Off the wire

— TENNIS

Top seed survives upset bid

Top-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova needed a third-set tiebreaker to advance to the Pilot Pen quarterfinals in New Haven, Conn., with a 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (2) victory Wednesday over Belgian Yanina Wickmayer. The French Open champion seemed to be cruising after taking 5-4 lead in the second with a match point on Wickmayer's serve. But the 19-year-old rallied, then broke Kuznetsova in the seventh game of the third set, and was serving for the match. Kuznetsova came up with two big returns to break back, then dominated the tiebreaker.

Hard-serving Sam Querrey won the U.S. Open Series championship by moving into the quarterfinals of the Pilot Pen with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Bjorn Phau of Germany. The series ranks players using a points system based on their play in 10 selected tournaments throughout the year. The victory gives Querrey 145 series points, enough to tie Andy Murray, who is not playing in New Haven. Querrey wins the title because he has 14 match victories in series events, to eight for Murray. The title gives Querrey a chance to earn a bonus of between $15,000 and $1 million, to be determined by his finish in the U.S. Open. Querrey will play topseeded Nikolay Davydenko in the quarterfinals. The Russian advanced in straight sets, 7-5, 6-3 over Fabrice Santoro of France. Santoro, who is in his 20th season on tour, plans to retire after the U.S. Open. Second-seed Fernando Verdasco also won in straight sets, 7-6 (2), 6-2 over Andreas Seppi, in a night match that was halted twice by rain in the second set.

BASKETBALL

Grambling State player dies

A junior college player who recently signed with Grambling State has died after he became ill at a preseason practice more than a week ago. Grambling spokesman Ralph Wilson said 21-yearold Henry White died at a Shreveport hospital Wednesday. Grambling said in a statement he became ill Aug. 14 after conditioning. The statementsays Grambling is investigating what may have contributed to White's death. The 6-6 guard played last season at Hill Junior College in Texas. White was a prep standout at Washington High in Milwaukee. He played his freshman year at Marshalltown Community College in Iowa before transferring to Hill College.

HORSE RACING

Fiddlers Afleet wins Albany

Fiddlers Afleet held off a determined Slevin to win the $150,000 Albany Stakes by a neck Wednesday at Saratoga Race Course. Ramon Dominguez rode the Mike Hushiontrained winner in the third leg of the OTB Big Apple Triple for 3-year-olds bred in New York. The winners of the first two legs - Legal Consent, who took the Mike Lee Stakes at Belmont Park, and Pocket Cowboys, winner ofthe New York Derby at Finger Lakes - did not place in the Albany. Fiddlers Afleet ran 1 1 /8 miles in 1:49.78 and paid $3.60, $2.90 and $2.20. Slevin paid $3.90 and $3.40 and Summer Share, third of six, paid $4.90.

Skyrush rallied to win Wednesday's $89,930 Harry F. Brubaker Stakes by a neck in his U.S. debut at Del Mar. Ridden by Martin Pedroza, Argentine-bred Skyrush covered 1 1/16 miles on the turf in 1:40.77 and paid $25.20, $8.60 and $4.20 at 11-1 odds. Racketeer returned $8.40 and $3.80, while Tiz West was another 2 lengths back in third and paid $3.20 to show.

Congressional Page took the lead in mid-stretch and drew off for a 2-length victory in the $42,000 allowance feature at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J. Congressional Page covered the 6 furlongs in 1:10 and paid $6.80, $4.40 and $3.20. The 4-year-old son of Orientate is unbeaten in three careerstarts. The Last Wave finished second and paid $5 and $3.60. Favored Our Honor was another 1 1 /2 lengths back in third and was $2.20 to show.

BASEBALL Mets lose third pitcher to injury

The New York Mets have lost their third pitcher for the season in two days. Left-hander Oliver Perez will require season-ending surgery to repair patella tendon tendinosis in his right knee, the team said after he was examined Wednesday in New York. Perez is expected to fully recover and be ready for spring training. He becomes the 13th Mets player on the disabled list, with the pitching staff especially hardhit this week. On Tuesday, the Mets announced ace Johan Santana and reliever J.J. Putz are out for the season. Santana needs surgery for bone chips in his elbow, while Putz had a setback in his recovery from elbow surgery and has been shut down as a preventative measure.

HOCKEY Islanders' Sillinger retires

New York Islanders center Mike Sillinger decided two hip operations were enough. The center who played for a record 12 teams during 17 seasons in the NHL is retiring because of an injured left hip. The 38-year-old forward played in only seven games last season and had season-ending hip resurfacing surgery in January. In February 2008, he had a microfracture procedure on the hip that forced him to sit out the final 29 games of that season. Sillinger spent three years with the Islanders and his 42 goals and 87 points were his most with any NHL team.

The NHL is offering about $140 million to purchase the Phoenix Coyotes in U.S. Bankruptcy Court and would avoid a sticky issue still facing the case by accepting the existing lease to play in Glendale. The other bidder that would keep the team in Arizona, Ice Edge Holdings, did not include a figure in its bid, but its CEO Anthony LeBlanc said the partnership will offer up to $150 million.

BASEBALL Court: Investigators wrong to seize MLB drug list

SAN FRANCISCO - An appeals court ruled Wednesday that federal agents were wrong to seize the infamous drug list and samples of 104 Major League Baseball players who allegedly tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003.

In a 9-2 vote, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with three lower court judges who chastised investigators who had a warrant for only 10 drug test results as part of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO) investigation into Barry Bonds and others.

The panel said federal agents trampled on players' protections against unreasonable searches and seizures.

Chief Judge Alex Kozinski said the players' union had good reason to want to keep the list under wraps, citing leaks of players purportedly on the list.

"The risk to the players associated with disclosure, and with that the ability of the Players Association to obtain voluntary compliance withdrug testing from its members in the future, is very high," the judge wrote. "Indeed, some players appear to have already suffered this very harm as a result of the government's seizure."

New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez and Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz have acknowledged being on the list, and The New York Times has reported that the Los Angeles Dodgers' Manny Ramirez and Sammy Sosa also could be found on it.

The government seized the samples and records in April 2004. The list of 104 players said to have tested positive, attached to a grand jury subpoena, has been part of a fiveyear legal fight, with the players' union trying to force the government to return what federal agents took during raids.

U.S. attorney spokesman Jack Gillund in San Francisco said the government was reviewing its options, which could include an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Sports, Pages 16 on 08/27/2009

Upcoming Events