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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

In brief: Heat wave has Aussie players in a lather

Frank Dancevic of Canada receives assistance after collapsing in 108-degree heat at Australian Open. He finished, but lost his match. (Associated Press)
From Staff And Wire Reports

Tennis: There were clearly varying degrees of opinion on what constitutes extreme heat after a scorching second day at the Australian Open at Melbourne, Australia.

Roger Federer thinks it’s a “very mental thing” – he’s learned to deal with the heat across a record 57 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments, winning an unprecedented 17 men’s majors.

The Swiss star was as cool as usual in his straight-set opening win over Australian wild-card entry James Duckworth on Tuesday afternoon, his first under the supervision of new coach Stefan Edberg.

But he had more shade on center court than there was out on Court 6, where the first two matches ended in injury retirements and Canadian qualifier Frank Dancevic collapsed during the third.

Dancevic got up and finished, losing 7-6 (12), 6-3, 6-4 to No. 27 Benoit Paire, and later said the conditions were “inhumane” and “definitely hazardous.”

Andy Murray agreed after his 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 win over Go Soeda of Japan, advising officials not to be too cavalier with the rules.

“It looks terrible for the whole sport when people are collapsing, ball kids are collapsing, people in the stands are collapsing,” the Wimbledon champion said.

Top-ranked Rafael Nadal and No. 5 Juan Martin del Potro joined Federer and Murray as players advancing in a loaded top side of the men’s draw.

The nine first-round retirements at the Australian Open – eight men and one woman – equaled a record for the most retirements or walkovers in a single round at any Grand Slam in the Open Era.

Serena Williams matched one of Margaret Court’s records at the Australian Open on Wednesday as she advanced to the third round with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Vesna Dolonc.

Williams improved her record to 60-8 at Melbourne Park, equaling Court’s 60 match wins in the Open era at the Australian championship.

Hoosiers send No. 3 Badgers to first loss

College basketball: Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell scored 25 points, leading Indiana to a 75-72 upset over previously unbeaten Wisconsin at Bloomington, Ind.

The third-ranked Badgers (16-1, 3-1 Big Ten) were trying to become the first team to win 13 straight games over the Hoosiers (12-5, 2-2).

Hogs upset No. 13 Kentucky: Michael Qualls slammed home a thundering two-hand dunk with .2 seconds remaining in overtime to send Arkansas (12-4, 1-2 SEC) to an 87-85 victory over No. 13 Kentucky (12-4, 2-1) at Fayetteville, Ark. .

Qualls, who finished with 18 points, flew in from the baseline as time was winding down and corralled Ky Madden’s 3-point miss for the dunk – sending the season-high Bud Walton Arena crowd of 18,619 into a frenzy.

Kansas State knocks off No. 25 Sooners: Marcus Foster scored 18 points, Nino Williams made four clinching free throws in the closing seconds and Kansas State (13-4 3-1 Big 12) held on to beat No. 25 Oklahoma (13-4, 2-2) 72-66 at Manhattan, Kan.

Charlotte ends Knicks’ win streak

NBA: Al Jefferson scored a season-high 35 points, Kemba Walker had 12 of his 25 in the fourth quarter and the host Charlotte Bobcats snapped the New York Knicks’ five-game winning streak with a 108-98 victory.

Lee leads Grizzlies past Thunder: Courtney Lee scored a season-high 24 points, including the closing two free throws, and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder 90-87 in Marc Gasol’s return to the lineup.

Gasol played 24 minutes and finished with 12 points.

Pacers rout Kings: Paul George scored 31 points, making four 3-pointers, to lead the host Indiana Pacers to a 116-92 victory over the Sacramento Kings.

The victory clinched the Eastern Conference All-Stars coaching spot for Frank Vogel, since the Pacers are guaranteed to have the best winning percentage in the conference through games of Feb. 2 with Miami’s Erik Spoelstra ineligible after coaching last year.

Cavs edge Lakers: Luol Deng hit five 3-pointers while scoring 27 points, Anderson Varejao added 18 points and 18 rebounds, and the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers beat the spiraling Los Angeles Lakers 120-118. It was the Lakers’ fifth straight defeat.

Jagr climbs to 7th on all-time goals list

NHL: Jaromir Jagr moved into seventh place in career NHL goals and Martin Brodeur made 29 saves to lead the New Jersey Devils to a 4-1 win over the host Montreal Canadiens.

The 41-year-old Jagr got his 695th goal in his 1,438th career game, moving him past Mark Messier. On Saturday, he passed former Pittsburgh teammate Mario Lemieux for seventh place in points with 1,724.

Shiffrin claims World Cup win

Skiing: American teenager Mikaela Shiffrin held on to a comfortable first-run lead to win a women’s World Cup night slalom at Flachau, Austria.

It was Shiffrin’s third victory this season and seventh overall.