Justice says Armstrong was ‘unjustly enriched’ Justice says Armstrong was ‘unjustly enriched’ ADVERTISING AUSTIN, Texas — The Justice Department laid out its case in a lawsuit against Lance Armstrong on Tuesday, saying the cyclist violated his contract with the U.S.
Justice says Armstrong was ‘unjustly enriched’
AUSTIN, Texas — The Justice Department laid out its case in a lawsuit against Lance Armstrong on Tuesday, saying the cyclist violated his contract with the U.S. Postal Service and was “unjustly enriched” while cheating to win the Tour de France.
The government had previously announced it would join the whistle-blower lawsuit brought by former Armstrong teammate Floyd Landis. Tuesday was the deadline to file its formal complaint.
The Postal Service paid about $40 million to be the title sponsor of Armstrong’s teams for six of his seven Tour de France victories. The filing says the USPS paid Armstrong $17 million from 1998 to 2004.
Auburn removes poisoned oaks at Toomer’s Corner
AUBURN, Ala. — Crews removed Auburn University’s poisoned oak trees from their iconic posts at Toomer’s Corner, bringing an end to an era and a drastic change to the landscape Tuesday morning.
Auburn fans traditionally drape the trees with toilet paper after a big victory, and tens of thousands rolled the trees after the school’s spring football game last Saturday. The trees were all but dead after being poisoned by a University of Alabama fan during Auburn’s 2010 run to the BCS football championship.
A.J. Foyt undergoes back surgery
HOUSTON — Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner A.J. Foyt had successful back surgery Tuesday.
His team said the 78-year-old IndyCar owner was expected to stay in a Houston hospital overnight. Surgeons were trying to relieve the sciatic nerve pain Foyt complained about. He is expected to make a full recovery.
A.J. Foyt Racing won its first race in 11 years Sunday when Takuma Sato won at Long Beach in his third race with the team. Sato became the first Japanese driver to win an IndyCar race, and the first Foyt driver to win on a street or road course since Foyt himself in 1978.
Foyt watched the race on television at home in Texas. He plans to be at next month’s Indianapolis 500, where will also have rookie Conor Daly driving.
Ivanovic beats
Petkovic in first
round in Stuttgart
STUTTGART, Germany — Ana Ivanovic defeated Andrea Petkovic 6-3, 6-2 Tuesday in the first round of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.
Ivanovic needed just 72 minutes to dispatch the 25-year-old Petkovic, who is struggling to regain her form after injuries.
The eighth-seeded Nadia Petrova of Russia avoided an upset by beating 21-year-old Dinah Pfizenmaier of Germany 7-6 (2), 6-4. Mirjana Lucic-Baroni of Croatia defeated another Russian, Elena Vesnina, 6-0, 6-4.
Sabine Lisicki will face Nastassja Burnett in the late match.
Bertens, Cornet,
reach second round
in Morocco
MARRAKECH, Morocco — Defending champion Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands and third-seeded Alize Cornet of France won in straight sets Tuesday to advance to the second round of the Grand Prix SAR.
Cornet cruised past Moroccan wild card Fatima Zahrae El Allami 6-1, 6-1 and fifth-seeded Bertens rallied from a 5-2 deficit in the first set to beat Hungarian qualifier Timea Babos 7-5, 6-2.
Two-time runner-up Simona Halep of Romania, Kristina Mladenovic of France, Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria and Kaia Kanepi of Estonia also won their first-round matches.
Pironkova, a 2010 Wimbledon semifinalist, broke twice in each set to dismiss Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic 7-5, 6-1, while the fourth-seeded Kanepi knocked out 2009 champion Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Berlocq advances
to face Nadal in Barcelona Open
BARCELONA, Spain — Carlos Berlocq of Argentina set up a second-round match against defending champion Rafael Nadal at the Barcelona Open by defeating Daniel Gimeno-Traver of Spain 7-5, 6-4 on Tuesday.
Nadal last played Berlocq at the Brasil Open and rallied to win 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the quarterfinals.
Berlocq says Nadal appears to be in better physical condition now than in February, saying “he is in an awesome shape.” Nadal is looking for his eighth Barcelona Open title.
In second-round matches on Tuesday, eighth-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany overcame Andrey Kuznetsov of Russia, 6-3, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (2), while Jeremy Chardy of France beat Paolo Lorenzi of Italy 6-2, 6-4.
Wimbledon
announces 40 percent hike in prize money
LONDON — Wimbledon has announced a 40 percent increase in prize money for this year’s tournament and plans to build a retractable roof over Court No. 1.
The All England Club says total prize money will be 22.6 million pounds ($34.4 million), an increase of 6.5 million pounds ($9.9 million) from last year.
The club calls it is the largest single increase and biggest total prize money in the history of professional tennis.
The men’s and women’s singles champions will reach receive 1.6 million pounds ($2.4 million), up from 1.15 million pounds ($1.75 million) a year ago.
From wire sources
