Off the wire

Compiled from Democrat-Gazette Press Services

TENNIS Murray escapes, advances

Andy Murray escaped upset danger, managing a 6-7 (3-7), 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (7-3) defeat of Martin Klizan on Thursday to survive into the third round of the French Open. Murray labored for more than 31/2 hours against a 50th-ranked opponent keen to inflict an upset on the top seed. Murray will face another demanding test when he plays fellow former Grand Slam winner Juan Martin del Potro, who advanced when tearful opponent Nicolas Almagro was unable to go on with a knee injury, trailing 6-3, 3-6, 1-1. Stan Wawrinka, the 2015 champion, dispatched Alexandr Dolgopolov, earning a 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), 7-5 victory. Croatian seventh seed Marin Cilic defeated young Russian Konstantin Kravchuk 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. Japanese eighth seed Kei Nishikori needed a visit from the trainer and a third-set chest massage on his way to eliminating Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 6-0, 7-6 (7-5). Asia’s top player next faces Korea’s Chung Hyeon, a winner over Denis Istomin 6-1, 7-5, 6-1. Russian Karen Khachanov upset Czech 13th seed Tomas Berdych 7-5, 6-4, 6-4. Kevin Anderson took advantage of an underdone Nick Kyrgios, eliminating the Australian 5-7, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2. Feliciano Lopez won a Spanish showdown over David Ferrer 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, while American John Isner defeated Paolo Lorenzi 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2). Women’s ninth seed Agnieszka Radwanska, playing only her third clay match of an injury-hit season, overcame Belgian Alison Van Uytvanck 6-7 (3-7), 6-2, 6-3. Fifth seed Elina Svitolina recovered from a set down to beat Tsvetana Pironkova 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

GOLF Hadley ahead by 1

Chesson Hadley shot a bogey-free 7-under 64 on Thursday, giving him a one-stroke lead over

Carlos Ortiz and Stephan Jaeger at the Rex Hospital Open at Raleigh, N.C. Ethan Tracy (Arkansas Razorbacks) is in a group two strokes back at 66 with Derek Ernst, Rafael Campos, Bo Hoag, Kyle Thompson and Kyoung-Hoon Lee. Matt Atkins (Henderson State) had a 4-under 67. Andrew Landry (Razorbacks) and Zack Fischer (Little Rock) each had a 68. Austin Cook (Jonesboro, Razorbacks) and Sebastian Cappelen (Razorbacks) each shot a 1-under 70.

Pair share lead at Nordea

Renato Paratore of Italy shared the lead with England’s Max Orrin after the opening round of the Nordea Masters on Thursday at Malmo, Sweden. Paratore shot a 5-under 68 on the Barseback Golf and Country Club course, while Orrin had to cope with windy conditions on the back nine to match the Italian’s round. Welshmen Jamie Donaldson and Bradley Dredge were 4 under, one shot clear of a trio comprising Frenchman Benjamin Hebert, England’s Eddie Pepperell and China’s Li Haotong. Local favorites

Henrik Stenson and Alex Noren made poor starts, carding 73 and a 2-over 75 respectively. Noren, a two-time winner of the event and who Sunday won the BMW PGA Championship, said Thursday’s start had been “quite difficult.” Pep Angles (Central Arkansas) had a 5-over 78.

Sooners win again

Brad Dalke held off Sulman Raza to give Oklahoma its second NCAA golf championship, 3-1-1 over defending champion Oregon on Wednesday at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill. Blaine Hale and Max McGreevy won the first two matches for Oklahoma, and Dalke finished off Raza 2 and 1 with a 2-foot bogey putt for a halve on No. 17. Dalke took the lead with a 30-foot birdie putt on No. 12 and won the 14th and 15th for a 3-up lead. Raza won the 16th to extend the match, and Dalke ended it a hole later. Hale beat Norman Xiong 4 and 3 in the opening match, and McGreevy topped Edwin Yi 3 and 2 in the second in the Oklahoma senior’s final event for the Sooners. Oklahoma’s Grant Hirschman halved his match with Ryan Gronlund. Wyndham Clark had the only victory for Oregon, beating Rylee Reinertson 1 up.

De Vicenzo, 94, dies

Roberto De Vicenzo, known as much for a scorecard error at the Masters as his British Open victory that made him the first Argentine to win a major, died Thursday. He was 94. The Argentina Golf Association confirmed his death on its website. It said De Vicenzo broke his hip last month at his home in Buenos Aires, and his health had been deteriorating ever since. De Vicenzo amassed 230 titles worldwide, mostly in South America, but achieved fame on the biggest stages. He outlasted Jack Nicklaus to win the 1967 British Open at Hoylake for his only major. But even De Vicenzo could not forget the 1968 Masters, where he inadvertently signed for a higher score. Instead of a playoff, Bob Goalby was the winner.

BASKETBALL Knicks seek another pick

The New York Knicks reportedly have had discussions with the Portland Trail Blazers about acquiring another first-round draft pick. The Trail Blazers have three firstround picks in the June 22 NBA Draft and are said to be open to dealing one or more of them. The Sporting News, which first reported the discussions, said the talks with the Knicks are ongoing. The Knicks have the No. 8 pick and are expected to take a guard. But the Knicks could be talking to Portland to put themselves in position to land North Carolina forward Justin Jackson, who is projected to go in the teens. Portland has picks 15, 20 and 26. Jackson will work out for the Knicks on June 13, according to a league source. Since he’s not expected to go in the top 10, the fact that the Knicks are bringing Jackson in would indicate that they want to get a closer look to see if they should try to acquire another first-rounder to take him. The Knicks also have picks No. 44 and 58 in the second round.

Murray