Di Matteo: Top four unlikely if Spurs win

Should Chelsea lose to Tottenham Hotspur tomorrow, Blues manager Roberto Di Matteo admits that it will be tough for the Stamford Bridge outfit to make it into the Premier League's top four.

Venus shuts out Kvitova in third set for victory

KEY BISCAYNE, Florida (AP)â€"Venus Williams took a big step in her comeback Friday when she defeated reigning Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 in the second round of the Sony Ericsson Open.
 
Williams is playing in her first tournament since she withdrew from the U.S. Open in August after being diagnosed with a fatigue-causing autoimmune disease.
 
A former No. 1 and seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, Williams is ranked No. 134 and needed a wild card to enter the tournament, which she has won three times. She hopes to improve her ranking enough in the coming weeks to qualify for the London Olympics.

“I’ve got nothing to lose,” Williams said. “Everything, every shot, is a victory and a blessing. So it’s like I’m just, you know, going for it.”
 
She showed plenty of staying power against the No. 3-seeded Kvitova, taking charge in the final set. When Kvitova pushed a weary forehand wide on the final point after nearly 2 1/2 hours, Williams trotted to the net with a grin and raised fist.
 
“I have definitely come a long way physically,” said Williams, who is trying to pace herself by taking things easy when not on the court. “I definitely have to cut out a lot of extracurricular activities. I’m not going to be the one having fun dinners. I am going to be the one stuck in the room. The price to pay is definitely worth it.”
 
Defending champion Victoria Azarenka won her 24th match in a row and first since arriving at Key Biscayne when she beat Michaella Krajicek, 6-3, 7-5.
 
The top-ranked Azarenka’s streak began with her first match this year, and her start is the best since Martina Hingis went 37-0 in early 1997.
 
“I’m not really thinking about numbers, the streaks, whatever,” Azarenka said. “It’s your job to count; mine is to play tennis.”
 
Azarenka won her first Grand Slam title in January at the Australian Open, where she beat Maria Sharapova to earn the No. 1 ranking. She also has won titles this year at Sydney, Doha, andâ€"just a week agoâ€"Indian Wells.
 
When asked to give a reason for the streak, Azarenka wavered.
 
“There is not really an answer,” she said. “There is one thing that I do, and it keeps happening for me: to win. There is really no magic.”
 
On the men’s side, No. 2 Rafael Nadal began a bid for his first Key Biscayne title by beating Santiago Giraldo 6-2, 6-0.
 
No. 10 seed John Isner overcame a slow start to beat Nikolay Davydenko 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. Davydenko retreated eight feet behind the baseline to better cope with the 6-foot-9 Isner’s booming serves, but failed to break in the final two sets.
 
Williams took plenty of big swings against Kvitova, as though eager to hit winners and keep rallies short. She was 0 for 5 on break-point chances before she converted in the 10th game, taking the opening set when Kvitova netted a backhand.
 
A timid second serve gave Williams problems, but she repeatedly came up with clutch shots on break points, saving nine of 11.
 
Kvitova, who was slowed by a virus earlier this year, fell to 3-5 on North American hard courts since winning Wimbledon.
 
“She’s back,” Kvitova said. “She looks very ready, very fit.”
 
Alisa Kleybanova, playing in her first tournament since being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma last May, lost to No. 22 Maria Kirilenko 7-6 (1), 6-3.
 
No. 15 Ana Ivanovic lost only six points on her first serve and beat American Vania King 6-4, 7-5. Ivanovic was playing for the first time since she retired with a left hip injury a week ago at the Indian Wells semifinals.
 
Two wild cards eliminated seeded women. Garbine Muguruza Blanco of Spain upset No. 9 Vera Zvonareva 6-4, 6-3, and Aleksandra Wozniak of Canada rallied past No. 28 Monica Niculescu 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
 
Other seeded women eliminated included No. 11 Francesca Schiavone, No. 18 Angelique Kerber, No. 27 Lucie Safarova, No. 31 Kaia Kanepi and No. 32 Nadia Petrova.
 
No. 4 Andy Murray, the 2009 champion, beat Alejandro Falla 6-2, 6-3. Also advancing were No. 6 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, No. 9 Janko Tipsarevic, No. 13 Gilles Simon, No. 16 Kei Nishikori and No. 18 Alexandr Dolgopolov.

Ruthless Rafa Races Into Third Round

Rafael Nadal beats Santiago Giraldo 6-2, 6-0 at the Sony Ericsson Open.

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Petersen, Duminy make hosts toil after rain delay

New Zealand's on-field misery matched the Wellington weather by the end of the first session on day two, as South Africa sauntered to 222 for 2 after rain accounted for almost four hours of play for the second consecutive day

Aimar off as Benfica draw blank

Benfica suffered a blow in their challenge for the Portuguese Liga title as they were held to a goalless draw by Olhanense, with substitute Pablo Aimar receiving a red card just 18 minutes after coming on.

Federer named greatest player by Tennis Channel

LOS ANGELES (AP)â€"Roger Federer has been named the greatest player of all time by America’s Tennis Channel.

The television network’s “100 Greatest of All Time,” a five-night series, aired this week and culminated Friday.

Federer edged Rod Laver for the top spot. Rounding out the top 10 were Steffi Graf in third, followed by Martina Navratilova, Pete Sampras, Rafael Nadal, Bjorn Borg, Margaret Court, Chris Evert and Billie Jean King.

The rankings were determined by an international panel.

Venus beats Kvitova to reach Miami third round

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP)â€"Venus Williams took a big step in her comeback Friday night when she defeated reigning Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 in the second round of the Sony Ericsson Open.

Williams is playing in her first tournament since she withdrew from the U.S. Open in August after being diagnosed with a fatigue-causing autoimmune disease.

She showed plenty of staying power against the third-seeded Kvitova, taking charge in the final set. When Kvitova pushed a weary forehand wide on the final point after nearly 2 1/2 hours, Williams trotted to the net with a grin and raised fist.

A former No. 1 and seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, Williams is ranked No. 134 and needed a wild card to enter the tournament, which she has won three times.