Roddick’s Good Call Costs Him the Match

Andy Roddick could have let a bad call stand and joined Andre Agassi in the quarterfinals of the Rome Masters tennis tournament.

Instead, Roddick’s integrity got the best of him, and Fernando Verdasco took advantage of the American’s sportsmanship, ousting the top-seeded player with a 6-7 (1), 7-6 (3), 6-4 victory Thursday after Roddick had overturned a double fault that would have ended the match.

Roddick was leading, 5-3, in the second set and had triple match point when Verdasco appeared to hit his second serve just long. The line judge called the ball out, but Roddick said the ball was in after checking the mark left in the clay, giving Verdasco an ace.

“I didn’t think it was anything extraordinary,” Roddick said. “The umpire would have done the same thing if he came down and looked.”

Verdasco then saved two more match points, held serve, and broke Roddick to even the second set at 5-5. The 21-year-old Spaniard broke to win the first game of the third set and maintained the lead to close out the match in 2 hours 32 minutes.

The sixth-seeded Agassi defeated 12th-seeded Ivan Ljubicic, 7-6 (4), 6-3.

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Kim Clijsters slid awkwardly, injuring her right knee as she chased a ball in her third-round match at the German Open, and had to quit playing.

Clijsters received treatment but then gave up in her match with Patty Schnyder. Clijsters’ status for the French Open is in doubt. The French Open starts May 23.

Clijsters had won the first set, 7-6 (4), and was trailing in the second, 6-5. Maria Sharapova and Justine Henin-Hardenne are set to meet in a quarterfinal matchup. Sharapova, who can become world No. 1 with a title, beat Shuai Peng, 6-2, 6-1. Henin-Hardenne beat Kveta Peschke, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.

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Seven players from top-ranked Stanford’s women’s team have been picked for the NCAA singles tournament, which ties a record set by UCLA in 1982. The tournament is scheduled May 23-28 in Athens, Ga.

Golf

Sergio Garcia shot a six-under-par 66 and took a two-shot lead in the Wachovia Championship at Charlotte, N.C. Masters champion Tiger Woods shot a 70.

Garcia has a two-shot lead over defending champion Joey Sindelar, Kenny Perry, Patrick Sheehan and Richard Johnson.

Hockey

Representatives of the NHL and the players’ association met for about three hours in Toronto, the first of six sessions planned over a two-week span. Spokesmen for both sides declined to comment, citing plans to resume negotiations today.

Rick Nash had two goals and an assist to lift Canada to a 3-1 victory over the United States at the world hockey championships at Innsbruck, Austria.

Miscellany

A poll conducted for the Rose Bowl Operating Co. suggested that a majority of Pasadena voters believe the city council should certify the stadium’s environmental impact report, an essential hurdle to clear on the path to bringing an NFL team to the aging venue.

The survey was derived from a sampling of 800 Pasadena residents. The poll showed that 77% of the surveyed people thought the council should certify the EIR, and 12% thought it should not. The rest were undecided.

When asked whether they favored bringing an NFL team to Pasadena, 58% of respondents said they did and 33% said they were opposed.

Soccer’s UEFA Cup will have a first-time champion this year when Sporting Lisbon and CSKA Moscow play for the title May 18. CSKA beat two-time champion Parma in the second leg of the semifinals, 3-0, and advanced with a 3-0 aggregate win. Sporting held on to edge AZ Alkmaar on away goals despite losing, 3-2, in extra time.

Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart of USC has been selected the 2005 sportsman of the year by the Orange County Youth Sports Federation and will be honored at a banquet June 2 at the Anaheim Hilton.

Light-heavyweight Julio Gonzalez defeated Montell Griffin after the fight was stopped in the sixth round at Palm Springs because a head butt left Gonzalez with a deep cut on his right eyelid.

Passings

Hall of Fame jockey Ted Atkinson died at 88. Story, Section B.