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As of 9:15 a.m. (et)
TENNIS
With 17 grand slam singles titles between them, either Serena or Venus
Williams will come out victorious Saturday as the sisters battle in the final
at Wimbledon. Counting Saturday, the two will have combined to win eight of
the 10 Wimbledon singles titles this decade. Second-seeded Serena and third-
seeded Venus will both be playing in their 14th career grand slam singles
final. Serena is 10-3, while Venus is 7-6. It will also be the fourth all-
Williams finale at the All-England Club. Last year, Venus topped her younger
sister, but Serena is 2-1 all-time in Wimbledon finals in the sibling rivalry.
Also, this will be the 21st meeting between the sisters, as the superstars
have split their first 20 matchups.
Five-time champion Roger Federer will appear in a men's record seventh
straight Wimbledon final on Sunday after defeating Tommy Haas in Friday's
semifinal action at Wimbledon. The iconic Federer is trying to become the
men's all-time leader in Grand Slam singles titles, as he's currently tied
with American great Pete Sampras at 14. The super Swiss equaled Sampras and
became the sixth man in history to complete a career Grand Slam when he titled
at the French Open last month. The second-seeded former world No. 1 Federer
topped a 24th-seeded Haas 7-6 (7-3), 7-5, 6-3 on another sun-filled day at the
All England Club. Federer would supplant Rafael Nadal atop the men's rankings
with a victory here on Sunday against sixth-seeded American Andy Roddick,
who emerged victorious 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (7-5) against crowd favorite
Brit Andy Murray. The third-seeded Murray was vying to become the first
British man to win the Wimbledon crown since Fred Perry in
1936. Roddick is in the final pairing for a third time, having previously
lost twice to Federer.
MLB
Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Manny Ramirez spoke to the media Friday,
prior to making his scheduled return to the majors following his 50-game
suspension. Ramirez played only 5 1/2 innings, going 0-for-3 with a walk, two
groundouts and a pop out, but the rest of his Dodger teammates picked up the
slack and used a five-run first inning to defeat the Padres, 6-3, in front of
a partisan crowd at Petco Park. Ramirez came to bat as the third hitter in
the first inning, and the 42,217 partisan fans erupted into a mixture of
jeers and applause and stood for the entire plate appearance, which ended in
a seven-pitch walk. The 12-time All-Star was suspended on May 7 after testing
positive for a performance-enhancing substance and was subsequently
banished from Major League Baseball until Friday. Although Ramirez apologized
for violating baseball's drug policy, he didn't delve into the details
surrounding his suspension, but the 12-time All-Star did say he was sorry to
the fans and his teammates.
NBA
Los Angeles Lakers head coach Phil Jackson, fresh off a record 10th NBA
Championship as a coach, announced on Friday he will return to the bench next
year for a 10th season in LA and 19th as an NBA head coach. There was some
speculation that Jackson would either decide to retire or coach an abbreviated
schedule based on health concerns. Jackson discussed those scenarios late last
month in an ESPN radio interview but later came to a decision along with
general manager Mitch Kupchak to be all in or step away. For Jackson, his 10th
championship surpassed the legendary Red Auerbach for the most in history.
Coaching his 300th career playoff game, Jackson also passed Bill Russell (11)
for most titles won by a player/coach as LA finished off Orlando in Game 5 of
the Finals last month. It was his fourth championship in Los Angeles, having
previously guided Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls to six titles in the
1990s.
Sharp-shooting forward Hedo Turkoglu appeared headed to the Portland Trail
Blazers on Friday afternoon, but by nightfall those talks apparently broke
off. In the latest turn of events, TNT basketball analyst David Aldridge
reported late Friday night that Turkoglu has verbally committed to a five-
year, $60 million contract with the Toronto Raptors, citing league sources.
According to the report, Toronto renounced its rights to forward Shawn Marion
and guards Anthony Parker and Carlos Delfino, freeing up enough salary cap
space to add the Turkish star. An Oregon newspaper originally reported
Turkoglu agreed to a five-year, $50 million contract with Portland, but
later in the day indicated he had rejected such an offer. The 30-year-old
Turkoglu, a first-round draft pick of Sacramento in 2000, had spent the
previous five years with the Magic and averaged 16.8 points, 5.3 rebounds
and 4.9 assists over 77 games last season. He helped the Magic into the NBA
Finals, but last week opted out of the final season of his deal that would
have paid him $7.3 million.
NHL
The initial frenzy surrounding the opening of NHL's free agency period has
cooled off somewhat but strategic signings continue to take place. Vancouver
inked free agent winger and former Red Wing Mikael Samuelsson to a three-year
contract on Friday, and the Pittsburgh Penguins brought back two-time
Stanley Cup winning forward Ruslan Fedotenko on a one-year deal. Still up in
the air is the fate of high-scoring free agent forward Dany Heatley, who is
being aggressively pursued by the Edmonton Oilers but has so far rebuffed
their interest.
Columbus Blue Jackets forward Rick Nash was signed to an eight-year extension
on Friday through the 2017-18 season. The deal is reportedly worth a total of
$62.4 million. The 25-year-old Nash, who is captain of the team, had 40 goals
and 39 assists over 78 games last season. The first overall pick of the 2002
draft, Nash has spent his entire six-season NHL career playing for Columbus
and has a franchise-record 194 goals to go with 161 assists over 441 games.
This past season, Nash helped Columbus to its first-ever postseason berth,
although the Blue Jackets were swept by the Detroit Red Wings in the opening
round.
The Los Angeles Kings boosted their offense on Friday, acquiring All-Star
forward Ryan Smyth from the Colorado Avalanche in a three-player deal. Smyth,
33, tied for the Avalanche lead in points last season with 59, posting 26
goals and 33 assists. Last season marked the ninth 20-goal season he has
recorded in his 14-year career. In his career, including stints with the Avs,
Isles and Oilers, Smyth has 310 career goals and 350 career assists in 920
regular season games. He also has 25 goals and 52 points in 81 career
postseason games. Heading to Colorado are defensemen Kyle Quincey, Tom
Preissing and a 2010 fifth-round selection. The 23-year-old Quincey led all
LA defenseman last season with 38 points in 72 games, while Preissing, 30,
had seven points in 22 games last season with the Kings.
GOLF
Tiger Woods nourished his momentum with a handful of scrambling par saves,
shooting a four-under 66 on Friday to take the second-round lead at the AT&T
National. Woods finished two trips around Congressional at 10-under 130 and
will carry a one-shot advantage into the weekend as he tries to win his
tournament for the first time. Australia's Rod Pampling shot a six-under 64,
one off his career record, and climbed into second place behind Woods at nine-
under 131. Defending champion Anthony Kim, after posting a course-record 62 in
the first round, fell to third place with a middling 70, remaining at eight-
under par. Jim Furyk had another steady round, carding a 67 to sit fourth at
seven-under 133.
AUTO RACING
Tony Stewart will be on the pole for Saturday night's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway. Rain wiped out Friday's
qualifying session, meaning the starting lineup was set by owner points, which
put Stewart on the pole for the second straight race. Last weekend, Stewart
was awarded the pole at New Hampshire after qualifying was rained out there.
Stewart currently holds a 69-point lead over Jeff Gordon, who will start on
the outside pole. Jimmie Johnson will roll off third, followed by Kurt Busch
and Carl Edwards.
CYCLING
When the Tour de France kicks off Saturday in Monaco with a 15-kilometer time
trial, it will begin with the much-anticipated return of seven-time champion
Lance Armstrong. Armstrong, who won the Tour a record seven consecutive times
from 1999-2005 after surviving cancer, returned to pro cycling in 2009 in part
to raise awareness of the disease and in part to win the Tour. The 37-year-old
Armstrong remains an intriguing contender for the yellow jersey. The American
finished 12th overall in his first-ever Giro d'Italia this May after coming
back from an early- season collarbone break, showing flashes of his old form
in support of Levi Leipheimer. He certainly has the experience to win. But his
success will depend on a number of factors, namely his own condition and that
of his teammates. Whereas Armstrong's Tour success was the focus of his U.S.
Postal/Discovery Channel cycling teams, his Astana squad is loaded with other
general classification contenders: Leipheimer, Alberto Contador, and Andreas
Kloden. Carlos Sastre heads into the race as the defending champion. Last year
he gave Spain its third straight win at the Tour de France.
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