First round of U.S. Open pits Roddick vs. Henman

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Chefs, tennis players team up for charity benefit
(SH) - It's one thing to have your dinner prepared by famed chef Emeril Lagasse. But try combining Lagasse with tennis star Andre Agassi, with Lagasse creating a mouthwatering concoction and Agassi serving it up.

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Davenport rolls over Dokic at Pilot Pen
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) - Top-seeded Lindsay Davenport needed just 40 minutes to advance to the quarterfinals of the Pilot Pen, beating Jelena Dokic 6-2, 6-1 Tuesday night. "It turned out to be a lot easier than I thought it would be," Davenport said. "I was expecting to play a long time out there because I know how tough an opponent she can be. I was expecting to be pushed a little more."

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Blake, Kuerten score opening wins at TD Waterhouse
COMMACK, N.Y. (AP) - After eliminating Jonas Bjorkman of Sweden in the opening round of the TD Waterhouse Cup on Tuesday, James Blake knew how far he had come. "I was here in 2001 and I couldn't even make it out of the qualifying rounds," said the 23-year-old Blake, who beat Bjorkman 6-1, 7-6 (4).

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Paes out of U.S. Open for medical reasons
ORLANDO, Fla. (AFP) - India's Leander Paes, long one of the world's best doubles players and winner of the 2003 Wimbledon mixed doubles title with Martina Navratilova, has been hospitalized with a brain lesion. Paes checked himself into the emergency room of a hospital near his home on Sunday after suffering from severe headaches for three days, and on Tuesday was admitted to the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Orlando, a statement from the Anderson Center said.

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Maleeva, Dementieva advance to second round
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) - Magdalena Maleeva needed three sets and a 10-minute cool-down Tuesday to hold off Tamarine Tanasugarn, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, and advance to the second round of the Pilot Pen. The sixth-seeded Bulgarian is looking for her second win this year. She won the Wimbledon tuneup in June on grass at Birmingham, England, and is using New Haven as the final hardcourt tuneup before the U.S. Open, where she is seeded No. 10 next week.

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Connors, Evert join U.S. Open Court of Champions
NEW YORK (AP) - Jimmy Connors and Chris Evert are part of the first class of inductees to the U.S. Open's Court of Champions, honoring the top players in tournament history. Connors, a five-time champion, and Evert, who won the Open six times, were honored as the best players in the Open era, which began in 1968. The other inductees announced Tuesday are Bill Tilden and Helen Wills for the Golden era (1881-1967), and Rod Laver and Billie Jean King for those who played in both eras.

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Sugiyama, Martinez advance at Pilot Pen
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) - Eighth-seeded Ai Sugiyama fought through three sets Monday and beat Lisa Raymond 3-6, 6-2, 7-5 in the first round of the hard-court Pilot Pen tournament. With the score tied 5-5 in the third set, Japan's top player efficiently got ahead of Raymond 40-love, then ended it with a 91-mph ace.

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Chang ousted from Waterhouse Cup
COMMACK, N.Y. (AP) - Michael Chang's tuneup for his final tournament didn't last long. He was ousted Monday night from the TD Waterhouse Cup by South African qualifier Rik De Voest.

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Ashe's papers being donated to Schomburg Center
NEW YORK (AP) - Arthur Ashe's widow is donating his letters, speeches and other writings to the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe is formally announcing the donation Wednesday. This year is the 10th anniversary of Ashe's death from an AIDS-related illness.

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Dokic, Martinez win at Pilot Pen
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) - Jelena Dokic beat Meghann Shaughnessy 6-2, 6-4 Monday to reach the second round of the hard-court Pilot Pen tournament. Dokic said she played "surprisingly well."

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Agassi, Clijsters get No. 1 seedings for Open
NEW YORK (AP) - Andre Agassi and Kim Clijsters were seeded No. 1 Monday for the U.S. Open. Agassi counts the 1994 and 1999 Opens among his eight major titles, while Clijsters is seeking her first Grand Slam victory. They top the current rankings.

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Roddick leads ATP Champions Race
(AP) - Andy Roddick jumped atop the calendar-year ATP Champions Race on Monday after winning a second straight tournament. Roddick beat Mardy Fish 4-6, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4) Sunday at the Cincinnati Masters for his fifth title of 2003, tied with Wimbledon champion Roger Federer for the tour lead.

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Pistolesi upsets Myskina in first round of Pilot Pen
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) - Anna Pistolesi upset fifth-seeded Anastasia Myskina, 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-4 in the first round of the Pilot Pen on Sunday. The unseeded Israeli is coming off two straight singles titles on clay in lower-tier tournaments in Poland and Finland. She needed more than 2 1/2 hours to defeat the hard-hitting Russian, ranked a career-best 10th in the world.

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Henin-Hardenne cruises to Rogers AT&T; Cup title
TORONTO (AP) - Justine Henin-Hardenne beat Russian teenager Lina Krasnoroutskaya 6-1, 6-0 Sunday in the final of the Rogers AT&T; Cup for her 12th career title. Henin-Hardenne, the French Open champion ranked No. 3, made quick work of the unseeded 19-year-old Krasnoroutskaya, winning in 54 minutes.

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Roddick rallies to win set, match from Mirnyi
MASON, Ohio (AP) - Seventh-seeded Andy Roddick scored the final six points to win the tiebreaker in the first set and then beat Max Mirnyi 6-4 in the second set on Saturday to advance to the finals of the Cincinnati Masters. Serving at 5-1 in the tiebreaker, Mirnyi was beat on a passing shot as he rushed the net. Roddick won his two serves to trail 5-4, broke Mirnyi twice and served to win the final point and the set 7-6 (5).

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Krasnoroutskaya, Henin-Hardenne reach Toronto final
TORONTO (AP) - Russian teenager Lina Krasnoroutskaya reached her first final at a top-tier WTA Tour event by beating Paola Suarez 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 on Saturday in the Rogers AT&T; Cup. Krasnoroutskaya earlier upset No. 1-ranked Kim Clijsters in the third round of the hard-court tuneup for the U.S. Open. Krasnoroutskaya, ranked 38th, will meet French Open champion Justine Henin-Hardenne in Sunday's final.

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Tursunov, Karlovic advance to finals of USTA Bronx Classic
NEW YORK (AP) - Dimitry Tursunov of Sacramento, Calif., defeated Julien Valet of France 6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-2 to advance to the finals of the USTA Bronx Classic on Saturday. The Russian-born Tursunov will face Ivo Karlovic of Croatia in Sunday's final. Karlovic outlasted Cecil Mamiit, the former NCAA singles champion at Southern California 7-6 (7), 7-6 (5).

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Mirnyi upsets No. 6 Coria
MASON, Ohio (AP) - Seventh-seeded Andy Roddick easily advanced to the semifinals at the Cincinnati Masters, defeating Argentine Mariano Zabaleta 6-1, 6-2 Friday. Roddick, who won his first Masters Series title in Montreal on Sunday, is going for his second straight hard-court victory heading into the U.S. Open. The American was cheered on by the crowd.

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Roddick easily advances to semifinals
MASON, Ohio (AP) - Seventh-seeded Andy Roddick easily advanced to the semifinals at the Cincinnati Masters, defeating Mariano Zabaleta 6-1, 6-2 on Friday. Roddick, who won his first Masters Series title in Montreal on Sunday, is going for his second straight hard-court victory heading into the U.S. Open.

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Henin-Hardenne moves into semis, staying atop rankings
TORONTO (AP) - French Open champion Justine Henin-Hardenne beat Elena Bovina 6-2, 6-4 Friday to reach the semifinals of the Rogers AT&T; Cup. Henin-Hardenne, ranked third in the world, will play defending champion Amelie Mauresmo or Elena Dementieva next.

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Seles withdraws from U.S. Open
NEW YORK (AP) - Monica Seles pulled out of the U.S. Open on Friday with a left foot injury that has sidelined her since May and could end her career. The nine-time major champion, including the 1991-92 U.S. Opens, hasn't played a competitive match since losing in the first round of the French Open.

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Chang accepts U.S. Open wild card
NEW YORK (AFP) - Michael Chang has accepted a wild card entry into the U.S. Open, which will be the final tournament of the Asian-American star's 16-year career. The United States Tennis Association officially made the offer Thursday to the 34-time ATP singles champion, whose farewell will come at Flushing Meadows between the Aug. 25 start and the Sept. 7 men's final.

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Clijsters loses to unseeded Krasnoroutskaya
TORONTO (AP) - Top-ranked Kim Clijsters was upset by unseeded Lina Krasnoroutskaya 1-6, 6-4, 6-1 Thursday in the third round of the Rogers AT&T; Cup, ending her streak of reaching the semifinals at every tournament this year. Clijsters moved up to No. 1 for the first time Monday, replacing Serena Williams.

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Roddick, Coria make Cincy quarterfinals
MASON, Ohio (AP) - Andy Roddick built momentum for the U.S. Open by fighting off a stiff challenge from unseeded James Blake on Thursday night to advance to the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati Masters. The two traded power serves and precise returns before the seventh-seeded Roddick wore down Blake for a 7-6 (2), 6-2 victory. Roddick has won all seven matches against Blake.

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Chang heads men's list of U.S. Open wild-cards
NEW YORK (AP) - Michael Chang was among eight men granted a wild-card entry Thursday to the U.S. Open, which will be his final tournament as a pro. Chang, 31, is retiring after a 16-year career in which he won 34 singles titles and was ranked as high as No. 2 in the world.

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MARC LANCASTER: Ginepri's game, fame quickly picks up pace
MASON, Ohio (SH) - Robby Ginepri isn't a patient guy, so it's good that everything is finally starting to come together for him. This season, for the first time in his brief pro career, he is a full-time player on the ATP Tour, with only one Challenger event on his schedule. He won that tournament, in Hawaii in January, and hasn't looked back since. He made the quarterfinals of Masters Series events in Indian Wells and Miami, and won his first ATP tournament this summer in Newport, R.I. His ranking is at No. 41 and rising, and his game looks solid heading into the U.S. Open.

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Henin-Hardenne, Mauresmo win in Toronto
TORONTO (AP) - Second-seeded Justine Henin-Hardenne and defending champion Amelie Mauresmo won second-round matches Wednesday at the Rogers AT&T; Cup. Kim Clijsters, competing for the first time since becoming the world's top ranked player on Monday, met Francesca Schiavone in a night match.

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Ashley wins at Bronx Tennis Classic
NEW YORK (AP) - Former Stanford star Taryn Ashley defeated Tory Zawacki 6-2, 6-4 in the opening round of the Bronx Tennis Classic on Wednesday. Ashley, seeded third, is in her third season on the tour. She reached the second round of doubles in the French Open earlier this year and at last year's U.S. Open.

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Roddick rolls on, Ferrero ousted at Cincinnati Masters
MASON, Ohio (AP) - Andy Roddick, fresh off his Canada Masters victory Sunday, advanced to the round of 16 at the Cincinnati Masters by defeating Ivan Ljubicic 6-1, 6-4 Wednesday. Roddick had 10 aces to the Croatian's three to breeze to a second-round victory.

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Becker reportedly house-hunting in London
BERLIN (AFP) - Three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker is looking for a house in one of London's swishest areas and has already visited three properties, the Frau im Spiegel magazine reported. The 35-year-old has inspected homes in the smart Chelsea and Kensington area of west London with his 26-year-old girlfriend, Caroline Rocher.

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Gullickson gets U.S. Open wild card
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) - Carly Gullickson and Corina Morariu were among eight women given wild-card entries to the U.S. Open on Wednesday. Gullickson is the daughter of former major league pitcher Bill Gullickson, who played for the New York Yankees and four other clubs in a 14-year career.

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Dokic, Petrova score wins in Toronto
TORONTO (AP) - Eighth-seeded Jelena Dokic beat Indonesian qualifier Angelique Widjaja 6-4, 6-4 Tuesday to move into the third round at the Rogers AT&T; Cup. Dokic, who had a first-round bye, has struggled to string wins together this season, reaching only one semifinal.

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Federer advances, Hewitt upset at Cincinnati Masters
MASON, Ohio (AP) - A sluggish Lleyton Hewitt lost his composure and his first-round match Tuesday in the Cincinnati Masters, falling to Xavier Malisse 3-6, 6-4, 6-2. The Australian grew angry at himself and swiped his racket in frustration as Malisse took control early in the third set and held on for his first victory over a top-10 player this year.

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Muster beats Leconte at CA Challenge
GRAZ, Austria (AP) - Former No. 1 Thomas Muster is considering a return to the ATP Tour. The 1995 French Open champion beat Henri Leconte 6-3, 6-4 Tuesday in the opening match of the CA Challenge, an ATP Seniors Tour event, and said he would decide at the end of the tournament whether to return to competitive tennis.

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Arazi downs Chang at Cincinnati Masters
MASON, Ohio (AP) - Michael Chang stood by the baseline, his hands tucked in his pants pockets, as he listened to speakers recount his 16 years of top-notch tennis. Instead of a victory, he had to settle for tributes and a going-away gift.

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HOWARD FENDRICH: Time to fix ranking system
(AP) - Maybe it's time for the WTA Tour to consider a new ranking system, one that rewards pure excellence over pure consistency. By any standard, Kim Clijsters is a fantastic tennis player, among the best in the world. But is she really No. 1? No way.

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Santoro beats Moya at Cincinnati Masters
MASON, Ohio (AP) - Defending champion Carlos Moya lost his first-round match at the Cincinnati Masters on Monday, extending his deep slump heading into the U.S. Open. The fourth-seeded Moya let two break points slip away in the final game, and France's Fabrice Santoro closed out a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory in the tournament's opening match on center court.

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Clijsters moves to No. 1
(AP) - Kim Clijsters officially replaced Serena Williams at No. 1 Monday, becoming the first woman to lead the rankings without having won a Grand Slam tournament. Clijsters is the 12th player atop the WTA Tour's computer rankings since they began in 1975, and she's the first Belgian.

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Nalbandian's family under kidnap surveillance
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AFP) - Tennis star David Nalbandian is the latest sports personality from Argentina to fall victim to potential rackets with police keeping a close watch on his family in case of an attempted kidnapping. Police in the central province of Cordoba confirmed Monday they are keeping the player's parents under close surveillance after receiving a threat they would be kidnapped.

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Clijsters takes over top spot with win over Davenport
CARSON, Calif. (AP) - Kim Clijsters became the new No. 1 in women's tennis Sunday, outlasting Lindsay Davenport 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 to win the JPMorgan Chase Open for her tour-high sixth title of the year. Clijsters takes over the top spot from the injured Serena Williams, who will trail by less than 45 points when the WTA Tour rankings come out Monday.

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Roddick wins Masters Canada
MONTREAL (AP) - Andy Roddick beat 2002 Wimbledon runner-up David Nalbandian 6-1, 6-3 Sunday to win the Masters Canada for his fourth title of the year. It's the first Tennis Masters Series championship for Roddick, who lost in last year's final in Canada.

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Pistolesi tops Kostanic to win Nordic Light Open
ESPOO, Finland (AP) - Anna Pistolesi won her second straight WTA title Sunday, beating qualifier Jelena Kostanic 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 in the final of the Nordea Nordic Light Open. The second-seeded Pistolesi, coming off a victory in the Idea Prokom Open, improved to 8-0 in WTA finals.

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Roddick beats Wimbledon champ Federer to reach final
MONTREAL (AP) - Andy Roddick beat Wimbledon champion Roger Federer 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (3) Saturday to reach the Canada Masters final for the second straight year. "It definitely wasn't looking good out there, but to win a match where I was down and fought back and clawed and scrapped feels good," Roddick said.

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Agassi withdraws from Cincinnati Masters
MASON, Ohio (AP) - Top-ranked Andre Agassi pulled out of next week's Cincinnati Masters, saying he needs to limit his playing time. Agassi was beaten by Ranier Schuettler 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 Friday in the quarterfinals of the Canada Masters in Montreal. Agassi's agent then informed the local tournament that he was withdrawing.

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Davenport reaches Carson final
CARSON, Calif. (AP) - Lindsay Davenport broke Ai Sugiyama's serve six times in a 6-2, 6-1 victory at the JPMorgan Chase Open on Saturday to reach the final for the seventh time in eight years. On Sunday, Davenport will play top-seeded Kim Clijsters or No. 16 Francesca Schiavone of Italy.

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Navratilova says Williams sisters take too much time off
LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Tennis legend Martina Navratilova has accused the Williams sisters of taking more time off than necessary from the WTA Tour. "Even without an injury they (Serena and Venus) pulled out of more tournaments in one year than I did in my career," said Navratilova, who has captured a record 167 WTA singles titles and 18 Grand Slams in her 21 years of playing singles.

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Qualifier Kostanic scores spot in Finland final
ESPOO, Finland (AP) - Croatian qualifier Jelena Kostanic beat Russian teenager Vera Douchevina 7-6 (2), 6-4 Saturday and will meet Anna Pistolesi for the Nordea Nordic Light Open title. Pistolesi, an Israeli seeded second, prevented an all-Croatian final Sunday by downing eighth-seeded Karolina Sprem 6-3, 1-6, 6-4 in the other semifinal.

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Clijsters knocks off another Russian teen
CARSON, Calif. (AP) - The talented Russian teenagers keep coming, and Kim Clijsters sends them away with punishing ground strokes and post-victory kisses on each cheek. Clijsters defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3, 6-1 in the quarterfinals of the JPMorgan Chase Open on Friday, putting the Belgian two victories away from overtaking injured Serena Williams as the world's top-ranked woman.

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Agassi upset; Roddick, Federer to meet in semis
MONTREAL (AP) - Andre Agassi was upset by Rainer Schuettler 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 Friday at the Canada Masters in a rematch of the Australian Open final. Agassi made a series of mistakes from the baseline in the quarterfinal at the hard-court tuneup for the U.S. Open.

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Pistolesi reaches semis in Finland
ESPOO, Finland (AP) - Second-seeded Anna Pistolesi of Israel advanced to the semifinals of the Nordea Nordic Light Open with a 6-3, 6-0 victory over Ludmila Cervanova on Friday. Qualifier Jelena Kostanic of Croatia also won a quarterfinal, downing countrywoman Silvija Talaja 6-3, 6-2 in the $140,000 clay-court tournament.

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Davenport struggles to 3-set victory
CARSON, Calif. (AP) - Lindsay Davenport struggled to get past Paola Suarez of Argentina 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 in third round of the JPMorgan Chase Open on Thursday. Davenport blew a 4-3 lead in the first set, double-faulting twice in a row as Suarez won the final three games. But she broke Suarez, a doubles specialist, twice to win the second set.

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Venus, Rubin, Stevenson pull out of Toronto tourney
TORONTO (AP) - Venus Williams pulled out of the Rogers AT&T; Cup on Thursday, citing the abdominal strain that has bothered her since May. Williams' sister, Serena, withdrew earlier from the Aug. 11-17 hard-court tuneup for the U.S. Open.

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Agassi advances to Montreal quarters
MONTREAL (AP) - Andre Agassi stumbled out to a 4-1 deficit then recovered to beat local wild-card entry Simon Larose 6-4, 6-2 Wednesday and reach the quarterfinals of the Canada Masters. The top-seeded Agassi, a three-time champion at the hard-court tuneup for the U.S. Open, wasn't worried when he trailed.

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Talaja advances to quarters in Finland
ESPOO, Finland (AP) - Silvija Talaja of Croatia advanced to the quarterfinals of the Nordea Nordic Light Open on Thursday, rallying past Zuzana Ondraskova of the Czech Republic 0-6, 6-4, 6-1. The victory by the 67th-ranked Talaja follows her first-round upset of Switzerland's Patty Schnyder in the $140,000 clay-court tournament.

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Mirnyi upsets Hewitt at Canada Masters
MONTREAL (AP) - Former No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt was upset in the second round of the Canada Masters, losing 7-5, 6-7 (4), 7-5 to Max Mirnyi on Wednesday. Hewitt has lost four of his last nine matches, including a first-round exit as the defending champion at Wimbledon. His ranking has dropped to No. 5 in the world.

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Clijsters takes another step toward No. 1
CARSON, Calif. (AP) - Kim Clijsters moved closer to replacing Serena Williams at No. 1, beating Emilie Lott 6-1, 6-1 in 50 minutes Wednesday in the second round of the JPMorgan Chase Open. Clijsters raced through the first set in 21 minutes, with Loit offering her only resistance in the sixth game. She fought back from love-40 on her serve to force three deuces, but then netted a backhand to give Clijsters a 5-1 lead.

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Agassi, Ferrero win in straight sets
MONTREAL (AP) - Andre Agassi waited through a 1 1/2-hour rain delay, then made quick work of Nikolay Davydenko 7-6 (3), 6-2 Wednesday to reach the third round of the Canada Masters. The top-seeded Agassi is trying for his fourth title at this hard-court tuneup for the U.S. Open, which starts Aug. 25.

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Davenport pulls out of hard-court tournament
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) - Lindsay Davenport withdrew from next week's Bank of the West Classic hard-court tournament with a left foot injury. A hurt toe forced the fifth-ranked Davenport to quit during her fourth-round match at the French Open. She did play at Wimbledon, losing to Venus Williams in the quarterfinals.

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