NEW YORK — Any hope for a last-second resolution to the NBA lockout vanished Friday, as the owners drew a firm line on player compensation, driving a deep wedge in the already fragile labor negotiations.
NBA officials informed the players union that they would not increase their offer beyond a 50-50 split of league revenues and that the subject was no longer negotiable. That incensed union leaders, who accused the league of setting preconditions for further talks.
The standoff guaranteed that the NBA would cancel the first two weeks of the regular season when its offices reopen Monday. The season is scheduled to start Nov. 1.
There had been hope that negotiations could resume this weekend.
Tseng leading LPGA event
INCHEON, South Korea — Yani Tseng lived up to her top-ranked billing with a 7-under-par 65 to take the lead after the first round of the LPGA Hana Bank Championship.
The world’s No. 1 player had 10 birdies and three bogeys to take a one-stroke lead over Chella Choi, who capitalized on early calm conditions to set the pace at 6-under. Two-time defending champion Na Yeon Choi was in a tie for third with Sandra Gal at 5-under.
• Michael Allen shot a 9-under 63 to take a three- stroke lead over John Cook after the first round of the Champions Tour’s Insperity Championship in The Woodlands, Texas.
Schwab Cup points leader Tom Lehman and Mark Calcavecchia opened with 67s, and defending champion Fred Couples was another stroke back along with Tommy Armour III and Eduardo Romero.
• U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy shot a 2-under 69 to take a share of the lead after the second round at the Korea Open in Seoul.
McIlroy is tied with four others at 137 overall — defending champion Y.E. Yang (70), Rickie Fowler (70), Bronson La’Cassie (67) and Mo Joong-kyung (66).
• England’s Lee Slattery shot a 6-under 66 to lead the Madrid Masters by one shot after the second round.
Slattery had seven birdies and one bogey to finish at 11-under. He leads Spain’s Eduardo de la Riva and Italy’s Francesco Molinari, who each shot 67.
Safina refutes retirement talk
MOSCOW — Dinara Safina said she hasn’t decided yet if she will keep playing tennis, contradicting brother Marat Safin‘s announcement that she had retired.
The former top-ranked player said on Twitter there has been no official announcement and asks that she be given “some time and I’ll let u all know.”
• Top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki was knocked out of the China Open quarterfinals in Beijing by Flavia Pennetta 3-6, 6-0, 7-6 (2).
Footnotes.
Stephanie’s Kitten took the lead in the stretch and held on to win the $400,000 Darley Alcibiades Stakes on opening day at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky.
• American hammer thrower Matthew DiBuono has accepted a four-year suspension after testing positive for the presence of anabolic agents.
