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No. 1-ranked Henin retires from tennis

LIMELETTE, Belgium, May 14 (UPI) -- Justin Henin, the world No. 1-ranked women's tennis player, said in her native Belgium Wednesday she is immediately retiring from competitive tennis.

Henin, who will turn 26 on June 1, at a news conference in Limelette, Belgium, said: "I'm at the end of the road. This is the end of a child's dream."

She gave no simple reason for the retirement less than 10 years after turning professional but she withdrew from this week's WTA event in Rome because of fatigue. The announcement comes less than two weeks before the French Open, an event she won each of the last three years.

"I started thinking about (retirement) late last year," she said. "I was at the end of the road. I leave with my head held high."

Henin is coming off a hugely successful year in 2007, when she won 10 tournaments, including the French Open and U.S. Open. She has won seven Grand Slam tournaments and 41 titles overall.

She first reached No. 1 in the rankings Oct. 20, 2003. She's held the top spot 61 consecutive weeks and 117 weeks overall.

Specter wants Patriots investigated

WASHINGTON, May 14 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., Wednesday said there should be an independent investigation into allegations of cheating by the NFL's New England Patriots.

The day after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said he didn't expect further sanctions against the Patriots in the so-called Spygate probe, Specter suggested a panel, such as the one in baseball that was headed by former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell, D-Maine, look into the Patriots.

Goodell last fall took a 2008 first-round draft choice from New England and fined Patriots Coach Bill Belichick $500,000 and the team $250,000 for videotaping signals by opposing coaches. After meeting Tuesday with former Patriots video employee Matt Walsh, Goodell appeared to be trying to put the issue to rest.

However, Specter met Wednesday with Walsh and announced the investigation idea.

"Everybody pooh-poohs it," Specter said of the NFL's own investigation. "It's ridiculous to make that kind of contention. That sequence is incomprehensible. It's an insult to the intelligence of the people who follow it. They owe the public a lot more candor and a lot more credibility."

Mitchell's panel issued its report on illegal substance use in baseball last December. Many high-profile players, including pitcher Roger Clemens, were named in the document.

Federer, Nadal win at Hamburg Masters

HAMBURG, Germany, May 14 (UPI) -- Top-seeded Roger Federer and No. 2 Rafael Nadal collected straight-set wins Wednesday in second-round action at the $2.95 million Masters Series Hamburg.

Federer, ranked No. 1 in the world, dispatched Jarkko Nieminen 6-1, 6-3, and Nadal, the No. 2 player in the world, took out Potito Starace 6-4, 7-6 (8-6). Federer and Nadal last year met in the finals of this French Open tuneup, with Federer winning.

No. 7-seeded James Blake fell 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 to Janko Tipsarevic and ninth-seeded Tomas Berdych lost 7-5, 6-4 to Marat Safin in the day's biggest upsets.

A pair of midrange seeds was also ousted Wednesday. Ivo Karlovic saved a match point and then put away 13th-seeded Tommy Robredo 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-3) and Robin Soderling beat No. 14 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-2, 7-5.

Other second-round results saw No. 11-seeded Carlos Moya beating Olivier Rochus 7-5, 6-3; No. 12 Juan Monaco stopping Simone Bolelli 6-2, 6-1; and No. 15 Andy Murray topping Gilles Simon 6-3, 6-3. Crowd favorite Nicolas Kiefer downed Stanislas Wawrinka 7-5, 7-5 and Albert Montanes dismissed Jose Acasuso 7-6 (7-3), 6-3.

Disabled man wins Stanley Cup party

TORONTO, May 14 (UPI) -- A disabled man in Eastern Canada has won a national contest to host a party featuring the Stanley Cup delivered by six-time cup winner Mark Messier.

Based on online voting during the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's "Hockey Night in Canada" broadcast Tuesday night, Adam Bourque, of Summerside, Prince Edward Island, was declared the winner of the Pepsi, Lays and Gatorade "Bring Home the Stanley Cup" contest.

Bourque has a neuromuscular disease that affects his speech, but his Internet video entry on why he deserved to host a playoff party for 20 people along with free product coupons from the sponsors won over voters. He also won a 52-inch LCD TV, home theater system and an Xbox 360 system.

The date of the party wasn't immediately disclosed, but highlights of it will be posted online at www.cbcsports.ca/bringhomethecup, where Bourque's entry video can also be seen.