Associated Press
MADRID ó Serena Williams pulled out of the Madrid Open on Monday after aggravating an injury to her right knee during a first-round match against Francesca Schiavone.
The second-seeded Williams retired after losing the first set 6-4. She declined to detail the extent of the problem, but said it would not keep her out of the upcoming French Open.
“It’s not going to stop me playing in Paris,” Williams said. “I didn’t want to risk my chances to play Roland Garros. I don’t know how serious it is, but I don’t want it to get worse.”
Williams, who had difficulty bending her right knee, said she had made too many commitments with her schedule this year and was paying the price.
“I was just really hindered. My movement was hindered as a result of an injury I’ve been struggling with for some time,” Williams said.
– Maria Sharapova plans to be back on tour next week.
Sidelined by shoulder surgery, Sharapova wrote on her Web site Monday that she will play her first competitive singles match in nearly 10 months at the May 18-23 clay-court tournament in Warsaw, Poland.
The posting makes no mention of the French Open, the major championship played on clay that starts May 24.
“I know it is going to take me a while to get back into the groove of playing tournaments and matches, but I am so excited to be competing again,” Sharapova said.
NHL
DALLAS ó Mike Modano is coming back for his 20th NHL season.
A month after the Dallas Stars ended their season without a playoff berth, and Modano said he would take some time to ponder if he would retire, the highest-scoring U.S.-born player in NHL history said Monday he would play in 2009-10.
– BERN, Switzerland ó The Chicago Blackhawks will play the European champion Zurich Lions in Switzerland this fall.
CYCLING
VALDOBBIADENE, Italy ó Alessandro Petacchi of Italy won his second straight stage in the Giro d’Italia on Monday and took the overall lead from Mark Cavendish of Britain.
Lance Armstrong, competing in his first Giro, finished in the main pack in 50th place, with the same time as Petacchi. The seven-time Tour de France winner advanced to fifth place from 10th overall, 31 seconds behind Petacchi.
“I just tried to stay out of trouble again,” Armstrong said. “We had another dangerous circuit. The best place to be is in the front if you can, avoid the crashes, avoid the things we saw today. I heard a couple but missed them all, thank goodness.”
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
SCOTTSBORO, Ala. ó A former University of Alabama football booster has lost his bid for a new trial of his suit accusing the NCAA of slander.
Jackson County Circuit Judge John Graham sided with a fellow judge who ruled that Scottsboro businessman Ray Keller was not entitled to a new trial.
Jurors in Keller’s hometown had awarded him $5 million at the conclusion of a trial in 2007. But retired Circuit Judge William Gordon, who took over the case near its end after the trial judge fell ill, threw out the verdict, ruling it was awarded “as a result of passion or prejudice.”
COLLEGE HOOPS
BLACKSBURG, Va. ó Virginia Tech backup guard Hank Thorns plans to transfer.The Hokies announced Thorns’ intentions Monday.
The sophomore from Las Vegas, Nev., averaged less than three points and two rebounds in 30 games this season. He says he wants a greater role on another team.
– STARKVILLE, Miss. ó Mississippi State center Jarvis Varnado will return for his senior season and not turn pro.
The school announced the decision late Monday.The nation’s leading shot blocker for two straight seasons will make a run at the NCAA record for career blocks in 2009-10. He is 19 blocks shy of breaking Shaquille O’Neal’s career SEC record of 412. He is 142 from passing the NCAA career mark of 535.
– LOS ANGELES ó UCLA is giving Pauley Pavilion a $185 million facelift in hopes of putting one of college basketball’s most recognized arenas on the national map again.
The renovation plans, announced Monday, will include a new entrance, locker rooms for both the men’s and women’s basketball teams and over 1,000 additional seats to bring its capacity to nearly 14,000.
PREP INSTANT REPLAY
INDIANAPOLIS ó Instant replay has been approved starting next season for last-second shots in high school basketball championship games. The rule change allows replay for review of a shot attempt at the end of the fourth quarter or overtime.