Andy Roddick of the US returns a backhand to Nicolas Mahut of France during their second round match at the Lyon indoor tennis tournament in Lyon, southeastern France, Thursday. (Reuters Photo)

LYON, France,
Oct. 28--Top seed Andy Roddick struggled in the first set before outpowering French qualifier Nicolas Mahut 7-6 6-3 in the second round of the Lyon Grand Prix on Thursday.
“It was a high quality match. I had the feeling I was returning well but I had to wait until the end of the game to break his serve,“ the American said, Reuters said.
In the quarter-finals, Roddick will face Mario Ancic of Croatia who defeated Swede Thomas Enqvist 7-6 6-7 6-4.
Asked if he was still planning to play the Paris-Bercy Masters Series tournament next week after Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Marat Safin and Andre Agassi withdrew pleading injuries or personal reasons, Roddick kept his options opened.
“For the time being, I’m in Lyon. I have officially entered the Paris tournament. We’ll see later on,“ he said.
Earlier in the day, French teenager Gael Monfils thrashed third seed Gaston Gaudio of Argentina 6-4 6-3.
Monfils, world number one junior last year after winning three of the four junior Grand Slam events including Wimbledon, faces compatriot Marc Gicquel in the quarter-finals. Gicquel overcame Italian Davide Sanguinetti 6-3 6-2.
Gaudio, who is ranked 10th in the ATP Champions Race standings, needed a strong showing in Lyon to keep alive his hopes of claiming one of the three remaining Masters Cup berths.
He was unable to match the sheer power of Monfils, who said his opponent had barely raised a sweat.
“As soon as we started to warm up, I felt that he was not in the game. He was not concentrating, he was teasing me. I think it’s a shame for the spectators who came to watch a real game of tennis. I took no pleasure at all,“ he said. Qualifier Gicquel, ranked 141st in the world, defeated the 44th-ranked Sanguinetti in 53 minutes.
“It’s a win I hadn’t dared hope for because I only came back from holiday in the Seychelles 10 days ago and I only had three days of training,“ he said.
“I think I’ve made a lot of progress mentally. I tended to blow the fuses all the time so, a month ago, I decided to shut up on the court.“

HAVANA, Cuba, Oct. 28--Soccer great Diego Maradona, who was offered an advisory job on Argentina’s 2006 World Cup team on Thursday, said he did not see a role for himself on the team he led to glory in 1986.
“I’d rather stay at home than be a decorative figure who decides nothing,“ he said on Cuban television.
Argentine Football Association president Julio Grondona said there was a place for Maradona on the national team, though his exact role has not been defined, Reuters said.
Maradona said he would speak to Grondona, but did not see much future in the offer.
“I don’t want to get in anybody’s way. I am not clear about what my role could be,“ he said, adding that Argentina coach Jose Pekerman should be free to select his own players.
The former Argentina captain said world champions Brazil were odds-on favorites to win the Cup in Germany.
“Brazil is one notch above everyone else,“ he said.
Looking slimmer after overcoming drug abuse and undergoing an operation to staple his stomach to reduce his ballooning weight, Maradona appeared on television with Cuban President Fidel Castro.
Maradona was in Havana to interview Castro for his weekly television show in Argentina, “La Noche del 10“ (The Night of the Number 10), a reference to his shirt number on the national team.

Getafe's Diego Rivas Gutierrez (l) is tackled by Real Sociedad's Mikel Aranburu Eizagirre during their Spanish First Division league match played at San Sebastian's Anoeta Stadium, Thursday. (Reuters Photo)

MADRID, Spain,
Oct. 28--Getafe’s hopes of regaining the leadership of the Primera Liga from Osasuna were dashed on Thursday when they slumped to a 3-0 defeat at Real Sociedad.
Bernd Schuster’s side conceded all three goals in a poor first half display and although they improved in the second they were unable to threaten the Basque side’s comfortable lead.
Valencia also missed their chance to join the Navarrans at the top of the table when they tumbled to a 2-0 defeat at home to Sevilla despite dominating throughout, Reuters said.
Brazilian striker Luis Fabiano opened for the Andalucians in the first half when he outwitted Valencia keeper Santiago Canizares with a deft back heel after his compatriot Adriano Correia had danced his way down the left flank and cut a neat pass into the area.
Luck had a large hand in Sevilla’s second with Argentine defender Roberto Ayala turning into his own net just after the break as he tried to cut out a cross-shot from Daniel Alves.
“A result like this leaves you cold,“ said Valencia coach Quique Sanchez Flores whose team beat Real Madrid 2-1 last weekend.
“They had one half chance and still managed to make off with all the points.“
Osasuna, who snatched a last-gasp 3-2 win at home to Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday, lead the standings on 18 points from nine games, one clear of Getafe who remain in second spot despite their defeat.
Champions Barcelona are third after Wednesday’s 2-0 win over Malaga, level on 16 points with Celta Vigo and Real Sociedad.
Real Madrid, who slipped to their second defeat in four days when they went down 3-1 at Deportivo Coruna on Wednesday, are back in sixth spot, level on 15 points with Villarreal, Sevilla and Valencia.
Sociedad took the lead against Getafe after just four minutes when midfielder Mikel Aranburu completed a neat move by drilling in from 20 metres out.
Turkish forward Nihat Kahveci doubled the Basque side’s lead soon after when he turned in from close range after keeper Luis Garcia was caught stranded off his line.
Xabi Prieto added a third from the penalty spot before the half was up after the referee had spotted some shirt-tugging on striker Darko Kovacevic.
There was better news for Getafe’s city rivals Atletico Madrid who recorded their biggest win of the season, with a 3-0 victory at home to Cadiz.

TORONTO, Oct. 28--American Jeff Brehaut carded an opening round six-under 65 at the Chrysler championship in Tampa Bay, Florida on Thursday to grab a two shot lead over five players led by world number four Retief Goosen.
Brehaut, chasing his first career PGA Tour win, mixed an eagle and five birdies with a single bogey at the Westin Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead course, surging top the leaderboard ahead of 2003 champion Goosen and Americans Dean Wilson, Tom Lehman, Ben Crane and Charles Howell III, reported Reuters.
Goosen, attempting to bounce back from a nagging groin injury, showed no sign of distress as he opened his round in style with an eagle on the first.
The South African, however, had an ordinary round the rest of way mixing four birdies with a pair of bogeys.
Even par through 12 holes and playing the back nine first, Wilson caught firing on the closing stretch with five straight birdies from the fourth before closing his round on a disappointing note with a bogey at his last.
Howell enjoyed a flawless round while Crane was also error free until the last, a bogey on the 18th providing the only blemish on his card.
Lurking one shot further back at three-under 68 is a pack of nine players that includes, Germany’s Bernhard Langer, Australians Peter Lonard and Steve Allan, Sweden’s Jesper Parnevik and Americans Lucas Glover, Rocco Mediate, Steve Lowery, Davis Love III and Billy Mayfair.
World number two and defending champion Vijay Singh, looking to rediscover his form after missing the cut at the Funai tournament last week, stumbed to a three-over 74.
The Fijian had been among the contenders until crashing at the finish with a double-bogey six at the par four 16th followed by bogeys at 17 and 18.

ROME, Oct. 28--AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti is confident his team can end Juventus’ record-breaking run of nine straight victories and prevent the title race from becoming a procession for the reigning champions, AFP reported.
Leaders Juventus, whose 2-0 win against Sampdoria on Wednesday set a new record for the best ever start to a Serie A campaign, face Milan at the San Siro in a crunch Scudetto showdown on Saturday.
Juventus have a five-point lead over Milan but their closest rivals have won their last six games and Ancelotti feels the fixture has come at just the right time for his resurgent side.
“Juve have started brilliantly but this is a different Milan to the one which took four points from the first three games,“ he said.
“Our confidence is high and we’ll be looking to stop Juve and end their record-breaking run. With a victory on Saturday we can put ourselves right back in the championship race.“ Ancelotti’s counterpart Fabio Capello stressed that setting a new record for the best start in Serie A would be of scant consolation if his Juventus side didn’t end up retaining the title.
“It’s a wonderful achievement but what really counts is where we finish,“ he said.
“For me the most important thing is that we are going to the San Siro with a five point advantage and psychologically that will be vital.
“It’s going to be a great battle. They’re having an excellent run and we are in great form.“
If Juve extend their winning run to 10 league matches they will equal the record for the number of consecutive Serie A victories in a season (not just from the start). Three teams share the record, Juventus (1931-32), AC Milan (1950-51) and Bologna (1963-64).
Christian Vieri, who scored his first goal since May 15 in Milan’s 3-1 win at Empoli, could retain his place with Andriy Shevchenko still recovering from an ankle injury.
Vieri was relieved to finally end his drought after five agonizing months.
“It feels like a great weight has been lifted from my shoulders,“ said the 32-year-old forward who joined Milan from Inter Milan during the summer.
“It’s only natural to feel the tension when you don’t score for a while but my team-mates have been really supportive.“
Fiorentina, in third place on 19 points, host winless Caglairi on Sunday while Inter Milan, who fell to fourth after a 3-2 defeat at home to Roma on Wednesday, play away to Sampdoria the day before.

PARIS, Oct. 28--Gerard Houllier’s Lyon will be looking to get back to winning ways at Sochaux on Saturday after suffering their first defeat of the season as they exited the French League Cup in the round of 32 midweek.
The loss to Nantes 4-3 on penalties after the match finished 1-1 after extra time ended Houllier’s dream of the four-time French champions “winning everything“ this season, AFP said.
But with a seven-point berth at the top of the league table, Lyon are confident of coming away with all three points from Sochaux, who are hovering above the relegation zone.
Despite the modest credentials of their opponents Houllier cannot forget that Sochaux, who also crashed out of the League Cup, shocked Monaco 2-1 on their home ground last weekend.
Lyon can however expect to be boosted by the return of Gregory Coupet, Juninho, Tiago and Sylvain Wiltord, who were all rested from midweek action.
Second-placed Paris Saint Germain face a tricky task of clawing back some of Lyon’s advantage when they travel to Auxerre, in seventh position, on Sunday.
PSG midfielder Jerome Rothen insists that the pressure is on Lyon.
Bordeaux manager Ricardo looks as if he can count on all his squad with the exception of Colombian striker Perea, suffering from tendonitis, and with defender Kodjo Afanou to undergo a fitness test on his thigh on Friday.
French international midfielder Rio Mavuba, Brazilian World Cup winner Denilson and Moroccan striker Marouane Chamakh, substituted in Wednesday’s win over Marseille, are expected to start.
Marseille, sitting ninth, host fifth-placed Lille at the Stade Velodrome.
Coach Jean Fernandez looks set to have Franck Ribery and Frederic Dehu back from injury, but strikers Mamadou Niang (ankle) and Koke, and defender Bostjan Cesar (knee) are still uncertain.
Francesco Guidolin’s Monaco host struggling Ajaccio at their Stade Louis II without defender Sebastien Squillaci and striker David Gigliotti who are both sidelined for several weeks after suffering right thigh injuries during their League Cup win over Dijon.
Lens and Nantes host Toulouse and Le Mans respectively, while tailenders Metz travel to Rennes looking for their first win of the season a task which also faces near neighbouring Strasbourg who host St Etienne.

BASEL, Switzerland, Oct. 28--British teenager Andy Murray has booked a place in the quarterfinals of the $850,250 Swiss Indoors, following up Wednesday’s win over Tim Henman with a 6-4 2-6 6-4 victory over Czech Tomas Berdych.
Thursday’s second round encounter was another nervy affair with Murray eventually winning through thanks to a clever choice of shots but also due to some glaring lapses from his higher-ranked opponent, Reuters reported.
Having failed to convert four break point chances in the Scot’s second service game, the Czech world number 52 gifted Murray the first set with two double faults at the end of game seven.
Berdych upped his game in the second set, breaking Murray twice without reply, but was unable to continue the momentum into the deciding set.
Once again, it was the seventh game that was to prove key with Murray winning three break points only for Berdych to double-fault once more.
Though far from pretty, Thursday’s win continues an impressive season for the 18-year-old who has risen from world number 357 in June to his current ranking of 70th.
Murray’s chances of winning his first ATP title this week were also boosted by a number of earlier upsets for the tournament’s top players.
Top seed Guillermo Coria, third seed Juan Carlos Ferrero, seventh seed Jiri Novak and eighth seed Tommy Haas all made early exits on Thursday.
Those results will have no immediate benefit though for Murray as he is now due to face surviving fourth seed Fernando Gonzalez of Chile in Friday’s quarterfinal action.

LONDON, Oct. 28--Changes to the Formula One tire regulations for next season would increase costs and illustrated the sport’s problem of “incoherent decision-making“, Michelin said on Friday.
The French manufacturer said in a statement the changes announced by the sport’s governing FIA this week would result in teams needing more tires and an increase in development, production and logistics costs of 15 percent, Reuters reported.
“The change ... is incoherent with cost reduction objectives sought by the FIA president (and) is a step backwards in regards to the 2005 regulations presented, at the time, by the FIA solely for cost reduction purposes,“ the statement said.
Michelin, who supplied seven of the 10 teams last season, said the changes would make Michelin’s work in 2005 redundant and require the development of a new generation of tires for next season.
“Michelin, therefore, questions the FIA’s hidden motivations for the 2006 F1 regulations.
“Once again, this event illustrates the F1’s problems of incoherent decision-making and lack of transparency.“ The FIA announced this week that the sport would revert to a single tire supplier, possibly as early as 2007.
The other manufacturer involved in Formula One, Japan’s Bridgestone, released a statement on Thursday saying it was committed to the sport.
Michelin supplied the tyres for the champion Renault team and their main rivals McLaren this season, but its campaign was blighted by the US Grand Prix where all of the Michelin teams withdrew because of safety concerns about the tires.