Friday's Sports In Brief

TENNIS

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -Rafael Nadal is back in the Wimbledon final for the fourth time in his past four appearances, while Britain's 74-year wait for a homegrown men's champion goes on.

The top-ranked Spaniard took apart fourth-seeded Andy Murray 6-4, 7-6 (6), 6-4 to move within one win of a second Wimbledon title and an eighth Grand Slam championship.

Nadal will be a heavy favorite in Sunday's final against 12th-seeded Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic, who defeated No. 3 Novak Djokovic 6-3, 7-6 (9), 6-3 to reach his first Grand Slam title match.

GOLF

NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. (AP) - Justin Rose was happy to be leading the AT&T National, especially because it was only five days ago that he threw away a chance to win with a surprising meltdown in the final round.

Tiger Woods? He's happy to still be playing.

Rose played bogey-free and wound up with the best score of the tournament, a 6-under 64, to build a one-shot lead over Jason Day (68) and Charlie Wi (65) going into the weekend at demanding Aronimink Golf Club.

Woods, who won this tournament last year at Congressional, hit the ball well for the second straight day. He again got nothing out of it, however, and missed a 30-inch putt late in the round that brought him back to a 70. He was at 3-over 143, which made the cut on the number, although he was never in serious danger of going home early.

In his first tournament since winning the Memorial by closing with a 66, Rose had a three-shot lead at the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Conn., when it all fell apart. He shot 39 on the back nine for a 75 and tied for ninth.

SYLVANIA, Ohio (AP) - Na Yeon Choi followed her opening 7-under 64 with a 67 to take a two-stroke lead in the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic.

Choi has needed just 53 putts in 36 holes while getting to 11-under 131 at Highland Meadows Golf Club. South Korean compatriot Inbee Park (66) was tied for second with Christina Kim (67) and Canadian Alena Sharp (68).

Kristy McPherson holed a 60-degree wedge from 75 yards on the 18th hole for an eagle and a 68 to lead a pack of six players at 6 under.

BLAINVILLE, Quebec (AP) - Tom Wargo shot a 7-under 65 - the first time he has bettered his age in Champions Tour play - for a share of the first-round lead in the inaugural Montreal Championship.

The 67-year-old Wargo, the former Centralia, Ill., club pro who won the last of his four Champions Tour titles in 2000, had a bogey-free round at Fontainebleau Golf Club to match Russ Cochran atop the leaderboard and also tie the course record.

Jay Don Blake, Joey Sindelar, John Cook, Tom Purtzer, Jay Haas and James Mason opened with 66s. Corey Pavin, coming off a playoff loss in the PGA Tour's Travelers Championship, had a 68. Fred Couples shot a 69.

VERSAILLES, France (AP) - Spain's Alejandro Canizares shot his second straight 5-under 66, birdieing the final three holes to take a one-stroke lead over defending champion Martin Kaymer in the French Open.

Kaymer shot a 67. Dutchman Robert-Jan Derksen (71) was 8 under.

AUTO RACING

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) - It had been 85 points races since Dale Earnhardt Jr. made it to Victory Lane.

The end of the drought finally came at Daytona International Speedway, in the famed No. 3 car, in race that honored his late father and stirred emotions to even the most stoic NASCAR fan.

Earnhardt raced to his first victory since 2008, driving a tribute car to his father in the Nationwide Series race. It was Earnhardt's first points win since his Sprint Cup Series victory at Michigan in 2008, and his first Nationwide win since Michigan in 2006.

PRO BASKETBALL

BOSTON (AP) - The Boston Celtics have agreed to terms with captain Paul Pierce on a deal that could keep the MVP of their 2008 title run with the team for another four seasons.

The contract was not announced, but it was confirmed to The Associated Press by a Celtics official familiar with the deal who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the free agent signing period does not begin until Thursday.

"Both sides made it clear that staying together was best for the team,'' the official said.

Terms of the contract were not immediately available. The Boston Herald, which first reported on the deal, says Pierce would get $61 million over four years, with a mutual option for the fourth year.

PHOENIX (AP) - A person with knowledge of the situation says Amare Stoudemire's days with the Phoenix Suns are over after the team reached contract agreements with forward Hakim Warrick and center Channing Frye.

The person told The Associated Press that Warrick Wireless AV Converter Surveillance Equipment Wired CCTV Cameras agreed to a four-year, $18 million deal on Friday, shortly after Frye agreed to a five-year, $30 million offer to re-sign with Phoenix. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the contracts can't be signed until July 8.

NEW YORK (AP) - The NBA players' union has sent a proposal for a new labor agreement to the league, an official with knowledge of the bargaining process said Friday.

The proposal was delivered Thursday, although no details were provided by the official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the sides aren't commenting publicly.

The NBA has been awaiting a counterproposal from the players since All-Star weekend. That's when the league's initial proposal was taken off the table after what union executive director Billy Hunter called a "contentious'' 90-minute bargaining session in Dallas.

SOFTBALL

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - The United States defeated Japan 7-2 to win its seventh consecutive world softball championships.

U.S. team went undefeated in the tournament. Japan took the silver medal and Canada won bronze.

Earlier, Japan defeated Canada 12-3 to set up the final.