Agassi Teaches Roddick a Lesson

Andre Agassi took another huge step in his late-summer resurgence, defeating second-seeded Andy Roddick in the semifinals of the $2.5-million Cincinnati Masters on Saturday.

The 7-5, 6-7 (2), 7-6 (2) victory sent the 34-year-old Agassi into his first ATP tournament final since November at the Tennis Masters Cup. He’ll play 10th-seeded Lleyton Hewitt today for the championship.

Hewitt overpowered unseeded Tommy Robredo with his serve in the other semifinal, rolling to a 6-3, 6-2 victory.

Agassi, who had to skip Wimbledon because of an inflamed hip, arrived in Cincinnati looking to regain his touch.

The three-set semifinal tested his stamina, his nerve and his confidence. He closed out the match with a service ace down the middle.

Agassi moved into fifth place on the all-time list with his 807th career win, moving ahead of Stefan Edberg.

The second-seeded Roddick was his toughest opponent yet. The hard-serving baseline specialist had lost only two matches in his last 27, both to No. 1 Roger Federer.

Hewitt hasn’t lost a set during the weeklong tournament and has lost only one game on his serve. He won 88% of his first-serve points against Robredo to reach his first Masters Series final this season.

*

Second-seeded Amelie Mauresmo survived a first-set tiebreaker and a rain delay and defeated Vera Zvonareva, 7-6 (6), 6-2, in the semifinals of the Rogers Cup in Montreal.

Mauresmo will play Elena Likhovtseva, a 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 winner over French Open champion Anastasia Myskina, in today’s final.

Zvonareva, the 14th seed, led, 5-1, in the tiebreaker but was unable to hold off Mauresmo, who fired an ace to take a 7-6 lead. Zvonareva double-faulted on set point.

Likhovtseva reached the final with her fourth consecutive upset. She beat eighth-seeded Nadia Petrova, 11th-seeded Francesca Schiavone, fifth-seeded Jennifer Capriati and the third-seeded Myskina.

*

Third-seeded Alicia Molik and Tatiana Perebiynis won semifinal matches by identical 7-5, 6-3 scores to reach the title match in the Nordic Light Open at Stockholm. Molik beat second-seeded Silvia Farina Elia, and Perebiynis defeated Sandra Kleinova.

*

Soccer

Bora Milutinovic, the only man to coach five different teams in the World Cup finals, has signed a one-year deal with Qatar champion Al Sadd. No details were revealed on how much the contract was worth.

Milutinovic, who led China to its first World Cup appearance in 2002 and similarly Costa Rica in 1990, replaces Luka Peruzovic, who guided Al Sadd to the Qatar National League title last season.

Milutinovic, 59, who left the Honduran national coaching job in June because of a payment dispute, had coached the U.S., Chinese, Mexican, Costa Rican and Nigerian national teams.

Keiji Tamada scored in injury time to seal a 3-1 Asian Cup final victory for defending champion Japan over China at Beijing. China beat Asian rivals such as Iran and Indonesia on its way to appearing in its first-ever final of the continent’s most important soccer championship.

European champion FC Porto of Lisbon has fired its Italian coach, Luigi Del Neri, two months after his appointment. FC Porto said both parties reached an agreement to end their contract but did not elaborate in a statement posted on its website.

*

Boxing

Diego Corrales of Sacramento won the World Boxing Organization lightweight title by stopping previously unbeaten Acelino Freitas of Brazil in the 10th round at Foxwoods Resort in Mashantucket, Conn.

Corrales (39-2) knocked Freitas (35-1) down three times, with the Brazilian telling referee Michael Ortega that he didn’t want to continue after the third knockdown at 1:24 of the round.

*

Miscellany

Windsong’s Legacy made a three-wide move in the stretch to win the $1-million Hambletonian, harness racing’s biggest trotting race, at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J. The victory earned $25,000 for the American Cancer Society.

It came a year after victorious Norwegian driver-trainer Trond Smedshammer lost his father, Lars, to lung cancer, and one week after minority owner Patricia Spinelli lost her husband, Ronald, to the disease.

Cantab Hall, last year’s trotter of the year, finished a length behind in second place. Cash Hall finished third, failing to give driver John Campbell a record-extending sixth Hambletonian win.

Texas senior running back Cedric Benson was sentenced to eight days in jail after pleading no contest in Austin to misdemeanor criminal trespassing for forcing his way into an apartment in 2003. But because of crowding at the jail and credit for good behavior, he will probably spend a fraction of that time behind bars.

North Texas quarterback Andrew Smith Jr. was killed early Saturday after his truck crossed into oncoming traffic and collided head-on with an 18-wheeler in Calvert, Texas. Smith, 21, was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after the accident.