Dudi Sela loses tennis quarterfinal in Rhode Island to lower-ranked Aussie
Israeli tennis star Dudi Sela finished another up-and-down week that ended with a quarterfinal defeat to a lower-ranked opponent at the Campbell's Hall of Fame Tournament in Newport, Rhode Island. Just days after knocking off world number 55 Sam Querrey, the 115th ranked Sela fell in straight sets to Australia's Lleyton Hewitt 6-4, 6-3. Hewitt is ranked 233rd in the world. "It feels like a true winter," Sela said after the defeat. "Once in a while there is some sunshine, but not much more than that." (Rami Hipsh and Steve Klein )
Israel loses U20 hoops opener in Bulgaria
Israel's national under-20 basketball team lost its opener at the European Championship Division B tournament in Sofia yesterday, falling to host Bulgaria 78-69. The team blew a 39-29 halftime lead. Guy Lavi led Israel with 24 points and five steals. Bar Timor added 18 points. Or Solomon scored nine points and pulled down nine rebounds. (Arie Livnat )
Alex Tyus gets citizenship, cleared to play with national basketball team
Alex Tyus, a Florida emigrant who played for Maccabi Ashdod last year, received his Israeli citizenship yesterday and will play for Israel's national team this summer. The 2.03-meter center is in negotiations to play with Armani Milano. (Arie Livnat )
Moore's 28 points fuel Lynx win over Shock
Maya Moore scored a franchise-record 19 points in just the second quarter, leading the Minnesota Lynx out of an early funk and onto an 89-74 victory over the Tulsa Shock yesterday, the team's last game before the Olympic break. One of the Lynx's three Team USA members, Moore finished with a season-high 28 points and grabbed 11 rebounds before fouling out midway through the fourth quarter. The second-year star shot 8 for 12 from the floor and 11 for 12 from the free-throw line. Glory Johnson led the league-worst Shock with 30 points and 13 rebounds. The Lynx finished the first half on a 25-7 spurt, with 17 points by Moore. Seimone Augustus and Monica Wright each added 14 points. (AP )
MLB's Toronto Blue Jays ink Encarnacion to three-year extension worth $27 million
Toronto Blue Jays slugger Edwin Encarnacion, in the midst of a breakout offensive campaign, was rewarded with a three-year, $27 million contract extension, the Major League Baseball team said yesterday. In his eighth season and fourth with the Blue Jays, the 29-year-old Dominican Republic native is batting .295 with 23 home runs and 58 runs batted in while splitting his time between first base and designated hitter. Encarnacion, who played for the Cincinnati Reds before joining the Blue Jays during the 2009 season and resigning with the team as a free agent the following year, is also tied for fourth in the American League in home runs and seventh in RBIs. (Reuters )
