Barthez confirms Nantes departure

PARIS, France (Reuters) -- Fabien Barthez's flamboyant career has almost certainly ended with a controversial exit in keeping with one of the world's best but most eccentric goalkeepers.
The former world and European champion had a fight with a Nantes fan after a home defeat on Saturday, turned in the keys to his club house and drove out of the Atlantic port city with his family in his car en route to an unknown destination.
The 35-year-old said on Monday he had left Nantes because he feared for his safety and would not return.
"I will not play for Nantes again," Barthez told French radio France Info. "This has got nothing to do with football. I no longer feel safe there and it's better for me to leave."
Olympique Marseille coach Albert Emon, who knows Barthez well, strongly suggested the goalkeeper's career was now over.
"It's sad, it's something very personal. He's had a great career. You can't take that away from him. He's been one of the best keepers in the world," said Emon, who was an assistant coach when Barthez played for Marseille.
Barthez was hailed as a saviour when he came out of retirement in mid-December to help Nantes in their bid to escape relegation.
But the famously shaven-headed keeper has committed some embarrassing blunders reminiscent of his worst days at Manchester United.
He has also stirred controversy, notably after conceding a clumsy goal in a 1-0 defeat at home to lowly Sedan earlier this month. After being substituted with an injury, he left the stadium without waiting for the end of the game.
Unwanted headlines
Barthez then earned more unwanted headlines when he hurt team-mate Dimitri Payet with a dangerous tackle in training on Tuesday.
Always an individual, Barthez failed to win acceptance from the rest of the team before leaving the sinking ship after an ugly scene.
On Saturday, after a 2-0 home defeat by Stade Rennes which means Nantes will almost certainly be relegated for the first time in their history, five drunken fans blocked his car as he was driving out of the Beaujoire stadium.
They kicked the car and banged on the windscreen and one fan tried to open the car door.
Barthez then got out of his car and started trading punches with one of the fans. Security staff moved in to separate them.
"Fabien is in a state of shock," Nantes president Rudi Roussillon said on Sunday after the news that Barthez had left.
"He has been deeply affected by this assault. This is not acting. He can't cheat."
An eccentric genius to some, and just plain eccentric to his critics, Barthez will be remembered in France as a prominent figure of the team who lifted the World Cup on home soil in 1998.
His shot-stopping ability was one of the host nation's keys to success and the ritual good-luck kiss on the head before kick-off from defender Laurent Blanc will stay as one of the tournament's abiding memories.
As well as enjoying international success in his 87-cap France career, he also won two English Premier League titles during a five-year spell with Manchester United.
Before crossing the Channel, he had lifted the European Cup with Olympique Marseille in 1993 and won two French titles, with Monaco, in 1997 and 2000.
Controversy, however, has always accompanied a player who was suspended for five months in May 2005 after spitting at a referee during a friendly match between Marseille and Wydad Casablanca.
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Donald maintains lead at Byron Nelson

IRVING, Texas (Reuters) -- Britain's Luke Donald endured an up-and-down third round at the Byron Nelson Championship on Saturday but emerged with a one-shot lead going into the final round of the $6.3 million event.
Donald shot a 67 for a three-round total of 200, 10-under-par, one better than Dallas native Scott Verplank who shot a 66 on Saturday.
American Michael Allen is a shot further back in third place after an eight under par 64, with Briton Ian Poulter fourth on 204 for the three rounds. Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson are among five players tied for fifth on 205.
"I know I'm the kind of person that's good enough to win this tournament tomorrow," Englishman Donald told reporters.
"I felt like I was very patient today, with the weather conditions being so mild.
"I knew there were some scoring opportunities out there and I made some nice birdies on the back nine," he added.
Donald shot an even par 35 on the front nine and at one point was three shots behind Verplank, who grew up 20 miles from the course and once served as a volunteer sign carrier at the tournament.
But the back nine of the Tournament Players Course at the Four Seasons Resort was a different story -- Verplank shooting even par 35 while Donald went three-under.
"Everybody knows how I feel about this tournament and Mr. Nelson," Verplank told reporters. "It would be the highlight of my career to win here."
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Man Utd on brink of title triumph

LONDON, England -- Manchester United moved five points clear in the Premiership title race after fighting back from two goals down to beat Everton 4-2 on a day of rollercoaster drama on Saturday.
Wayne Rooney's 79th-minute strike and a stoppage time goal from youngster Chris Eagles capped a remarkable fightback at Goodison Park where Everton had led 2-0.
Victory ensured that Alex Ferguson's side took full advantage of Chelsea being held to a 2-2 draw by Bolton at Stamford Bridge.
It was a dramatic turnaround on a day that had seen Chelsea 2-1 ahead at the time United trailed by two goals.
Everton went ahead in the 11th minute after Patrice Evra fouled Mikel Arteta 20 metres out to concede a free-kick in a dangerous position which Alan Stubbs fully exploited.
The 35-year-old defender powered in a ferocious shot that took a slight deflection off Michael Carrick and flew past Edwin van der Sar into the back of the net.
United dominated most of the rest of the half but it was Everton who were the first to find the net again when Manuel Fernandes created space for himself and then drilled an unstoppable shot past Van der Sar to make it 2-0 after 50 minutes.
But poor defending at two corners midway through the second half turned the game United's way.
Iain Turner, in goal because Everton's regular keeper Tim Howard is on loan from United and not allowed to play against his parent club, fumbled an inswinging corner from Ryan Giggs, allowing the ball to drop at the feet of John O'Shea who lashed it into the empty net from close-range.
United's equalizer seven minutes later followed another corner when the Everton defence failed to clear a header from substitute Cristiano Ronaldo.
The ball fell to former United defender Phil Neville -- who scored nine goals in 386 appearances during his 11-year career at Old Trafford.
But he scored for United again when he sent the ball into the back of his own net instead of clearing it.
United's dominance finally paid off in the 78th minute when Everton failed to deal with a high cross from Ronaldo.
The ball fell to Rooney, who is still unpopular with some Everton fans after he left for United in 2004, who rode a tackle before steering a shot into the right-hand corner for his 14th league goal of the season.
Youngster Chris Eagles, who replaced Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after 86 minutes, marked his first appearance for United in the Premier League with the fourth goal in stoppage time when he curled the ball home from 18 meters to complete United's stunning comeback.
Over at Stamford Bridge, Slovakia defender Lubomir Michalik gave Bolton a surprise 19th minute lead on his full debut, only for Chelsea's Ivorian striker Salomon Kalou to level soon after with a header.
Kalou was also responsible for Chelsea's second goal, sending in a header that struck the crossbar and rebounded into the net off keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen in the 33rd minute.
But as Chelsea closed in for the kill, Bolton forward Kevin Davies exploited a defensive lapse to head an equaliser soon after the re-start and Sam Allardyce's men held on for a point.
It means that United, who travel to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on May 9, have 85 points to the champions' 80.
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said: "With Chelsea drawing, it's back with us. A five-point lead and a superior goal difference gives us an absolutely marvellous chance with just three games left."
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho conceded Manchester United were now very close to Premier League glory.
"Mathematically, we still have a chance and when there's a chance you have to wait...you have to win and you have to wait.
"I think Manchester United at the moment feel very close... They feel very comfortable...They can come to Stamford Bridge and they can lose," he said.
"I feel sad, but I feel I have a big game against Liverpool on Tuesday. That's a good thing, about being in this situation, that you still have a big game so you don't have time to be sad," Mourinho said.
Mourinho began against Bolton by resting England midfielders Frank Lampard and Joe Cole and top scorer Didier Drogba but all three eventually came off the bench.
Remaining fixtures of English Premier League title contenders:
Manchester United
Saturday, May 5: v Manchester City (a)
Wednesday, May 9: v Chelsea (a)
Sunday, May 13: v West Ham (h)
Chelsea
Sunday, May 6: v Arsenal (a)
Wednesday, May 9: v Manchester United (h)
Sunday, May 13: v Everton (h)

Podolski absence hits Bayern hopes

MUNICH, Germany -- Germany international striker Lukas Podolski is set to be sidelined for six months with a knee injury, dealing a big blow to his club side Bayern Munich's hopes of securing a Champions League spot next season.
The 21-year-old needs an operation to repair his injured left knee and will miss his side's final four Bundesliga matches as the German champions try to avoid missing out on Champions League qualification for the first time in 11 years.
"Lukas has damaged the cartilage in his left knee and will have an operation on Thursday and will be out for the next six months," a statement on Bayern's Web site said on Thursday.
His absence will also be a serious setback for Germany in their Euro 2008 qualifying campaign and he will miss matches against San Marino and Slovakia in June.
Germany's coach Joachim Loew was disappointed by the news and will be looking for a new striking partner alongside Schalke 04's Kevin Kuranyi.
"Lukas told me on Wednesday night," said Loew.
"This is a great shame for him personally, of course, but also for the national team, because we will miss Lukas for the European qualifiers.
"I wish him a quick recovery and hope that he is fit at the beginning of the new season again."
Podolski made a big impact at the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany being voted best young player of the competition.
He has scored 22 goals in 38 internationals, but he has underachieved at Bayern since joining at the start of the season from Cologone -- scoring just four goals in 22 games.
Bayern are fourth in the Bundesliga and five points adrift of the Champions League qualification spots.

Nadal launches Barca hat-trick bid

BARCELONA, Spain (Reuters) -- Ruthless Rafael Nadal extended his winning streak on clay to 68 matches on Wednesday as he opened his bid for a third successive Barcelona Open title with a 6-1 6-2 demolition of Belgian Kristof Vliegen.
The top seed needed exactly one hour to advance to the third round, giving up just one more game than he did when beating Vliegen in Monte Carlo last week.
Vliegen held serve in the opening game but that was as good as it got as a rampant Nadal reeled off six straight games.
Nadal broke serve again early in the second set and though the Belgian did manage to win two games the result was never in doubt.
The Spaniard will meet the winner of the all-Swedish clash between 13th seed Robin Soderling and former Australian Open champion Thomas Johansson.
Nadal is bidding to become only the second man, after Swede Mats Wilander, to win the Barcelona Open in three successive years.
Second seed Nikolay Davydenko overcame a troublesome right shoulder and a difficult opponent in fellow Russian Yuri Schukin to reach the third round.
Davydenko, beaten in his first match in Monte Carlo last week, struggled for form again before scrambling his way to a 6-4 3-6 6-2 victory.
The world number four looked on course for an easy win when he led by a set and 2-0, but world number 218 Schukin, who was appearing in his first ATP Tour event of the year, hit back to level.
Davydenko was then broken in the first game of the final set but after having treatment at 1-2 reeled off the next five games to set up a clash with Italian Filippo Volandri, who ousted Spanish 14th seed Nicolas Almagro 6-7 6-4 6-1.
Eighth seed Juan Ignacio Chela also advanced with a 6-3 6-3 victory over American Vince Spadea.
He will play Potito Starace, who beat Marat Safin's conqueror and fellow Italian Simone Bolelli 6-4 6-3.
Twelfth seed Guillermo Canas hammered Czech Jiri Vanek 6-1 6-1, while former Barcelona champion Carlos Moya ended the comeback of Felix Mantilla with a 3-6 6-3 6-4 victory over his fellow Spaniard.
Mantilla, in his first tournament for 18 months after overcoming skin cancer, pushed Moya for more than two hours before the former French Open champion sealed victory on his second match point.
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Rooney goal gives United late win

MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) -- Manchester United came from behind to beat AC Milan 3-2 in the first leg of a dramatic Champions League semifinal at Old Trafford on Tuesday with Wayne Rooney scoring the winner in stoppage time.
He latched on to a pass from Ryan Giggs to lash the ball past Dida's near post from the edge of the penalty area for his second goal of the game.
A beaming Uniited manager Sir Alex Ferguson said: "I thought we played some fantastic football and dominated the game.
"The equaliser gave us the incentive to go on and win it and the late goal gives us a magnificent chance of winning the tie now."
United, missing six first team regulars, made a superb start when Milan goalkeeper Dida could only parry a Cristiano Ronaldo header into his own net after five minutes.
But Milan, the last team to beat United at home in European competition two years ago, equalised when Brazilian Kaka fired an angled left-foot shot past Edwin van der Sar after 22 minutes.
Kaka then put Milan 2-1 up 15 minutes later with a fine individual goal capitalising on the uncertainty in United's patched-up defence.
Rooney brought United back into the tie when he converted from close range to make it 2-2 in the 59th minute after a brilliantly executed scooped pass from Paul Scholes.
United, out to avenge consecutive 1-0 defeats by Milan in the 2005 knockout round, had to field a patched-up back line after injuries to Rio Ferdinand, skipper Gary Neville, Mikael Silvestre, Nemanja Vidic and midfielder-turned-defender Kieran Richardson.
But it seemed to matter little in the opening exchanges, with United drawing first blood when Ronaldo met a Ryan Giggs corner with a header that Dida parried upwards and then flapped into his own net under pressure from Gabriel Heinze.
United's Argentine defender was less lucky soon afterwards, though, when he failed to prevent Kaka from latching on to Clarence Seedorf's through-ball and rifling a low left-foot shot past Edwin van der Sar.
Though United replied with plenty of pressure and a stinging shot from Ronaldo which Dida could only parry, their night went from bad to worse in the 37th minute.
Kaka surged forward on a solo run, outmanouevring Darren Fletcher and then dodging the luckless Heinze, who was promptly flattened by the in-rushing Patrice Evra to leave both United men in a heap.
The Brazilian nodded the ball through the gap the United defenders created and was left completely alone to sweep the ball past a helpless Van der Sar from close range.
Kaka, already the Champions League's top scorer this season, took his tally to nine and left United facing a first home defeat since a league loss to Arsenal in September.
To complete a miserable half for United's back four, left-back Evra marked his return from injury with a yellow card for dissent that rules him out of the second leg at San Siro next Wednesday.
But United, who have only lost five times at home in 51 years in Europe, came storming back in the second half before Rooney sealed victory with his late winner.
Milan, with two away goals, are far from beaten and will also fancy their chances of reaching next month's final against either Liverpool or Chelsea when they face United at home in the San Siro in next Wednesday's second leg.
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Palermo dismiss Guidolin as coach

ROME, Italy (Reuters) -- Serie A side Palermo have dismissed Francesco Guidolin as coach and appointed assistant Renzo Gobbo in his place.
Sunday's 4-3 defeat to relegation-threatened Parma proved the final straw for 51-year-old Guidolin, in his second stint at the Sicilian club after leading them to the top-flight in 2004.
Palermo started this season strongly and were considered possible title contenders.
However, a loss of form, compounded by an injury to leading striker Amauri, has left them in danger of missing out on Europe next season.
A dismal run of form has left Palermo sixth in the league with 49 points from 33 games, 35 behind Inter Milan who sealed the title on Sunday.
Palermo have slipped alarmingly in recent weeks, having led Serie A in the autumn, and have gone 11 matches without a victory.
The winless streak -- seven draws and four defeats -- dates back to February 2, when they beat Sicilian rivals Catania 2-1. "This measure has been taken to save our season," said club president Maurizio Zamparini
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Nadal secures third Monaco success

MONTE CARLO (Reuters) -- Spaniard Rafael Nadal won his third Monte Carlo Masters Series in succession when he extended his record winning streak on clay to 67 matches with a 6-4 6-4 defeat of world number one Roger Federer in Sunday's final.
The double French Open champion, who has not lost on the slow surface since a defeat to Russian Igor Andreev in April 2005, became the second player to win three straight titles in the principality.
Only Romania's Ilie Nastase had achieved the feat before him, from 1971 to 1973.
Nadal, who thrashed all his opponents en route to Sunday's final, has already emerged as a hot favorite to retain his French Open crown.
"Congratulations to Rafa. I am very happy for him. What he has achieved is fantastic," Federer said in a courtside interview. "I will try again to beat him in Rome, Hamburg and here in Monte Carlo next year."
Nadal said: "I have to say it is an honor to be here up against him (Federer) and to win for the third time."
The Majorcan took advantage of his opponent's sloppy forehand to improve his record against Federer to 7-3. The Swiss has never beaten him on clay in five meetings.
Federer had won his two previous matches against the world number two, beating him for his fourth consecutive Wimbledon crown and in the semifinal of last year's Masters Cup.
The left-handed Spaniard defeated Federer in last year's final before clinching his second French Open title with victory in Paris against the Swiss.
Federer, who outclassed claycourt specialists David Ferrer and Juan Carlos Ferrero in the previous rounds, never seemed in a position to bother Nadal.
Nadal broke decisively on his second chance when Federer sent a forehand long in the ninth game after wasting three opportunities to take the Spaniard's serve.
The double French Open champion clinched the set with a crosscourt forehand winner in 47 minutes.
The Swiss, who made 13 forehand unforced errors in the first set, dropped his serve in the third game of the second as Nadal managed an impressive passing shot.
Federer saved two match points with forehand winners but bowed out on the third, giving Nadal his 19th career title when he sent a backhand long.
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Viduka goal blows title race open

MANCHESTER, England -- Premiership leaders Manchester United dropped two potentially costly points in the race for the title with Chelsea, after a diving header from Mark Viduka gave Middlesbrough a deserved 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.
United had taken an early lead when Kieran Richardson slotted home after Wayne Rooney had collected Paul Scholes' pass and rounded Boro keeper Mark Schwarzer.
United struggled to break Boro down after the break and were indebted to goalkeeper Edwin Van der Sar's save to thwart Viduka from scoring his second.
The result leaves United four points ahead of Chelsea, who can cut that gap to just one if they win at Newcastle on Sunday.
United have 82 points from 34 games, while Chelsea, who host United in a potential title decider at Stamford Bridge on May 9, have 78 from 33 games.
If United had had any nerves about their absorbing title duel with Chelsea they should have been dispelled thanks to Richardson's third-minute goal.
Scholes' raking pass took Jonathan Woodgate out of the game to release Rooney, who wasted no time in taking the ball round Schwarzer.
Rooney's final touch on the ball was a little too strong, but it made no matter as Richardson stepped in to sidefoot home.
The Old Trafford crowd could have been forgiven for expecting an avalanche of goals at this point, but Boro failed to play the role of willing lambs to the slaughter.
Belying their mid-table position, Boro were impressive following their uncertain start and dominated for long periods due to their midfield control.
As Boro regrouped United were indebted to some brave defensive play from Wes Brown, who first tackled Yakubu and then came across to block Stewart Downing's attempted cross.
Viduka castigated Downing for not delivering his cross more quickly, but when the England international picked up on the ball on the left at the end of the first half he had clearly learned his lesson.
Downing whipped in a cross to the near post and Viduka stole in between Paul Scholes and Brown to send a diving header past Van der Sar.
With United due to face AC Milan in their Champions League semifinal on Tuesday, Ryan Giggs had started the game on the bench, but Viduka's goal saw the Welshman stripped and ready to go for the start of the second half.
But it was Boro who initially threatened in the second period when Viduka bamboozled Brown allowing the Australian a clear sight of goal. This time Van der Sar got the better of Viduka, spreading himself to make a good save.
United brought on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but it was Boro who next threatened as Lee Cattermole went agonisingly close with a powerful shot.
Solskjaer did get the ball in the net, but all he earned was a booking for unsporting behavior towards Schwarzer.
And late on United might have concede a penalty when Dong-Gook Lee went down following a John O'Shea tackle.
Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate was full of praise for his side's performance. "We wanted to have a go and our front boys were a real handful. There were some outstanding defensive performances as well.
"We showed real character after the worst possible start. We might even have pinched all three points and the longer it went on you could sense the crowd getting edgy."
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson admitted the result opened the door for Chelsea to retain their title for a third straight season.
"We always said that if we made mistakes, they (Chelsea) have got the ability to come back at us," Ferguson said.
"The way I am looking at it is that we have got four games to go and it looks as if the decider is going to be at Chelsea. It will be some game."

Federer races to 500th career win

MONTE CARLO (Reuters) -- World number one Roger Federer sped into the Monte Carlo Masters Series semifinals when he thrashed Spaniard David Ferrer to clinch his 500th professional victory on Friday.
The Swiss, who has never dropped a set against the claycourt specialist in their six encounters, won 6-4 6-0 and will meet 2003 French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero for a place in Sunday's final.
The Spaniard ended Frenchman Richard Gasquet's run in the principality with a 5-7 7-5 6-2 victory.
Gasquet started brightly but ran out of gas by the end of the second set as Ferrero outplayed him with powerful groundstrokes from the baseline.
He clinched victory in two hours 26 minutes on his first match point.
Federer wasted no time in defeating Ferrer. Following two exchanges of breaks, Federer stepped up a gear and broke decisively in the ninth game when Ferrer sent a forehand wide.
The second set was a mere formality for the Swiss, who wrapped up the win in 58 minutes. "I just felt like it was easy to keep the ball in play. It was easy to play aggressive. And usually that always happens against the best players. David is a very good player from my point of view," Federer told reporters.
"He's an excellent grinder and baseline player and he plays very well so it's hard to beat him. But I always find a way against him to overpower him from the baseline and just have enough variety to maybe frustrate him a bit.
"When I needed good shots they came along and today was a really good match so I'm really pleased."
Czech Tomas Berdych came back from the brink of elimination to advance with a 5-7 6-3 6-0 victory over Swede Robin Soederling.
Tenth seed Berdych will play either German qualifier Philipp Kohlschreiber or holder Rafael Nadal for a place in Sunday's final.
Nadal is hoping to extend his record winning streak on clay to 65 matches.
Following an exchange of breaks, Soederling took his opponent's serve in the 12th game to clinch the opening set when Berdych sent a forehand wide.
The Swede opened a 3-0 gap in the second set before Berdych suddenly woke up and won 12 games in a row.
"I started badly today but then things changed. I'm really happy to be in a position to prepare for tomorrow's semi-final," Berdych told reporters.
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Berbizier to quit after World Cup

ROME, Italy (Reuters) -- Italy coach Pierre Berbizier will step down from his post when his contract expires at the end of the World Cup in France, the Italian Rugby Federation has announced on its Web site.
"Pierre Berbizier has expressed his wish, for personal reasons, to return to France at the end of his contract," read a Federation statement.
"For now, the only thing I want to say is that I'm in Rome, and I'm working to make the World Cup an unforgettable one for Italy and their fans," Berbizier was quoted as saying in La Gazzetta dello Sport.
The 48-year-old Frenchman's decision to quit will be a huge blow to Italian rugby, which has flourished under his leadership.
Italy had just come off the back of a miserable Six Nations tournament when he took up the post in April 2005.
Berbizier's influence was felt just two months later, however, when they beat Argentina in Cordoba -- their first ever away win over the Pumas.
Last place in the 2006 Six Nations masked a series of lively performances in which they held second-half leads over England and France.
In this year's Six Nations, the Azzurri recorded back-to-back wins over Scotland and Wales -- the first time they had won two games in the same tournament -- to finish fourth, their best placing since joining in 2000.
At the World Cup in France, where they start in a Pool C alongside New Zealand, Scotland, Romania and Portugal, they stand their best chance of reaching the knockout stage.
"I'm disappointed, but I respect his decision to return home," Italy captain Marco Bortolami said. "Now we want him to go out on a high at the World Cup."
Italy flanker Mauro Bergamasco said he had hoped Berbizier would stay.
"It's a shame because with him Italy have made a constant improvement," he said. "We've got a solid base of players and a plan, and the results speak for themselves.
"Berbizier has given us great confidence in ourselves. We have a lot of mutual respect for each other and he has always been highly professional."
The World Cup kicks off on September 7 with France taking on Argentina at the Stade de France in Paris, and concludes on October 20 with the final at the same venue.
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Weekley chips in for first victory

ATLANTA, Georgia (Reuters) -- Boo Weekley spectacularly chipped in to save par on the last two holes to claim his maiden PGA Tour victory by a shot at the weather-delayed Heritage Classic in Hilton Head, South Carolina on Monday.
Two off the pace after Saturday's third round, the 33-year-old American carded a three-under-par 68 at the Harbour Town Golf Links for a 14-under total of 270.
Boosted by an eagle at the fifth, Weekley overhauled early pacesetter Stephen Leaney of Australia before producing his dramatic finish over the wind-swept closing stretch.
World number five Ernie Els birdied the last for a 70 and second place at 13- under, one better than Leaney, who double-bogeyed the par-four 16th on his way to a 68.
U.S. Ryder Cup player Vaughn Taylor parred the last four holes for a 70 as winds gusted up to 35mph, to share fourth at 10-under with fellow- American Kevin Na (73).
Weekley, who lost out in a four-way playoff for last month's Honda Classic, was almost at a loss for words after securing the winner's cheque for $972,000.
"It's unreal, this is unreal," he told reporters after watching Els narrowly fail to eagle the par-four last to force a playoff. "Back-to-back chip-ins. I just thank the good Lord they went in."
Weekley, who bogeyed 16 for his lead to be trimmed to one, chipped in from 40 feet from behind the green on the par-three 17th and from 36 feet at the last after his third shot ended up in fluffy rough to the front of the green.
"Sixteen, 17 and 18 are probably the most difficult I've played in a while," he added. "I had to work real hard at it. I beat the golf course."
Smooth-swinging South African Els, in the right rough off the tee, struck a superb approach to within two feet of the flag to set up his fifth birdie of the round.
Hunting his first PGA Tour title since the 2004 WGC-American Express Championship, Els trailed Weekley by a stroke with two holes to play but bogeyed the par-three 17th after his tee shot ended up in reeds behind the green.
"I'm obviously disappointed, but I played well the last four holes," the three-times major winner said.
"I knew it was going to be tough over the last stretch because of the breeze, but I kept the ball in play most of the way. I didn't win, but this is a step in the right direction."
For much of the final round, Leaney appeared to be on track for a breakthrough victory on the PGA Tour.
Bidding to become the fifth Australian to triumph at the Heritage, the 38-year-old charged one shot clear after a sizzling front nine of six-under 30 that included an eagle at the par-five second.
After briefly surrendering the lead to Weekley with a bogey on 13, Leaney drew level by rolling in a monster birdie putt from 70 feet at the par-three 14th.
But the Australian dropped three shots over the next two holes, hitting his approach into a tree and out of bounds on 16, as he slipped back into third place.
"To be honest, I really executed everything the way that I wanted to today," Leaney said. "It's such a hard golf course and, the wind blowing the way it was on the last three holes, I was just happy to make par the last two holes."
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Ballack steers Chelsea into final

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Chelsea set up a dream FA Cup final against Manchester United at the New Wembley on Sunday but needed an extra-time goal by Michael Ballack to beat Blackburn Rovers 2-1 in a pulsating Old Trafford semifinal.
Chelsea took a deserved first-half lead through Frank Lampard but Blackburn stormed back after the break to level through Jason Roberts before Germany midfielder Ballack drove in the winner in the 19th minute of extra time.
Chelsea were the last team to win the FA Cup at the old Wembley in 2000 and manager Jose Mourinho heads to the new stadium aiming for his first victory in the competition and still on course for an unprecedented quadruple.
"It's a big, big final, between first and second in Premier League, between two semifinalists in the Champions League," said Mourinho.
Chelsea, who had already beaten Blackburn three times this season in the League and League Cup, settled quickly and took the lead in the 16th minute when Ballack sent Lampard through to clinically clip an angled effort past Brad Friedel.
Andriy Shevchenko wasted a chance to put the game out of Blackburn's reach at the start of the second half by comically missing his kick when Drogba presented him with an empty net.
Blackburn made him pay when Roberts scored his first goal for the club when he cleverly diverted a low Morten Gamst Pedersen free-kick in the 64th minute.
Mark Hughes' side should have won the game in normal time but Pedersen headed wide from David Bentley's cross and Peter Cech made an impressive save to prevent a John Terry own goal.
Ballack eventually settled it and there was still time for Michael Essien to strike the bar with a superb long range shot.
"It's a very special feeling, I think the game was amazing," Mourinho said. "It was the kind of game where you win you are crazy with happiness but you have a lot of thoughts for your opponents. They gave us a game -- it was not a surprise to me I was waiting for this -- they fought like heroes."
United made it through to their record 18th FA Cup final by beating Watford 4-1 at Villa Park on Saturday.
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Milan set up Man United showdown

MUNICH, Germany (Reuters) -- Coolly taken goals from Clarence Seedorf and Filippo Inzaghi saw AC Milan cruise to a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich and into the Champions League semifinals on a 4-2 aggregate on Wednesday.
Milan, who will play Manchester United for a place in the final, edged ahead in the 27th minute when Kaka slipped a pass to Seedorf, who turned on the edge of the area and beat Oliver Kahn.
The Italians took advantage of another slip four minutes later, as Seedorf's sublime back flick played in Inzaghi to score his 36th Champions League goal.
A ruthless display of finishing combined with equally mean defense will give Milan hope of avoiding the fate of AS Roma, who were destroyed 7-1 by United on Tuesday, and taking a place in the final for the third time in five seasons.
Bayern, the four-times European Cup winners, went into the return as slight favorites at a 66,000 sell-out Allianz Arena, after they had come from behind twice in Milan.
But Milan maintained their dominance over the Germans and have now lost only once to them in 10 European meetings since they first met in 1968.
Coach Ottmar Hitzfeld was able to being back Kahn and Mark van Bommel, both suspended for the first leg, but injuries to Bastian Schweinsteiger and Willy Sagnol left the side weakened in midfield and defense.
Bayern at least started with a bit of imagination.
Massimo Oddo had to clear a Christian Lell shot off the line in the eighth minute and a couple of minutes later Lukas Podolski forced a sharp save from Dida after the German had controlled a flighted cross from Roy Makaay and swept goalwards.
Bayern soon ran out of ideas and a mistake gave Milan their first goal.
Awesome display
Podolski lost the ball out on the Bayern left and Kaka pounced on the chance to bring the ball into the middle, for once without being shadowed by Lucio, the Brazilian defender who gave an awesome personal display.
Seedorf took his pass, then took out Daniel van Buyten before sliding a shot between the Belgian's legs and into the opposite corner.
There was a feeling in the Milan side that they had let Bayern off the hook in the first leg. They did not repeat the mistake.
Seedorf's clever pass fooled the home defense and Inzaghi, who looked marginally offside from TV replays, helped himself against Kahn, lifting the ball past the keeper.
For Bayern, there was barely a suggestion of a comeback.
Perhaps if Podolski had managed to get a shot in after the ball dropped to him from a Mark van Bommel free kick at the end of the first half they might have had a chance.
Van Bommel and Owen Hargreaves tried their luck with long shots but it was Milan who came closest to another goal when Kaka showed rare skill to spin in the area and force a save from Kahn in the 66th minute.
Milan, the six times European Cup winners, became the first team to beat Bayern in a European game at the Allianz Arena. They now have the advantage of playing the second leg of their semifinal against Manchester United at home.
They are the only non-English side in the last four, after United were joined by Chelsea and Liverpool.
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Seven-up United thrash sorry Roma

MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) -- Manchester United produced one of their finest ever performances in European competition to overwhelm Roma 7-1 at Old Trafford and reach the semifinals of the Champions League for the first time since 2002.
United, trailing 2-1 from the first meeting in Rome, had never previously overturned a first leg deficit in five attempts in the competition but did so in remarkable style to win the tie 8-3 on aggregate.
It was the biggest victory in a quarterfinal match in either the European Cup or Champions League since Real Madrid beat Sevilla 8-0 in 1957-58, clocking up a 10-2 aggregate victory.
It was also the biggest winning margin in a Champions League knockout round game and Roma's heaviset defeat in Europe.
Three goals in a scintillating eight-minute burst early in the first half swept Alex Ferguson's side towards the semifinals to face either Bayern Munich or AC Milan and sustained their hopes of repeating their 1999 European and domestic treble.
Michael Carrick, Alan Smith and Wayne Rooney had United 3-0 up after 20 minutes before Cristiano Ronaldo (44th and 49th) scored either side of the break.
Carrick then netted a spectacular second and after Daniele De Rossi pulled one back, Patrice Evra had the final word with their seventh goal nine minutes from time.
It was a breathtaking performance by United and their manager Sir Alex Ferguson praised his team afterwards.
"It was a fantastic performance. We showed great confidence after two defeats in the last week. All great teams get over these mishaps and we did that tonight," he said.
Ferguson sprung a tactical surprise by playing Rooney, Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs as a three-man attacking midfield unit to support Smith, recalled for only his fourth start of the season, as the lone striker.
The idea worked like a dream as the trio ran Roma ragged in a blistering opening quarter that settled the tie. Ronaldo got things moving when he rolled the ball into the path of Carrick, whose quickfire shot from outside the box left goalkeeper Doni rooted as the ball flew past him.
That would have been enough to send United through on the away goals rule but they were in no mood to settle.
In the 17th minute Rooney combined with Giggs to send Smith through and the striker put every moment of suffering from a year of injury hell into his unstoppable finish.
Less than two minutes later Old Trafford was in raptures as Giggs was given time and space to cross low from the right for Rooney to touch in the third.
The Italians, second in Serie A with a parsimonious defence, were all over the place and could have conceded again as Ronaldo shot wide and Doni saved a point-blank header from Carrick.
Their only worthwhile effort at goal was a well-struck free-kick by Francesco Totti that Edwin van der Sar saved well.
Instead it was United who finished on the offensive as Ronaldo was offered the channel he loves down the right and duly accepted the offer before driving in the fourth.
It had been an incredible half and it took only two minutes of the second period for United to extend their lead.
Again Giggs was the provider as his perfectly-measured low cross was turned in by Ronaldo for the Portuguese winger's 20th goal of a sparkling season.
Roma eventually roused themselves and a Mancini effort was scrambled off the line by the hard-working Darren Fletcher but it was the briefest of respites as, on the hour, Carrick drove home a superlative sixth from 25 metres.
Roma got on the scoresheet with a lovely volley on the turn by De Rossi but United restored their astonishing six-goal margin when substitute defender Evra scored again with a low shot from the edge of the box nine minutes from time.
Arrests
Meanwhile, trouble flared before the match with police having to separate rival fans.
A Greater Manchester Police spokeswoman told Reuters: "We've been required to deal with a number of small and isolated incidents. We have made some arrests in order to maintain peace at the ground."
There were 18 arrests, seven for stealing goods from the Manchester United megastore, she added after the match.
A spokeswoman for the Greater Manchester ambulance service said one male had been taken to hospital with a slight head injury.
Police had been prepared for trouble following disturbances at last week's first leg when Italian police launched themselves at United fans at the Olympic Stadium in Rome and were widely condemned for their actions.
The trouble on Tuesday, quickly contained by the police, came after a calm afternoon in the city center where fans of both sides mixed amicably in the spring sunshine.
The atmosphere turned nastier at the ground with small scuffles involving isolated groups of fans and police.
The police quickly moved in and divided fans, creating a no-go area and the situation was soon under control.
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Arsenal, Bolton both held to draws

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Bolton Wanderers squandered a chance to leap into the Champions League places when they were held 1-1 at home by Everton while fourth-placed Arsenal drew 0-0 at Newcastle United, their fourth match without a win, in the Premier League on Monday.
Striker Kevin Davies put Bolton ahead in the 18th minute when he volleyed home Ivan Campo's free-kick but James Vaughan equalised for Everton in the 33rd minute.
However, 18-year-old Vaughan's joy turned to despair when he was taken to hospital after severing an artery in his left leg after a challenge from Abdoulaye Meite.
Arsenal stay two points ahead of Bolton on 56 while leaders Manchester United, who have 78 points, second-placed champions Chelsea, on 75, and Liverpool, who have 60, prepared for Champions League quarterfinal, second leg matches this week.
At St James' Park, Arsenal ended a run of three consecutive defeats but they have only scored once now in four games.
"At end of day it was important not to lose," said Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said. "If you want to improve your confidence it's not a bad result."
Newcastle defender Nolberto Solano twice saved on the line from Gilberto Silva in a goalmouth scramble near the end of a second half that began with James Milner hitting the Arsenal bar with a swerving cross from well out on the right.
Manchester City passed their relegation worries to Fulham with a surprise 3-1 win in London, their third away in succession, to climb to 12th on 40 points. Fulham, on 35, are only four points above the drop zone.
Wigan Athletic's 1-1 draw at Aston Villa left them three points above the relegation zone. Wigan played with 10 men for 56 minutes after Ecuador's Luis Antonio Valencia was sent off for a two-footed lunge on Villa's Dutch defender Wilfred Bouma.
Bottom club Watford claimed their biggest victory of the season, 4-2 at home to Portsmouth, but it has almost certainly come too late to help them avoid relegation.
Adrian Boothroyd's side won for just the fourth time in the Premiership this season thanks to a double strike from Hameur Bouazza and goals from Gavin Mahon and Tamas Priskin.
Matt Taylor had given Portsmouth an early lead but Harry Redknapp's team showed no stomach for a fight and Arnold Mvuemba's late goal was no consolation for the visitors.
Watford, eight points from safety, are still likely to suffer a quick a return to the Championship after just one season in English football's top division.
Portsmouth arrived on a high after their win over leaders Manchester United on Saturday and took the lead in the 16th minute through Taylor.
He controlled Gary O'Neil's pass 25 yards out and had time to assess his options before curling a shot past Hornets keeper Ben Foster.
Watford snatched an equalizer after 27 minutes.
Priskin provided the opportunity by winning a penalty when he stumbled under Djimi Traore's challenge after cutting in from the byline.
After a debate among the Watford players over who should take the penalty, Bouazza stepped up to send David James the wrong way.
Watford then went ahead through Mahon's stunning strike on the stroke of half-time.
James punched Tommy Smith's cross out to the edge of the area, but Mahon latched on to the loose ball and drove a fierce half-volley for his first goal of the season.
Watford extended their lead with a well-worked goal after 51 minutes. Bouazza slipped a pass to Steve Kabba on the left and the striker whipped in a cross to the far post, where Priskin sent his shot back past James into the opposite corner.
Bouazza got his second in the 73rd minute when he played a one-two with Kabba and beat James from close range at the second attempt.
Mvuemba got one back for Portsmouth with his first goal following his loan move from Rennes. The French midfielder turned and lashed a shot into the roof of the net after 81 minutes, but there was never any chance of a late comeback.
Meanwhile, in the night match, Charlton claimed another point in their battle against relegation with a 0-0 draw against Reading.
The result leaves the south London side fourth bottom of the table, a point ahead of Sheffield United -- who have a game in hand.
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Alonso-Hamilton in McLaren one-two

SEPANG, Malaysia -- World champion Fernando Alonso won the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday to hand new team McLaren-Mercedes its first Formula One triumph since 2005.
Rookie Lewis Hamilton, F1's first black driver, added to the McLaren resurgence by finishing second ahead of Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, who won the season-opening Australian GP last month.
Pole-sitter Felipe Massa of Ferrari was overtaken by Alonso and Hamilton on the first lap and never challenged the lead from then on, finishing fifth.
Sunday's win is the 16th of Alonso's career. The last time a McLaren won an F1 Grand Prix was October 2005 in Japan, when Raikkonen claimed victory.
In the first race of the year it was Raikkonen, Alonso and Hamilton in the top three. Nick Heidfeld of BMW-Sauber finished fourth Sunday for the second straight race.
Massa lost the lead to Alonso and Hamilton in the run to the first turn. The Brazilian went onto the grass on the sixth lap trying to overtake Hamilton, losing five seconds and two places.
Alonso, who took the world title in 2005 and 2006 for Renault, switched this season to McLaren, which had a winless season in 2006, its first since 1996.
The Spaniard also become the first McLaren winner in Malaysia since Raikkonen in 2003. Alonso started from pole position for that race at the age of 21, setting a record for the youngest driver to take pole in Formula One.
After taking the lead Sunday, Alonso quickly established a five-second lead after four laps, increasing it by almost a second a lap.
After 10 laps Alonso was cruising 10 seconds ahead of Hamilton, who had a slim lead over Raikkonen.
At the midpoint of the 56-lap race, Alonso led by almost nine seconds over Hamilton, with Raikkonen 21 off the pace. It stayed that way through the rest of the race with Alonso building up the advantage after the second pit stops.
Giancarlo Fisichella, last year's winner here, was sixth for Renault but more than a minute behind. He was followed Toyota's Jarno Trullie and Heikki Kovalainen, who replaced Alonso at Renault.
In the constructors race, McLaren now leads with 32 points after two races with Ferrari next at 23 points. Alonso leads the drivers standings on 18 points, ahead of Raikkonen on 16.
The next race is the Bahrain Grand Prix on April 15.
Fantastic job
"We did it, fantastic job, you deserve it, thank you so much," the 25-year-old Alonso gasped on the team radio as he crossed the line.
"It is a perfect result, a dream," he added later. "This is such a tough race and you never know about tires, but we were relaxed in the end. I lost radio communications from lap ten, like Kimi in Australia, so it is a lucky thing!
"But they fixed it and to win is absolutely fantastic and it is a wonderful surprise to achieve this after such a short time with the team. Everyone has worked so hard. So much has been done by the whole team."
Hamilton, 22, followed up his third-placed finish on his debut in Australia last month by becoming the first 'rookie' driver to score successive podium finishes in his first two races since fellow Briton Peter Arundell in a Lotus in 1964.
"That was the toughest race of my life," said Hamilton afterwards. "It was so difficult, so hard to defend. I ran out of water -- and now I feel overwhelmed!"
He said he felt almost over-awed by his fight to keep the two Ferrari drivers behind him during the early stages.
"To see two Ferraris in your mirrors behind you and to know they are slightly lighter and probably quicker than you - it is so difficult to hold them back," Hamilton admitted.
"Felipe (Massa) had a couple of moves to try and pass me, but, unfortunately, I was able to trick him into out-braking himself and then I was very fortunate to cut across and get in front of him again. And then he went off and I apologize for that.
"Then, Kimi was behind me for the rest of the race and I ran out of water and it was so tricky and it got hotter and hotter and I just kept pushing and concentrating on making no mistakes.
"The team did a fantastic job this weekend and I thank them for that - for preparing me and the car."
Raikkonen said: "Of course, I am happy with the points, but I am disappointed at how the race ended up - we just had to compromise on too many things. We lost too much speed. I hope we can turn the tables next weekend and fight to win again."
Alonso added: "It is very important for any driver to win his first race for a new team at a Grand Prix and to have wins with two different teams is something very special. It is a dream come true after my winning with Renault. I am proud for all the team."

Chelsea narrow gap to three points

LONDON, England -- The English Premier League title race was blown wide open on Saturday when a rare goal from central defender Ricardo Carvalho gave Chelsea a 1-0 victory over Tottenham before Manchester United slumped to a 2-1 defeat at Portsmouth.
A catastrophic misunderstanding between United's Rio Ferdinand and goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar presented Portsmouth with the decisive goal.
United's lead at the top of the Premiership is down to three points with six matches to go, including a meeting between Chelsea and United at Stamford Bridge on May 9.
Carvalho struck with a 52nd minute long range effort that eluded Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson, who looked to be unsighted by his defense.
It came after Tottenham's best attack of the match as Jerrmaine Jenas' cross was helped on by Hossam Ghaly for his Egyptina counterpart Mido to bring a stunning reaction save from Petr Cech.
The first half had been a sterile affair with Chelsea pressing but getting few clear glimpses of goal.
Carvalho's effort pepped up Spurs who must have been weary after playing a UEFA Cup quarterfinal tie in Sevilla 39 hours previously and made five changes from the team beaten 2-1 in Spain.
Jermain Defoe, playing in place of Dimitar Berbatov who was rested to the bench, again bought out the best in Cech as they pressed for an equalizer.
Robinson partially redeemed himself with a reaction save from Salomon Kalou and he then kept out a fierce drive from 30-goal Didier Drogba.
Eight minutes from time, a powerful header by substitute Berbatov from a Steed Malbranque free-kick forced a fine save from Cech.
Another bright spot for Chelsea was the return to Premier league action for Joe Cole.
The England midfielder played 14 minutes of his side's Champions League quarterfinal clash against Valencia on Wednesday, and followed that up with five minutes against Spurs, earning a yellow card for a clumsy foul on Didier Zokoro but looking generally sharp.
Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho said: "In the first half we were by far the better side.After that, Tottenham came more into it, played well and had a great shot and great header but Petr Cech was there to give us the security we needed.
"We deserved it and because Tottenham gave us a hard time it has an even better meaning."
Punished
United kicked off at Portsmouth more than two hours after Chelsea had completed their victory, and they were punished for slack defending in the 30th minute.
Kieran Richardson was caught in possession on the edge of the area by Benjani, whose dipping shot was parried but not held by van der Sar. Matthew Taylor muscled his way past Ferdinand to force the ball in.
Former England goalkeeper David James preserved Portsmouth's lead with fine saves from Cristiano Ronaldo and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in quick succession before tipping over a powerful shot from Ryan Giggs and holding a Wes Brown header.
Portsmouth threatened in breakaways and van der Sar did brilliantly to keep out efforts from Kanu and Sean Davis.
The game seemed to be settled in the final minute of normal time when van der Sar came out and Ferdinand steered the ball past him into an empty net but United hit back with a stoppage time goal from John O'Shea after James fumbled a Solskjaer shot.
There was still time for Alan Smith to drive in a shot which James saved splendidly.
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said: "I've got no complaints with our effort today" He told Sky Sports: "The travelling and playing Roma with 10 men told on us today."
"Six games to go, three points ahead and a better goal difference...given that at the start of the season I would have snatched that.
"We're a little bit stretched in terms of playing the young players all the time but I've got the benefit of an FA Cup tie next weekend and a 10-day break from the league programme, which is probably at the right time for us."

Youzhny beats Gasquet in epic tie

MOSCOW, Russia -- Mikhail Youzhny overcame leg problems and a dogged opponent to beat Richard Gasquet 6-2 6-3 6-7 5-7 8-6 and put defending champions Russia level with France on the first day of their Davis Cup quarterfinal in Moscow on Friday.
The two players switched control of the match, which lasted four hours and 48 minutes. "It was very nerve-racking," Youzhny said, adding that he had failed to exploit his chances and finish the match sooner.
France had taken a 1-0 lead when Paul-Henri Mathieu upset world number four Nikolay Davydenko 2-6 6-2 6-1 7-5 in the first rubber.
Youzhny, ranked 17th in the world, took the first and second sets confidently but his luck started to falter in the third set when he slipped and had to undergo treatment to his left thigh and shin.
He returned to the court to loud cheers from the home crowd, which had grown as the working day in Moscow came to an end.
Gasquet won the third set tiebreak 10-8 before Youzhny, who took time-outs to have both his cramping legs massaged, took the fourth set.
The neck-and-neck fight carried on into the fifth set until a Youzhny winner finally relieved the palpable tension in Moscow's Luzhniki arena.
Davydenko blamed his lacklustre performance against the 56th-ranked Mathieu on the clay surface, which he said he found difficult to get used to after a season of playing on hard courts.
"I understood I am not ready for the clay season," he said.
He praised Mathieu's game, saying the Frenchman had rallied after a jittery and error-ridden first set.
"In the second set after my first serve which I lost...he became more confident and started to play better, faster and more confidently."
In the third set, Mathieu sent the ball skilfully all around the court forcing Davydenko to chase it.
Looking exasperated, the hosts' highest-ranked player upped his game but it was too late to make a difference and Davydenko lost the fourth set.
Russia beat France at the quarter-final stage in the previous two Davis Cups and also defeated them in the 2002 final to lift their first title in Paris.
Sweden take 2-0 advantage
Meanwhile, Thomas Johansson and Robin Soderling gave Sweden a commanding 2-0 lead in their quarterfinal against Argentina in closely-fought matches that featured a total of five tie-breaks.
Johansson stunned Argentine number one David Nalbandian 6-7 7-6 6-2 7-6, while Soderling beat teenager Juan-Martin Del Potro 7-6 7-6 6-4.
The 18-year-old Del Potro, number 58 in the world, kept up with Sweden's top player for the first two sets, losing both tie-breaks by 7-4.
In the third set, the 30th-ranked Soderling sent the lanky Del Potro running from corner to corner, chasing the ball fruitlessly.
The Argentine fought valiantly to save two match points but eventually succumbed to the more experienced, 22-year-old Swede.
In the first rubber, Johansson, 32, a former Australian Open champion currently ranked 73rd, proved too tough a nut to crack for the 12th-ranked Nalbandian on the fast carpet surface at the Gothenburg Convention Center.
"This was probably the best Davis Cup match I've ever played," said Johansson. "This is our best surface and we have three great singles players to choose from."
Nalbandian, 25, won the first set on a 7-3 tie-break after the players broke each others' serve once. The Swede won the second-set tie-break 7-2 after denying Nalbandian on a set point in the tenth game.
"I was tight and nervous in the beginning," Johansson said. "If he had made that set point it would have been a different match." Johansson, who served a total of 33 aces to only 18 for Nalbandian, took the third set easily.
Nalbandian yelled at himself several times in frustration as he committed 41 unforced errors, drawing a warning from the umpire.
"He was very good," Nalbandian said of his opponent. "The surface was not easy to play on. Sometimes the ball bounced faster, sometimes not. It was terrible."
In a tense fourth set, the players broke each other once before Johansson took the tie-break to love in front of a noisy, partisan, capacity crowd of 4,000.
On Saturday, Jonas Bjorkman and Robert Lindstedt can win the tie for Sweden in their doubles match against Nalbandian and Sebastian Prieto.
The winner of this tie will play either the United States or Spain in the semifinals.
Germany looking good for semifinal place
Germany lead Belgium 2-0 after the first day of their quarterfinal in Ostend following wins for Tommy Haas and Philipp Kohlschreiber over Kristof Vliegen and Olivier Rochus respectively on Friday.
Victory for Germany in Saturday's doubles, which pits Belgium's Christophe Rochus and Dick Norman against Michael Kohlmann and Alexander Waske, will see them reach a semifinal against either Russia or France.
Davis Cup debutant Kohlschreiber made easy work of his victory over the younger of the Rochus brothers with a scoreline of 6-3 7-5 7-6, after Haas had come from behind to defeat Vliegen 6-7 7-5 6-4 6-2 in the opening rubber.
Vliegen, who upset former Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt of Australia in the first round, looked on course to repeat his heroic feat when he took the opening set on a tie-break.
World number 10 Haas, however, began to settle and took control of the second set before levelling matters.
Haas eventually proved too strong for the Belgian, ranked 41 places below him, and raced to take the next three sets and secure the rubber.
"He is a clever player and gave me a fright early on," Haas told reporters.
"It took me a while to get used to the court and I think he picked up a little injury which helped me out. Hopefully I can just continue from where I left off over the weekend."
Kohlschreiber completely dominated his match against Rochus and never looked like losing. "I was very pleased with the way I controlled the game and we are now in pole position. But we cannot take anything for certain tomorrow," Kohlschreiber said.
Victory for Germany on Saturday would keep them on course for a fifth straight whitewash of the Belgians.
Blake puts American ahead
James Blake rediscovered his form at precisely the right moment as he put the United States 1-0 up in their quarterfinal against Spain in North Carolina.
The ninth-ranked Blake defeated Tommy Robredo 6-4 6-3 6-4 to bolster his recent sagging confidence.
The American, who had lost six of his last nine matches, paved the way for team-mate Andy Roddick, who was facing Fernando Verdasco in the day's second rubber on an indoor hardcourt.
A sold-out crowd of 15,000 cheered their hero from the start at the venue where Blake made his Davis Cup debut against India just weeks after the September 9, 2001 attacks on the U.S.
The American cracked open the first set with a break in the final game, then seized the second after taking a 4-1 lead over world number six Robredo.
Robredo applied pressure as he broke while Blake was serving for victory at 5-2 in the third set but the American clinched the win two games later on his fourth match point.
"My forehand was working really well, it felt great to hit them," Blake told reporters. "But I had to fight hard against Tommy.
"At the end you could see why he's a top-10 player. They never die, I'm just glad I got through this one."
Spain are playing without Rafael Nadal as the world number two rests a foot injury. The nations last met in the 2004 final, with Spain winning in Seville in front of 27,000 fans.

Rose blooms but title holder wilts

AUGUST, Georgia -- Britain's Justin Rose and American Brett Wetterich posted a three-under-par target while Phil Mickelson made a horror start to his Masters title defense in Thursday's opening round.
Back on the PGA Tour for the first time in six weeks after nursing a back strain, Rose defied demanding conditions at Augusta National with a flawless 69.
The 26-year-old Englishman, who led after the first two rounds at the 2004 Masters, reeled off three birdies on a 7,445-yard layout running fast and firm in bright sunshine.
Rose parred the last four holes to finish two ahead of South African Tim Clark and Americans Vaughn Taylor, Zach Johnson, Rich Beem and J.J. Henry.
"The reason I played so well was my short game, my touch was amazing," he said.
"I knew I was playing well and had had a decent start to the season, but the competitive edge was the one area I was not sure about having had six weeks off.
"But I had plenty of energy and that kept me calm and fresh."
Wetterich then joined him a joint early leader with Briton David Howell heading the chasing pack out on the course at two-under.
Mickelson, who struck a spectator off the tee on his way to a bogey at the par-four first, opened with a 76 -- he birdied the last two holes -- while four-times champion and tournament favorite Tiger Woods was one over after nine holes.
Only 10 players in the 96-strong field were under par in the first Masters since 1999 to be played under optimal, dry conditions.
"It is brutal out there," Chris DiMarco told reporters after shooting a 75. "The greens are firm and if you hit on the wrong side of holes you're just trying to make bogey.
"It's the hardest the course has played since I've been coming here," added the American, who lost to Woods in a playoff at the 2005 Masters.
Steady performance
Clark, who finished two strokes behind Mickelson last year, made the most of a steady performance that included 13 fairways hit out of 14.
"I tried not to make any mistakes and just put myself into position to make par," the 31-year-old said. "I was putting cautiously but I made a lot of good two-putt pars."
South African Ernie Els, twice a runner-up, struggled to a 78 and U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy of Australia, who ran up a triple-bogey eight at the second, carded a 75.
"It was a very tough day," said three-times major winner Els, who had to settle for second place after an epic last-day battle with Mickelson here in 2004.
"If you mishit a shot today, you really paid the penalty. Everything was firm out there."
Seven players failed to break 80, among them 1987 champion Larry Mize and three-times winner Gary Player who returned matching 83s.
The 71-year-old Player is making a record-equalling 50th appearance at the Masters.
Cool, dry weather has been forecast for all four rounds at the pine tree-lined Augusta National.

UEFA to investigate crowd clashes

ROME, Italy -- UEFA has opened an investigation into the trouble surrounding Wednesday's Champions League quarterfinal first leg match between AS Roma and Manchester United, it confirmed on Thursday.
The game, which Roma won 2-1, was over-shadowed by violent clashes between police and fans at the Olympic stadium and 11 United fans were taken to hospital, the British Embassy said.
The government official responsible for public security in Rome claimed that police did not use excessive force to control crowd trouble at the match.
Achille Serra, the Prefect of Rome, told the ANSA news agency: "It did not seem to me a night of violence.
"There were incidents before and after but they were certainly not serious.
"There are stray groups of delinquents in all soccer clubs in the world and they have nothing to do with the majority of good fans," he added.
In an official statement UEFA said it was "currently gathering evidence and will be studying the official reports of the referee, delegate and security officer in detail before announcing any further action."
In England, Manchester United called on the British government to examine the incidents surrounding the trouble.
In a statement, United said: "Distressing scenes witnessed in the Stadio Olimpico last night shocked everyone at Old Trafford.
"In what the club views as a severe over-reaction, local police handed out indiscriminate beatings to United supporters.
"In these circumstances, neither Manchester United nor AS Roma is able to call the police to account.
"As a result, the club warmly welcomes the government examination of the incident and will collect witness statements from fans to submit to the Home Office."
The club has also urged supporters who attended the game and wish to provide evidence to contact them."
Trouble began inside the Olympic stadium after Roma took the lead just before halftime when rival fans traded insults and threw objects from one section of the ground to the other.
Television pictures showed Italian police flailing at United supporters with batons, leaving several of the English club's fans bleeding profusely from head wounds.
Raining blows
One policeman was shown raining blows on a supporter who lay motionless on the ground.
"The police just went in indiscriminately hitting anyone and everybody, it didn't matter whether they were old people, young people, men, women, whatever they just hit everyone," United fan Mick Thorne told Reuters TV.
The British Embassy said more than 11 fans were injured, with local media putting the number at 18. Italian police could not confirm the number injured, pending their own investigation.
"It was pretty violent, all the English fans were targeted, none of the Italian people were hit by the police because they were the other side of the fence," said United fan Tommy Taylor.
One United supporters' club said it would complain to UEFA and asked fans for eyewitness accounts of the clashes.
"The Italian police were stationed on our side of the fence, in attack formation against United fans, in a way that only made sense if they were trying to protect the Roma fans from us," the Independent Manchester United Supporters' Association said on its Web site (www.imusa.org).
"There is something very wrong here and IMUSA aims to get to the bottom of it."
United warned fans before the match that they might be attacked in Rome, prompting a rebuke from the city's mayor Walter Veltroni and Roma coach Luciano Spalletti.

Chelsea saved by Drogba equaliser

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Valencia earned a valuable 1-1 draw at Chelsea on Wednesday in a cagey first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal.
Valencia took the lead with a stunning first-half strike from David Silva, which flew past goalkeeper Peter Cech, but Didier Drogba nodded his 30th goal of the season in the 53rd minute to equalise.
Chelsea will be frustrated at the outcome after having had the lion's share of the possession, but Valencia deserve credit for keeping it tight at the back and playing some sharp incisive football going forward.
The away goals rule tips the tie in the Spaniards' favor as a goalless draw in next Tuesday's second leg will see them through to the semifinals, most likely against Liverpool after their 3-0 first leg win over PSV Eindhoven.
Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho went for an attacking line-up with Claude Makelele dropped in favor of John Obi Mikel in the holding midfield role, striker Salomon Kalou on the right flank and Drogba paired with Andriy Shevchenko up front.
Chelsea were quicker to settle and Drogba nearly opened the scoring in the 10th minute, the Ivorian spinning round to smack a shot onto the crossbar after Shevchenko had been flattened by a Roberto Ayala challenge.
Valencia, comfortable on the ball, created their first chance a minute later when David Villa, who was linked with a move to Chelsea in the January transfer window, sent a fizzing drive wide of Petr Cech's near post.
His strike partner Silva should have done better minutes later, when Joaquin's wayward shot found him completely unmarked in the middle of the penalty area and his scuffed effort flew wide of the target.
But Silva made amends on the half hour in spectacular style, collecting the ball 25 meters out on the left flank and unleashing a left-foot piledriver past the diving keeper.
Chelsea were quick to recover. Mikel, switching effortlessly between short and long passes, drove them forward down the center, Michael Ballack and Frank Lampard bustled around the penalty area and Ashley Cole probed down the left.
Despite all the activity, Valencia's defence did a good job of denying Chelsea any clearcut chances. The impression lasted only a few minutes into the second half, though, when the Spaniards paid for a lapse of concentration.
Cole punted a long ball upfield and Drogba, cut adrift from his markers, was first to the bounce and nodded the ball over stranded keeper Santiago Canizares.
The Spanish bench were appealing minutes later when Lampard's tackle on Joaquin sent the ball through to Cech, which looked like an illegal pass back to the keeper but Belgian referee Frank De Bleeckere waved play on.
Needing a goal, Mourinho made a double substitution after 75 minutes, taking off Mikel and Kalou for wingers Joe Cole, his first appearance since late November after injury, and Shaun Wright-Phillips.
But Chelsea could still not find a way through, despite a late assault in which Ricardo Carvalho's shot was charged down and Shevchenko's overhead kick deflected over.
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Chappell resigns as coach of India

MUMBAI, India (Reuters) -- India coach Greg Chappell handed in his resignation on Wednesday, two days before the Indian cricket board meet to analyse the team's poor World Cup performance.
"Today I informed the president of the BCCI that I would not seek an extension to my contract to coach the Indian cricket team for family and personal reasons," Chappell said in a statement.
The Australian's two-year contract was due to run out at the end of April.
Chappell, 58, took up the post in 2005 with an eye on success at this year's World Cup, but India suffered a first-round exit last month at the showpiece event in the Caribbean, losing to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Gerrard points Liverpool to semis

EINDHOVEN, Netherlands -- Liverpool dominated PSV Eindhoven to win 3-0 in their Champions League quarterfinal first leg on Tuesday and virtually guarantee a place in the semis against either Chelsea or Valencia.
Liverpool took the lead after 27 minutes when Steve Finnan broke free on the right and crossed for Steven Gerrard to power home a header which PSV goalkeeper Gomes had no chance of saving.
They doubled their lead against the injury-hit Dutch side after 49 minutes when John-Arne Riise controlled the ball on his chest before thundering in a left-foot volley from 20 meters.
They wrapped up victory on the night -- and most likely the tie -- when Peter Crouch headed home after 63 minutes for his seventh Liverpool goal in his last seven starts.
The only worry for Liverpool was an injury for Fabio Aurelio who appeared to snap his Achilles with no other player around him 15 minutes from time.
PSV coach Ronald Koeman, the first man to take three different sides to the quarterfinals after previously leading Ajax Amsterdam and Benfica to the last eight, used the same tactical plan as he did last month at home against Arsenal.
But Koeman, whose Benfica side beat Liverpool in the first knockout round last season, had no answer to Liverpool's authority this time.
His two strikers, Jefferson Farfan and Diego Tardelli, broke in from the flanks to leave Liverpool's defensive center open.
But despite all the space they tried to exploit the home side registered only one first half chance when Mika Vayrynen's tight angled volley was deflected and went over the goal.
Vulnerable
On the other side the Eindhoven defense proved vulnerable with the absence of the powerful Brazilian Alex.
Alex, whose late header at Arsenal last month earned PSV their quarterfinal ticket, was missed for his organizing skills and the PSV defense generally lacked confidence and were under pressure from almost constant Liverpool attacks.
Crouch gave the first warning with a well placed header after 15 minutes which forced goalkeeper Gomes to stretch.
But Gomes had no answer when Gerrard headed in the opener with his thumping header. It was his 19th European goal for the club and his 15th in the senior competition.
Riise and Crouch added the second and third goals to underline Liverpool's dominance with Rafa Benitez men now dreaming of a return to the Champions League final, two years after they were crowned European champions for the fifth time.
The second leg is at Anfield next Wednesday.

FINA anxious to trace Thorpe leak

SYDNEY, Australia -- Swimming's world governing body FINA have promised to carry out a full investigation into how details of Ian Thorpe's drug test results were leaked to the French newspaper L'Equipe.
Swimming Australia chief executive Glenn Tasker said FINA want to hire a private investigator to help trace the person responsible for leaking the confidential information that Thorpe had produced a sample in May last year that showed elevated levels of naturally-occurring hormones.
Swimming and doping officials have confirmed that Thorpe did not fail the test and there was no suggestion of any wrongdoing but the retired Olympic champion said his reputation had already been tarnished.
The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA), that carried out the test, are launching a separate investigation, but said they were confident they were not the source of the leak.
"We do need to get our head around this and understand where in the system, between ASADA and our various international partners, it was possible for a journalist from a French language newspaper to get access to some of this information," ASADA chairman Richard Ings told reporters.
Thorpe told a news conference in Melbourne that he had never cheated and was confident of being cleared of any doping offences but feared the publicity surrounding the case had damaged his reputation.
He said the leaking of the test report was a serious breach of the confidentiality agreements designed to protect innocent athletes.
Thorpe's lawyer Tony O'Reilly said legal action would be considered once the culprit was found.
Thorpe is regarded as one of the greatest swimmers of all time, winning five Olympic gold medals, 11 world titles and setting 13 world records since bursting on to the world stage as a 15-year-old at the 1998 world championships.
Thorpe won three gold medals as a 17-year-old at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the 200 and 400 meters freestyle double at the 2004 Athens Olympics but never swam at international level again.
He announced his retirement in November 2006, saying he had lost motivation and wanted to do something else with his life.
WADA worry
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) expressed its concern on Monday at the serious breach of confidentiality that occurred.
"WADA is especially shocked that the name of an athlete was apparently given to the media while no adverse analytical finding has been determined at this point," the body said in a statement.
"This particular case has not led to an analytical positive result, but is rather an unusual situation which is subject to further inquiry," it said without naming Thorpe.
"Only when this process is completed and if an adverse analytical finding is then made, will WADA be informed of an athlete's name."
WADA said it would discuss ways to strengthen confidentiality provisions as part of its World Anti-Doping Code review, which culminates at a conference in Madrid from November 15 to 17.

Djokovic dash to Miami title glory

MIAMI, Florida (Reuters) -- Serbian teenager Novak Djokovic breezed to a 6-3 6-2 6-4 win over Argentine Guillermo Canas to claim the Sony Ericsson Open on Sunday, underlining his status as a possible future world number one.
After losing to Rafael Nadal in the Indian Wells final two weeks ago, the 19-year-old 10th seed would not let a second opportunity for his first Masters Series title slip through his fingers, replacing Andre Agassi as the youngest ever winner in the 23-year history of the Miami event.
It was the second title of the season for Djokovic and fourth of his young career.
Employing an all-round game that has drawn comparison with Roger Federer's, Djokovic stands out among a list of great Miami champions, joining Ivan Lendl (1989) as the only player to lift the title without dropping a set.
Canas, who recorded back-to-back upset wins over world number one Federer at Indian Wells and Miami, had no answers for the energetic Djokovic who will climb to a career high number seven in the world rankings on Monday.
"I'm always comparing myself to the best players in the world because that is what I want to be one day," Djokovic told reporters.
"Right now I feel like for the first time in my career that I am on that level, that I deserve to be one of the three best players in the world.
"I'm really happy with my achievement right now and hope this is only the start."
Back on the ATP Tour after serving a 15-month doping ban that ended last September, Canas had battled through qualifying and five seeded players to reach the final but could not manage a single break on five chances in the final.
Djokovic won a contentious first set when the 29-year-old Argentine was charged with a foot fault giving him triple break point which he immediately converted into a 3-1 lead.
Furious Canas
A furious Canas argued the call with the chair umpire and struggled to regain his composure, losing the next 12 points as Djokovic went on to take the opening set.
Djokovic also recorded the early break in the second to go up 3-2 but the set eventually swung on the sixth game that went to deuce eight times and needed 19 minutes to decide with the young Serb finally holding serve and both players receiving a standing ovation.
"It was probably the turning point," said Djokovic. "You always have turning points every match.
"It's very important to stay calm and mentally strong.
"In the end I managed to be stronger mentally."
Canas received treatment on his left thigh in the third set but continued to battle until handing Djokovic the decisive break when he double-faulted at 4-4 allowing the Serb to serve out the match.
"Today I did everything I could to try to win," said Canas. "I did my best all three sets.
"He's a great player, very confident, he played great tennis these four weeks.
"If he continues like this he will be one of the top three players very, very soon."
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.