Vying for his 8th French Open title, Nadal gets underdog Ferrer

PARIS | His words catching in his throat, Toni Nadal called it "really a miracle" that his nephew is back in the French Open final.

Strasburg drops to 1-5 as Cubs beat Nationals 8-2

WASHINGTON | Dominant early, Stephen Strasburg fell apart after one of Ryan Zimmerman's two errors and wound up dropping his fifth consecutive decision, an 8-2 loss Saturday to the Cubs, whose starting pitcher, Edwin Jackson, worked into the sixth inning and hit a two-run double for good measure.

White Sox lose Beckham, Cooper, 3 games in DC

WASHINGTON | Manager Robin Ventura and the rest of the White Sox hardly enjoyed their visit to the nation's capital.

Harper, Desmond lead Nationals over Sox

WASHINGTON | Every game the White Sox have played so far this season was tight.

LaRoche's 2 HRs help Nationals top White Sox

WASHINGTON | Adam LaRoche ended an 0-for-15 start to the season with homers in consecutive at-bats, Jayson Werth and Ian Desmond also homered, and the Washington Nationals opened an early interleague series by edging the White Sox 8-7 Tuesday night.

Syracuse on to Final Four, beats Marquette

WASHINGTON | When played to perfection, there's nothing quite like Syracuse's aggressive, half-court 2-3 zone defense.

No Florida Gulf Coasts: Top 4 seeds in East Region

WASHINGTON | Yelps of support and echoing applause greeted the voice booming over the loudspeakers Wednesday at the scheduled start of practice for the East Regional's fourth seed: "Coached by Jim Boeheim, please welcome the Syracuse Orange!"

Carpenter pitches Cards past Nats for 2-1 lead

WASHINGTON | Chris Carpenter was every bit the postseason ace he's been in the past for the St. Louis Cardinals.

50-year gap no big deal to Nats' Johnson, Harper

WASHINGTON | Washington Nationals center fielder Bryce Harper is 19 and looks and sounds the part, from his Mohawkish haircut to his tattoos and well-documented "clown question" 'tude.

Bolt anchors Jamaica to relay record for 3rd gold

LONDON | Be it a gold medal or a souvenir from a record relay run, Usain Bolt always gets what he wants at the Olympics.

Felix, Jeter help U.S. break 1985 record in 4x100

LONDON | Eyeing the trackside clock as she approached the finish line, Carmelita Jeter pointed the black baton in her left hand at those bright orange numbers.

Jeter leads quick women's 100 heats at Olympics

LONDON | Well, that sure was fast.

No. 11 Georgetown beats No. 20 Notre Dame

WASHINGTON | Playing at home for the last time, Jason Clark and Henry Sims combined for 25 points, 12 rebounds and six assists on "Senior Day," helping No. 11 Georgetown beat No. 20 Notre Dame 59-41 on Monday night in a key game for Big East tournament seeding.

'Top level' security for sports stems from 2001

NEW YORK | From bomb-sniffing dogs to pat-downs of fans, security will be tight at 13 NFL games and the U.S. Open tennis tournament on Sunday, the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Lindsey Vonn is first skier to take AP's athlete of the year honor

Lindsey Vonn remembers being a 9-year-old wannabe Olympian, waiting in line for hours on end to shake the hand of a medal-winning skier and get an autograph.

Phillies announcer Harry Kalas dead at 73

WASHINGTON | Naperville native and longtime Philadelphia Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas, who punctuated innumerable home runs with his "Outta here!" call, died Monday after being found passed out in the broadcast booth before a game against the Washington Nationals. He was 73.

With Obama in front row, Wizards beat Bulls 113-90

WASHINGTON | Stretching every bit of his 7-foot-6 wingspan, JaVale McGee rose high above the rim to slam in Caron Butler's alley-oop pass, then raised his hand to his forehead and saluted one particular front-row spectator: President Barack Obama.

With Obama in front row, Wizards beat Bulls

WASHINGTON | Stretching every bit of his 7-foot-6 wingspan, JaVale McGee rose high above the rim to slam in Caron Butler's alley-oop pass, then raised his hand to his forehead and saluted one particular front-row spectator: President Barack Obama.

Blackhawks fall to 0-2

WASHINGTON | Alex Ovechkin scored twice, a sprawling Brooks Laich was credited with the go-ahead goal after a replay review, and the Washington Capitals came back to beat the Blackhawks 4-2 Saturday night.

Clemens takes lumps on Capitol Hill: 'You're 1 of my heroes. But it's hard to believe'

WASHINGTON | Roger Clemens stuck out his famous right arm, the one that earned 354 major league wins, seven Cy Young Awards, $160 million, and pointed in the direction of his accuser.

Squabbles continue in Clemens controversy

WASHINGTON | A lawyer for Roger Clemens said Saturday the pitcher can prove he didn't attend a June 1998 party at Jose Canseco's home described by Brian McNamee in the Mitchell Report.

Hibbert hinders Irish

WASHINGTON | There was 7-foot-2 Roy Hibbert diving to the floor for a loose ball. And there he was drawing a charge. And, yes, there was the preseason All-American waving his hands wildly, demanding a pass before deftly dishing off to a teammate.

Selig says Giants should have reported Bonds' trainer; Congress calls for Tejada probe

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

Weary Washington all but eliminates Chicago from NFL playoff picture

LANDOVER, Md. | Only days removed from burying a teammate, and without the benefit of a full practice, the Washington Redskins managed to win thanks to a backup quarterback who last completed a pass in 2004.

Facing 3rd losing record in 4 seasons, Gibbs faces mounting questions

PRO FOOTBALL

Despite struggles, Redskins, Bears consider themselves playoff contenders

PRO FOOTBALL

Ex-mobster warns of gambling's dangers

FAIRFAX, Va. | It's clear right away -- long before the woman sitting up front asks, "Did you shoot anyone?" -- that this guy with the straight-out-of-central-casting Brooklyn accent and gold chain is not your typical college lecturer.

Minus Arenas, Butler, Wizards try to regroup before playoffs

WASHINGTON | The Washington Wizards' Big Three has been reduced to one, and the team's seventh loss in eight games came by 33 points to possible first-round playoff foe Chicago.

Chicago picked by USOC to bid for 2016 Olympics

WASHINGTON (AP) | Chicago beat Los Angeles on Saturday in a U.S. Olympic Committee vote to pick a candidate for the 2016 Summer Games.

Wizards' Arenas does drama -- not overtime

WASHINGTON | The game's tied, 11 seconds left, the Washington Wizards call timeout, and Gilbert Arenas looks at his teammates in the huddle. He delivers a simple message: "I don't do overtime."

Ravens' offense lets down their defense in loss to Colts

BALTIMORE | Their season done, their uniforms replaced by tailored suits, Ray Lewis and Steve McNair walked over to each other in a silent, nearly empty Baltimore Ravens locker room Saturday evening.

Giants LB Arrington on tentative witness list for congressional hearing

WASHINGTON | New York Giants linebacker LaVar Arrington is tentatively scheduled to testify before Congress this week at a hearing involving his former agent.

No 'hammer,' but NCAA tells schools to moderate sports spending

WASHINGTON | When the NCAA set out to improve graduation rates among student-athletes, it established national standards and penalties for teams that didn't comply. Shifting the focus from academics to finances required a much more hands-off approach.

Roddick back in the mix, but Federer still too far

NEW YORK | A year ago, Andy Roddick left the U.S. Open in tatters, his confidence riddled with as many holes as his game after a first-round upset loss.

Federer beats Roddick for third straight Open title

NEW YORK | There might be one athlete in the world who knows exactly how Roger Federer feels as he dominates his peers and gobbles up Grand Slams, so it was fitting that Tiger Woods was sitting in his guest box Sunday for the U.S. Open final.

Hewitt vs. Roddick on tap; Sampras heads Hall nominees

NEW YORK | There won't be too many surprises when Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt square off in a U.S. Open quarterfinal scheduled for Wednesday.

Agassi gets a day off

PRO TENNIS | U.S. OPEN

Blake pays tribute to Agassi with garb, play

PRO TENNIS | U.S. OPEN

Agassi wins thriller to extend career

NEW YORK | How about that? Andre Agassi, 36 years old and burdened by a bad back, held up better than the kid across the net in a thriller that will be talked about for years.

All eyes on Agassi, so Roddick, Federer, Williams catch a break

NEW YORK | All the talk about Andre Agassi's last U.S. Open shifts attention from everyone else: from Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick and Serena Williams.

Cubs swept in D.C

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL | CHICAGO CUBS

Soriano's audition costs Cubs

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

Mauresmo recovers to beat Sharapova, will face Henin-Hardenne in final

PRO TENNIS | WIMBLEDON

Sharapova, all business, streaks into Wimbledon semis

PRO TENNIS | 2006 WIMBLEDON

No U.S. players in Wimbledon quarterfinals for 1st time since 1911

PRO TENNIS | 2006 WIMBLEDON

Williams, Federer seek 4th Wimbledon titles

WIMBLEDON, England | As recently as a year ago, there was a growing sense that Venus Williams was no longer the player she once was, lacking the drive and perhaps the game to compete for Grand Slam titles.

Agassi to retire after U.S. Open

WIMBLEDON, England | Andre Agassi's voice wavered and his eyes welled up. After years of dealing with injuries, after months of contemplation, he finally spoke the words he knew he had to, at the place he knew he had to.