Times wires
Monday, March 14, 2011
Tennis
nadal, wozniacki have it easy
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Top-ranked Rafael Nadal breezed past American qualifier Ryan Sweeting 6-3, 6-1 in a third-round match as the second week of the BNP Paribas Open began Monday. Nadal improved to 28-4 in his career at Indian Wells, where he has won twice.
Women's top seed Caroline Wozniacki advanced with a 6-1, 6-3 victory against Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez. Other women's winners included No. 8 Victoria Azarenka, No. 9 Agnieszka Radwanska and No. 16 Maria Sharapova. Sharapova beat 20th-seeded Aravene Rezai 6-2, 6-2 as the Russian star returns to the WTA Tour after a five-week absence because of illness.
There were two upsets on the men's side: fourth-seeded Robin Soderling and No. 11 seed Nicolas Almagro. Soderling fell to No. 32 seed Philipp Kohlschreiber, 7-6 (10-8), 6-4 after holding five set points in the tiebreaker; 23rd-seeded Albert Montanes took out Almagro 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.
Soccer
AC Milan forward suspended for punch
AC Milan forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been suspended for three games for punching Bari's Marco Rossi in the stomach and will miss the match against second-place Inter Milan on April 3.
Ibrahimovic was given a red card for hitting Rossi in the 73rd minute of Sunday's 1-1 tie after the defender beat him to a header.
Milan holds a five-point lead over Inter in the Italian league with nine matches remaining. The league also banned Lazio defender Stefan Radu for three matches for head-butting Roma midfielder Fabio Simplicio on Sunday.
Colleges
Stetson to resume football in 2013
Football is returning to Stetson University after a 55-year hiatus beginning in 2013.
The school announced the sport's return a year after a feasibility study to determine if it could increase enrollment and interest enough to sustain a program. Women's lacrosse will also join Stetson's current roster of 14 men's and women's sports teams in 2013.
Stetson previously fielded a team from 1901 to 1956. Its new team will be nonscholarship and a member of the football-only Pioneer League.
ET CETERA
Autos: Michael Andretti's Andretti Autosport is teaming with Richard Petty to field a car for his cousin John Andretti in the Indianapolis 500. John Andretti will run in the Indy 500 for the third straight year May 29 under a deal with Petty and sponsor Window World.
Times wires