Times wires
Thursday, May 5, 2011
tennis
Djokovic ties lendl's third-best streak
MADRID — Novak Djokovic extended his season-opening winning streak to 29 matches Thursday at the Madrid Open, equaling the best start in men's tennis in 25 years.
The Australian Open champion won all 21 of his first service points to defeat Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-1, 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal also advanced. Andy Murray lost to Thomaz Bellucci 6-4, 6-2.
Djokovic, who is 31-0 since last year's Davis Cup final, is tied for third with Ivan Lendl for the best season start since 1980. John McEnroe won 42 straight to start the 1984 season, and Bjorn Borg won 33 in a row to start the 1980 season.
"I know I'm playing great now, but there is always something you can improve on. You can never be perfect," said Djokovic, who today faces David Ferrer.
In women's play, top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki lost to Julia Goerges for the second straight tournament, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3. Bethanie Mattek-Sands secured the biggest win of her career as the 41st-ranked American knocked out French Open champion Francesca Schiavone 7-6 (7-5), 6-3.
venus enters Wimbledon warmup: Venus Williams agreed to play in a Wimbledon warmup tournament, the Eastbourne International from June 11-18, for the first time since 1998. She is next due to play at the Brussels Open, the last tournament before the French Open begins May 22.
running
First Gaza Strip event raises money for kids
Nader al-Masri, a 31-year-old Palestinian who ran in the 5,000 meters at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and is training for the 2012 London Games, won the Gaza Strip's first marathon. He finished in 2 hours, 47 minutes, 47 seconds, short of his goal of 2½ hours. "There is the New York Marathon, the London Marathon, the Tel Aviv Marathon, and now there is also the Gaza Marathon," said Chris Gunness, spokesman for the U.N. body that organized the fundraising event for Gazan children.
et cetera
broadcasting: Gus Johnson, a play-by-play mainstay for CBS Sports during the NCAA Tournament for 16 years, has parted ways with the network after the sides couldn't reach a new deal, Sports Illustrated reported on its website. He was a candidate to broadcast the NFL Network's Thursday night games, but longtime ESPN announcer Brad Nessler landed the job.
boxing: Floyd Mayweather Jr. faces misdemeanor harassment charges, accused of threatening two homeowners association security guards in a parking dispute at his Las Vegas home.
soccer: Reigning MLS MVP David Ferreira of Dallas had surgery for a broken right ankle. It's unclear how long he will be out. … Former U.S. national team star Tab Ramos will lead the American under-20 team on a trip to France this month in place of Thomas Rongen, who has been removed as coach. … Braga and Porto will meet in an all-Portuguese final of the Europa Cup, Europe's No. 2 club tournament. Radamel Falcao broke Juergen Klinsmann's 15-year-old record with his 16th goal of the tournament as Porto lost 3-2 at Villarreal but advanced on 7-4 aggregate. Braga beat Benfica 1-0. The final is May 18 at Dublin.
politics: A three-judge panel of the Philadelphia-based U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that track legend Carl Lewis' name should be included on ballots for the 8th Legislative District Democratic state Senate primary in New Jersey. The panel didn't rule on whether he's eligible for office.
basketball: Kentucky coach John Calipari will coach the national team of the Dominican Republic.
Times wires