Carlesimo out as Nets coach after loss Carlesimo out as Nets coach after loss ADVERTISING NEW YORK — After spending $350 million to upgrade their roster last summer, the Brooklyn Nets will start this offseason by looking for a coach.
Carlesimo out as Nets coach after loss
NEW YORK — After spending $350 million to upgrade their roster last summer, the Brooklyn Nets will start this offseason by looking for a coach.
The Nets announced Sunday that P.J. Carlesimo wouldn’t return, hours after they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
Carlesimo helped the Nets finish 49-33 after replacing the fired Avery Johnson in December, earning the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference. Carlesimo went 35-19 on an interim basis.
But they spotted the Chicago Bulls a 17-point halftime lead and lost 99-93 at home Saturday night in Game 7.
S. Williams advances in 2 sets at Madrid Open
MADRID — Top-ranked Serena Williams won her opening match on the red clay of the Madrid Open on Sunday.
She and other stars are glad the tournament returned to the traditional surface after its trial with blue “Smurf” clay flopped last year.
After dispatching Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan 7-6 (5), 6-1, the defending champion said she liked the new courts at the Caja Magica.
Older sister Venus Williams withdrew early Sunday morning before her first-round match because of back problems.
Eighteen-year-old American Madison Keys upset fifth-ranked Li Na of China 6-3, 6-2. Former top-ranked player Caroline Wozniacki was ousted by Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan 6-3, 6-4.
Fourth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland defeated Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria 6-2, 6-4 and will play Britain’s Laura Robson.
Other seeded winners included Angelique Kerber, Petra Kvitova, Marion Bartoli, Dominika Cibulkova, Ana Ivanovic, Nadia Petrova and Maria Kirilenko.
In the men’s event, Gilles Simon, Fernando Verdasco and Jeremy Chardy all won matches to move on to the second round.
Wawrinka beats Ferrer to win Portugal Open
OEIRAS, Portugal — Stanislas Wawrinka won the Portugal Open by beating top-seeded David Ferrer 6-1, 6-4 in Sunday’s final.
The second-seeded Wawrinka, who is from Switzerland, broke Ferrer’s serve three times while not giving up one break point to finish the lopsided match in 1 hour, 5 minutes.
It was Wawrinka’s fourth career title and first this year.
Haas defeats Kohlschreiber in BMW
MUNICH — Tommy Haas won the BMW Open for the first time in his 10th attempt.
The third-seeded Haas beat defending champion Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3, 7-6 (3) on Sunday to win the first all-German final in Munich in 48 years.
The 35-year-old Haas capped an impressive week by beating Kohlschreiber in 83 minutes for his 14th ATP Tour title and his fourth on home soil. He is the first 35-year-old to win an ATP Tour event since Fabrice Santoro at Newport in 2008.
Haas will rise to 13th in today’s world rankings. The German has an 18-7 match record this year, reaching the SAP Open final in San Jose, where he lost to Milos Raonic, and knocking out top-ranked Novak Djokovic en route to the semifinals in Miami.
From wire sources
