Off the wire

LITTLE ROCK — TENNIS Azarenka advances

Only 22 years old, recently a Grand Slam champion and ranked No. 1 for the first time, Victoria Azarenka is still learning to think like a top player. So trailing by a set and one point from being down 5-0 in the second at the French Open in Paris on Monday, Azarenka said: “ Sometimes I thought, ‘Yeah, maybe I still fight, I still have a chance.’ Sometimes it was like, ‘You know what? Forget it. I don’t want to do it.’ ” But she did. Azarenka took 12 of the last 14 games to beat Alberta Brianti 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-2. She needed every bit of fortitude to right things while overcoming 60 unforced errors, far more than her 32 winners. “Bad days happen,” Azarenka said. “Unfortunately, today I had way more mistakes than I usually do.” The top seed in the men’s bracket, Novak Djokovic, limited his errors, never facing a break point while beating Potito Starace 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-1. It wouldn’t be much of a surprise if he’s around long enough to face 16-time major champion Roger Federer in the semifinals. They met in Paris at that stage a year ago, when Federer ended Djokovic’s 43-match winning streak. Federer dealt with a few blips, getting broken once in each set, including when serving for the match for the first time.But he defeated Tobias Kamke 6-2, 7-5, 6-3 to tie Jimmy Connors’ Open era record of 233 Grand Slam match victories. “They’re never easy, those first rounds, you know. Last thing you want is to go down a set or [get] in a tough situation, but I was able to stay ahead in the first set. Had bits of ups and downs on my serve,” Federer said. “But overall, I’m happy I’m through. That’s what I look at in the end. Sometimes you have to come through when you’re not playing your very best.” Other winners Monday included defending champion Li Na and No. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska, who next meets seven-time major champion Venus Williams.

American tennis player Mardy Fish told USA Today on Monday he recently had a medical procedure to correct a heart problem. Fish, who hasn’t played since late March after being diagnosed with fatigue, said he had a procedure called cardiac catheter ablation Wednesday to deal with misfiring electrical pulses in his heart. He is recovering at his home in Los Angeles. Fish, who at No. 10 is the highest-ranked American on the ATP Tour, said that at times he would wake up with his heart racing as if he’d been running sprints. Fish says he can resume training soon and hopes to play at the tuneup for Wimbledon that begins June 11.

Steve Johnson of Southern Cal won his second consecutive NCAA singles title with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Kentucky’s Eric Quigley on Monday in Athens, Ga. Johnson, the tournament’s No. 1 seed, ended his college career with 72 consecutive victories, finishing the season 32-0. By leading Southern Cal past Virginia in last week’s team final, Johnson became the first men’s singles champion to help his school win four consecutive team titles. “It’s kind of a special way to end your college career with a win,” Johnson said. “It’s something I’ll look back the rest of my life and never forget. The third seeded Quigley ended the best season in school history at 54-8.

Stanford’s Nicole Gibbs rallied to beat teammate Mallory Burdette 2-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3 and win the NCAA women’s singles championship Monday in Athens, Ga. Gibbs, the No. 3 seed, trailed 4-1 in the second set and 5-2 in the tiebreaker before the fifth seeded Burdette double-faulted to even the match. “I definitely helped her out a little bit at the end of the tiebreaker with my errors,” Burdette said. “But it’s the same thing. All in all, I didn’t have the guts to finish it.” Gibbs, a sophomore, is the first Stanford woman to win the singles title since Amber Liu in 2004. “Just being down in the breaker, I saw it multiple times, so I know how toughthat is and I wouldn’t wish that on a teammate in any other situation. I’m happy that I won, but I’m also sad for her as well,” Gibbs said.

ATHLETICS Kastor third at Boulder

Mamitu Daska took the lead a mile in, and she never looked back to win the women’s division of the 6.2-mile Bolder Boulder road race Monday in Boulder, Colo. The 24-year-old Ethiopian covered the course in 33 minutes, 6.50 seconds. Janet Cherobon-Bawcom ran 33:23.57 to finish second, and Deena Kastor (Arkansas Razorbacks) ran 33:28.57 to finish third. Kastor won a bronze medal in the marathon at the 2004 Olympics and is looking to qualify for this summer’s London Games in the 10,000 meters on the track. Cherobon-Bawcom and Kastor were a part of a three person pack with Daska, running a 5:04 first mile when Daska broke free. Daska had pulled to a seven second advantage after 4 miles. “We knew she would run this type of race,” Kastor said. “She is so strong on hills.” Daska won back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010. She finished second a year ago to Kenya’s Lineth Chepkuriui, who did not return to defend her title. Kenya’s Allan Kiprono was the men’s winner in 29:54.43. Tadese Tola (30:03.73) was second and fellow Ethiopian Brihanu Gedefa (30:07.14) was third. The 2011 winner, Belete Assefa of Ethiopia, did not compete.

GOLF Clarke to miss major

British Open champion Darren Clarke has withdrawn from next month’s U.S. Open in San Francisco because of a groin injury. Clarke, 43, told United States Golf Association officials Monday that the problem that had bothered him for several weeks is still troubling him. Clarke hasn’t made a cut this year. He says: “I’ve not been able to get through the ball properly and I don’t want to take any chances.” Clarke says he wants to make sure he is 100 percent fit for the defense of his British Open title at Royal Lytham on July 19-22 and “has been advised not to play for a month.” The U.S. Open is at the Olympic Club from June 14-17.

LACROSSE Loyola wins title

Top-seeded Loyola of Maryland beat Maryland 9-3 Monday in Foxborough, Mass., to win the NCAA men’s lacrosse title behind Eric Lusby’s four goals. Lusby set a record with 17 goals in the tournament. The Greyhounds captured their first national lacrosse championship and finished the season 18-1. Maryland (12-6) lost in the title game for the second consecutive year. Chris Layne added three assists for the Greyhounds, whose only loss this season was to Johns Hopkins in overtime April 28. The two Maryland schools are separated by about 30 miles, but it was only their 21st meeting and first since the Terrapins’ 19-8 victory in the 1998 national semifinals.

BOXING Tapia dies at 45

Johnny Tapia, a fighter who won world titles in three weight classes during a lifetime that included jail, struggles with mental illness and multiple suicide attempts, was found dead at his home in Albuquerque, N.M., on Sunday. He was 45. The Albuquerque police said an autopsy would be done in the next few days. Foul play is not suspected. Tapia won his first 22 professional fights, then was suspended from boxing after failing three drug tests. After 3 1/2 years away from the ring, he returned to win five fights before defeating Henry Martinez to win the world super flyweight title (115-pound limit). Still undefeated after 18 more bouts, he beat Nana Konadu to win the bantamweight title (118 pounds) and become a two-division world champion. He narrowly defeated Manuel Medina in 2002 to win the featherweight (126 pounds) title. He won 59 fights, 30 by knockout, lost 5 and had 2 draws.