Off the wire

LITTLE ROCK — TENNIS

Serena seeded No. 2 for Open

Defending champion Serena Williams was seeded No. 2 for the U.S.Open on Tuesday, behind Dinara Safina, because the tournament stuck to its policy of strictly following the rankings. Twotime U.S. Open champion Venus Williams is No. 3. The draw will be announced Thursday, and the tournament begins Monday.Safina is No. 1 in the WTA computer, which calculates rankings based on performances across tournaments over the preceding 52 weeks. The younger sister of former men's No. 1 Marat Safin is still seeking her first Grand Slam title. She is 0-3 in major finals, including a loss to Williams at the Australian Open in January. Williams has won three of the past four Grand Slam singles championships and 11 overall, the most among active women. She will be seeking her fourth U.S. Open title. Tournament director Jim Curley said the U.S. Tennis Association did discuss the possibility of moving Williams ahead of Safina. "The U.S. Open has the prerogative of altering its seedings; it's something we have not availed ourselves of in quite some time," Curley said. "We certainly spoke about it, but it never got to the point where we were seriously intending to not follow the rankings." Since 1997, the USTA has matched its seedings to the ATP and WTA rankings. "The players do earn their rankings over a 12-month period, both at Grand Slams and non-Grand Slam events. At theend of the day, whether you're seeded No. 1 or seeded No. 2 at the U.S. Open, it really doesn't matter. You're either at the top of the draw or the bottom of the draw, and the rest of the draw is determined by a coin toss," Curley said. "From a competition perspective, there really isn't any difference being seeded 1 or 2." Roger Federer was seeded No. 1 for the fifth time at the year's last Grand Slam tournament. He is ranked No. 1 and has won the U.S. Open five years in a row. After Federer are 2008 U.S. Open runner-up Andy Murray, six-time major champion Rafael Nadal, 2007 U.S. Open runner-up Novak Djokovic and 2003 U.S. Open champion Andy Roddick.

Top-seeded and eighth-ranked Nikolay Davydenko won a 22-point tiebreaker in a 53-minute first set and beat American Robert Kendrick 7-6 (10), 6-3 to advance to the third round of the Pilot Pen tournament in New Haven, Conn. Rajeev Ram ousted fellow American Mardy Fish 6-3, 6-3. Fish, a finalist the past two years in New Haven, has been hampered by an abdominal injury suffered in Davis Cup competition in July. Second-seeded Fernando Verdasco of Spain advanced with a 6-0, 6-3 victory over Paul Capdeville. Thirdseeded Tommy Robredo of Spain was upset 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (5) by Jose Acasuso. Americans Taylor Dentfell to Russian Igor Kunitsyn 6-3, 6-4, and American Kevin Kim lost to Russian Igor Andreev 6-3, 6-1. In the women's draw, defending champion and ninth-ranked Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark beat Edina Gallovits of Romania 6-0, 6-0, winning 20 of the final 21 points in a 19-minute first set before taking 24 minutes to finish off the match. Amelie Mauresmo advanced with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Alona Bondarenko and third-seeded Flavia Pennetta defeated Ioana Raluca Olaru of Romania 6-1, 6-2.

GOLF

Jackson medalist at Amateur

Tim Jackson of Germantown, Tenn., shot a second-round 2-over-par 72 on Tuesday at Cedar Ridge Country Club to leave him at par 140 for medalist honors at the U.S. Amateurin Tulsa, even after he was assessed a one-shot penalty for slow play. The 50-year-old became the oldest player in the history of the tournament to lead after stroke play. Ben Martin of Greenwood, S.C. (68 at Southern Hills Country Club), Mark Anderson of Beaufort, S.C. (70 at Cedar Ridge) and Will Strickler of Gainesville, Fla. (72 at Southern Hills) were one stroke back at 141. The top 64 in the field of 312 move into match play today at Southern Hills Country Club, with the 36-hole final set for Sunday. The cutoff score was 8 over. Brian Whittle (UALR) shot an 8-over 78 at Southern Hills for an 11-over 151. Ash Alstadt (Little Rock) shot a 13-over 83 at Cedar Ridge for a 35-over 175.

FOOTBALL Little, LeBeau finalists for hall

Former Denver Broncos running back Floyd Little and Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau are finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. The hall's seniors committee Tuesday chose the 67-year-old Little, who gained more than 12,000 total yards in the NFL, and the 71-year-old LeBeau, a star defensive back before becoming a coach. LeBeau played for 14 years for the Detroit Lions and has been a coach for 37, including head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals. Le-Beau intercepted 62 passes, which ranks seventh all time. They will join 15 modern-era candidates on the list of finalists for the 2010 class, which will be voted on Feb. 6 at the Super Bowl in Miami.

T.J. Turner, a former Miami Dolphins defensive end and nose tackle and All-Southwest Conference player at Houston, has died of complications from a stroke. He was 46. Turner's death was confirmed by Tims Funeral Home in Lufkin, Texas. The Lufkin Daily News said he died Monday at a Bryan, Texas, hospital after a stroke last week. Turner played seven seasons for the Dolphins from 1986-1992, compiling 16 sacks in101 career games. The Dolphins drafted him in the third round in 1986.

BASKETBALL Ex-NBA ref jailed

Former NBA referee Ti m Donaghy, 42, was back behind bars Tuesday, accused of violating his federal probation by not showing up for work, the U.S. Marshals Service said. Donaghy was being held without bond a day after his arrest at a halfway house in Tampa, Fla., where he was finishing his 15-month sentence for gambling charges. Jail records said Donaghy is in sales at the Sarasota, Fla.-based beverage company ShotPak. A New York judge sentenced Donaghy last year after the referee said he took thousands of dollars from a professional gambler in exchange for inside tips on NBA games - including games he worked. Donaghy said he was a gambling addict. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in wire fraud and transmitting betting information through interstate commerce in the tips-for-payoffs scheme. He was released from a federal prison in Pensacola, Fla., to the halfway house in June. He was scheduled for release in October.

HORSE RACING Derby winner on hold

Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird still needs medical clearance before he runs in the $1 million Travers Stakes for 3-year-olds Saturday at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Mine That Bird had minor throat surgery last week. Trainer Chip Woolley said he and the owners don't want to take any chances with the health of the 3-year-old gelding. After Mine That Bird returned from a Tuesday morning workout at Saratoga Race Course, Woolley said his Derby winner was fine after being examined. Another exam will be done this morning, just before entries are taken for the Travers.