Basketball
RIDER MISSING: Two arrest warrants were issued for former NBA star Isaiah "J.R." Rider after he failed to show up at his sentencing for convictions that include false imprisonment and driving offenses. California Judge Verna Adams waited about an hour after the scheduled Wednesday hearing before issuing the warrants. Bail was set at $10,000 each in two separate misdemeanor cases against the basketball player, who retired in 2002.
Hockey
BLUES SIGN RIVERS: Defenseman Jamie Rivers, who played for St. Louis from 1995-99, signed a free-agent deal with the Blues on Friday. The 31-year-old Rivers played for the Red Wings and Coyotes last season, appearing in 33 games with six assists and 38 penalty minutes. He can also play forward, providing depth for the rebuilding Blues.
STILLMAN HAS SURGERY:Cory Stillman had surgery on his right shoulder Friday and could miss the start of the regular season with the Carolina Hurricanes. Stillman, one of the Hurricanes' top scorers in their run to their first Stanley Cup, is expected to take up to four months to recover, team president and general manager Jim Rutherford said.
CANUCKS SIGN FITZPATRICK: The Vancouver Canucks signed free agent defenseman Rory Fitzpatrick on Friday. The 31-year-old spent last season in Buffalo, recording four goals and five assists in 56 regular season games. He added another four assists in 11 playoff games during the Sabres run to the Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Tennis
CINCINNATI MASTERS: Rejuvenated Andy Roddick advanced to the semifinals of the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters with a 6-3, 6-4 victory Friday night over Andy Murray, ending the British teenager's whirlwind week.
The 19-year-old Murray provided the tournament's signature moment two days earlier, stopping Roger Federer's 55-match winning streak in North America with a stunning straight-set victory. Also Friday, No. 2 Rafael Nadal lost in straight sets to fellow Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero, turning the tournament into an ATP rarity.
Roddick will face No. 7 Tommy Robredo — another Spaniard — on Saturday. Robredo beat No. 4 Ivan Ljubicic 7-6 (6), 6-2 to reach the semifinals, and is the highest remaining seeded player in the tournament.
ROGERS CUP: Martina Hingis held off the power shots of fourth-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova for a 7-6 (4), 6-3 victory Friday night in the quarterfinals of the Rogers Cup in Montreal.
Hingis, the former No. 1 in the world and seventh seed, advanced to a semifinal on Saturday against 19-year-old Russian Anna Chakvetadze, a 7-6 (3), 7-5 winner over Shahar Peer of Israel.
Dinara Safina, the ninth seed from Russia, and 13th-seeded Ana Ivanovic of Serbia will meet in the other semifinal.
Football
COACH WINS EXTENSION: Marshall football coach Mark Snyder on Friday received a three-year contract extension through the 2013 season. Terms of the contract weren't disclosed. Snyder had a 4-7 record in his first season in 2005, which also was Marshall's first in Conference USA. Snyder replaced Bob Pruett, who retired after nine seasons. Marshall opens the season Sept. 2 at West Virginia.
Boxing
VALUEV TO DEFEND TITLE: WBA heavyweight champion Nikolai Valuev will defend his title against Monte Barrett on Oct. 7 at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill.
The 7-foot, 321-pound Valuev (44-0, 32 knockouts) took the title with a disputed decision over John Ruiz in Berlin last December. He knocked out Jamaican challenger Owen Beck in the third round in Hanover, Germany, in June.
Barrett (31-4, 17 KOs), ranked 10th by the WBA, has not fought since losing a unanimous 12-round decision to Hasim Rahman at the United Center in August 2005.