Blake headed for showdown with Nieminen

Two-time defending champion James Blake defeated Frank Dancevic, 6-3, 6-2, Thursday at the Stockholm Open in Sweden, setting up a quarterfinal meeting against Jarkko Nieminen in a rematch of last year’s final.

The top-seeded American improved his record to 12-0 at the Royal Tennis Hall, where he will try to become the first person to win the Stockholm Open -- one of the oldest ATP events indoors -- three times in a row.

John McEnroe and Boris Becker each won four times, but never three consecutively.

Blake, who helped the United States beat Sweden in the Davis Cup semifinals in Goteborg last month, broke Dancevic’s serve for 5-3 in the opening set and then held serve.

“I was taking chances on some returns and they worked out,” Blake said.

Nieminen defeated Peter Luczak, 6-0, 6-4.

Serena Williams advanced to the quarterfinals of the Kremlin Cup in Moscow by defeating Tatiana Perebiynis, 7-5, 6-4.

Dinara Safina reached the quarterfinals, upsetting defending champion Anna Chakvetadze, 7-6 (6), 6-2.

In the second round of the men’s event, defending champion Nikolay Davydenko defeated Nicolas Lapentti, 6-4, 6-4.

Second-seeded Venus Williams eased into the quarterfinals of the Bangkok Open with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Tamarine Tanasugarn.

Williams had two hours earlier finished off the final games of her rain-suspended first-round match to defeat Caroline Wozniacki, 6-2, 6-2.

Top-seeded Novak Djokovic beat Tomas Zib, 6-4, 6-4, to advance to the quarterfinals of the BA-CA Tennis Trophy in Vienna.

In his 13th quarterfinal of the season, Djokovic will play seventh-seeded Juan Ignacio Chela, a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 winner over Jurgen Melzer.

AUTO RACING

Newman beats Johnson to take pole at Lowe’s

Ryan Newman edged reigning NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson to capture the pole position for the Bank of America 500 at Concord, N.C.

It was Newman’s seventh pole at Lowe’s Motor Speedway and the 42nd of his Nextel Cup career.

Newman, 29, turned a lap of 189.394 mph on the 1.5-mile oval in his No. 12 Dodge Charger.

The lap bested Johnson’s 188.990 mph. Saturday night’s race marks the halfway point in the Chase for the Nextel Cup championship.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Georgia suspends three players

Three Georgia players, including the Bulldogs’ top two returning scorers, were suspended for violations of the school’s new class attendance policy for student-athletes.

Coach Dennis Felton said that guard Mike Mercer has been suspended for 15 games, forward Takais Brown for nine games and center Albert Jackson for six games.

In an effort to boost the graduation rate of Georgia’s student-athletes, Athletic Director Damon Evans introduced a policy last January that brings $10 fines and game suspensions for unexcused absences from class and academic appointments.

First-year Ball State Coach Billy Taylor dismissed center Micah Rollin and guard Jarelle Redden for separate violations of team policy.

MISCELLANY

Former coach kills wife, then himself

Former Louisiana Tech baseball coach Pat Patterson killed his wife, who had Alzheimer’s disease, and then himself at an assisted living facility in Ruston, La. The shootings occurred about 7:15 a.m. at Arbor House, Lincoln Parish Sheriff Mike Stone said.

Patterson’s 71-year-old wife, Glenda, had been a resident of the home for about a month, he said.

Patterson, 73, coached baseball at Louisiana Tech from 1968 to 1990 and retired with a record of 741-462.

Australian surfer Melanie Redman-Carr, who last year finished second on the ASP Women’s World Tour, will not complete the 2007 schedule, citing pregnancy, and she may retire.

“I feel a little slow and heavy and it’s difficult with the weight distribution,” she said after losing in Round 2 of the NAB Beachley Classic, underway in Sydney, Australia.

“I would have liked to have made it through at least one more round, especially since this event could be my last.”

Redman-Carr is currently ranked ninth.

-- Pete Thomas

ESPN, creator of the summer and winter X Games, announced the launch of an annual Moto X World Championships beginning next spring at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego.

The inaugural freestyle motocross festival, featuring many of the same disciplines that have become X Games staples, will be held April 12-13, 2008.

It will cost fans up to $775 a seat to watch the men’s gold medal hockey game at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies will range from $175 to $1,100.

Tickets for the opening ceremonies at the 2008 Beijing Summer Games range from $26 to $650, but are selling online at several times their face value.

Runners who participated in the Chicago Marathon but were unable to finish will be allowed to skip the entry fee for the Denver Marathon on Sunday.

Chicago organizers stopped the race midway through last weekend because of record high temperatures.

AC Milan goalkeeper Dida was suspended for two Champions League matches for pretending to be injured after being touched by a Celtic fan who ran onto the field.

The incident occurred last week when the Scottish team beat Milan, 2-1.

Giuseppe Muraglia was suspended for two years by the Italian cycling federation for doping.

Will McLeod, a 13-year-old boy who was injured in a football game, died later at a Lincolnton, N.C., hospital, officials said.

PASSINGS

Coulter was tackle with the New York Giants

Former New York Giants tackle Dewitt “Tex” Coulter has died after a lengthy illness in Austin, Texas. He was 83.