Haas Beats Roddick for Fourth Time in a Row

Fifth-seeded Tommy Haas handled Andy Roddick on clay again, beating the No. 1-seeded player a fourth straight time in a quarterfinal match Friday at the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston.

Haas rallied from one set down to win, 6-7 (1), 6-4, 6-4, in a matchup that Roddick said could have been the final.

Roddick had two chances to break Haas in the final game, but he was unable to return Haas’ serve and got aced on the second opportunity. Haas closed out the match two points later. He hit a forehand winner that cleaned the line and a forehand by Roddick hit the tape but the ball bounced back on his side.

Haas will play Mardy Fish in one semifinal today. Seventh-seeded Paul Goldstein plays Jurgen Melzer in the other semifinal.

On Friday, Fish beat Vince Spadea, 4-6, 7-6 (1), 6-4, Goldstein took care of Albert Montanes, 6-3, 6-4, and Melzer knocked off Fernando Vicente, 7-5, 6-4.

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Defending champion Justine Henin-Hardenne kept her perfect record in the Family Circle Cup, beating seventh-seeded Dinara Safina, 6-4, 6-1, to advance to the semifinals at Charleston, S.C.

The top-seeded Henin-Hardenne won her 14th straight match in the event and meets Patty Schnyder, a 6-0, 6-3 winner over Nathalie Dechy, in today’s semifinals.

In other results, Nadia Petrova cruised to a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Catalina Castano and advanced to face doubles partner Anna-Lena Groenefeld, a 6-3, 7-6 (4) winner over Svetlana Kuznetsova.

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Marat Safin beat second-seeded Gaston Gaudio, 6-4, 6-4, to advance to the semifinals of the Valencia Open in Spain.

Safin will play qualifier Nicolas Almagro, who broke serve three times to win, 6-4, 6-1, over sixth-seeded Filippo Volandri.

Elsewhere, seventh-seeded Fernando Verdasco rallied to beat Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 6-3, and Gilles Simon defeated Andreas Seppi, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4).

JURISPRUDENCE

Charger Linebacker Arrested After Scuffle

San Diego Charger backup linebacker Shaun Phillips was arrested early Friday after he scuffled with a patrol officer, police said.

Phillips, 24, was booked into San Diego County jail on a charge of obstructing or resisting an officer in the performance of his duty. Phillips was freed after posting $10,000 bail, according to the Sheriff’s Department.

Two officers sustained minor injuries during the struggle with the 6-foot-3, 262-pound linebacker, police said in a statement.

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A judge in Mount Pleasant, Mich., dismissed second-degree murder and other charges against former Central Michigan football player Spencer Lewis in the beating death of a man outside a bar.

Isabella County Trial Judge William T. Ervin dismissed the charges at the request of prosecutors, who said they would be unable to proceed after Ervin blocked a key piece of evidence from being presented at Lewis’ trial scheduled for next Wednesday.

The judge ruled Tuesday that an incriminating statement Lewis, 23, made before a polygraph test wouldn’t be admitted as evidence.

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NASCAR driver Kyle Busch said that he was ticketed for reckless driving after he “chirped” his tires while pulling out of a gas station and into a fast-food restaurant next door.

Busch received the ticket late Wednesday night in a Richmond, Va., suburb. The misdemeanor charge carries up to a year in jail, a $2,500 fine and a driver’s license suspension, said Sgt. Don Lambert, with Henrico County police. Busch will appear in Henrico County General District Court on May 23.

Busch’s older brother and NASCAR star, Kurt, had his own legal problems because of a reckless driving incident in the Phoenix area last year.

PRO FOOTBALL

Favre Will Get More Time to Ponder Future

The due date for Brett Favre’s $3 million roster bonus -- originally scheduled last month -- has been moved to July 27, giving the Green Bay Packer quarterback more time to make a decision on retirement.

A person with knowledge of the decision, who spoke on condition of anonymity because no formal announcement had been made, confirmed the change.

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Fullback Jeremi Johnson got a six-year contract from the Cincinnati Bengals, who value his blocking and versatility.

Johnson, a three-year starter, was a restricted free agent before he signed a one-year, $712,000 deal. He wanted to stay in Cincinnati long-term, and had agent Peter Schaffer continue negotiations. The new deal replaces his 2006 contract and adds five more years, keeping him signed through 2011. He’ll get an average of $1.5 million a year.

MISCELLANY

Wisconsin’s Earl Ready to Join the Maple Leafs

Wisconsin junior forward Robbie Earl, a native of Los Angeles, says he is leaving school early to join the Toronto Maple Leaf organization.

Earl, who was most outstanding player of the Frozen Four after leading the Badgers to the national championship, was selected by the Maple Leafs in the sixth round of the 2004 draft.

Earl was born in Los Angeles, played for the L.A. Junior Kings and attended Manhattan Beach Mira Costa High his freshman year before moving to Michigan.

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Kenji Narisako of Japan won the elite division 400-meter hurdles in a time of 49.81 seconds at the Mt. San Antonio College Relays in Walnut. Joey Woody was second in 50.69 and Jonathan Williams was third in 51.92. They were the only three competitors because of five pre-race scratches, including 2005 world champion Bershawn Jackson.

In the women’s 400 hurdles, Shauna Smith of the Sheffield Elite Track Club clocked in at 56.27 for the victory.

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Guus Hiddink, who coached the Netherlands and South Korea in the World Cup, has signed a two-year contract to coach Russia’s national soccer team, the Russian federation said.

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USC sophomore guard Nick Young earned the Sam Barry Award as the team’s most valuable player at the school’s awards banquet.

Young averaged a team-leading 17.3 points and 6.6 rebounds, earning All-Pacific 10 Conference first-team honors.

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Northeastern hired Boston College assistant Bill Coen as its men’s basketball coach.... Drake has a replacement ready for Coach Tom Davis when he retires: his son, Keno. The school announced that Keno Davis will receive a contract through the 2010-11 season when he gets promoted from assistant coach.

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Britain’s Chris Hoy won the one-kilometer time trial for a third time at the Track Cycling World Championships at Bordeaux, France.

Hoy, who also won the title in 2002 and 2004, clocked 1 minute 1.36 seconds to beat Ben Kersten of Australia (1:02.08).

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Wrestling great Dan Gable, who coached Iowa to 15 national titles before retiring in 1997, is returning to the Hawkeye staff as an assistant, the university said.