IN BRIEF
KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. — Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer will meet Friday night in the semifinals at the Sony Ericsson Open. Their most recent matchup in North America took place on the same court in 2005, when Federer beat Nadal for the Key Biscayne title.
The top-ranked Nadal advanced to the semifinal showdown by beating No. 7-seeded Tomas Berdych 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. Federer won earlier without breaking a sweat when Gilles Simon retired with a stiff neck.
HUMBLE, Texas — Jimmy Walker tied the course record with a 9-under 63 to take a two-shot lead over Josh Teater and Nick O'Hern after the first round of the Houston Open.Walker matched the record set by Johnson Wagner and Adam Scott in the first round of the 2008 tournament.
SLIPPERY ROCK — Former Slippery Rock University men’s soccer goalkeeper Greg Blum has signed to play for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds of the United Soccer League.Blum is the second SRU men’s player to sign a professional contact in the last two years. Jeremy Deighton signed with the Riverhounds last year.Blum played in 76 games in his career at SRU and recorded 373 saves and 21 shutouts while surrendering a mere 1.15 goals per game.