Off the wire

LITTLE ROCK — TENNIS Nadal wins Italian Open

Rafael Nadal showed he’s still the man to beat on clay, defeating Novak Djokovic 7-5, 6-3 Monday in Rome at a rain-delayed final to win his record sixth Italian Open and regain the No. 2 ranking. After losing to Djokovic in seven consecutive finals - including Rome last year -Nadal has now won two consecutive against the top-ranked Serb after also capturing the Monte Carlo Masters on clay. Nadal also moved ahead of Roger Federer in the rankings with the French Open starting Sunday. “I don’t think I played that well. I can do better,” Nadal said. “When you are not serving 100 percent perfect then you are in trouble because he returns hard. I am trying to play more aggressive and I am hitting the ball better than last year.” Djokovic made 41 unforced errors in this match. His double fault on the last point gave Nadal his 49th career title and his 35th on clay. “He is always the favorite even if I win against him seven times,” Djokovic said. “He is the best player in the world on this surface and the two wins I had gave me confidence and I think that the match today was quite close even if he won in straight sets.”

GOLF Kim to miss season

Anthony Kim will miss the rest of the FedEx Cup season to treat chronic tendinitis in his left arm. Kim has made only two cuts this year and has withdrawn from his past three tournaments. Along with nagging pain in his left forearm, Kim hurt his right elbow when his club struck a rock while he was trying to hit out of a bush at the Texas Open. Kim has three career PGA Tour victories and is 157th in the world rankings.

FOOTBALL

Former coach dead at 59

Former West Virginia Coach Bill Stewart, who was Rich Rodriguez’s successor, died Monday in Weston, W.Va., of what athletic department officials said was an apparent heart attack. He was 59. Stewart’s family notified the university and said Stewart had been out golfing with the longtime friend who hired him as head coach, former Athletic Director Ed Pastilong. Stewart went 28-12 in three seasons after taking over when Rodriguez left for Michigan after the 2007 regular season, but resigned last summer and was replaced by Dana Holgorsen the same night. In Holgorsen’s first season, the Mountaineers went 10-3, were Big East co-champions and beat Clemson 70-33 in the Orange Bowl.

Houston Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson said Monday that he will be out for three to four weeks after arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. The 30-year-old Johnson sat out Houston’s first organized team practice, two weeks after the procedure. “Right now, everything is just focusing on making sure everything is right before I get back out here,” Johnson said. “Nothing to panic about.” The five-time Pro Bowl selection was inactive for nine regular-season games last year with injuries to both hamstrings. He says he hyperextended the knee against Jacksonville on Nov. 27, his first game back after he missed the previous six. He finished that game and also played the following week against Atlanta before going out with a second hamstring injury. Johnson also hurt the same knee in 2007, underwent arthroscopic surgery and missed spring workouts. He returned in time for training camp, then had his most productive season in 2008, making 115 catches for 1,575 yards and 8 touchdowns.

New York Jets defensive lineman Kenrick Ellis has pleaded guilty to assault and battery stemming from a 2010 fight while attending college in Virginia. In a brief hearing in Hampton, Va., on Monday, Ellis entered an Alford plea, meaning he doesn’t admit guilt but acknowledges prosecutors could prove the case against him. Ellis was sentenced to 179 days in jail, with 89 suspended. His attorney said Ellis likely would serve 45 days when he reports to jail June 15. Ellis originally faced a felony malicious wounding charge from the fight at Hampton University and faced up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Before court, he was served with a $3 million lawsuit from the victim, Dennis Eley. The Jets selected Ellis in the third round of the 2011 draft.

Denver Broncos linebacker D.J. Williams’ trial on driving under the influence and traffic charges ended in a mistrial just hours after it began Monday after his lawyer objected to how jurors were selected. Williams’ lawyer, Harvey Steinberg, asked for the mistrial Monday just before opening statements were about to begin. He said he was only able to excuse two jurors instead of the three he was entitled to during jury selection.Judge Andre L. Rudolph granted the request and scheduled another trial on the misdemeanor charges for Aug. 15. Afterward, Rudolph declined requests to comment on what went wrong. Steinberg said he told Rudolph about the problem after jurors were selected. Prosecutor Brian Dunn objected to a mistrial being called. He left without commenting, referring questions to the Denver District Attorney’s Office.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have traded tight end Kellen Winslow to the Seattle Seahawks for a draft pick and signed former Indianapolis Colts tight end Dallas Clark to replace him. Winslow told SiriusXM radio earlier Monday that first-year coach Greg Schiano was “kind of upset” that Winslow has not been working out with the team and told the player that he would be dealt. “That’s kind of shocking, but that’s what it is,” Winslow said, adding that Schiano told him the coach “would help me out with a trade.” Winslow has been one of Tampa Bay’s best offensive players since being acquired from Cleveland in a trade three years ago. He had 75 receptions for 763 yards and 2 touchdowns in 2011. Tampa Bay received a conditional draft pick in the deal. Clark spent nine seasons with the Colts. He has 427 career receptions for 4,887 yards and 46 touchdowns.

BASKETBALL Magic fire GM, Coach Van Gundy

ORLANDO, Fla. - The Orlando Magic fired Coach Stan Van Gundy and split with General Manager Otis Smith on Monday, the culmination of a season in which Orlando was at odds with Dwight Howard and made another first round playoff exit.

“It’s time for new leadership and new voices,” Magic Chief Executive Officer Alex Martins said in a statement. “The disappointment of getting eliminated in the first round of the playoffs these past two seasons played a primary role in our decision, as we feel our momentum towards winning a championship has paused.”

Smith and Van Gundy’s relationship with Howard weighed down the team all season after theAll-Star center requested a trade. Orlando went 37-29 in the regular season, but was eliminated in five games by Indiana after late-season injuries that included back surgery for Howard. Orlando went5-12 without him.

In early April, Van Gundy said top-ranking team officials had told him that Howard had asked management to fire Van Gundy as a condition for the center signing a long term contract beyond 2013. Howard denied it. Van Gundy coached the Magic for five seasons. He finished with a 259-135 record, going 31-28 in the playoffs.

Smith departs after six years. The Magic made it to the playoffs in each of those seasons, winning the Eastern Conference title in 2009.