IN BRIEF

SOCCER

U.S. to open World Cup qualifying vs. Barbados

After getting ready with exhibitions against three top-10 opponents, the United States opens World Cup qualifying today in Carson, Calif., against Barbados, a team tied for 121st in the FIFA rankings.

Although the United States is heavily favored in the home-and-home series, which concludes June 22 in the Caribbean nation, forward Landon Donovan cautioned that qualifying matches can be difficult.

"Mentally, if you're not ready for these games, these teams can jump on you," said the 26-year-old Donovan, a veteran of two World Cups.

The United States, seeking its sixth straight World Cup appearance, had a first-round bye in the North and Central American and Caribbean region. Barbados beat Dominica 2-1 in their series.

Three teams from the CONCACAF region will qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and the fourth-place team will play the No. 5 nation from South America for another berth.

Also: With a stunning burst in injury time, David Villa put Spain into the European Cup quarterfinals.

Villa outraced two Sweden defenders to a long pass and sent it into the net for a 2-1 victory in Innsbruck, Austria. It was his fourth goal in two games and put Spain at six points in Group D to win the group.

In the day's other match, Russia ended Greece's four-year reign as European champion with a 1-0 victory in Salzburg, Austria.

The Greeks needed at least a draw to stay in contention in Group D, but Konstantin Zyryanov's 33rd-minute goal, combined with Spain's win over Sweden, eliminated the 2004 champions.

China was eliminated from 2010 World Cup qualifying when it lost to Iraq 2-1 in Tianjin, China.

The loss left China with no chance to advance from Asia Group Five following two defeats and three ties in five games.

The victory by Iraq, the Asian champion, brought celebratory gunfire in Baghdad.

TENNIS

Nadal beats Roddick, in Queen's Club final

French Open champion Rafael Nadal beat four-time champion Andy Roddick 7-5, 6-4 to reach the final at the Queen's Club in London for the first time.

Nadal is vying to become the first Spaniard in 36 years to win a grass-court tournament. Andres Gimeno won at Eastbourne in 1972.

Nadal will face Novak Djokovic in today's final. The second-seeded Serb dispatched fourth-seeded David Nalbandian, 6-1, 6-0.

Also: Roger Federer reached the Gerry Weber Open final and pushed his record winning streak on grass to 58 matches with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Germany's Nicolas Kiefer in Halle, Germany.

Federer has not dropped his serve in any match at the Wimbledon warm-up. The top-ranked Swiss has won the tournament four times.

In today's final, Federer will face Philipp Kohlschreiber, who beat seventh-ranked James Blake 6-3, 7-5, knocking the American out of the tournament for the second straight year.

Top-seeded Nikolay Davydenko and second-seeded Tommy Robredo reached today's final of the Warsaw Open in Warsaw, Poland, with straight-set victories.

Davydenko beat unseeded Fabio Fognini 6-2, 6-3, while Robredo ousted Juan Monaco, 6-4, 6-4.

Yanina Wickmayer reached her first WTA Tour final, defeating Bethanie Mattek 7-5, 7-6 (2) in the DFS Classic, a Wimbledon warm-up, in Birmingham, England.

The 18-year-old Belgian will play 12th-seeded Kateryna Bondarenko, who beat New Zealand's Marina Ekatovic, 6-3, 6-2.

Second-seeded Maria Kirilenko and unseeded Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez advanced to today's final of the Torneo Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain.

Kirilenko defeated Stephanie Cohen-Aloro 7-5, 6-3, while Martinez Sanchez rallied to beat fellow Spaniard and doubles partner Nuria Llagostera Vives, 2-6, 6-3, 6-1.

MISCELLANEOUS

Bengals' Johnson goes through full workout

Receiver Chad Johnson fully participated in drills for the first time as the Cincinnati Bengals wrapped up their minicamp.

The disgruntled receiver had limited himself to a few drills during workouts on Thursday and Friday, complaining through his agent that he has a bad ankle. He looked fine during a workout Saturday, catching passes from Carson Palmer.

He again declined to talk to the media, other than to say "Vote for Obama" as he walked off the field -- apparently throwing his support behind Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

"I think it's been good for him to get back into the flow of things," coach Marvin Lewis said. "We still have to get some clarity on the ankle and being able to deal with that because it is something we dealt with a year ago."

Also: Clint Dolezel helped Dallas become the first team in Arena Football League history to have three straight 12-victory seasons, throwing five touchdown passes in the Desperados' 51-49 victory over the visiting New York Dragons.

In other games, the Georgia Force beat the Chicago Rush 50-47, the Philadelphia Soul beat the Cleveland Gladiators 62-61, the Los Angeles Avengers beat the Kansas City Brigade 51-48, the Grand Rapids Rampage beat the Columbus Destroyers 63-52 and the San Jose SabreCats beat the Tampa Bay Storm, 73-70.

Mike Day won the U.S. BMX Trials in Chula Vista, Calif., his dominant performance good enough to secure a spot on the three-man Beijing-bound team that will represent the United States when BMX makes its Olympic debut this summer.

Day won the first race and eventually held such a large points lead that the final heat of the day was canceled.

Day joins Kyle Bennett on the U.S. squad; Bennett was exempt from the trials because he won USA Cycling's yearlong Olympic points qualifying competition.

The third spot on the U.S. Olympic team -- a discretionary selection by the team's coaches -- almost certainly will be awarded to Donny Robinson, the world's top-ranked BMX racer.

Danish rider Chris Sorensen got his first professional win in the sixth stage of the Dauphine Libere, while Spaniard Alejandro Valverde kept the overall lead.

Team CSC rider Sorensen finished the demanding 145-mile trek from Morzine to La Toussuire, France, in 6 hours, 15 minutes, 53 seconds.

The Dauphine, a warm-up for next month's Tour de France, concludes today.

Rabobank rider Oscar Freire led the field in a mass sprint to win the first stage of the nine-day Tour de Suisse in Langnau, Switzerland.

The 91-mile stage started and ended in Langnau, with Freire winning in 3 hours, 42 minutes, 35 seconds.

Harvard captured the 143rd Harvard-Yale Regatta in New London, Conn.

The Crimson finished the four-mile race on the Thames River in 18 minutes, 54.1 seconds, less than eight seconds ahead of the Bulldogs (19:01.6).

The race, first held in 1852 on New Hampshire's Lake Winnipesaukee, is considered the nation's oldest intercollegiate sporting event.

Individual game tickets for UNLV's seven home football contests this coming season go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday.

The Rebels host Utah State (Aug. 30), Iowa State (Sept. 20), UNR (Sept. 27), Air Force (Oct. 18), Texas Christian (Nov. 1), New Mexico (Nov. 8) and Wyoming (Nov. 13).

Call 739-3267 or go to unlvtickets.com for information.