Murray, Ferrer advance at Wimbledon
LONDON, June 28 (UPI) -- Fourth-seeded Andy Murray and No. 7 David Ferrer have both advanced to the third round with wins Thursday at Wimbledon.
Murray defeated Ivo Karlovic 7-5, 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) behind a consistent serving game. Murray did have his serve broken on his first service game but didn't see another break point the rest of the way.
He ended up winning 78 percent of the points on serve.
Ferrer, coming off a grass-court title last week, didn't lose his serve during a 7-6 (7-1), 6-2, 6-4 win over Kenny De Schepper. Ferrer had just 10 unforced errors against 30 winners.
He'll next go against 30th-seeded Andy Roddick, who was a 6-3, 7-6 (7-1), 6-3 victor over Bjorn Phau.
World No. 2 Rafael Nadal was among those with late Tuesday matches.
Fifth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga handled Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 6-1, 6-3 and No. 10-seeded Mardy Fish survived a 4-hour, 13-minute challenge from Britain's James Ward for a 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3 win. But Xavier Malisse ousted 13th-seeded Gilles Simon 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (8-6) in the only early upset on the men's side.
No. 16th-seeded Marin Cilic had little trouble in a 6-2, 6-1 win over Lukasz Kubot. One of the games he lost in the second set was a break but he didn't have to deal with another break point in the match.
Other seeded players moving into the third round Thursday included 17th-seeded Fernando Verdasco, No. 19 Kei Nishikori, 27th-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber and 28th-seeded Radek Stepanek.
Wild card David Goffin and Andrea Falla earned a spot in the third wound as unseeded players. Falla next meets Denis Istomin.
Crosby, Penguins in long-term contract
PITTSBURGH, June 28 (UPI) -- Sidney Crosby has agreed to a new contract that will keep him linked to the Pittsburgh Penguins through 2026, the NHL team said Thursday.
Crosby, 24, is expected to sign the agreement early next week after the NHL free agency period begins Sunday. The 12-year deal is worth $104.4 million. It becomes effective with the 2013-14 season.
"This is a great day for hockey and tremendous news for the Pittsburgh Penguins and our fans," Penguins co-owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle said in a joint statement Thursday.
"We are grateful for all that Sidney Crosby has done for our franchise since coming to Pittsburgh in 2005, both on and off the ice, and we look forward to having him in a Penguins uniform for the rest of his career. He is an excellent player and an even better person and he is a great ambassador for the Penguins and for Pittsburgh."
Crosby will play next season under the terms of a five-year deal he signed in 2007. He reportedly will be paid $7.5 million next season.
Crosby played 24 regular-season games last season due to concussion-related injuries. He was originally injured in January 2011 and missed the rest of that season returning briefly to the ice last November.
In his 434 regular-season games, Crosby has scored 223 goals and totaled 609 points. He was voted the league's Most Valuable Player in 2007, the same season he led the NHL in scoring. Pittsburgh won the Stanley Cup in 2009 with Crosby on the ice.
NHL salary cap to hit $70.2 million
NEW YORK, June 28 (UPI) -- The National Hockey League, which opens bargaining with the NHL Players Association Friday, raised the salary cap for the 2012-13 season to $70.3 million.
That's an increase of $5.9 million from last season's $64.3 million cap, the upper limit a team can spend.
All 30 NHL teams will be required to spend at least $54.2 million next season, up from a minimum of $48.3 million this past season.
NHL players currently receive 57 percent of league revenues of more than $3.1 billion, USA Today reported.
The league free agency period opens Sunday.
Dawson earns second spot in Hall of Fame
CANTON, Ohio, June 28 (UPI) -- Len Dawson, already inducted as a quarterback, will be given a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his work as a broadcaster.
Dawson, the 77-year-old seventh son of a seventh son, was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1987 after a 19-year professional playing career. That career was mostly with the Kansas City Chiefs, whom Dawson led to the win in Super Bowl IV.
After retiring as a player, Dawson started a career as a broadcaster with Kansas City, Mo., television station KMBC. He still serves as an analyst on the Chiefs radio network.
He also worked on HBO's "Inside the NFL" (1977-2001).
"This is an unbelievable award for me," Dawson said in a statement Thursday. "To be in the Hall of Fame as a player was the highlight of my playing career but now to be recognized by the Hall of Fame as a broadcaster, well, it's just a great, great honor."
The Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award is given for "long-time exceptional contributions to radio and television in professional football."
Dawson will receive the Rozelle Award Aug. 3, two days before the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremonies.
