TENNIS
Serena advances
Top-ranked Serena Williams rebounded to beat Italy's Flavia Pennetta 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 on Tuesday in the first round of the WTA Tour's Rogers Cup in Toronto. The 21-time Grand Slam winner won a day after sister Venus Williams was eliminated in straight sets by Germany's Sabine Lisicki. The 33-year-old Williams blamed unforced errors for her early struggles. Also, France's Alize Cornet upset ninth-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-4, qualifier Mirjana Lucic-Baroni of Croatia beat 10th-seeded Karolina Pliskova 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-2, and No. 11 Ekaterina Makarova of Russia topped American qualifier Anna Tatishvili 6-3, 6-3. Belarus' Victoria Azarenka beat Ukraine's Elina Svitolina 6-1, 6-4, and Germany's Angelique Kerber beat Japanese qualifier Misaki Doi 6-0, 6-1.
• Seeded players David Goffin and Grigor Dmitrov advanced to the second round of the Rogers Cup on a wet Tuesday at Uniprix Stadium in Montreal. Goffin, seeded 13th, topped Steve Johnson 6-2, 6-2 when play began after a rain delay, and the 14th- seeded Dmitrov downed Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-4, 7-5. Richard Gasquet, seeded 11th, withdrew due to an illness. He was replaced in the draw by French compatriot Nicolas Mahut. Goffin advanced to a meeting with American Sam Querrey. Dmitrov will face American Jack Sock, a 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (5) winner over Adrian Mannarino. Also, Nick Kyrgios had a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory over Fernando Verdasco to set up a match against third-seeded Stan Wawrinka. Mikhail Youzhny beat Viktor Troicki 6-3, 7-5.
BASEBALL
Brewers GM leaves job
Doug Melvin is leaving his job as general manager of the Milwaukee Brewers. The team and Melvin announced the move Tuesday on Twitter. He will continue to lead the team's baseball operations department before "transitioning into an advisory role." The Brewers are in last place in the NL Central and are in Chicago to start a three-game series with the Cubs. Milwaukee is rebuilding, having traded Carlos Gomez and Aramis Ramirez at the July 31 trade deadline. Melvin fired Manager Ron Roenicke in May and replaced him with Craig Counsell. The Brewers are 48-65, with the second-worst record in the NL. Melvin joined the Brewers on Sept. 26, 2002, as the eighth general manager in the team's history. The team won the NL wild card in 2008 and the NL Central in 2011. The following year, Melvin signed a contract extension keeping him with the team through this season. He was also promoted to president of baseball operations and general manager.
• Miguel Cabrera could be activated from the disabled list this weekend by the Detroit Tigers after taking batting practice and running the bases Tuesday. Cabrera, 32, a two-time American League MVP, has not played since July 3, when he suffered a strained left calf while running the bases against Toronto. He was placed on the disabled list the next day for the first time in his career. Cabrera was hitting .350 with 15 home runs, 54 RBI and a .456 on-base percentage in 77 games. The Tigers were 40-39 before Cabrera was injured, but went 14-19 without him. Cabrera took batting practice for the first time since the injury, hitting off left-hander Tom Gorzelanny. Tigers Manager Brad Ausmus said it is conceivable Cabrera could be activated for the series in Houston, which begins Friday.
• Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Marcus Stroman threw off a mound Tuesday for the first time since tearing knee ligaments in spring training, the next step in a possible September return for the right-hander. Stroman went 11-6 with a 3.65 ERA in 26 games, including 20 starts, in his rookie season last year, but hasn't pitched this season after tearing his left ACL during a preseason fielding drill. After getting a clean bill of health Monday from sports surgeon Dr. James Andrews, Stroman threw off a mound Tuesday at Duke University, where he's been taking summer classes working toward a degree in sociology. Blue Jays General Manager Alex Anthopoulos told a Vancouver radio station Tuesday that the Blue Jays intend to try and bring Stroman back as a starter before the end of the season. Stroman is set to begin a minor league rehab assignment on Aug. 21.
• The Miami Marlins placed right-hander Jose Fernandez on the 15-day disabled list because of a right bicep strain Tuesday, and the team's ace expects to return to the mound later this season. Fernandez last pitched Friday at Atlanta, leaving after throwing 76 pitches in five innings. He returned to Miami the following day for examination after feeling some discomfort, and says he's relieved there was no bigger issue. The Marlins recalled left-hander Justin Nicolino to make Tuesday's start against the Boston Red Sox and take Fernandez's roster spot. Fernandez is 4-0 this season with a 2.30 ERA in seven starts. He didn't pitch until July while recovering from right elbow reconstruction surgery that was performed in May 2014.
BASKETBALL
Flip Saunders has cancer
The Minnesota Timberwolves announced Tuesday that Coach Flip Saunders has a "treatable and curable form of cancer" and will continue with his duties. The team's release said Saunders, also the team's president of basketball operations, has been diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma and is undergoing chemotherapy treatment. The release said the initial diagnosis came eight weeks ago during an examination by Timberwolves doctor Sheldon Burns and Saunders started treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. Hodgkin's lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system, part of the immune system, according to the Mayo Clinic website. Advances in diagnosis and treatment of Hodgkin's lymphoma have given people the chance for a full recovery, according to the clinic website.
• Michael Jordan's civil suit against a grocery-store chain for the unauthorized use of his name and persona in an ad got underway Tuesday at a federal courthouse in Chicago. The six-time NBA champion and former Chicago Bull entered through the front doors of the courthouse after a judge denied his request to enter through a security tunnel. Jordan walked through a metal detector and showed ID to security. A judge previously found the now-defunct Dominick's Finer Foods invoked Jordan's identity without permission. The unresolved issue is damages. The 2009 magazine ad congratulated Jordan on his Hall of Fame induction. Over a $2-off steak coupon, the text says, "You are a cut above." Jordan is expected to testify.
HORSE RACING
Baffert: Pharoah will decide whether to race
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — The final decision will not come from Bob Baffert, the trainer of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. And owner Ahmed Zayat won’t have the final say on whether or not the popular thoroughbred comes to Saratoga Race Course for the Travers Stakes on Aug. 29.
It’s all up to the silent partner in the group. American Pharoah himself will tell Baffert if he is ready to run in the Midsummer Derby, which will have a beefed up purse of $1.6 million, but only if Pharoah shows up (if not, the Travers purse will be $1.25 million).
“It’s the horse, it’s not my decision,” Baffert, who was in town for the two-day Fasig-Tipton yearling sales, said Monday while examining horses. “If he is breathing fire, he has a good chance of coming. But it’s too early for me. I’m not flip-flopping. I am just going to be watching this horse very closely. I owe that to him. I have not ruled (the Travers) out.”
Baffert said he should have a better idea on whether or not American Pharoah will come East after the colt has his first workout since winning the Aug. 2 Haskell. That should come on either Sunday or Monday, he said. American Pharoah has been either jogging or galloping at Baffert’s summer base at Del Mar in California.
“We will know by next week sometime what we’re gonna do,” Baffert said. “When I commit, I want to be sure.”
Baffert also said he would not estimate a percentage on the chances of American Pharoah would come to the Spa.
“It would be wrong,” he said. “I mean, this is a great position to be in. I know Ahmed (Zayat) would love to come here and run. He told me, ‘Look, if you think he’s ready to run, I would love to run (at Saratoga).’ (American Pharoah) could be training great, but if I brought him here and I didn’t like the way he was training, I wouldn’t run him. I just feel a lot of pressure on myself right now.”
Sports on 08/12/2015