Fish upsets Federer; Nadal also ousted

March 23, 2008

World No. 1 and top seed Roger Federer was crushed, 6-3, 6-2, yesterday by unseeded No. 98 Mardy Fish in the Pacific Life Open semifinals in Indian Wells, Calif. Fish, who had never beaten Federer in five meetings, outplayed the Swiss in a match lasting just over an hour. The defeat, even more surprising because it was so lopsided, continued Federer's frustration this season. The once invincible star has lost three times this year. "When [Fish] wanted to attack, everything worked," Federer said. "He would never miss, really, when I needed a miss once in a while." Fish will face No. 3 seed Novak Djokovic, who also rolled to a 6-3, 6-2 victory over defending champion and No. 2 seed Rafael Nadal . . . Maria Sharapova pulled out of the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Fla., citing a shoulder injury. Her withdrawal came a day after her 18-match winning streak ended with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 loss to Svetlana Kuznetsova at Indian Wells.

Three-time All-Star Javy Lopez retired after being assigned to the Atlanta Braves' minor league camp, ending his bid to return to the majors as a backup catcher. Lopez, who sat out all of last season, decided against trying to extend his 15-year career. He batted only .188 this spring in his attempt to become Brian McCann's backup. The Braves also optioned pitcher Jo-Jo Reyes and outfielder Brandon Jones to Richmond, as they reduced their roster by seven. Lopez was cut by the Colorado Rockies last spring and didn't play at all in 2007. He signed a minor league deal in December with Atlanta, where he played from 1992-2003. Lopez spent part of '06 with the Red Sox.

New York Yankees lefthander Andy Pettitte was scratched from his scheduled start in a minor league game in Tampa because of back spasms. Pettitte said his back locked up while driving home after working out Thursday. He expects to make his next start Thursday and be ready for the regular season. Pettitte also missed his start March 12 with minor muscle irritation on the outside of his left elbow . . . Former Yankees third baseman Graig Nettles will undergo surgery for prostate cancer early next month. Nettles, now a Yankees spring training instructor, was diagnosed last November. Doctors told him the surgery could wait until after the exhibition season . . . Orioles manager Dave Trembley chose Jeremy Guthrie to start Opening Day (March 31) against Tampa Bay . . . Ben Sheets will be the Brewers' Opening Day starter vs. Chicago, manager Ned Yost said.

Bo Van Pelt held on to his lead - barely - at the Puerto Rico Open in Rio Grande and moved a step closer to his first PGA Tour victory. Van Pelt shot a 1-under-par 71 at Trump International Golf Club to finish in front at 13 under. But there's no shortage of challengers just as eager as Van Pelt for a Tour victory in this inaugural event. Briny Baird (69) and Greg Kraft (69) were one back, while Brenden Pappas (69) and Jerry Kelly (72) were two behind. Marco Dawson (69) and Tommy Armour III (67) were tied at 10 under . . . Hennie Otto shot a 67 for the third straight day to open a five-shot lead and close in on his first European Tour victory at the Madeira Islands Open.

Executing a series of near-flawless aerials, Shaun White captured his third consecutive halfpipe title at the US Open Snowboarding Championships in Stratton, Vt. White, 21, of Carlsbad, Calif., scored an overall 91 to beat out up-and-comer Kevin Pearce, of Norwich, Vt., and Mason Aguirre, of Bishop, Minn. Torah Bright of Australia took top honors in the women's division with an 84.17 score, besting three-time champion Kelly Clark, of West Dover, Vt., who finished with 79.33 . . . French swimmer Alain Bernard broke the 100-meter freestyle world record for the second time in two days, setting a mark of 47.50 seconds in the final at the European swimming championships in Eindhoven, Netherlands . . . Matt Lashoff and Adam McQuaid scored in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., but the Providence Bruins fell to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, 3-2 . . . Adriano, an A.P. Indy colt trained by Graham Motion, raced to the biggest win of his career, winning the $500,000 Lane's End Stakes with Edgar Prado aboard at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky.