Federer Too Tough for Agassi

The setting, the weather and the crowd favored Andre Agassi. Against Roger Federer, that wasn’t enough.

As usual, the top-ranked Federer rose to the occasion and beat Agassi, 6-4, 6-3, Friday night in the semifinals of the Nasdaq-100 Open at Key Biscayne, Fla.

Federer hit 30 winners and escaped his biggest jam of the night with three aces in one game to reach the final. He’ll bid for his first Key Biscayne title Sunday against Rafael Nadal, who advanced by beating David Ferrer, 6-4, 6-3.

The evening was warm and humid -- the conditions Agassi likes best. He was playing in a tournament he has won six times, on the hard-court surface he likes best.

But none of it fazed Federer, who extended his winning streak to 21 matches and improved to 31-1 this year. That’s the best start on the men’s tour since John McEnroe was 39-0 in 1984.

Agassi, seeded ninth, played Federer on even terms for the first nine games, and the only break-point chance of the opening set came on the final point.

A 29-shot exchange pulled Agassi off the court, and he hit a crosscourt forehand inches wide to lose serve and the set.

The 18-year-old Nadal, who extended his winning streak to 15 matches, became the youngest man to reach a final at Key Biscayne. The youngest men’s finalist previously was Agassi, who won his first Key Biscayne title at age 19 in 1990.

Motor Racing

Elliott Sadler ran a lap at 127.733 mph in his Ford to win the pole for Sunday’s NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee.

Dave Blaney, in a Chevrolet, qualified second at 127.444 mph. Rusty Wallace was third in a Dodge at 127.048. Jeff Gordon was fourth in a Chevrolet.

Golf

Rain postponed the opening round of the BellSouth Classic at Duluth, Ga., for the second day in a row. Heavy thunderstorms also washed out play Thursday at the TPC at Sugarloaf course.

The weather will prevent some of the 22 entrants who are also playing in the Masters from practicing in Augusta on Monday, since the BellSouth will run until that day.

Ian Woosnam, Stuart Appleby, Chris DeMarco, Steve Flesch and David Peoples withdrew from the tournament. Peoples is the only one of the five not in the field for the Masters.

PGA official Slugger White said the goal is to play 18 holes today and Sunday and 36 on Monday. The 36-hole cut will be the lowest 60 players and ties.

Pro Football

World Cup freestyle skiing champion Jeremy Bloom, who gave up college football so he could keep his ski sponsors, says he’s considering an NFL career.

Bloom played two seasons as a kick-return specialist at Colorado but lost a long legal battle with the NCAA over ski sponsors. He said he might work out for NFL scouts after the 2006 Olympics in Turin.

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St. Louis Ram defensive end Leonard Little was found not guilty of drunk driving by a St. Louis County Circuit jury. Jurors ruled that Little was speeding at the time of his arrest April 24 on Interstate 64 in St. Louis. He’ll be sentenced on that charge May 6.

Jurisprudence

The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office has interviewed the female USC student who accused Trojan cornerback Eric Wright of allegedly committing rape, but police have not formally presented the case, a district attorney’s spokesman said.

Wright, 19, was arrested last Saturday. He is free on bail but has been suspended indefinitely from the team pending the outcome of police and university investigations. Wright is scheduled to appear in court April 20.

Soccer

Costa Rica fired national team Coach Jorge Luis Pinto and rehired Alexandre Guimaraes, a move intended to reinvigorate the team’s World Cup qualifying chances.

Pinto’s dismissal came two days after Costa Rica’s 0-0 draw in a 2006 World Cup qualifier at Trinidad and Tobago.

Swimming

Michael Phelps, who won eight medals at the Athens Olympics, withdrew from one of his signature events -- the 400 individual medley -- and then showed he could dominate an event he rarely swims. Phelps led the entire race in the 400 freestyle, winning in 3:47.79 in the U.S. world championship swimming trials at Indianapolis.