Roddick Defeats Coria for Title

Andy Roddick battled a queasy stomach in the final of the Nasdaq-100 Open in Key Biscayne, Fla., and he was the healthiest player on the court.

The curse of Key Biscayne struck again Sunday, and it hit Guillermo Coria harder. He retired because of back spasms after losing the first three points of the fourth set trailing, 6-7 (2), 6-3, 6-1.

It’s the fourth time in 15 years that the men’s final has been affected by an ailing player. Roddick, who was seeded second, acknowledged that he could have done worse than a little nausea.

“I’ll take sick to my stomach over injured any day,” Roddick said. “I was definitely working with the lesser of two evils.”

The third-seeded Coria said he hurt his back in the first set. Trailing, 6-5, he received treatment from a trainer during a changeover, then played a flawless tiebreaker to pull out the set.

But Coria walked to the chair frowning and shaking his head and threw his racket at his bag. As Roddick took control in the second and third sets, Coria occasionally clutched his back between points, and his movement and serve were clearly affected.

“Guillermo slowed by an injury is still faster than about 95% of the guys on tour,” Roddick said. “But it’s tough playing with an injury.”

After hitting a forehand into the net in the first game of the final set, Coria waved his hands in frustration and walked to the net to concede.

“The pain was excruciating, and I was having trouble serving,” said Coria, who lost serve five times. “I knew after I won the first set, I was not going to be able to finish.”

Roddick hit 11 aces, the fastest of which reached 143 mph. He lost only six of 45 points on his first serve, and played steadily from the baseline, even fooling Coria twice with drop shots.

Roddick also reached a milestone by improving his career record to 200-67. He leads the ATP Tour in victories this year with a record of 26-5.

Pro Football

James Roe caught seven touchdown passes, including the game-winner, to help the San Jose SaberCats defeat the Tampa Bay Storm, 62-55, in an Arena League game in front of 12,204 at Tampa, Fla.

Roe finished with 11 receptions for 158 yards, including a nine-yard pass from Mark Grieb to clinch the win. He had five of his scores in the second half as San Jose erased a 17-point halftime deficit.

Grieb completed 27 of 34 passes for 351 yards and nine touchdowns. With the win, the SaberCats matched the idle New Orleans VooDoo with a league-best 7-1 record.

Raymond Philyaw threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Etu Molden with no time left to give the Chicago Rush (6-2) a 57-55 victory over the Las Vegas Gladiators (3-6) in front of 10,310 at Las Vegas.... The Philadelphia Soul (4-5) defeated the Dallas Desperados, 47-41, in front of 17,597 at Philadelphia. The Desperados (5-3) tied a league record with 129 yards in penalties.

Randy Gatewood caught two touchdown passes and returned a kickoff for another as the Arizona Rattlers (4-5) defeated the Grand Rapids Rampage (0-8), 51-41, in front of 6,222 at Grand Rapids, Mich.... Quarterback Ryan Vena scored on a four-yard run with 34 seconds left to give the Columbus Destroyers (2-6) a 55-46 victory over the Orlando Predators (3-5) at Columbus, Ohio.... Lincoln DuPree scored on a 55-yard kickoff return and caught a 26-yard touchdown pass to help the New York Dragons (5-3) defeat the Carolina Cobras (3-6), 57-41, in front of 7,391 at Charlotte, N.C.

Miscellany

Australian swimming star Ian Thorpe may get a chance to defend his 400-meter freestyle title at the Athens Olympics if teammate Craig Stevens decides to step aside to let him compete.

Stevens probably would not make the final eight in the 400, and there have been suggestions he give up his spot for Thorpe.

“I will take a week off and think about it,” Stevens said.

Stevens was booed when he was asked about the possibility of stepping aside to let Thorpe compete in the 400, in which he is the world-record holder.

Thorpe, also the world-record holder in the 200, was disqualified from the 400 a week ago in the Australian Olympic trials after falling off the starting blocks in the heats.

He won the 100 and 200 freestyle, and will race in those events in Athens.

Stevens finished second to world-record holder Grant Hackett in the 1,500 freestyle final at the Olympic trials, qualifying for Athens in that event.

Pat Sullivan, who won the Heisman Trophy as Auburn’s quarterback in 1971, said his body is rid of signs of cancer.

Sullivan, now Alabama Birmingham’s offensive coordinator, was diagnosed with cancer after doctors found the disease at the base of his tongue and in lymph nodes in his neck after neck surgery in September. His condition, squamous cell carcinoma, is serious, but there is a 65% to 70% recovery rate.

“I’ve had a complete response to the treatment,” Sullivan told the Birmingham News. “The doctors told me they saw no signs of cancer cells.”

Scott Parsons secured a spot on the U.S. Olympic team by winning the men’s kayak for the second day in a row at the U.S. Olympic canoe-kayak trials in South Bend, Ind. Kayak paddlers Bret Heyl and Scott Shipley also made the team.

Final selections were made using a formula that translated the two best results in the three-day event into a percentage of the winner’s times on those days.

In women’s kayak, Rebecca Giddens won for the third straight day to clinch her spot on the Olympic team, where she was joined by Sarah Leith and Hannah Larsen.