INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Andy Roddick defeated Robin Soderling 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 on Saturday to make the BNP Paribas Open final for the first time after failing to get past the semifinals in his three previous trips to the desert.
Roddick will play for the title today against Ivan Ljubicic, who rode his big serve to a 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (1) victory over defending champion Rafael Nadal — the first time in 26 years that both men’s semifinals went three sets.
Jelena Jankovic and U.S. Open finalist Caroline Wozniacki will meet for the women’s title today.
Kelleher, Ganong win super-G titles
WILMINGTON, N.Y — Keely Kelleher, of Big Sky, Mont., and Travis Ganong of Olympic Valley, Calif., both topped fields brimming with U.S. Olympians to win super-G titles at the U.S. Alpine Championships.
• China’s Liang Wenhao and Wang Meng clinched gold medals in the men’s and women’s 500- meter races at the short-track speedskating world championships in Sofia, Bulgaria.
• Kazuhiro Kokubo of Japan and American Kelly Clark won their halfpipe events at the U.S. Open Snowboarding championships in Stratton, Vt.
• Justin Lamoureux of Canada clinched the World Cup halfpipe crown after finishing third to winner Fredrik Austbo in La Molina, Spain.
Longshot wins Florida Derby
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. — Ice Box, a 20-1 longshot, rallied five wide entering the stretch to win the $750,000 Florida Derby by a nose over Pleasant Prince, another longshot.
Race favorite Rule finished third. Lentenor, a full-brother to ill-fated 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro, finished fourth.
Penske drivers finish 1-2
BRISTOL, Tenn. — Justin Allgaier passed Brad Keselowski on a restart with 27 laps remaining, then held him off over the closing laps to give Penske Racing its first 1-2 finish in the Nationwide Series.
Allgaier, last year’s Nationwide Series rookie of the year, had to hold his line over the final 27 laps to keep Keselowski from passing.
Klitschko wins by KO
DUESSELDORF, Germany — Wladimir Klitschko knocked out Eddie Chambers in the 12th and final round to retain his WBO and IBF heavyweight belts.
The 33-year-old Ukrainian improved to 53-3 and scored his 48th KO. Chambers lost for the second time in 37 fights.
Footnotes.
U.S. Ski Team chief Bill Marolt has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence not far from the team’s headquarters in Park City, Utah.
• Mercyhurst forward Vicki Bendus won the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, given to the top player in major women’s college hockey.
• Oscar Freire Gomez won the Milan-San Remo cycling race after a mass sprint to the finish.
• Florida held off Stanford by 2 1/2 points in West Lafayette, Ind., to win the NCAA women’s swimming and diving championship.
The Associated Press
