WASHINGTON — Andy Roddick showed little rust after a month-long break.
Roddick beat Benjamin Becker 6-3, 6-2 on Wednesday at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic, his first match since losing the Wimbledon final to Roger Federer on July 5.
“I was certainly eager to get back out there,” the top seed said.
Roddick took the extended break to recover from a right hip flexor injury suffered in that match, an ailment he said has healed. He had a few errant shots go long or wide, but controlled the match throughout, never facing a break point.
Sports betting clears hurdle
WILMINGTON, Del. — A federal judge denied a request by professional sports leagues and the NCAA to halt Delaware’s planned sports betting lottery until a legal challenge is resolved.
Chief District Judge Gregory Sleet set a Dec. 7 trial date on the plaintiffs’ claims that the sports betting plan violates a federal ban on sports gambling, as well as Delaware’s state constitution.
“The court concludes that a preliminary injunction . . . is not warranted in this case,” said Sleet, adding the leagues had not met their burden of proving that such an “extraordinary remedy” was justified.
Getaway driver in Forrest murder arrested
ATLANTA — A man believed to be the getaway driver in the July 25 robbery and shooting death of former boxing champion Vernon Forrest has been arrested.
Jquante Crews, 25, of Dallas, Ga., faces several charges including murder, possession of a firearm during a commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Clarett reverses course
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Former Ohio State football star and Broncos draft pick Maurice Clarett has withdrawn a request for early release from prison so he could pursue an NFL career.
“It probably was a reality check by both Mr. Clarett and his lawyer that they had no chance of obtaining clemency under the circumstances,” Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien said.
Clarett, 25, was sentenced in September 2006 to serve at least 3 1/2 years for a holdup outside a Columbus bar and a separate highway chase that year that ended with police finding loaded guns in his SUV.
Footnotes.
FC Barcelona defender Rafael Marquez has a torn muscle in his left calf and will be out for about 15 days, meaning the anchor of Mexico’s defense is likely to miss a World Cup qualifier against the United States on Wednesday.
• Katie Douglas scored 14 points and the Indiana Fever beat the Chicago Sky 76-67 in WNBA action in Indianapolis.
• Two-time defending champion Alinghi of Switzerland picked the Persian Gulf port Ras al-Khaimah, United Arab Emirates, as the site where it will settle its feud with American challenger BMW Oracle Racing in the 33rd America’s Cup that begins Feb. 8.
• Joan Benoit Samuelson will run the New York City Marathon on Nov. 1 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of her gold medal in the first women’s Olympic marathon.
The Associated Press
