Off the wire

TENNIS Federer in German semifinals

Top-seeded Roger Federer struggled for a 7-6 (4), 3-6, 7-5 victory Friday over Florian Mayer and a place in the semifinals of the German Tennis Championships. Federer is playing his first tournament since losing in the second round of Wimbledon. A four-time champion on the clay courts of Hamburg, Germany, Federer needed 2 hours to overtake Mayer. He’ll play Argentine qualifier Federico Delbonis, who upset 14th-seeded Fernando Verdasco of Spain 6-7 (5), 7-6 (8), 6-4 to make the semifinals of a tournament for the second time in his career. Fabio Fognini of Italy beat Tommy Haas for the second time in two weeks to advance to the semifinals. Fognini faces third-seeded Nicolas Almagro of Spain, who came from behind to beat defending champion Juan Monaco of Argentina 4-6, 6-0, 6-3.

Serena Williams easily won her Swedish Open quarterfinal, breaking Lourdes Dominguez Lino of Spain three times in each set of a 6-1, 6-1 victory Friday at Bastad, Sweden. Third-seeded Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic defeated Richel Hogenkamp of the Netherlands 6-2, 6-3, while home favorite Johanna Larsson beat Mathilde Johansson of France 6-1, 6-3. Italy’s Flavia Pennetta beat France’s Virginie Razzanno 6-1, 6-3 in the last quarterfinal on clay. Williams will meet Zakopalova in the semifinals.

Karin Knapp of Italy routed second-seeded Annika Beck of Germany 6-0, 6-1 at the Gastein Ladies in Bad Gastein, Austria, on Friday to reach her third semifinal of the season. The 69th-ranked Knapp didn’t face a break point and converted all five chances to break Beck’s serve. Beck had beaten Knapp in straight sets in Nuremberg last month. Knapp, who also reached the semis in Slovakia and Colombia, will play Yvonne Meusburger of Austria for a place in the final. Meusburger, coming off her second career final in Budapest last week, defeated Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands 6-1, 7-6 (1). The Austrian failed to serve out the match at 5-4 before converting her first match point in the tiebreaker.

MOTOR SPORTS NASCAR cuts aerial cameras

NASCAR suspended the use of aerial camera systems Friday, nearly two months after a Fox Sports cable snapped and injured fans and damaged some cars at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Ten people were injured during the Coca-Cola 600 on May 26 when part of the drive rope landed in the grandstand. Three people were taken to hospitals, and were checked out and released soon after. Fox successfully used the CATCAM system at the Daytona 500 and the Sprint All-Star race at Charlotte. ESPN.com said Friday that ESPN had planned to use the Batcam system next weekend for the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis and the Aug. 11 race at Watkins Glen, N.Y.

Formula One championship leader Sebastian Vettel was the fastest on the final day of a special in-season testing session with new tires. The three-time defending series champion completed 78 laps in his Red Bull at Silverstone on Friday during the tire test sanctioned by the sport’s rulers to quash the threat ofa revolt by teams. Vettel topped the time sheets with a lap at 1 minute, 32. 894 seconds. Adrian Sutil set the pace in the morning, but ended up second-fastest, around three-tenths of a second slower than Vettel.

HORSE RACING Dead heat at Saratoga

Brazen Persuasion and Bahnah won the $150,000 Schuylerville Stakes in a dead heat Friday at Saratoga Race Course in New York. Brazen Persuasion, ridden by Rosie Napravnik, held to a narrow advantage in the final sixteenth mile but Bahnah and jockey Corey Lanerie drew even in the final stride. They ran 6 furlongs in 1:12.12 to highlight of opening day at Saratoga on Friday. The Steve Asmussen-trained Brazen Persuasion paid $2.80, $3.30 and $2.30. Bahnah, trained by Bret Calhoun, returned $2.40, $2.70 and $2.20. Elena Strikes, coupled in the wagering with Yes Liz, finished third and paid $2.10 for show. Each filly earned $60,000, Brazen Persuasion for Marilyn and Darren Pollitt, Bahnah for Wayne Sanders and Larry Hirsch.

GOLF Creamer shares lead

Former winner Paula Creamer shares the lead and top-ranked Inbee Park is lurking nearby through the second round of the Marathon Classic in Sylvania, Ohio. Creamer, who five years ago won what was then the Jamie Farr LPGA stop, shot a 3-under 68 on Friday on the heels of an opening 66 to pull even with Beatriz Recari and Alison Walshe at 8-under 134 at the tournament’s midpoint. Recari, who picked up her second career tour win earlier this year, had the day’s low round with a 65. Walshe, the first-round leader, shot 69. Park, a six-time winner already this year including all three major championships, is two shots off the lead along with top amateur Lydia Ko.Defending champ So Yeon Ryu is another stroke back. Stacy Lewis (Arkansas Razorbacks) had five birdies, four bogeys and a double bogey for a 1-over 72 on Friday. She is in a group tied for 40th with a two-round total of 142. Karen Stupples (Arkansas State) had five bogeys and a double bogey for a 7-over 78 and failed to make the cut.

Paul Claxton topped the leaderboard Friday at the Midwest Classic in Overton Park, Kan., after shooting a 7-under 64. At 132, Claxton was 10 strokes under par and one stroke ahead of Franklin Corpening and Tyrone Van Aswegan, both at 133. Claxton had seven birdies in his second round. Corpening had a 66 and Van Aswegen shot a 68 in the second round. Ron Whittaker (Little Rock) had three birdies, four bogeys and a double bogey for a 3-over 74. His 141 for two rounds placed him in a pack tied at 58th. Brenden Pappas (Arkansas Razorbacks) had two birdies and five bogeys for a 3-over 74. He has a two-round total of 147.

Vaughn Taylor, Fabian Gomez, Paul Stankowski, Troy Matteson and Kyle Reifers shared the lead at the Sanderson Farms Championship in Madison, Miss., on Friday with two-round totals of 134. First-round leader Daniel Summerhays also is at 10 under but only completed eight holes in the round Friday. The six have plenty of company behind them, with eight players within two strokes. Play was delayed for the second consecutive day at Annandale Golf Club because of lightning close to the course. Glen Day (Little Rock) and Scott Gardiner (Farmington) were unable to finish their rounds.

ATHLETICS Attorneys trade jabs over NCAA suit

INDIANAPOLIS - One day after six current college football players joined a closely watched antitrust case against the NCAA, attorneys on both sides swapped fresh jabs Friday.

Current and former athletes believe they are owed billions of dollars, saying the NCAA allowed their likenesses to be used in video games without compensation. NCAA chief legal counsel Donald Remy made it clear Friday that the governing body has no intention of changing the amateurism policy that has been a bedrock principle since the NCAA was founded more than a century ago.

“College sports today are valued by the student-athletes who compete and all of us who support them,” he said. “However, the plaintiffs’ lawyers in the likeness case now want to make this about professionalizing a few current student-athletes to the detriment of all others. Their scheme to pay a small number of student-athletes threatens college sports as we know it.”

Former UCLA basketball star Ed O’Bannon is the lead plaintiff among 16 former college athletes in the lawsuit. Basketball Hall of Famers Bill Russell and Oscar Robertson previously joined the lawsuit that also named video-game maker EA Sports and the Collegiate Licensing Co. A federal judge is considering a request to grant class-action status to the lawsuit, which would open it to potentially thousands of current and former athletes and possibly expose the NCAA to millions in damages.

O’Bannon’s side insists the flurry of movement this week indicates the NCAA is worried it might lose in court.

“Our suit illustrates how the cabal between the NCAA and EA has exploited student athletes for years, using their images in video games without compensation,” said Steve Berman, lead counsel for the plaintiffs. While we are heartened they’ve stopped the practice, we believe they owe those student-athletes a great deal more than their implied promise to stop stealing their images.”