KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. — With her No. 1 ranking secure for at least three more weeks, Caroline Wozniacki‘s taking a break.
Her vacation began Monday after she lost in the fourth round at the Sony Ericsson Open to Andrea Petkovic of Germany, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3.
“I’m just going to take a few days of rest,” Wozniacki said. “I need that, you know — maybe on the beach, get some of the tan lines off.”
Petkovic, ranked a career-best 23rd, waved her arms as she danced at the net to celebrate her victory.
“It’s the Petko Dance,” she said.
No. 16-seeded Maria Sharapova scored her first win over a top-five player in more than three years, beating No. 4 Samantha Stosur 6-4, 6-1.
On the men’s side, two-time champion Roger Federer and top-ranked Rafael Nadal advanced to the fourth round. Federer beat No. 32 Juan Monaco 7-6 (4), 6-4. Nadal never faced a break point and defeated fellow Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 6-3, 6-3.
Spurs hurting
SAN ANTONIO — Tony Parker (knee), Manu Ginobili (quadriceps) and Tim Duncan (ankle) are injured, and the San Antonio Spurs don’t know when they will be back.
The NBA’s winningest team is also without veteran Antonio McDyess (back), and it all comes with nine games left in a season.
All four starters were out for Monday’s game against Portland.
• Charlotte Bobcats starting center Kwame Brown missed the game against the Milwaukee Bucks to be with his sick daughter in Georgia.
Kings’ Kopitar to have surgery
LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Kings forward Anze Kopitar will have surgery on his broken ankle Wednesday. He will miss at least six weeks.
Kopitar broke his ankle when he fell awkwardly during the Kings’ victory over Colorado on Saturday. He leads the Kings with 25 goals and 43 assists in 75 games.
• Alex Ovechkin practiced with the Washington Capitals after missing three games to recover from an undisclosed injury. Coach Bruce Boudreau is being cautious, saying Ovechkin may be back by the end of the week.
• St. Louis Blues forward T.J. Oshie was a no-show for practice, and the team called it an unexcused absence. It’s likely Oshie will be held out of tonight’s home game against the Minnesota Wild.
Footnotes.
Three-time WNBA MVP Sheryl Swoopes, 40, is returning to the league, signing a deal with the Tulsa Shock. She last played in the WNBA in 2008 for the Seattle Storm.
• Italian cyclist Riccardo Ricco has been called for questioning by the doping prosecutor of Italy’s Olympic Committee. Ricco was rushed to a hospital Feb. 6 in Pavullo. The doctor who treated him reportedly told police Ricco acknowledged transfusing his own blood that he kept in his refrigerator.
• Manchester United will play in Major League Soccer’s All-Star Game on July 27 at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J.
• Swiss striker Blaise Nkufo will retire after 17 professional seasons, his last with the MLS’s Seattle Sounders FC.
The Associated Press
