Federer breezes past Blake for No. 50

Tennis
Top-ranked Roger Federer reached another measure of tennis greatness yesterday, winning his 50th tournament title by beating James Blake, 6-1, 6-4, in the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in Mason, Ohio. The 26-year-old Swiss star became the fifth-youngest player to reach 50, and only the ninth in the Open Era -- since 1968 -- to win so many tournaments. Federer served a pair of aces to open the match, then broke Blake's serve in the next game to take control. Blake overcame four double faults to hold serve in the opening game of the second set, but was on the defensive the rest of the way, with Federer clinching the match on his ninth ace . . . Justine Henin defeated Jelena Jankovic, 7-6 (7-3), 7-5, to win the Rogers Cup in Toronto, her first tournament since losing in the semifinals at Wimbledon . . . Donald Young, 18, won his first ATP Tour match by defeating fellow American Amer Delic, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, in the first round of the Pilot Pen in New Haven.

Football

A grand jury in Richmond is scheduled to meet today in the federal court where Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick and three codefendants were indicted on dogfighting charges last month. There's no indication whether the grand jury will take up further allegations against Vick, although federal prosecutors have said they plan to seek a superseding indictment in the case. That would mean more charges against Vick, the lone defendant who has not been convicted now that all three of his codefendants have reached plea deals . . . The New York Giants defeated the host Baltimore Ravens, 13-12, in an exhibition game in which both teams lost key players to injuries. Giants safety Will Demps, who started all 16 games last season, dislocated an elbow, cornerback Sam Madison pulled a hamstring, and wide receiver Michael Jennings ruptured his Achilles' tendon. Ravens cornerback Samari Rolle and receiver Mark Clayton sprained ankles . . . Redskins linebacker Marcus Washington will miss at least a week with a dislocated elbow, while quarterback Jason Campbell is day-to-day with a bruised left knee . . . Denver Broncos running back Travis Henry suffered a sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee and might not play again until the season opener . . . Bills defensive end Ryan Denney will have surgery on his broken left foot today and is out indefinitely . . . Alabama star cornerback Simeon Castille was arrested early yesterday on a disorderly conduct charge. He was taken to the Tuscaloosa County Jail and released after posting bond. Police declined to release details of the incident.

Baseball

The Chicago White Sox signed veteran lefthanded reliever Mike Myers, and he will join the team today in Chicago. Myers was designated for assignment earlier this month by the Yankees. He was 3-0 with a 2.66 ERA in 55 games for New York, but lefthanders hit .312 against him . . . The St. Louis Cardinals signed another discarded Yankee, infielder Miguel Cairo, to a minor league contract. He was released by New York Aug. 7 . . . Junior Spivey singled home Jacoby Ellsbury for the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, and starter Devern Hansack struck out 11 in seven innings as Pawtucket defeated Syracuse, 2-1, at McCoy Stadium . . . Ryan Mullins held host Portland to one run in seven innings as New Britain topped the Sea Dogs, 4-3.

WNBA

Monique Currie made a 3-pointer with one-10th of a second left to give Washington a 76-74 victory over the host Connecticut Sun, but the Mystics missed the playoffs when the New York Liberty won later in the day. The Liberty finished with the same record as the Mystics (16-18), but advanced because they held the tiebreaker. Katie Douglas led the Sun (18-16) with 21 points. Connecticut will host Indiana Thursday in the opener of their best-of-three playoff series . . . Shameka Christon scored 8 of her 15 points in the final six minutes to help host New York to a 58-52 victory over the Chicago Sky . . . Kristen Mann scored 19 points to help host Minnesota beat San Antonio, 81-55 . . . Tamika Whitmore scored 18 points to lead host Indiana to a 72-66 win over Detroit . . . Diana Taurasi scored 24 points to lead host Phoenix past Sacramento, 87-73 . . . Tina Thompson scored 22 points as Houston won at Los Angeles, 82-72.

Miscellany

Michael Phelps, who won seven gold medals at this year's world swimming championships, will not take part in an upcoming international swim meet in Japan. He had originally been scheduled to swim in the 100-meter butterfly and 200-meter individual medley this week at Chiba International Swimming Center. Organizers did not disclose the reason for his withdrawal . . . A steady rain forced NASCAR to postpone the 3M Performance 400 Nextel Cup race in Brooklyn, Mich., until today . . . Ricky Rudd said he plans to retire from the Nextel Cup series after this season. The 50-year-old Rudd is in his 28th season as a full-time driver in the Cup series . . . Indonesia's Chris John defeated Japan's Zaiki Takemoto on a technical knockout to retain his World Boxing Association featherweight title in Kobe, Japan . . . Brian Ching scored in the first half and the host Houston Dynamo went on to defeat FC Dallas, 1-0, in MLS action . . . Shanel Scott scored the winning run on a wild pitch in the eighth inning as the New England Riptide concluded the National Pro Fastpitch softball regular season with a 3-2 victory over the host Philadelphia Force, clinching a third-place finish and a playoff spot.