Sharapova sent packing by Pennetta
Tennis: Unbeaten this year in 12 previous matches that went the distance, third-seeded Maria Sharapova faltered down the stretch in New York on Friday and dropped the last seven points of a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 U.S. Open loss to 26th-seeded Flavia Pennetta of Italy, that took 2 1/2 hours.
No. 4 Andy Murray, appeared on his way out, too, after losing the first two sets against 41st-ranked Robin Haase of the Netherlands. But with Haase getting treated by a trainer for back problems between sets, Murray came all the way back to win 6-7 (5), 2-6, 6-2, 6-0, 6-4.
Defending champion Rafael Nadal built a 6-2, 6-2 lead before Nicolas Mahut quit because of an abdominal injury he said prevented him from serving at full strength.
Next for Nadal is David Nalbandian, who knocked out 30th-seeded Ivan Ljubicic 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, 6-2.
In an all-American matchup Andy Roddick beat 18-year-old Jack Sock 6-3, 6-3, 6-4. Roddick, who’s seeded 21st, converted all five break points he earned and saved all but one of the seven he faced.
Matteson takes lead at TPC Boston
Golf: Luke Donald, the world’s No. 1 player, had a 5-under-par 66 at the TPC Boston in Norton, Mass., and wound up one shot behind Troy Matteson.
Also one shot behind were former PGA champion Y.E. Yang and Masters champion Charl Schwartzel.
Phil Mickelson, using a belly putter for the first time, opened with a 70.
Albasini takes 13th stage; Wiggins leads
Cycling: Swiss rider Michael Albasini won the 13th stage of the Spanish Vuelta, while Bradley Wiggins of Britain held on to the overall leader’s red jersey for a third consecutive day.
Albasini, of HTC-Highroad, sprinted ahead of the leaders in the last mile to finish the 98.3-mile Spanish mountain course from Sarria to Ponferrada in 4 hours, 19 minutes, 39 seconds.
Ginobli, Argentina remain unbeaten
Basketball: Manu Ginobili scored 23 points and Argentina (3-0) remained unbeaten with an 81-74 victory over Puerto Rico (3-1) at Mar Del Plata, Argentina, in the Olympic qualifying tournament for the Americas.
In other games, Dominican Republic (3-1) beat Brazil (2-1) 79-74; Uruguay (1-2) defeated Panama (1-2) 77-61; and Canada (2-1) eliminated Cuba (0-3) with an 84-62 victory. Gonzaga junior Kelly Olynyk scored five points and grabbed four rebounds for Canada.
• Parker’s France beats Nowitzki’s Germany: Tony Parker scored 32 points, leading France past Dirk Nowitzki and Germany 76-65 at the European Championship in Siauliai, Lithuania.
In other games, defending champion Spain beat Britain 86-69; and Italy earned a 71-62 win over Latvia.
Felix falters; Merritt rallies at worlds
Track and Field: Fatigued, Allyson Felix faltered down the stretch in her bid for a fourth straight 200-meter world title.
Energized, LaShawn Merritt rallied on the last turn in the 1,600-meter relay to win the gold medal.
It was that kind of night for the United States at the world championships in Daegu, South Korea: highs (long jumper Dwight Phillips winning a fourth title) and lows (the mighty shot putters shut out of a medal). There was also Carmelita Jeter adding a silver medal in the 200 to her gold in the 100 earlier in the week.
With a four-medal showing, the U.S. ran its count to 16, three ahead of Russia.
Felix entered the 200 as the overwhelming favorite but had to settle for bronze.
Hornaday snatches 49th Truck Series win
Auto racing: Ron Hornaday Jr. edged Clint Bowyer by 1.596 seconds for his record 49th NASCAR Truck Series win, pulling it out on pit strategy at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga.
As Bowyer and Kyle Busch made a last stop on pit road for fuel and tires, Hornaday stayed out, knowing he had enough fuel to make it and hoping his worn-out tires would hold out.
Belak suffered from depression says mom
NHL: The mother of former NHL player Wade Belak said that her son had suffered from depression prior to his death.
Belak, an enforcer who had played with five NHL teams before retiring in March, was found dead Wednesday in Toronto. He was 35.
She said she spoke to her son on Sunday, and there was nothing odd with his mood or with the conversation.
• Riot reports urge increase in league role: Two reports on Vancouver’s Stanley Cup riot urge the NHL and its teams to take a more active role in preventing violence at future finals. One recommendation in an independent review into the riot after the Canucks lost Game 7 to the Bruins says the league should partner with host cities and franchises “to help ensure the best, safest public celebrations possible.”
Costa Rica defeats U.S. men’s team
Soccer: Rodney Wallace scored to lead Costa Rica to a 1-0 win over the United States at Carson, Calif., giving Jurgen Klinsmann a loss in his second match as U.S. men’s coach.