Briefly

Andy Roddick could have let a bad call stand and reached the quarterfinals of the Rome Masters tennis tournament.

Instead, his ethics got the best of him, and Fernando Verdasco took advantage of the American’s good sportsmanship, ousting the top seed with a 6-7 (1), 7-6 (3), 6-4 win Thursday after Roddick overturned a double fault that would have ended the match.

Roddick was leading 5-3 in the second set and had triple match point when Verdasco appeared to hit his second serve just long. The line judge called the ball out, but Roddick said the ball was in after checking the mark left in the clay, giving Verdasco an ace.

“I didn’t think it was anything extraordinary,” Roddick said. “The umpire would have done the same thing if he came down and looked. I just saved him the trip. He’s working hard up there.”

•Kim Clijsters slid awkwardly as she chased down a ball in her third-round match at the German Open in Berlin. She tried to keep playing, but the pain in her knee was too much to bear. Clijsters retired in the second set, and now her status is in doubt for the French Open, which begins May 23.

Clijsters entered the open with victories in 19 of her last 20 matches. Clijsters had won the first set 7-6 (4) and was trailing 6-5 in the second when she retired.

Hockey

Canada defeats United States

Rick Nash had two goals and an assist to lift Canada to a 3-1 victory over the United States at the world hockey championships in Innsbruck, Austria.

The 20-year-old star of the Columbus Blue Jackets snapped two ties with his goals and led Canada to its third straight win in the opening round. Joe Thornton had Canada’s other goal, and Boston Bruins teammate Mike Knuble scored for the United States.

Canada, the defending world champion, will play Sweden – the runner-up the last two years – in the qualification round on Saturday. The Americans will play Finland today.

In other games, Latvia defeated Slovenia 3-1, Switzerland beat Germany 5-1 and the Czech Republic shut out Kazakhstan 1-0.

•The NHL and the players’ association met for just more than three hours in the first round of labor negotiations in two weeks. The sides will get together again in Toronto today, as previously planned, and already have two bargaining sessions scheduled for each of the next two weeks.

There were no details released about the talks – the sixth bargaining session since NHL commissioner Gary Bettman canceled the entire 2004-05 season on Feb. 16. Both sides declined comment until today.

Auto racing

Honda banned for next two races

BAR-Honda’s Formula One team was banned for two races after an appeals court in Paris ruled that Jenson Button’s car raced illegally at the San Marino Grand Prix last month.

Button was also stripped of the six points he won for finishing third at Imola on April 24, and teammate Takuma Sato lost his four points for finishing fifth. The sport’s governing body, FIA, wanted the team to be disqualified for the season.

Basketball

Jack enters name in draft

Georgia Tech point guard Jarrett Jack entered his name in the NBA draft, but he won’t hire an agent and is still torn about whether to return for his senior season with the Yellow Jackets.

Also, Indiana guard Bracey Wright and Alabama’s leading scorer, forward Kennedy Winston, have hired agents, effectively ending their college careers as they await the draft. Arizona guard Chris Rodgers is making himself eligible for the draft, but left open the possibility that he’ll return for his senior season.

•Southern University in Baton Rouge, La., hired Alabama State coach Rob Spivery to replace Michael Grant, who was fired two weeks ago.

Miscellany

Hall of Fame jockey dies

Hall of Fame jockey Ted Atkinson, who was the first rider to win more than $1 million in single-season purses in 1946, died. He was 88. He died at his home in Beaver Dam, Va., after a long illness, the New York Racing Association said. Atkinson rode 3,795 winners from 23,661 mounts during his career that began in 1938 and ended in 1959.

•Jason White is getting another shot at the NFL with the Tennessee Titans. The 2003 Heisman Trophy winner agreed to terms on a contract with the Titans. The former Oklahoma quarterback wasn’t offered a contract after going through a three-day rookie camp with Kansas City last week.

•A state appeals court in California upheld the conviction of a reputed gang member for a drive-by shooting that wounded former Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Dennis Weathersby. Juan Serna, 26, is serving a life sentence. He was convicted in 2003 of attempting to murder Weathersby and a second man.