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2B Daily News – Saturday, June 4, 2011 Federer ends Djokovic’s unbeaten run PARIS (AP) — Dusk was descend- ing, wind was swirling and full-throat- ed chants of ‘‘Ro-ger! Ro-ger!’’ from 15,000 or so fans finally were hushing as Roger Federer stepped to the base- line to serve — one point from return- ing to the French Open final and one point from ending Novak Djokovic’s 43-match winning streak. Federer rocked back, unfurled his body and whipped an ace, his 18th Fri- day, to seal a 7-6 (5), 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5) victory over Djokovic, then roared and wagged his right index finger, as if telling the world, ‘‘I’m still No. 1!’’ So what if the official ranking says otherwise? This was Federer showing he’s still got what it takes. He’ll go for a 17th Grand Slam title, and second at Roland Garros, in Sunday’s final against longtime neme- sis and five-time French Open cham- pion Rafael Nadal, who eliminated Andy Murray 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 to improve to 44-1 at the clay-court major tourna- ment. By summoning all of the strokes and resolve required to win a taut, tense contest with a lot on the line, Federer also managed to do what no one else had in quite some time: defeat Djokovic, who entered the day 41-0 in 2011 and unbeaten since losing to — guess who? — Federer in late Novem- ber. ‘‘I wasn’t here to spoil the party,’’ said the third-seeded Federer, who completed a career Grand Slam by winning the 2009 French Open. ‘‘Almost feels, somewhat, like I’ve won the tournament, which is not the case. Silverware is still out there to be won, and I’m looking forward to the match with Rafa.’’ It’ll be their fifth meeting — and fourth final — in Paris since 2005. Nadal is 4-0 in those matches, part of his 16-8 overall lead head-to-head. A sixth French Open title would tie Nadal with Bjorn Borg for the most in history. ‘‘I don’t think about that,’’ said Nadal, who turned 25 Friday. ‘‘A lot of respect for the great Bjorn, but I ... focus on (trying) to play well. For me, is much more important win Roland Garros than equal Bjorn.’’ Djokovic is the only other player to have beaten Federer more than eight times, including a 3-0 mark this season before Friday. Long considered one of the top talents in tennis, Djokovic credited a handful of factors with help- ing him excel recently: more maturity; confidence from helping Serbia win its first Davis Cup title in December; a gluten-free diet he now refuses to dis- cuss in any detail. He won his second major title at the Australian Open in January and arrived in Paris as a co- favorite with Nadal, thanks in part to having beaten the Spaniard in two tournament finals on clay in May. ‘‘It had to end somewhere,’’ said the second-seeded Djokovic, who would have clinched the No. 1 ranking with a victory over Federer and will move up anyway if Nadal loses Sun- day. ‘‘Best five months of my life, my tennis career. I cannot complain. It was definitely an incredible period.’’ Nadal’s victory over the fourth- seeded Murray was far more com- pelling and competitive than a typical straight-set sweep, yet still paled in comparison to what Federer and Djokovic produced later. Because Nadal-Murray lasted more than three hours — and because the tournament pushed back the start of the men’s semifinals from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. to accommodate TV — Federer and Djokovic didn’t set foot on Court Philippe Chatrier until early evening. It was nearly 6 p.m. when the first point was played, and the heavy gray clouds clustered overhead limited the light. By the end of the match, at 9:36 p.m., it was tough to see. Both men knew that if Djokovic managed to push their semifinal to a fifth set, play would have been suspended for the night and resumed Saturday. For portions of the first two sets, Djokovic’s timing was a tad off, per- haps a result of not having played since Sunday. It was an unusual four- day break in the middle of a Grand Slam tournament, one that came about because Djokovic’s quarterfinal oppo- nent withdrew with an injury. Nevertheless, Federer and Djokovic produced riveting tennis, particularly in a 70-minute first set filled with lengthy exchanges, plenty of defense and terrific shotmaking. As he approaches his 30th birthday on Aug. 8, Federer might no longer be at the height of his powers. But he’s still awfully good. A couple of shots he conjured up in the first set — a vol- ley that landed right on a corner; a forehand winner on the run that caught a line — were so superb that Djokovic felt obliged to join fans in applauding. It was at this tournament a year ago that Federer lost to Robin Soderling in the quarterfinals, ending his streak of reaching the semifinals at a record 23 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments. A month later, Federer lost in the Wimbledon quarterfinals, too. Semifinal exits followed at the U.S. Open in September — after wasting two match points — and the Aus- tralian Open in January, both against Djokovic. Add it up, and it means Fed- erer went more than a year without reaching a Grand Slam final, which wouldn’t be a big deal for anyone else, but certainly was for a guy who’d never been through that long a drought since winning his first major title at Wimbledon in 2003. Djokovic missed early chances to nose ahead. He held two set points at 5-4, but Federer saved both. Djokovic led 5-4 in the tiebreaker before a real lapse: backhand long; forehand wide; forehand into the net. Three unforced errors by Djokovic gave three points — and that set — to Federer. Djokovic spiked his racket on the court and caught it, then cracked it against his green bench on the side- line. Many in the stands started chant- ing Federer’s first name, drawing a response of ‘‘No-le!’’ — Djokovic’s nickname — from the couple dozen loud, raucous supporters in the Serb’s guest box. Those choruses would return throughout the match. ‘‘The first set was huge,’’ Federer said. When he also took the second, things looked bleak for Djokovic. Fed- erer began the day 174-0 when ahead by two sets in a Grand Slam match. ‘‘I just felt: You don’t give me such a lead, and then think you can crawl back into the match,’’ Federer said. But Djokovic did, indeed, work his way back to win the third, the only set of the 19 Federer has played that he has dropped in the tournament. Djokovic then broke to lead 5-4 in the fourth when Federer shanked a forehand off his frame. That let Djokovic serve for the set, but Federer broke right back with a forehand win- ner that he punctuated by shaking his fist. In the next game, Federer faced two break points but saved both, the sec- ond with an ace. Federer’s coach, Paul Annacone, said later: ‘‘He reminded me a little of the guy from California that I used to work with’’ — a reference to Pete Sampras, whose record of 14 major titles Federer broke. Another ace, followed by a service winner, put Federer up 6-3 in the fourth-set tiebreaker. Djokovic served — and won — the next two points. But then came Federer’s chance to end it with one serve, and he did. ‘‘Mental toughness in important moments. That’s what makes him a big champion,’’ said Djokovic, who fell one win shy of tying John McEn- roe’s 42-0 start in 1984, the best in the Open era. Factoring in the setting, the atmos- phere and both players’ performances, a reporter asked Federer whether this might be the best tennis match since his 9-7 fifth-set loss to Nadal in the 2008 Wimbledon final. The question made Federer recoil. ‘‘I haven’t disappeared since. I’ve played some great matches since, and I (made) some sacrifices. I wasn’t lying on the beach,’’ he replied. ‘‘So I’m pretty happy that I made that effort over the years, and that when it really counts, I’m at the big occasion. Today was one of those moments.’’ NFL players urge appeals court to lift the lockout The league is starting to to like.’’ ST. LOUIS (AP) — NFL players urged a federal appeals court Friday to declare the lockout illegal, saying the league had no right to impose a work stop- page that is now approach- ing three months with no sign of a deal that will save the 2011 season. In a courtroom packed with some 200 people, including out-of-work play- ers and retirees on folding chairs brought in to handle the crowd, attorneys on both sides of the bitter labor fight got roughly 30 minutes each to make their cases. The appeal centers on the lockout that began hours after months of labor talks fell apart March 11, the players’ union dissolved and the fight ended up in federal court. The NFL contends the union decertification was a sham meant to gain leverage in the talks and the conflict remains subject to labor law. The players argue that antitrust laws apply and the lockout put in place under labor law needs to be put on hold, as it was in April by U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson in Minneso- ta. ‘‘We’re asking for a pre- liminary injunction for a short period of time,’’ the players’ counsel, Theodore Olson, said in the hushed courtroom. ‘‘We’re simply asking that the laws of the U.S. be respected.’’ The arguments came before a three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals whose two earlier 2-1 decisions have sided with the league and upheld the lockout. The panel took the arguments under advise- ment with one judge, Kermit Bye, saying only that a rul- ing would come in ‘‘due course’’ and he suggested the two sides figure things out. ‘‘We wouldn’t be all that hurt if you go out and settle that case,’’ Bye said with a smile as he closed the 68- minute hearing. ‘‘We will keep with our business, and if that ends up with a deci- sion, it’s probably some- thing both sides aren’t going Biffle hopes to recapture past success at Kansas KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Speedway might be the best place for Greg Biffle to cool off after an extremely hot and miser- able weekend in Charlotte. Less than 20 laps into last week’s Coca Cola 600, Bif- fle reported that his cooling system was malfunctioning — on a day when tempera- tures approached 140 degrees on the track. The system wasn’t just broken, either. It was pump- ing scalding hot air into Bif- STANLEY CUP (Best-of-7) x-if needed Vancouver 1, Boston 0 Game 1: Vancouver 1, Boston 0 Saturday: at Vancouver, 5 p.m., NBC Monday: at Boston, 5 p.m. Wednesday: at Boston, 5 p.m. x-June 10: at Vancouver, 5 p.m. x-June 13: at Boston, 5 p.m. x-June 15: at Vancouver, 5 p.m. fle’s helmet and burning the side of his head, even with his visor flipped up to pro- vide ventilation. Biffle’s crew eventually got his cool- ing system sorted out during an extended stay in the pits, and he pushed his way back from 34th to the front with 50 laps left. But what could have been the best car in Charlotte finished 13th fol- lowing a late pit stop. ‘‘We took a really, really fast car and finished 13th with it. We got the wave around twice and the lucky dog once,’’ Biffle said Fri- day in Kansas, where the NBA FINALS (Best-of-7) x-if needed Dallas 1, Miami 1 Game 1: Miami 92, Dallas 84 Game 2: Dallas 95, Miami 93 Sunday: at Dallas, 5 p.m., ABC Tuesday: at Dallas, 6 p.m. x-June 9: at Dallas, 6 p.m. x-June 12: at Miami, 5 p.m. x-June 14: at Miami, 6 p.m. Sprint Cup resumes Sunday. ‘‘If we would have had a mediocre car we would have finished about 30th.’’ If Biffle can bring anoth- er fast car to the 1.5-mile track Sunday, history sug- gests the No. 16 Ford could be the among the ones to beat. Biffle, currently 11th in the Sprint Cup standings, sports the top driver rating at Kansas of anyone in the field. Biffle, along with Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart, has won twice here, first in 2007 and in last fall’s race when he took first to pull WNBA WESTERN CONFERENCE WL Pct GB Sparks 0 0 .000 — Minnesota 0 0 .000 — Phoenix 0 0 .000 — San Antonio 0 0 .000 — Seattle 0 0 .000 — Tulsa 0 0 .000 — EASTERN CONFERENCE WL Pct GB Sat. June 4th Bob’s Tire Games 10:00am at Bob’s Tires in Red Bluff Strong Man Competition(All Tire Events) Men’s weight classes 200 lbs and under 200.5 lbs and over Ask about May Strong Man Events • Tire Flip for time • Arm over arm pull for time • Axle dead lift for reps-350 lbs for light- 450 lbs for heavy • (5 Progressive Tires) Throw over height for time membership specials Other Events • Ladies Flip for time - one weight class • Kids 10 and under Flip for time • Kids 11-15 Flip for Time Attempt to flip a 1000lb tire for $100! For more info contact Troy at 528-8656 Compete, support, and enjoy this celebration of strength! 2498 South Main St., Red Bluff 528-8656 www.tehamafamilyfitness.com Tehama Family Fitness Center Presents Atlanta 0 0 .000 — Chicago 0 0 .000 — Connecticut 0 0 .000 — Indiana 0 0 .000 — New York 0 0 .000 — Washington 0 0 .000 — ————————————————— Friday’s result Minnesota at Los Angeles, late Saturday’s games Phoenix at Seattle, Noon, ABC Washington at Connecticut, 4 p.m. Chicago at Indiana, 4 p.m. Tulsa at San Antonio, 5 p.m. Sunday’s games New York at Atlanta, Noon Los Angeles at Minnesota, 12:30 p.m. himself out of a deep hole in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. Biffle also has six top-five finishes in nine Kansas races and has run nearly 93 percent of his laps here in the top 15, the most of any driver. ‘‘I really like this race track. This race track’s a lot of fun,’’ Biffle said. ‘‘There are a lot of options and it has MLS WESTERN CONFERENCE WL T Pts GF GA Galaxy 8 2 5 29 20 12 FC Dallas 6 3 4 22 16 12 Seattle 5 4 5 20 16 13 Colorado 4 3 6 18 15 13 Portland 5 4 2 17 15 17 Salt Lake 5 2 2 17 10 4 Chivas USA 3 4 5 14 15 14 QUAKES 34 4 13 14 14 Vancouver 1 5 7 10 14 18 EASTERN CONFERENCE WL T Pts GF GA Philadelphia 6 3 2 20 14 9 New York 4 2 6 18 18 11 Houston 3 4 6 15 17 15 D.C. 4 4 3 15 16 20 Columbus 3 3 5 14 11 13 N. England 3 5 4 13 10 15 Toronto FC 2 5 6 12 13 23 Chicago 1 4 6 9 15 19 Kansas City 1 6 2 5 12 19 NOTE: Three points for victory, one point for tie. ————————————————— Friday’s result D.C. United at Los Angeles, late Saturday’s games Houston at San Jose, 7:30 p.m.,CSNC Sporting Kansas City at Toronto FC, 4 p.m. Columbus at New York, 4:30 p.m. New England at FC Dallas, 5:30 p.m. Seattle FC at Chicago, 5:30 p.m. Philadelphia at Colorado, 6 p.m. Vancouver at Real Salt Lake, 6 p.m. Portland at Chivas USA, 7:30 p.m. Baseline Basketball AAU Summer Basketball Program Open Invitation Tues & Thurs 3-5pm 5th thru 10th grade • Boys & Girls 8week program $140.00 Call Keith Carlson @530-736-6018 3 Tournament Guarantee a little slower corner speeds and you have to be a little technical, which plays into my hands over the years I guess.’’ Biffle’s in the mix for a spot in the Chase with NASCAR’s regular season reaching its midway point after Sunday’s race, though his position in precarious. MLB West Division Texas East Division American League WL Pct GB 32 26.552 — Seattle 29 27 .518 2 Angels 29 29 .500 3 A’s 27 31 .466 5 WL Pct GB New York 31 23 .574 — Boston 31 26 .544 1.5 Tampa Bay 29 27 .518 3 Toronto 29 28 .509 3.5 Baltimore 25 30 .455 6.5 Central Division WL Pct GB Cleveland 33 22 .600 — Detroit 29 27 .518 4.5 Chicago 28 31 .475 7 Kansas City25 32 .439 9 Minnesota 19 37 .339 14.5 ————————————————— Friday’s results Boston 8, Oakland 6 Chicago 6, Detroit 4 Minnesota 5, Kansas City 2 Texas 11, Cleveland 2 Toronto 8, Baltimore 4 New York at Los Angeles, late Tampa Bay at Seattle, late Saturday’s games Oakland (Cahill 6-3) at Boston (Beckett 4-2),10:10 a.m.,CSNB Tampa Bay (Hellickson 6-3) at Seattle (Fister 3-5), 1:10 p.m. Texas (D.Holland 4-1) at Cleveland (Carmona 3-6), 4:05 p.m. Toronto (R.Romero 5-4) at Baltimore (Arrieta 6-3), 4:05 p.m. Detroit (Verlander 5-3) at Chicago (E.Jackson 4-5), 4:10 p.m., WGN Minnesota (Blackburn 4-4) at Kansas City (Hochevar 3-5), 4:10 p.m. New York (Sabathia 6-3) at Los Angeles (E.Santana 3-4), 6:05 p.m. Sunday’s games Oakland (Anderson 3-5) at Boston (Lackey 2-5),10:35 a.m.,CSNC Texas (C.Wilson 5-3) at Cleveland (Talbot 2-1), 10:05 a.m. Toronto (Jo-.Reyes 1-4) at Baltimore (Guthrie 2-7), 10:35 a.m. Detroit (Penny 4-4) at Chicago (Peavy 2-0), 11:10 a.m., WGN Minnesota (Duensing 2-5) at Kansas City (Francis 2-5), 11:10 a.m. New York (Colon 3-3) at Los Angeles (E.Santana 3-4), 12:35 p.m. Tampa Bay (W.Davis 4-5) at Seattle (Bedard 3-4), 1:10 p.m. see the effects of the lockout, with furloughs and other recent moneysaving steps. Training camps traditionally start in late July and the first preseason game is little more than two months away. The hearing has been seen as pivotal in the dispute over how to share the NFL’s $9 billion in annual revenue, and the turnout included NFL Players Association leader DeMaurice Smith and two dozen players, including Green Bay’s Cullen Jenkins, the Jets’ Tony Richardson and Giants standout Osi Umenyiora. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell spent Friday in Fort Bragg, N.C., a league spokesman tweeting that Goodell isn’t a lawyer and ‘‘wouldn’t have added much to the legal proceedings.’’ Jets owner Woody Johnson was at the hearing. Paul Clement, an attor- ney representing the NFL, waved off a reporter’s ques- tion about whether the NFL had the upper hand. ‘‘As we tried to make clear in there, we think the lockout is actually the best way to get players back on the field,’’ said Clement, who like Olson is a former U.S. solicitor general. ‘‘I think people understand that this will be resolved; the res- olution will include a collec- tive bargaining agreement. And the fastest way to get there is to get the antitrust laws, which were just a mis- fit in this context, out of the picture.’’ The hearing was some- times dense as Olson and Clement laid out arguments over Nelson’s April 25 deci- sion to lift the lockout on the grounds that it was illegal and the players suffering irreparable harm. The 8th Circuit — seen as a more conservative, business- friendly venue for the NFL than the federal courts in Minnesota — put her ruling on hold April 29 and reaf- firmed its decision May 16. PGA The Memorial At Muirfield Village Golf Club Dublin, Ohio Purse: $6.2 million Yardage: 7,352; Par 72 Second Round Leaders Steve Stricker 68-67— 135 -9 Ricky Barnes 68-70— 138 -6 Rod Pampling 72-66— 138 -6 Jonathan Byrd 71-67— 138 -6 Rory McIlroy 66-72— 138 -6 Aaron Baddeley 71-68— 139 -5 Kevin Stadler 71-68— 139 -5 Brandt Jobe 71-68— 139 -5 Luke Donald 70-69— 139 -5 Ryan Moore 69-70— 139 -5 Josh Teater 67-72— 139 -5 MLB West Division National League WL Pct GB GIANTS 31 25 .554 — Arizona 31 26 .544 .5 Colorado 26 29 .473 4.5 Dodgers 26 32 .448 6 San Diego 24 33 .421 7.5 East Division WL Pct GB Philadelphia 34 23 .596 — Florida 31 24 .564 2 Atlanta 32 26 .552 2.5 New York 26 31 .456 8 Washington 25 31 .446 8.5 Central Division WL Pct GB St. Louis 34 25 .576 — Milwaukee 31 26 .544 2 Cincinnati 30 28 .517 3.5 Pittsburgh 27 29 .482 5.5 Chicago 23 32 .418 9 Houston 23 34 .404 10 ————————————————— Friday’s results Colorado at San Francisco, late Atlanta 6, N.Y.Mets 3 Cincinnati 2, L.A. Dodgers 1 Milwaukee 6, Florida 5 Pittsburgh 2, Philadelphia 1, 12 innings St. Louis 6, Chicago Cubs 1 Houston at San Diego, late Washington at Arizona, late Saturday’s games Colorado (Chacin 5-4) at S.F.(Bumgarner 2-6),1:10 p.m.,FOX Chicago (R.Wells 1-1) at St. Louis (Lohse 7-2), 1:10 p.m. Los Angeles (Kershaw 6-3) at Cincinnati (Cueto 2-2), 1:10 p.m. Philadelphia (K.Kendrick 3-3) at Pittsburgh (Morton 5-2), 4:05 p.m. Atlanta (Jurrjens 7-1) at New York (Gee 5-0), 4:10 p.m. Milwaukee (Gallardo 7-2) at Florida (Volstad 2-4), 4:10 p.m. Washington (L.Hernandez 3-6) at Arizona (J.Saunders 2-5), 5:10 p.m. Houston (An.Rodriguez 0-2) at San Diego (Harang 5-2), 5:35 p.m. Sunday’s games Colorado (Hammel 3-5) at S.F. (Vogelsong 3-1),1:05 p.m.,CSNB Los Angeles (Billingsley 4-4) at Cincinnati (T.Wood 4-3), 10:10 a.m. Milwaukee (Narveson 2-4) at Florida (Ani.Sanchez 5-1), 10:10 a.m. Philadelphia (Halladay 7-3) at Pittsburgh (Ja.McDonald 3-3), 10:35 a.m. Chicago (Zambrano 5-2) at St.Louis (Carpenter 1-5), 11:15 a.m., TBS Washington (Marquis 6-2) at Arizona (I.Kennedy 6-2), 1:10 p.m. Houston (Lyles 0-0) at San Diego (Latos 3-6), 3:35 p.m. Atlanta (T.Hudson 4-4) at New York (Dickey 2-6), 5:05 p.m., ESPN NFL French Open NASCAR