Tennis

Federer defeats nemesis Canas

ROME -- Roger Federer is back on track. The top-ranked player defeated one of his most challenging opponents Tuesday, cruising past Guillermo Canas 6-3, 6-3 in the second round of the Rome Masters.

Perhaps more importantly, Federer said he is nearly back to normal after being slowed by mononucleosis earlier in the year.

"I think I was lacking matches at one stage, when I lost in the first round of Dubai. Now, I'm again back in my stride and feel like I'm playing well and nothing ever happened," Federer said. "It was a tough couple of months early on."

Also Tuesday, Andy Roddick defeated Mardy Fish 6-1, 6-4 in an all-American matchup. Roddick's only other match on clay this year was a Davis Cup win against Jurgen Melzer in February.

In first-round play, 2001 champion Juan Carlos Ferrero rallied past Nicolas Kiefer 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4 to set up a meeting with three-time defending champion Rafael Nadal.

Also, 14th-seeded Tommy Robredo defeated Juan Ignacio Chela 6-4, 6-1, Jose Acasuso eliminated Dmitry Tursunov 6-4, 6-2 and Croatian wild card Mario Ancic dispatched Feliciano Lopez 6-4, 6-4.

Three seeds were upset in the first round Tuesday. No. 11 Carlos Moya was eliminated by fellow Spanaird Fernando Verdasco, 6-3, 6-4; Frenchman Gilles Simon beat his 10th-seeded compatriot Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (6); and Croatia's Ivo Karlovic defeated 15th-seeded Paul-Henri Mathieu 7-6 (4), 6-2.

• Serena Williams advances at German Open: At Berlin, Serena Williams won her 16th straight match, defeating Francesca Schiavone 6-2, 6-3 Tuesday in the second round of the German Open.

Williams is chasing her fourth straight WTA title. Her last loss came in February against Jelena Jankovic in the Australian Open quarterfinals.

The Italian fought off repeated break chances throughout the second set before her forehand sailed long and allowed Williams to take a 4-2 lead.

"I'm healthy. I'm focused. Tennis is my priority," said Williams, ranked No. 6. "Everything is just coming together. Obviously, I would like to keep up the streak. I really want to keep it up on clay. I can slide on clay and be a little bit more lazy -- I like that."

Two other seeded players also advanced. No. 8 Marion Bartoli cruised past Lucie Safarova 6-0, 6-3, and No. 7 Elena Dementieva defeated Kateryna Bondarenko 6-1, 6-2. Vera Dushevina upset ninth-seed Patty Schnyder, 6-2, 6-3, and Gisela Dulko beat No. 12 Nicole Vaidisova, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.

• Davis Cup city selection gets ugly: At Madrid, Spain, the selection process to determine which city will host Spain's Davis Cup semifinal series against the United States is threatening to turn into a mutiny. The players and team captain are upset that the Spanish tennis federation appears to be ready to overlook home-court advantage in favor of sponsorship money.

Madrid is one of four cities vying to host the Sept. 19-21 best-of-five series at the Las Ventas bullring. Benidorm, Tenerife and Gijon are also trying to win the right to host the event.

The Spanish players are worried that Madrid's 2,100-foot altitude -- making it the highest capital city in Europe -- will take away its precious clay-court advantage against the defending champions.

They believe that Andy Roddick's booming serve and the hard-hitting doubles pair of Bob and Mike Bryan will be equal to the hosts despite playing on their least favorite surface.

Madrid's sudden place as the front-runner comes about three months after the city's tourist office signed up as a key sponsor with the Davis Cup through 2010.

"What I know is that as of today it hasn't been decided where the Davis Cup semifinal will be staged," federation sporting director Javier Duarte said. "That which has the best specifics will take the semifinal."

Marca newspaper reported Tuesday that Spain captain Emilio Sanchez Vicario had sent the federation his notice of resignation because his objections to playing in Madrid had fallen on deaf ears, with Madrid already believed to be a lock.

Federation president Pedro Munoz dismissed the reports that Sanchez Vicario had resigned on Tuesday, while Duarte denied that a players' rebellion was brewing.

"You have to respect that, every player and every captain has his preferences," Duarte said. "I was once captain and opinion is important. You have to listen to all sides and undertake a valuation of all information."

Horse Racing

Trainer orders test to prove no steroid use

STANTON, Del. -- The trainer of Eight Belles is certain the filly was never on steroids, and has ordered tests to prove it. Larry Jones said Tuesday he wanted to dispel any suggestion the Kentucky Derby runner-up was on performance-enhancing drugs. Eight Belles was euthanized after breaking both front ankles Saturday, a quarter-mile after the finish at Churchill Downs.

"I guarantee there were no steroids ever on the horse," Jones said at a news conference at Delaware Park, site of the filly's first win.

Eight Belles' owner, Rick Porter, said the preliminary necropsy result showed the death came as a result of the fracture of the filly's two front cannon bones.

Jones was adamant that the necropsy will show no use of performance enhancing drugs, and hoped it would uncover any previously undiscovered "soundness issues."

Jones is still emotional about the loss of the horse three days after the Derby. He broke down three times during the 30-minute news conference while recalling the filly.

But the trainer's voice rose when he said he was responding to unspecified criticism he heard on radio programs while returning from Kentucky to Delaware that his horse must have been on steroids because she was so large.

"We're taking a lot of abuse out there. ... We're being accused of steroid abuse because she was so large," he said. "I can tell you that Mr. Porter goes to the sale to look for good horses and that's one of the things you look for -- a horse that's big enough, strong enough and fast enough to compete in big races."

Jones said the last time he used steroids was in 1997, on a severely injured horse. He said, even then, he used just a fraction of the allowable amount of the drug.

The use of steroids is a hot-button issue in racing and there is a growing movement to crack down on the use of anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs.

At this point, Derby horses aren't tested for steroids. But that might soon change because of increased pressure from inside and outside the industry for racing to develop stricter drug regulations.

College Basketball

Huggins' 10-year deal worth $20 million

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- West Virginia basketball coach Bob Huggins will earn at least $20 million in guaranteed income over the next 10 years of his new contract, which includes incentives that could add thousands more.

West Virginia on Tuesday released details of the contract Huggins signed Friday.

Huggins will earn about $1.5 million this year, including a base salary of $250,000 and $1.25 million in supplemental compensation. His salary will increase a minimum of $100,000 per year, and he will receive an annual retention bonus of $100,000 starting next May 1, plus incentives.

Incentives include $10,000 for a first-round appearance in the NCAA tournament and $50,000 if the Mountaineers reach the championship game. Huggins would earn $20,000 if the Mountaineers win or tie for the Big East regular season championship, while a conference tournament title would also give him $20,000.

The Mountaineers went 26-11 this season and advanced to the third round of the NCAA tournament for the third time in four years.

Huggins has a 616-222 record in 26 seasons as a head coach. He ranks fifth in wins among active Division I coaches.

His contract includes a $4 million buyout clause, the same amount the university is seeking to recover from former football coach Rich Rodriguez, who quit in December to leave for Michigan.

The contract also stipulates Huggins can be fired for substance abuse or habitual intoxication affecting his job performance. A West Virginia spokesman said that is a standard clause in employment contracts.

In 2005, Cincinnati president Nancy Zimpher refused to extend Huggins' contract following his conviction for drunken driving a year earlier. Huggins took a year off, coached at Kansas State for one season and left for West Virginia, his alma mater, in April 2007.