Williams sisters could meet in final

Tennis: The Williams sisters could be set for another Wimbledon final after they were placed in separate halves of the bracket in Friday’s draw at Wimbledon, England.

The men’s draw was rocked when defending champion Rafael Nadal pulled out because of tendinitis in his knees, leaving Roger Federer the big favorite to win a sixth Wimbledon championship and 15th Grand Slam title.

Defending women’s champion Venus Williams may have to overcome top-ranked Dinara Safina in the semifinals, while Serena could play fourth-ranked Elena Dementieva in the last four.

The Williams sisters have played each other in three previous Wimbledon finals, with Venus winning last year and Serena taking the title in 2002 and 2003. Venus has won five Wimbledon titles since 2000, including the last two.

Federer could be aided by a seemingly easy path to the final of the grass-court major.

The Swiss star could face Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, but has few dangerous matchups before then. Federer opens against Yen-Hsun Lu of Taiwan, but could face French Open finalist Robin Soderling in the fourth round and either seventh-seeded Fernando Verdasco of Spain or No. 9 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France in the quarterfinals.

•Safina upset: Defending champion Tamarine Tanasugarn upset top-ranked Dinara Safina 7-5, 7-5 in the semifinals of the Ordina Open at Den Bosch, Netherlands.

Tamarine will play Belgian teenager Yanina Wickmayer today. Wickmayer overcame a swirling wind and match-point jitters to defeat Francesca Schiavone 7-6 (3), 2-6, 6-3.

•Razzano advances, Bartoli injured: Virginie Razzano reached the Aegon International final when Marion Bartoli retired with a leg injury while trailing 6-4, 1-0 at Eastbourne, England. Razzano will play sixth-seeded Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, who defeated Aleksandra Wozniak of Canada 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.

On the men’s side, second-seeded Dmitry Tursunov will face qualifier Frank Dancevic in the final.

Leaf surrenders to authorities

Football: Former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf has surrendered to Texas authorities to face burglary and drug-related charges in Canyon, Texas.

Leaf’s attorney, Bill Kelly, says Leaf turned himself in at the Randall County Jail in Canyon, where the former No. 2 pick was indicted in May after coaching quarterbacks at West Texas A&M for three seasons. Kelly says Leaf posted $15,000 bail and headed back to Washington state.

•Seahawks sign draft pick: The Seattle Seahawks have signed seventh-round draft pick Cameron Morrah.

The team announced the multiyear deal for the tight end from the University of California.

Morrah was the 248th overall choice in April’s draft, the third of three compensatory picks for Seattle. Seattle’s top three picks remain unsigned. That includes fourth overall selection Aaron Curry.

Stewart considers expanding team

Auto racing: Tony Stewart is off to such a strong first season as a team owner, he’s already open to expansion.

The Sprint Cup Series points leader said he’d consider adding a third team to Stewart-Haas Racing next year if the right combination was available. Although he promised his team not to expand too quickly, their success so far this season has made him consider his options.

•NASCAR Hall of Fame to open: The NASCAR Hall of Fame will open next May after more than four years of construction.

Hall of Fame organizers say the official grand opening will be May 11, 2010, in Charlotte, N.C., and will boast interactive displays, exhibits and more than 1,000 artifacts.

•F-1 to sue teams: Formula One intends to sue the eight teams that announced plans for a rival series next season – the biggest crisis to engulf the sport since the championship began in 1950.

The governing body accused the Formula One Teams Association of “serious violations of law.” The breakaway came after Ferrari, championship leader Brawn GP and six other teams failed to resolve a dispute over the introduction of a budget cap for next season.

•Trucks race postponed: The Camping World Truck series race at the Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wisc., was postponed by rain and is rescheduled for this afternoon.

FIFA head pushes for new schedule

Miscellany: FIFA president Sepp Blatter renewed his call for Major League Soccer to adopt an August-May schedule, saying it will struggle to persuade more star players to follow David Beckham to the United States unless it matches its season to those in Europe.

Blatter said that the current March-October season was the overwhelming reason that the MLS cannot compete with Europe’s top leagues.

•Veterinarian under investigation: Pennsylvania racing officials are investigating whether a veterinarian used a handgun to euthanize a horse at a track near Philadelphia, a possible violation of track rules and racing industry standards.

Racehorses are typically put down with an overdose of barbiturates, and guns are often prohibited in and around tracks, experts said.

•Pascal wins decision: Jean Pascal won a unanimous decision over Adrian Diaconu, claiming the WBC light heavyweight title before 13,659 fans at the Bell Centre in Montreal.