Off the wire

LITTLE ROCK — FOOTBALL

Dolphins, Wake reach deal

The Miami Dolphins have extended linebacker Cameron Wake’s contract through the 2016 season. Wake made the Pro Bowl in 2010, when he had 14 sacks, and he had 8 1/2 sacks last season. He came to the Dolphins in 2009 from the Canadian Football League, where he was a two-time defensive player of the year. Wake had one year and $650,000 left on his previous contract. ESPN reported the extension was worth $49 million, with $20 million guaranteed. “It’s kind of like taking things to another level, kind of like when I came down here from the CFL,” Wake said Sunday. “It has been an amazing, amazing journey.” Wake has yet to play in the postseason but said he’s optimistic about the direction of the Dolphins under new Coach Joe Philbin. “So far, so good,” Wake said. “Just trying to make it a first-class organization from top to bottom, and making sure we have everything we need to be successful. We are taking big strides to make sure that 2012 will be a good season for everybody.”

Junior Seau’s family is revisiting its decision to donate the former NFL linebacker’s brain for research into football-related injuries. Chargers chaplain Shawn Mitchell said Sunday that the family, which is of Samoan descent, is consulting with a group of elders on a number of matters. He said it doesn’t necessarily mean that the family won’t donate Seau’s brain for research. “They really want to do everything right,” Mitchell said. The medical examiner’s office said Friday it was awaiting a decision by the family on whether to turn over Seau’s brain to unidentified outside researchers for study. Seau, 43, committed suicide Wednesday at his home in suburban Oceanside, Calif. He played parts of 20 seasons in the NFL, including 13 with the Chargers.

TENNIS

Azarenka, Sharapova advance

Top-ranked Victoria Azarenka and second-seeded Maria Sharapova advanced to the second round of the Madrid Open with straightset victories Sunday on the event’s new blue-clay court. Azarenka beat Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-6 (5), 6-4 in a tough opening match. The Australian Open champion and Kuznetsova traded breaks inthe first set. When it looked as if the second set was going to end in another tiebreaker, Azarenka broke again to close out the match. Azarenka, last year’s runner-up, has won four titles this year. Sharapova had an easier debut with a comfortable 6-0, 6-3 victory over Irina-Camelia Begu. Sharapova took an early lead by winning the first seven games. After Begu saved a match point she had a double break chance, but Sharapova saved both points to hold serve and secure a second-round meeting with Klara Zakopalova. Also, sixth-seeded Caroline Wozniacki served six aces in a 7-6 (7), 3-6, 6-4 victory over Ksenia Pervak. Fourth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska didn’t give up a single break chance in her 6-3, 6-1 victory over Lara Arruabarrena-Veci. The 12th-seeded Angelique Kerber beat Johanna Larsson 6-1, 6-4 to advance to a second-round match with Venus Williams, while 13thseeded Ana Ivanovic beat Mathilde Johansson 6-4, 6-1. Roberta Vinci defeated 14th-seeded Dominika Cibulkova 6-3, 6-2, and American Varvara Lepchenko upset 11th seed Francesca Schiavone 6-4, (8) 6-7, 6-3. In men’s first-round action, Nicolay Davydenko beat Ivo Karlovic 7-6 (4), 6-3 and will now face second-seeded Rafael Nadal. Kevin Anderson downed Alex Bogomolov Jr. 6-3, 6-2 and will play sixth-seeded Tomas Berdych.

Juan del Potro won his second consecutive Estoril Open title, using a strong serve to beat Richard Gasquet 6-4, 6-2 Sunday in Oeiras, Portugal. Del Potro, seeded first and ranked 12th, won his second title of the year and 11th of his career. Gasquet, seeded second, also lost this clay-court final in 2007 when he faced Novak Djokovic. He dropped serve early in both sets. Del Potro didn’t give up a break chance in the match and had six aces in improving his record against Gasquet to 4-1.

Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany beat Marin Cilic 7-6 (8), 6-3 Sunday to win the BMW Open in Munich for the second time. Kohlschreiber, seeded fourth, also won this clay-court tournament in 2007. He saved seven of eight break points to capture his fourth title in his sixth ATP final.

HORSE RACING

Body identified at track

Authorities said a man who may have been killed and whose body was found early Sunday in a barn at Churchill Downs hours after the Kentucky Derby worked at the racetrack in Louisville, Ky. The victim was identified Sunday as Adan Fabian Perez, 48, a Guatemala native, according to Jo-Ann Farmer, chief deputy coroner for Jefferson County. Farmer said he was identified by his 19-year-old son, who also works at the track. “There’s a suspicion of foul play,” Farmer said Sunday evening. An autopsy is scheduled for today. Louisville Metro Police said the death is being investigated as a homicide, but that there appears to be no connection to the track. “At this point we don’t have anything pointing to the fact that this had any association with Churchill Downs or the Derby itself,” said Alicia Smiley, spokesman for Louisville Metro Police. “We are still investigating at the stables and at the barn.” Smiley said that the victim “did sustain injuries that lead us to believe he was involved in some type of altercation.” She said Sunday that police “still do not have suspect information at this point.” Farmer said the victim resided at the track’s quarters for workers, but at a different location than where he was found. Churchill Downs security called police at 4:50 a.m. Eastern, Smiley said. The body was found in a barn used by Louisville trainer Angel Montano Sr. Montano did not have a horse running Saturday either in the undercard or the Derby, which saw a record attendance of more than 165,000. A telephone call, text and Twitter message left for Montano were not immediately returned.

TRIATHLON

Lance Armstrong finishes 3rd

Lance Armstrong dominated the cycling but finished third Sunday in the St. Croix Ironman triathlon in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. This was the latest effort by the 40-year-old in his return to the sport he competed in as a teenager before turning to cycling. The seven-time Tour de France champion finished 3 minutes, 37 seconds behind winner Andy Potts of the U.S. “I felt like maybe I waited a little long on the bike to make my move,” Armstrong said. He completed the 1.2-mile swim in 24:29. He surged in front on the 56-mile bike course, finishing in 2:22:39 and opening an almost two-minute gap over Potts. He faded in the closing 13.1-mile run in which his time of 1:18:38 was almost six minutes slower than Potts. Potts won in 4:03:31, with France’s Stephane Poulat second. The top woman was Canada’s Angela Naeth, who won in a course-record 4:28:12.