TENNIS
SAN JOSE LOSING ATP STOP, RIO LANDS NEW EVENT: SAN JOSE (AP) — The Bay Area's only stop on the ATP World Tour will soon be no more.
The 123-year-old event in San Jose, currently called the SAP Open, is moving to Memphis in 2014. The Memphis tournament is being sold and shifted to Rio de Janeiro.
The ATP Board of Directors approved the sale of the Memphis membership this week to IMX for operation of the 500-level event in Brazil. The ATP will determine the calendar and format for the events in 2014 and 2015 later this year.
The SAP Open began as the Pacific Coast Championships in Monterey in 1889 and has been played indoors recently at the home of the NHL's San Jose Sharks in February before dwindling crowds.
The women's tour still has an annual event at Stanford.
SHARAPOVA, WOZNIACKI ADVANCE IN STUTTGART: STUTTGART, Germany (AP) — Second-ranked Maria Sharapova began her clay court season on Wednesday by reaching the quarterfinals of the Porsche Grand Prix when her opponent Alize Cornet of France retired with a shoulder injury.
The Russian was leading 6-3, 1-0 when qualifier Cornet quit because of the right shoulder injury.
Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark advanced to the second round when Jelena Jankovic of Serbia also retired with an identical score of 6-3, 1-0 in Wozniacki's favor.
Mona Barthel of Germany saved three set points and rallied to upset Ana Ivanovic of Serbia 7-5, 7-6 (4) in another first-round match.
Ivanovic led 5-3 in the first set and held three set points on Barthel's serve. But the German wild card saved two and then fired an ace to turn the match around.
Agkul Amanmuradova of Uzbekistan replaced the injured Daniela Hantuchova in the main draw and went on to upset another Slovak, Dominika Cibulkova, 6-2, 5-7, 6-3.
Fourth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland cruised past qualifier Greta Arn of Hungary 6-3, 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals.
SOCCER
BAYERN BEATS MADRID ON PENALTIES TO REACH FINAL: MADRID (AP) — Bayern Munich beat Real Madrid 3-1 on penalties Wednesday to secure its place against Chelsea in the Champions League final.
Four-time champion Bayern will become the first team to play the final at its home ground after Bastian Schweinsteiger beat goalkeeper Iker Casillas with the final spot kick for the Germans to reach their second final in three seasons.
The final is May 19 at the Allianz Arena.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice in the first half for Real Madrid, but Arjen Robben replied with a penalty to make the final score 3-3 on aggregate. Ronaldo had his penalty saved in the shootout.
FOOTBALL
GOODELL SAYS SAINTS BOUNTIES CASE IN FINAL STAGES: NEW YORK (AP) — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says the league is still doing interviews regarding player punishments that likely will be handed down for the Saints' pay-for-hits bounty system.
Speaking to reporters at an NFL draft event on Wednesday, Goodell says he doesn't expect to issue a decision this week, but he did say: "We're in the final stages of working on discipline involving the players. We hope to do that very soon and get that behind us."
A league investigation found that from 2009-11 New Orleans coaches and players put together a bounty system that paid out improper cash bonuses for hits aimed at knocking opposing players out of games.
The NFL says as many as 27 Saints players participated.
COLLEGES
BCS OFFICIALS WORK ON WHITTLING POSTSEASON OPTIONS: HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (AP) — When Bowl Championship Series officials leave the beachside hotel where they've gathered to hammer out the future of college football's postseason, they want to have the choices narrowed down to two or three.
The 11 conference commissioners and Notre Dame's athletic director met Wednesday for about eight hours to discuss overhauling how a champion is determined and possibly implementing a four-team playoff. It was the fourth such gathering this year. They reconvene Thursday and BCS executive director Bill Hancock said they all agreed it's time to start crossing items off the list.
"I think that's what everyone wants to do. Get down to two, maybe three," he said. "I think we're making good progress on that. I think we're going to make it."
One thing is clear: "The status quo is off the table," Hancock said. Though he cautiously added they have not ruled out making over the current system that guarantees only a No. 1 vs. No. 2 championship game.
But all signs point toward that being unlikely, and that by the 2014 season the BCS as fans have known it will be gone.
