TENNIS

Berdych bests Kuznetsov at Monte Carlo Masters

Tomas Berdych needed two hours and three sets to overcome strong resistance from Russian qualifier Andrey Kuznetsov and reach the second round of the Monte Carlo Masters on Monday.

Berdych, a runner-up at the Country Club two years ago, converted only two of his 11 break points and rallied Kuznetsov 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Berdych made the decisive break in the third game of the decider with a backhand winner down the line.

All six seeded players in action at the first big clay-court event of the season progressed to the second round: No. 12 Robert Bautista Agut, No. 13 Pablo Carreno Busta, No. 14 Alexander Zverev, No. 15 Albert Ramos-Vinolas, and No. 16 Pablo Cuevas.

Widely regarded as one of the most promising youngsters on the tour, the 19-year-old Zverev secured a convincing 6-1, 6-2 win over Italian veteran Andreas Seppi.

SOCCER

ENGLAND: Chelsea captain John Terry will end his 22-year association with the London club at the end of the season, but the veteran defender wants to keep on playing.

The 36-year-old Terry has dropped so far down the pecking order at Chelsea that the last of his 713 appearances came two months ago in the FA Cup.

The center back last played in the English Premier League for the leader in November and has already started studying for coaching qualifications and learning Portuguese.

U.S. MEN: The United States will play Venezuela in a June 3 exhibition at Sandy, Utah, as the Americans prepare for World Cup qualifiers against Trinidad and Tobago, and Mexico.

Coach Bruce Arena wants his players to prepare at altitude ahead of their match at Mexico City, so the team will start training May 28 in the Denver area.

Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium, where the Americans play June 11, is at 7,820 feet.

PANAMA: Authorities said they’ve arrested seven people in the slaying of national soccer team midfielder Amilcar Henriquez.

The prosecutor’s office says the suspects were arrested in the Colon region on the country’s Atlantic coast, where Henriquez was shot to death on Saturday.

Three of them are reported to be minors.

ARGENTINA: Emanuel Balbo, a 22-year-old Argentine soccer fan, died Monday from injuries suffered while he was attacked in the stands during a match in Cordoba on Saturday.

Four men have reportedly been arrested in connection with the attack.

FOOTBALL

NFL: Andre Johnson will sign a one-day contract with Houston on Wednesday so he can retire as a Texan.

Johnson was released in 2014 after spending his first 12 seasons with the Texans.

n The Jacksonville Jaguars signed Tommy Bohanon, giving them a fullback on their roster for the first time in three years.

The Jaguars are expected to be more committed to the ground game under new coach Doug Marrone.

n The New York Jets re-signed backup linebacker Julian Stanford, three days after releasing him.

The team also said cornerback Marcus Williams has signed his restricted free agent tender, worth $2.75 million.

n A Santa Clara County judge dismissed a rape charge against former San Francisco 49er Ray McDonald after prosecutors said the woman who made the allegation refused to testify.

Judge David A. Cena dismissed the charge – one count of rape of an intoxicated person. Santa Clara County prosecutor Chris Lamiero said in a statement he tried to convince the victim to testify, but she refused.

However, the trial of 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks, who is charged with sexually assaulting the same woman at the same party, remains “pending,” according to the District Attorney’s Office.

The next court date in that case is at the end of May.

n Marcus Mariota and the Tennessee Titans have yet to set an official timetable for the quarterback’s return from surgery on his right leg.

The latest benchmark is reporting for the start of the offseason program.

BASKETBALL

WNBA: Tamika Catchings is returning to Indiana – as director of player programs and franchise development.

The longtime WNBA star retired at the end of last season after a 16-year career that included 10 All-Star selections, one WNBA championship, one league MVP award and four Olympic gold medals.

Catchings will work with three different franchises – the Indiana Fever, who she played with, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA’s D-League and the Indiana Pacers of the NBA.

JURISPRUDENCE: The trial is underway for former Boston Celtics basketball player Nate Driggers, 43, who is accused of receiving guns that were stolen off a freight train in Chicago.

The theft of around 100 new handguns, valued at $50,000, occurred on April 12, 2015 at a South Side rail yard.

Driggers played in about a dozen games for the Celtics in the 1996-97 season.

– News service report

Copy the Story Link