Djokovic, Ivanovic win at Indian Wells

Novak Djokovic and Ana Ivanovic have given their home country reason to be proud. The 20-year-old Serbs who practiced together as children won his and her titles in the Pacific Life Open on Sunday. Djokovic ended American Mardy Fish's string of upsets with a 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 victory, and Ivanovic downed Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4, 6-3.

There has been civil strife in Kosovo since it declared its independence from Serbia last month, but both Djokovic and Ivanovic said they do not want to discuss politics.

Serbian swimmer Milorad Cavic was suspended from the European swimming championships Friday for wearing a T-shirt proclaiming "Kosovo is Serbia" at a medal ceremony.

"I'm really sad to hear about this," Ivanovic said. "But on the other hand, I don't know much about politics and I don't get involved in that area. When I'm out here playing, I just want to represent my country in the best possible way.

"They (Serbs) really love tennis right now. It's a cool thing to wake up (in the middle of the night) and watch us play," she said, alluding to the time difference. "They're proud to be Serbians, like I think everyone is in their own country."

Djokovic, whose father and other relatives are natives of Kosovo, recently taped a video saying he believes Kosovo will always be a part of Serbia.

"It kind of touched me in that moment that this was my quest to give support to my country," he said.

Otherwise, he said, he simply considers himself an athlete representing his country.

"I think professional athletes all over the world ... are one of the biggest ambassadors of their country; considering the fact that our country is in a very difficult position, they're struggling in economics and politics, as well," he said.

"But this is something I don't want to get involved in."

Djokovic and Ivanovic figure to represent their country well in tennis, since they both already have accomplished a great deal and seem to be getting even better. He's No. 3 behind Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who both lost at Indian Wells. Only Justine Henin, who skipped the tournament, is ranked above No. 2 Ivanovic.

The Serbian stars just missed a sweep in the Australian Open. Djokovic beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for the men's title, and Ivanovic lost to Maria Sharapova in their final.

Both Djokovic and Ivanovic won their championship matches at Indian Wells mostly by powering shots down the lines, although Djokovic obviously had a tougher time with No. 98 Fish.

Djokovic, who lost to Nadal in the final last year, knocked off Nadal in the semifinals this time.

Despite the loss, Fish had a remarkable run at Indian Wells. He had never beaten two top-10 players in a tournament before, but he upset No. 4 Nikolay Davydenko and No. 7 David Nalbandian before stunning Federer in the semifinals.

The 26-year-old Fish, who rose to No. 17 four years ago but has been hampered by injuries, will move up to the top 50 in the next rankings.

He built an enthusiastic following along the way at Indian Wells, with fans chanting "Mardy! Mardy!" during the final, and one waving a sign reading, "Go Fish."

He said his success in the tournament took a while to sink in.

"I just didn't realize what had happened," he said. "To get a few wins against players like that and to play a match like today, to be in there. A lot of great players to go through, and I was one set away."

Asked if he thought Djokovic could become No. 1, Fish said yes. But as for the top player now, he said, "I think it's Roger Federer, hands down. He's had a few results these past few weeks that are uncharacteristic for him. I think he's going to continue to be No. 1 for a long time."

Djokovic seemed on his way to an easy victory after winning the first set and going up 4-2 in the second. But Fish came back to win five of the next six games and force a third set. Djokovic seemed to slip out of his rhythm during Fish's comeback, twice slamming his racket to the court after missing shots.

But he broke Fish's serve in the second game of the final set, then each held serve the rest of the way. After wrapping it up with a service winner, Djokovic raised his eyes and arms skyward, then shook hands with Fish and hugged him.

In the women's match, Ivanovic used well-placed groundstrokes to keep Kuznetsova scrambling from side to side. She capped her victory with a shot that seemed to typify her play in the final: she whipped a forehand down the line on a service return.

WTA chief reacts to Williams' remarks

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WTA head Larry Scott said Thursday that he strongly disagrees with comments made by Richard Williams, father of Serena and Venus, regarding racism on the women's tour.

Saying he was disappointed by Williams' recent remarks during an interview in India, Scott said in a statement: "The Tour has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to racism, and I have previously let Mr. Williams know that he should let me know if he ever had evidence of racist comments or acts in women's professional tennis."

While his daughters were playing earlier this month in Bangladore, India, where Venus reached the quarterfinals and Serena won the title, Williams told the Deccan Herald, "Well, I'm black and I'm prejudiced, very prejudiced. People are prejudiced in tennis. I don't think Venus or Serena was ever accepted by tennis. They never will be."

He said the media treated his daughters unfairly, that it was "the worst media job that they have done on any human being in the world," and that if he were Serena and Venus, he would have quit playing.

"But if you get some little white no-good trasher in America like Tracy Austin or Chris Evert, who cannot hit the ball, they (the media) will claim this is great," he said.

Scott said, "Champions like Chris Evert and Tracy Austin have done so much to help build women's tennis to where it is today, and it is regrettable that anyone would criticize them in this manner."

The Williams sisters haven't played at Indian Wells since 2001. They were booed after Venus pulled out of a semifinal match against her sister, citing knee tendinitis. Serena went on to win the title, but was booed during and after the championship match.

Federer beats Sampras in MSG exhibition

Roger Federer, in his ultra-modern all-black getup, and Pete Sampras, in his old-school all-white outfit, showed off the skills that earned them a combined 26 Grand Slam titles and more than a decade of No. 1 rankings.

It was an exhibition, yes, but Federer still flicked his fancy strokes from all angles, just the way he does on tennis' grandest stages these days.

Sampras still smacked big forehands and bigger aces, just the way he did back in his day.

Federer is closing in on Sampras' record of 14 major tennis championships, a mark that truly exists only in black in white, written in a record book. For nearly 2 1/2 hours, before an appreciative and occasionally raucous gathering of 19,690 at Madison Square Garden, these two living, breathing greats of the game shared a court.

Pistol Pete vs. The Federer Express.

The Past vs. The Present.

"Good vs. Evil," as Sampras said with a snicker earlier in the day.

And, as one might expect, youth was served.

Current No. 1 Federer beat former No. 1 Sampras 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (6) in an encounter that certainly doesn't settle the "Who is better?" debate, given that one participant is 26 and the other is 36, and nothing more than bragging rights was on the line. It did, however, raise tennis' profile, make both men some money — $1 million for Federer, less for Sampras — and, well, allow people to say they saw Sampras, the best of his generation, face Federer, the best of his.

No one can say they saw Ali face Tyson in a boxing ring. Or Hogan face Woods on a golf course.

Tiger Woods, who happens to be pals with Federer, sat in the front row Monday, part of a sellout crowd that included Donald Trump, Regis Philbin and Anna Wintour. They sat around a blue, hard court, set up where the NBA's Knicks and NHL's Rangers play.

"This is maybe why so many people came out: You don't often get the No. 1 in his prime playing against maybe the greatest player of all time," said Federer, who recently recovered from a bout of mononucleosis that he thinks contributed to losses in his past two tour matches.

After Monday's match, Federer referred to Sampras as "my childhood hero."

It was the fourth Federer-Sampras exhibition; Federer won two of their three encounters in Asia late last year.

"I thought I had him there for a split second," said Sampras, who led 5-2 in the third set Monday.

The two only played one real match, back at Wimbledon in 2001, when an up-and-coming Federer edged an on-the-way-out Sampras in a five-setter on Centre Court.

That ended Sampras' 31-match winning streak at the All England Club; he would never add to his seven titles there. Federer would go on to win five consecutive championships at Wimbledon, a streak that he will try to extend this summer.

Sampras retired with 14 Grand Slam singles trophies, the last at the 2002 U.S. Open, the final tournament of his career. Federer's count is already up to 12, and Sampras acknowledges he fully expects the record to change hands — and that the kid could wind up with 18 or 19 Slams.

On this night, Sampras showed off the serve-and-volley style that carried him to a record six straight years ranked No. 1. And Federer showed off the all-court game that has helped him enjoy a record streak of more than 200 consecutive weeks ranked No. 1.

Both players took things seriously at times. They also took things frivolously at times, such as when Sampras spiked his racket to the court in mock disgust at a line call. He glanced at Federer with a wink and smile and sheepishly continued play.

Moments later, Sampras hit a volley winner and pumped his fist and threw two uppercuts, proudly playing to the crowd in a way he rarely did during a professional career marked by equal doses of excellence and stoicism.

Before the match, Sampras spoke about hoping to find "some old magic" — enough just to keep things interesting. He did that and more, earning his first break point with a cross-court forehand winner that would win a real point in a real match in a real tournament right now.

"You still got it, Pete!" rang a cry from the stands.

And right on cue, as if to remind that spectator and maybe even himself that he enjoys retirement, Sampras proceeded to miss three consecutive shots and lose that game.

"It's just amazing to see how well Pete still hangs in there," Federer said afterward.

If there are tennis fans or insiders who harbor doubts or hold debates about which of these two was or is greater, Sampras sure sounded before the match like someone who's made up his mind. He lavished praise on Federer as they sat elbow-to-elbow during a packed news conference Monday morning at a restaurant across the street from Central Park.

Thinking back on their lone professional encounter, seven years ago, Sampras was quick to point out: "I knew back then that he was special."

Why?

Sampras nearly ran out of breath as he strung together a series of compliments, one right after the other.

"Roger moves great, he hits the ball great on the run, he serves very well, he can come in if he wants to, stay back. He possesses the best forehand in the game. He's got the best mind out there," Sampras said.

Not finished, Sampras continued the fawning moments later: "His movement is incredible — what he's able to do on the run. I've played quick movers before, but he moves great. That's what separates him from the rest. He has the whole package. There's nothing he can't do. It's really incredible."

Querrey beats Anderson for Vegas title

American Sam Querrey won the Tennis Channel Open for his first ATP title Sunday, rallying to beat South African qualifier Kevin Anderson 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a showdown between towering first-time finalists.

The 20-year-old Querrey, coming off a wrist injury that sidelined him early this year, is 6-foot-6 — an inch shorter than the 21-year-old Anderson.

"I started playing better as the match went on," Querrey said. "You have to fight your way through and when you have the opportunities, don't make errors.

"It takes a little time to get into rhythm against a guy who hits it so hard and heavy. He was just bombing it in there."

Querrey broke Anderson's serve for a 5-3 advantage in the second set, and broke again for a 3-2 lead in the third set.

"This was my toughest match of the tournament. He played unbelievable," Querrey said. "I was lucky to get those breaks."

Querrey had four double faults in the first set, but calmed down to finish with 12 aces while only committing one more double fault. He was only broken once.

"When you play against a guy with a serve like that, you can't get frustrated. But I did," said Querrey, who earned $68,800. "I have to work on that."

Anderson entered the week ranked No. 175. After qualifying for a spot in the draw and winning four matches, he's expected to be around No. 111 when the rankings are released Monday. Querrey, currently No. 66, should crack the top 50.

"A point here and there and that match could have been mine," Anderson said. "I feel that I am right there. There is just some stuff I need to work on to further improve."

Earlier, France's Julien Benneteau and Michael Llodra won the doubles title, beating top-seeded American brothers Bob and Mike Bryan 10-8 in a tiebreaker after winning the first set and losing the second, both by 6-4 scores. The Bryans were seeking their fourth straight title in the event.

In the women's Challenger event final, fifth-seeded Camille Pin of France beat American Asia Muhammed 6-4, 6-1.

Murray shocks Federer in Dubai opener

Roger Federer is on a losing streak for the second time in four months. The top-ranked Federer, who won three Grand Slam titles last year but has struggled since the U.S. Open, lost to Andy Murray 6-7 (6), 6-3, 6-4 on Monday in the first round of the Dubai Tennis Championships.

"My expectations are not sky-high at this point," said Federer, who was playing for the first time since losing to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open semifinals Jan. 25. "Obviously, I haven't played much so you don't go in with any expectations, actually. You hope to get past the first round, no matter if it's a guy with no ranking or a guy ranked basically in the top 10."

After winning his 12th Grand Slam title at last year's U.S. Open, Federer lost to David Nalbandian in the Madrid Masters final. The Swiss star then won the Swiss Indoors, but lost to Nalbandian in the third round of the Paris Masters and followed that with a round robin loss to Fernando Gonzalez in his opening match at the ATP Masters Cup, which Federer eventually won.

On Monday, Federer said he felt rusty.

"Missing forehands by two or three meters — it's just not possible," Federer said. "I gave him the mistakes today."

Playing Murray, who is ranked 11th in the world and beat Federer at the Cincinnati Masters two years ago, in the first round didn't make things any easier on Federer.

"It was always going to be a tough draw. I knew that from the start," Federer said. "He's played many matches already this season whereas obviously I come in a little bit cold.

"Of course, I wish I would have maybe had a little bit easier draw, but under the circumstances I felt I played OK. It wasn't a bad match, which is the only positive thing out of tonight."

Murray has already won two ATP titles this season, and he now leads Federer 2-1 in his career.

"Anytime you get to play someone like Roger, it is an honor to be on the same court as him," Murray said. "Each time I play him I step my game up and play pretty well, and I played really well today and served great."

Federer, who won the Dubai tournament four times in the last five years, had not lost in the first round of a tournament since his defeat to Dominik Hrbaty in the 2004 Cincinnati Masters. Last year, Federer lost his opening match at the Pacific Life Open to Guillermo Canas after getting a bye into the second round.

"He's the best player in the world, there's no question," Murray said. "The most important thing is to believe that you can win the match."

Murray held serve throughout the match and broke Federer in the sixth game of the second set. He broke Federer's serve again to take a 3-2 lead in the third. The British player served out the match at love.

Fabrice Santoro of France also advanced, beating last year's finalist, Mikhail Youzhny, 6-3, 6-4. Fourth-seeded David Ferrer of Spain advanced by beating Tommy Haas of Germany 6-3, 6-0, and seventh-seeded Richard Gasquet of France defeated Dmitry Tursunov of Russia 6-4, 6-4.

Steve Darcis wins 2nd career ATP title

Steve Darcis of Belgium won his second ATP title Sunday, defeating Robin Soderling of Sweden 6-3, 7-6 (5) in the final at the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships.

Darcis won in the Netherlands last year as a qualifier. Soderling, seeded eighth and playing in his second straight ATP final, was going for his third career title. He upset top-seeded Andy Roddick to reach the semifinals.

Darcis survived 17 unforced errors and became the first player to break Soderling's serve this week. The Belgian earned $163,750, the biggest check of his career.

"For my part, I tried to serve today very good and tried to put a lot of rhythm in," said Darcis, who was playing Soderling for the first time. "But he was serving pretty good in the second. In the tiebreaker, I tried not to miss. ... It was going the right way today."

Darcis will jump from No. 81 in the rankings to a career-best No. 45. Soderling, ranked No. 23 a little more than a year ago, will rise from No. 42 to No. 39.

Soderling was trying to end Sweden's ATP title drought, which dates to Jonas Bjorkman's win in Vietnam in October 2005.

Coming into Memphis, Darcis had been struggling. He was 2-5 having reached the second round in Sydney before losing in the first round in Adelaide, the Australian Open and San Jose. His other victory came in Davis Cup play against the Czech Republic.

But Darcis beat Vincent Spadea, seventh-seeded Jurgen Melzer, Benjamin Becker and Bjorkman to reach his second career final and first indoors. He improved to 7-5 by upsetting the No. 8 seed for the title.

Darcis broke Soderling in the fourth game and served out to win the first set in 27 minutes.

The second set went to the tiebreak, where Soderling led 4-2 when Darcis netted a forehand and tossed his racket to the ground. He recovered with an ace and watched Soderling go up 5-3 with a service winner. But Soderling hit a forehand wide and sent a forehand long for Darcis to tie it 5-5.

Darcis went up 6-5 in the tiebreak with a forehand pass after a long rally. Soderling then ended the match with a long forehand as Darcis dropped to his knees and pumped his left fist.

'Lucky loser' Stakhovsky wins at Zagreb

Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine won his first ATP title Saturday, defeating top-seeded Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia 7-5, 6-4 and becoming the first "lucky loser" to capture a tournament in 17 years.

Stakhovsky, ranked 209th, is only the fourth man in tour history to achieve the feat. The previous player was Argentina's Christian Miniussi in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 1991.

A lucky loser enters the main draw of a tournament from the qualifying field at the last minute because a player is unable to compete.

Stakhovsky came into the tournament with a 6-13 match record for his career. He faced only one break point Saturday and improved to 5-0 this season.

He had not played on the main tour since San Jose, Calif., more than a year ago and his previous best showing in eight attempts was a quarterfinal appearance in Milan, Italy, in 2005.

Ljubicic was his third seeded victim following victories over No. 2 Ivo Karlovic and No. 8 Janko Tipsarevic.