IN BRIEF
MASON, Ohio — Spraying balls all over the place, an erratic Rafael Nadal was upset Friday by unseeded Marcos Baghdatis 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati Masters.
Earlier, fourth-seeded Andy Murray, playing his eighth afternoon match in 10 days, lost to unseeded Mardy Fish 6-7 (7), 6-1, 7-6 (5).
Fish will meet Andy Roddick in the tournament semifinal since. The ninth-seeded Roddick eliminated No. 2 Novak Djokovic 6-4, 7-5.
Defending champion and third-seeded Roger Federer knocked off sixth-seeded Nikolay Davydenko 6-4, 7-5.
MONTREAL — Vera Zvonareva upset an ailing Kim Clijsters 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 Friday to reach the semifinals of the Rogers Cup.The fifth-seeded Clijsters was examined by a trainer at courtside after the second set for an apparent left thigh injury, then took a six-minute medical break. She returned with her upper leg wrapped and completed the third set, but clearly lacked her usual mobility.Earlier, Svetlana Kuznetsova reached the semifinals for the first time in eight Rogers Cup appearances with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over unseeded Zheng Jie of China.
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Percy Harvin is back with the team after an overnight hospital stay following a scary migraine attack, though his return to the field remains unclear.Harvin was on the practice field Friday morning wearing a T-shirt, shorts and tennis shoes, drinking Gatorade while smiling and chatting with coaches.Harvin was taken away from Winter Park by ambulance Thursday after getting sick and collapsing on the field, a sobering scene that prompted the Vikings to end practice early.
MIAMI — Saying catcher Ronny Paulino's decision to take a banned substance was "extraordinarily disappointing," the Florida Marlins will begin a top-to-bottom review of the organization.The former Pirate was suspended 50 games Friday after he tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance under Major League Baseball's drug policy.In a statement released by the team, the 6-foot-3, 250-pound Paulino said he took a diet pill.
PITTSBURGH — An ownership group that includes Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Famer Lynn Swann is bringing an Arena Football League team to town.The Pittsburgh Power will begin play next season, in April, at the Consol Energy Center. The new arena opened Wednesday with a Paul McCartney concert and was built primarily for the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins.Matt Shaner will be the team's principle owner. He's chief executive officer of Shaner Investments which owns the Marriott City Center hotel near the arena.The Power will rent the arena from the Penguins, who operate it.Average ticket prices should be less than $30 and start at $15.
SLIPPERY ROCK — The Slippery Rock University men's and women's soccer teams were picked to finish third and sixth, respectively, in the PSAC coaches preseason poll.The PSAC has abandoned its previous two-division format in favor of a single 10-team league.SRU's men's team is the defending PSAC champion and has one first-place vote this year, but The Rock is picked to finish behind Mercyhurst and Millersville.West Chester is the defending women's champion and is selected to win the league again.
