wayne Rooney scored twice, leading Manchester United in its English Premier League opener to a 5-1 rout of visiting Fulham. ... In MLS, Andy Herron scored in the 24th minute as visiting Chicago beat New England 1-0. Landon Donovan and Santino Quaranta scored in the first half to lead Los Angeles past FC Dallas 2-0. . . . Former England World Cup coach Bobby Robson will have surgery Wednesday to remove a brain tumor. Robson, 73, has beaten cancer three times. . . . Rogerio Ceni scored off a free kick and converted a penalty kick in Sao Paulo's 2-2 draw against Cruzeiro in the Brazilian league, passing Jose Luis Chilavert of Paraguay for first on the all-time goalie's scoring list with his 64th goal.

OBITUARY: Alexander C. Cushing, founder and chairman of Squaw Valley USA near Lake Tahoe, Calif., one of the world's largest and best known ski resorts, died at his summer home in Newport, R.I., the resort announced. He was 92.

[Last modified August 21, 2006, 01:45:35]