2008-05-10 02:10:09 -

TENNIS
ROME MASTERS: Federer loses his 6th match of year, falling to Stepanek
ROME _ Roger Federer lost his sixth match of the year, falling to 27th-ranked Radek Stepanek 7-6 (4), 7-6 (7) in the quarterfinals of the Rome Masters. BC-EU-SPT-TEN--ROME MASTERS. Has moved. By Andrew Dampf.
GERMAN OPEN: Safina ends Serena Williams' win streak
BERLIN _ Dinara Safina ended

Serena Williams' 17-match winning streak with a 2-6, 6-1, 7-6 (5) victory to reach the German Open semifinals. BC-EU-SPT-TEN--GERMAN OPEN. Has moved. By Roy Kammerer.
ALSO
_ ROME _ BC-EU-SPT-TEN--ITALIAN OPEN-HENIN OUT. Has moved.
_ MADRID, Spain _ BC-EU-SPT-TEN--SPAIN-DAVIS CUP VENUE. Has moved.
SOCCER
PREMIER LEAGUE: Grant still fuming over referee's call
COBHAM, England _ If Chelsea fails to overtake Manchester United for the Premier League title on Sunday, Avram Grant will know why. The manager of Chelsea, which must beat visiting Bolton on Sunday and hope that defending champion United slips up at Wigan, is still dwelling on an eight-month-old refereeing decision. BC-EU-SPT-SOC--CHELSEA-GRANT. Has moved. By Stuart Condie.
Manchester United reveal financial loss
LONDON _ Manchester United's strong season on the pitch has been marred by financial results showing the club posted a significant loss last year, has increased debt to its creditors and is yet to pay some transfer fees for its players. BC-EU-SPT-SOC--MAN UNITED-FINANCES. Has moved. By Jane Wardell.
WITH
_ MANCHESTER, England _ BC-EU-SPT-SOC--MAN UNITED-FERGUSON. Has moved. By Rob Harris.
Eriksson ready for last City game
MANCHESTER, England _ Manchester City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson is preparing for Sunday's match at Middlesbrough to be his last with the club. BC-EU-SPT-SOC--MAN CITY-ERIKSSON. Has moved. By Rob Harris.
ALSO
_ NEWCASTLE, England _ BC-EU-SPT-SOC--NEWCASTLE-KEEGAN. Has moved.
MATCH FIXING: Porto, 2 other clubs, punished in Portuguese match-fixing scandal
LISBON, Portugal _ Authorities relegated Boavista and deducted points from FC Porto and Leiria for attempting to fix league matches in Portuguese soccer's biggest ever scandal. BC-EU-SPT-SOC--PORTUGAL-MATCH-FIXING. Has moved. By Barry Hatton.
ALSO
_ PRAGUE, Czech Republic _ BC-EU-SPT-SOC--CZECH-ROSICKY OUT. Has moved. By Karel Janicek.
_ RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil _ BC-LA-SPT-SOC--BRAZIL-CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW. Has moved. By Peter Muello.
ATHLETICS
DOHA SUPER GRAND PRIX: Americans Felix, Oliver shine in Qatar
DOHA, Qatar _ Everyone knew about Allyson Felix. But David Oliver? He established himself as a hurdler to watch at the Beijing Olympics this summer by breaking the 13-second barrier over 110 meters. Felix broke 11 seconds in the 100 for the first time, and later also won the 400 at the first major international meet of the season. BC-ME-SPT-ATH--DOHA SUPER GRAND PRIX. Has moved. By Raf Casert.
RUGBY
OTAGO-AUCKLAND: Blues look for help from Kiwi rivals
DUNEDIN, New Zealand _ The Auckland Blues, still in the hunt for a semifinal spot, take on the playing-for-pride Otago Highlanders in an all-New Zealand Super 14 match at Carisbrook. BC-AS-SPT-RUGU--OTAGO-AUCKLAND. Expected by 1000 GMT.
WITH
BRISBANE, Australia _ BC-AS-SPT-RUGU--QUEENSLAND-CANTERBURY. Expected by 1200 GMT.
AUTO RACING
FORMULA ONE: Massa leads Ferrari sweep of Turkish GP practice sessions
ISTANBUL, Turkey _ Nothing seems to slow down Felipe Massa in Turkey. Two-time defending champion Massa led Ferrari's sweep of practice sessions for the Turkish Grand Prix as drivers struggled with technical problems in the deteriorating weather. BC-EU-SPT-CAR--F1-TURKISH GP. Has moved. By Paul Logothetis.
WITH
_ ISTANBUL, Turkey _ BC-EU-SPT-CAR--F1-WOMEN DRIVERS. Has moved. By Paul Logothetis.
INDY 500: Fast Dixon expects messy Indy 500 pole qualifying
INDIANAPOLIS _ In the past, there was usually little strategy involved in trying to win the pole for the Indianapolis 500. Just hold the gas pedal down and drive. Thanks to the qualifying format adopted two years ago, the opening day of time trials for the May 25 race could be a strategic nightmare. «This year, it's going to be such a mess,» said Scott Dixon, the fastest driver in this week's rain-abbreviated practice on the 2.5-mile (4.02-kilometer) Indy oval. BC-NA-SPT-CAR--IRL-INDY 500. Has moved. By Mike Harris.
WITH
_ INDIANAPOLIS _ BC-NA-SPT-CAR--IRL-INDY 500-ACCIDENTS. Has moved.
ALSO
_ DAKAR, Senegal _ BC-AF-SPT-CAR--NEW DAKAR. Has moved.
CYCLING

GIRO D'ITALIA: Italian dominance to be tested in Giro
MILAN, Italy _ The recent domination of the Giro d'Italia by cyclists from the host nation could be about to change as an especially strong field gets set to begin the 2008 edition. BC-EU-SPT-CYC--GIRO D'ITALIA PREVIEW. Has moved. By Eric Sylvers.
ICE HOCKEY
WORLDS: Russia defeats Belarus 4-3 in shootout to remain undefeated
QUEBEC CITY _ Maxim Afinogenov scored two goals, Alex Ovechkin added another and Alexei Morozov had the winner in the shootout to give Russia a 4-3 victory over Belarus in a qualifying-round game at hockey's world championship. BC-NA-SPT-HKY--WORLDS. Has moved.
GOLF
ITALIAN OPEN: McGowan, Ruiz share lead after 1st round of Italian Open; Daly 3 shots back
MILAN, Italy _ Robert Karlsson of Sweden shot a course record 11-under 61 to take the lead after the second round of the Italian Open. BC-EU-SPT-GLF--ITALIAN OPEN. Has moved.
PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP: Youth gives way to experience
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida _ Kenny Perry, who first showed up at Sawgrass 20 years ago, kept his wits and his patience in 35-mph (56-kph) gusts and made only one bogey in a solid round of 2-under 70 that gave him a one-shot lead going into the weekend at The Players Championship. BC-NA-SPT-GLF--PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP. Has moved. By Doug Ferguson.
MICHELOB ULTRA OPEN: Rain plagues second round of LPGA
WILLIAMSBURG, Virginia _ Rain delays plagued the second day of the Michelob Ultra Open, where Annika Sorenstam and Lorena Ochoa entered the round high on the leaderboard. BC-NA-SPT-GLF--MICHELOB ULTRA OPEN. Expected to move after 0200 GMT. By Hank Kurz Jr.
BOXING
WBC HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE: Peter reaches deal to fight Vitali Klitschko
UNDATED _ Samuel Peter will defend his WBC heavyweight title in the fall against former champion Vitali Klitschko after the fighters' camps finally reached a financial agreement for the long-awaited fight. BC-NA-SPT-BOX--PETER-KLITSCHKO. Has moved. By Greg Beacham.
ALSO
_ UNDATED _ BC-NA-SPT-HKY--NHL ROUNDUP. Expected by 0700 GMT.
_ UNDATED _ BC-NA-SPT-BKB--NBA ROUNDUP. Expected by 0700 GMT.
_ UNDATED _ BC-NA-SPT-BBL--AL ROUNDUP. Expected by 0700 GMT.
_ UNDATED _ BC-NA-SPT-BBL--NL ROUNDUP. Expected by 0700 GMT.
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