Nadal Upset in Sweden; Blake Wins

Top-seeded Rafael Nadal was upset by Joachim Johansson, 6-4, 7-6 (4), Wednesday at the Stockholm Open in Sweden.

Johansson, ranked 690th, played in his first ATP event since February after being sidelined for months because of right shoulder and elbow injuries.

“It’s my greatest win ever,” Johansson said. “I had to play aggressive. You can’t get involved in long rallies with him -- he’s so good and patient.”

Nadal, playing in only the 10th indoor tournament of his career, was impressed by Johansson.

“He played with confidence and without pressure, very aggressively,” Nadal said. “I did not play a bad match. His serve is top five for sure.”

Earlier, defending champion James Blake downed Thomas Johansson, 6-3, 6-2.

Blake is in sixth place in the ATP race leading to next month’s season-ending Tennis Masters Cup in China, where the top eight players qualify.

Fifth-seeded Jarkko Nieminen beat Michael Llodra, 6-4, 6-4, and sixth-seeded Olivier Rochus defeated Paradorn Srichaphan, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-2.

Third-seeded Andy Roddick surged through the first set in 18 minutes and beat Jose Acasuso, 6-0, 7-6 (2), to reach the second round of the BA-CA Tennis Trophy in Vienna, Austria.

Roddick gave up only three points on his serve in the first set.

Top-seeded Ivan Ljubicic, the defending champion, defeated Florian Mayer, 6-3, 6-3, to advance to the quarterfinals.

The sixth- and seventh-seeded players were eliminated -- Tommy Haas and Juan Carlos Ferrero. Fifth-seeded Fernando Gonzalez reached the quarterfinals by beating Carlos Moya, 6-3, 6-4.

Jurgen Melzer faced a match point but downed Ferrero, 5-7, 7-6 (5), 6-3. Dominik Hrbaty ousted Haas, 6-3, 4-6, 6-0, in the second round.

Maria Sharapova, playing her first match since winning the U.S. Open, beat Ekaterina Bychkova, 6-4, 7-5, to reach the quarterfinals at the Kremlin Cup in Moscow.

In men’s play, top-seeded Nikolay Davydenko defeated Teimuraz Gabashvili, 6-4, 6-2, to advance to the quarterfinals.

Third-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova and second-seeded Dmitry Tursunov were upset. Vera Zvonareva defeated Kuznetsova, 6-1, 6-3, and Sergiy Stakhovsky downed Tursunov, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (4).

The only two Americans playing singles lost. Kevin Kim retired because of a back injury after dropping the first set, 6-0, to Max Mirnyi. Chanda Rubin was eliminated by sixth-seeded Patty Schnyder, 6-3, 6-0.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Duquesne Player Who Was Shot Is Improving

Duquesne forward Sam Ashaolu, one of five players shot Sept. 17 after an on-campus party, has begun walking on his own as he continues to rehabilitate from head injuries caused by multiple gunshot wounds.

The other four players have returned to classes, although junior forward Stuard Baldonado won’t practice while he continues to recover.

Niagara issued suspensions ranging from one to eight games for six players accused of being involved in an assault of a university baseball player this summer, Athletic Director Ed McLaughlin said in a news release.

Five of the six players are scheduled to appear in a Niagara Falls court Monday.

Charron Fisher, who will serve an eight-game suspension, and Stanley Hodge (two games) face the most serious charge of misdemeanor assault. They are accused of attacking pitcher Jeffrey St. Denis on Aug. 31.

Kamau Gordon and Benson Egemonye, who has not been charged, face two-game suspensions, and Lorenzo Miles and Javonte Clanton will serve one-game suspensions.

Miles, Gordon and Clanton have been charged with disorderly conduct.

MISCELLANY

Football Player Collapses, Dies

James Bliss, 16, a high school football player, collapsed at practice and died in West Caldwell, N.J.

Bliss collapsed while walking toward the bench after catching a pass, said Charles Tubbs, West Caldwell police chief. Bliss then went into cardiac arrest and died at Mountainside Hospital, Tubbs said. District Superintendent Dan Gerardi told the Star-Ledger of Newark that Bliss had no known medical conditions.

Las Vegas was chosen as the site for the 2008 U.S. Olympic wrestling trials, to be held at the Thomas & Mack Center on the UNLV campus June 13-15, 2008. The event will determine the men’s freestyle, men’s Greco-Roman and women’s freestyle entrants for the Beijing Games.

The 2007 U.S. World Team trials will be held in June at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

-- Helene Elliott