Off the wire

TENNIS Nadal, Djokovic in final again

Novak Djokovic will have a crack at toppling Rafael Nadal in the Monte Carlo Masters final for a second year in a row. Despite their injury concerns, they will meet for the 16th time in a championship. Nadal leads 8-7 in their finals. “I am not the kind of player who is stupid and says, ‘I want to play against the best,’”Nadal said joking, added he would rather face an easier opponent today. Nadal can improve upon his formidable record on the Monte Carlo red clay - winner of the last eight titles and 46 consecutive match victories. He defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3, 7-6 (3) in the semifinals on Saturday to set up a rematch with Djokovic. The Spaniard has reached five successive finals since returning from a seven-month layoff for a left knee injury. He will go for his fourth title of the season against Djokovic, who cruised past unseeded Fabio Fognini of Italy 6-2, 6-1. The No. 1 player showed no sign his right ankle was bothering him, two weeks after twisting it during a Davis Cup match against the United States.

Sofia Arvidsson gave Sweden a 1-0 lead over the U.S. when she beat Sloane Stephens 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 in the Fed Cup World Group Playoff tie at the Delray Beach Tennis Center in Florida on Saturday. The 16thranked Stephens was playing her first Fed Cup singles match and was clearly nervous. Stephens played a sloppy and rushed match, while the more experienced Arvidsson outsmarted Stephens throughout most of the two-hour match. The 29-yearold Arvidsson is playing in her 48th Fed Cup tie and has a 48-35 record. Top-ranked Serena Williams was set to play 66th-ranked Johanna Larsson of Sweden in the second match Saturday but it was delayed by rain.

TRACK & FIELD Tinsley wins at Kansas Relays

Olympic silver medalist Michael Tinsley (Pulaski Robinson) won the 400-meter hurdles in 48.77 seconds Saturday in the Kansas Relays and was selected the top male athlete in the meet. Kansas sophomore Michael Stigler, recently honored as the Big 12 freshman track athlete of the year, was second in a school-record 49.42 - also the best college time this season. Kansas senior Kyle Clemons won the 400 for the third time in four years, finishing in 46.28.BOXING

Cleverly retains WBO title

Unbeaten Nathan Cleverly kept his minor WBO light-heavyweight belt by unanimously outpointing German challenger Robin Krasniqi at Wembley Arena in London on Saturday night. The judges scored Cleverly’s fifth title defense 120-108, 119-109, and 120-108. The Welshman improved to 26-0, while the outclassed Krasniqi dropped to 39-3.

Tyson Fury stopped Steve Cunningham with a right hook 5 seconds before the end of the seventh round of their heavyweight bout on Friday to win his United States debut. It was the 15th knockout for the Briton, who is 21-0. Cunningham fell to 25-6. Nineteen of Fury’s first 20 fights occurred in the United Kingdom. His only other North American fight was an eight-round defeat of Zack Page at Quebec City’s Pepsi Coliseum on Dec. 18, 2010. Fury taunted his American opponent by dropping his hands, exposing his chin and shouting “come on” during the first round. Fury’s disdain cost him when he was dropped 18 seconds into the second round with a right hook to the chin. Following the knockdown, Fury began attempting to tie up Cunningham in the ropes.

BASEBALL

Injured Chacin to have MRI

Colorado Rockies pitcher Jhoulys Chacin was scheduled to undergo an MRI to try to determine the severity of a back injury that brought an abrupt end to an impressive outing Friday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Team officials initially believed that Chacin, who allowed no runs on 3 hits in 6 1/3 innings in Colorado’s 3-1 victory, strained his left oblique while throwing his 100th pitch of the game. After a re-evaluation, the Rockies head athletic trainer, Keith Dugger, said Saturday that the injury may be centered in the back. “The injury is higher up than the oblique, more like a back muscle than an oblique,” Dugger said. Chacin will have the scan on Monday. Chacin said the injury felt similar to a lower back strain he suffered while weight lifting during spring training. He resumed pitching in the rotation after missing one spring training start.

The Oakland Athletics have recalled right-hander Jesse Chavez from Triple-A Sacramento and optioned pitcher Evan Scribner to the Pacific Coast League club. The moves were made Saturday, one day after Scribner threw three innings after Athletics starter Brett Anderson left after the first inning with a sprained right ankle in an 8-3 loss to Tampa Bay.

The Washington Nationals are putting third baseman Ryan Zimmerman on the 15-day disabled list because of a strained left hamstring and promoting prize prospect Anthony Rendon from Double-A for his big league debut. Zimmerman did not play Friday or Saturday at New York against the Mets. The 28-year-old Zimmerman was hitting .226 with one home run and 11 RBI in 15 games. He’s also made four errors this season.

The Houston Astros have placed outfielder J.D. Martinez on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained right knee and activated outfielder Fernando Martinez from the disabled list to take his spot on the roster. J.D. Martinez was injured on a check swing in the fourth inning of Friday night’s game. He is hitting .244 with two home runs and seven RBI this season. Fernando Martinez has been on the disabled list since March 27 with a strained left oblique. He played five rehabilitation games with Triple-A Oklahoma City. Fernando Martinez hit six home runs with 14 RBI in 41 games for the Astros last season.

The Atlanta Braves have placed infielder Blake DeWitt on the 15-day disabled list and recalled right hander David Carpenter from Triple-A Gwinnett. DeWitt has lower back soreness, an injury that limited him to just 48 games last season between the major leagues and minor leagues in the Chicago Cubs’ organization. He is 1 for 3 in four games for Atlanta after beginning the season with Gwinnett.

FOOTBALL

Two Ball State players sued

A Ball State University student who says two campus football players attacked him without cause is suing them over the alleged attack. Zechariah Smith of Wabash, Ind., says he suffered a broken jaw when he was attacked by Ball State football players Kenneth Spencer Lee Jr. and Travis Dartanion Freeman in a Muncie, Ind., bar in February 2012. The suit says Smith, 24, was waiting to use the bathroom at the bar when Lee accused him “of making derogatory comments.” The Star Press in Muncie, Ind., reported the lawsuit says Lee grabbed Smith by the throat and punched him in the face. It says Lee left the tavern, but returned a few minutes later with Freeman. It says both men then attacked Smith and continued the assault after he fell to the floor.