Federer Ends Indoor Victory Drought

Top-ranked Roger Federer won his first indoor tournament match in nearly a year and fourth-ranked David Nalbandian rallied to reach the third round of the Madrid Masters on Tuesday.

Federer had 28 winners and broke Nicolas Massu three times -- including twice in the final set -- for a 6-3, 6-2 victory, his first indoor victory on the ATP tour since November.

“It’s always nice to beat the Olympic champion,” Federer said. “I think I played the big points better than he did. This is a good surface for my game, and it’s a perfect result for the first round.”

Nalbandian trailed qualifier Julien Benneteau, 5-2, in the final set before rallying with two breaks for a 6-7 (4), 6-2, 7-5 victory.

Tatiana Golovin upset seventh-seeded Nicole Vaidisova, 6-2, 6-0, in the first round of the Zurich Open in Switzerland, eliminating the Czech from the race to qualify for the season-ending WTA Championship.

Sixth-seeded Patty Schnyder lost to Daniela Hantuchova, 6-2, 7-5, damaging her chances of qualifying for the WTA Championship.

That allowed Nadia Petrova to qualify for the tournament in Madrid. Petrova is not playing in Zurich because of a chest injury.

JURISPRUDENCE

Uribe Is Suspect in Dominican Shooting

Chicago White Sox shortstop Juan Uribe was questioned and released but remains a suspect in the shooting of two men in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic.

Uribe spent more than two hours at the San Cristobal courthouse being questioned by District Attorney Robert Lugo before he was released with his brother, Elpidio, and a friend, Jose Manuel Encarnacion, who were arrested Sunday, Lugo said.

As Uribe was leaving, he pushed away a Univision camera and shoved an ESPN cameraman in the face. He did not speak to reporters.

The men are suspected of shooting and wounding a Dominican farmer and a captain in the Italian Navy with a pistol and a shotgun when the pair walked too close to Uribe’s jeep around midnight Friday, police said.

Sammy Stewart, who pitched for the 1983 World Series champion Baltimore Orioles during his 10 major league seasons, has been sentenced to at least six years in prison after pleading guilty to drug charges and other crimes in Asheville, N.C.

Stewart, 51, pleaded guilty in Buncombe County Superior Court to being a habitual felon, felony drug possession and failure to appear in court on a felony, Stewart’s attorney Roger Smith said. His prison term could stretch to nearly nine years, Smith said.

World Boxing Organization featherweight champion Scott Harrison, 29, was arrested and charged with assault of police officers and violent car theft in Malaga, Spain. The Scottish boxer was detained Oct. 6 in southern Spain and is awaiting trial.

MISCELLANY

Chinese Men Earn Gymnastics Title

The Chinese men won the world team gymnastics championship at Aarhus, Denmark.

In seventh place out of eight teams after the first two rotations, China was nearly perfect down the stretch and finished with 277.775 points.

That was 2.375 points more than Russia, which won a surprising silver. Defending Olympic champion Japan finished third.

The Chinese men won world championships in 1999 and 2003 and the Olympics in 2000, but finished fifth at the Athens Games in 2004.

Former Formula One driver Juan Pablo Montoya will make his NASCAR debut in a Busch Series race at Memphis (Tenn.) Motorsports Park, his team announced.

Montoya will drive the No. 42 Dodge for Chip Ganassi Racing in the race Oct. 28.