Briefs | Tennis: Spain gains opening-day Davis Cup split

Tennis

Lopez upsets del Potro in Argentina: Feliciano Lopez upset Juan Martin del Potro 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 Friday, allowing Spain to escape the first day of the best-of-five Davis Cup final tied 1-1 with host Argentina in Mar del Plata.

David Nalbandian of Argentina brushed aside David Ferrer 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 in the opening singles match, and del Potro was expected to comfortably handle Lopez on his favored hard court.

But Lopez won the two tiebreakers, and del Potro injured his right thigh in the sixth game of the fourth set. After treatment, he lost his serve and Lopez prevailed in 3 hours, 19 minutes, hushing the previously boisterous crowd of about 10,000 at Islas Malvinas Stadium.

Del Potro's injury and his defeat make today's doubles especially important for Argentina, a heavy favorite to win its first Davis Cup. Spain — competing without injured Rafael Nadal, the No. 1 player in the world — is looking to add to its home victories in 2000 and 2004.

Nalbandian was picked to join Agustin Calleri in the doubles against Spain's duo of Lopez and Fernando Verdasco.

Del Potro is scheduled to open the reverse singles Sunday against Ferrer, depending on the seriousness of his thigh injury.

Roddick hires coach: Andy Roddick, the last American man to have won a Grand Slam tournament singles title, hired compatriot Larry Stefanki as his coach after an injury-riddled season.

A former Tour player, Stefanki has worked with Wimbledon winner John McEnroe. Marcelo Rios and Yevgeny Kafelnikov each rose to No. 1 in the world under his guidance.

Roddick, 26, won three ATP Tour events this season. He won the 2003 U.S. Open and stopped using his older brother, John Roddick, as coach shortly before this year's U.S. Open.

Auto racing

Team buys out Nemechek: NASCAR team Furniture Row Racing bought out the last year of driver Joe Nemechek's contract as part of a reduction of its program. Nemechek, 45, had been scheduled to drive the 2009 Sprint Cup season; he finished 37th in the Cup standings this season.

Formula One driver Webber is injured: Formula One driver Mark Webber was seriously injured after being hit by a four-wheel-drive vehicle while cycling during his charity multisport race in Australia, police said. The injuries are not life threatening, police said.

Soccer

U.S. to open 2009 schedule with match against Sweden: The U.S. men's team will open its 2009 schedule with a Jan. 24 exhibition match against Sweden in Carson, Calif.

Figure skating

Joubert, Suguri lead after short programs in Moscow: Brian Joubert of France took the lead in the men's short program at the Cup of Russia in Moscow, and Fumie Suguri of Japan was ahead in the women's event at the fifth of six International Skating Union Grand Prix series competitions this season.

Joubert, the 2007 world champion, had 86.10 points. Tomas Verner of the Czech Republic was second with 73.20 and American Adam Rippon was third with 71.62.

Suguri, who finished second at Skate Canada three weeks ago, had 58.30 points. Carolina Kostner of Italy was second with 57.02 points and American Rachael Flatt had 55.92.

Doping

Prosecutors seek release of BALCO transcripts: Federal prosecutors are asking a judge to unseal thousands of pages of grand-jury transcripts and other documents from the government's Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative steroids investigation.

The motion comes in response to a request by slugger Barry Bonds' lawyers to unseal the BALCO documents so they can prepare for his March 2009 trial.

Bonds has pleaded not guilty to charges he lied to a grand jury probing BALCO in 2003 when he said he never knowingly took performance-enhancing drugs.

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