Sports Briefs

Federer moves within one win of breaking Agassi record

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP):

Roger Federer has moved within touching distance of eclipsing a record held by Andre Agassi after reaching the quarter-finals of the ABN AMRO tournament.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion went through after making it 13 wins in as many matches against Philipp Kohlschreiber with a 7-6 (10-8), 7-5 triumph against his German opponent yesterday.

One more victory at the indoor tournament in Rotterdam will ensure that the 36-year-old Federer leapfrogs his old rival Rafael Nadal at the top of the world rankings. He would also then become the oldest No. 1 male player, surpassing Agassi, who holds the record at 33 years and 133 days.

Texas fires Coach Sategna after 5 years

AUSTIN, Texas (AP):

The University of Texas fired track coach Mario Sategna yesterday after five years and multiple Big 12 championships, with new athletic director Chris Del Conte saying that the programme needs a new direction.

Sategna took over the programme in 2013 after Texas dismissed former coach Bev Kearney following revelations that she had had a relationship with a student-athlete a decade earlier. Sategna took personal leave in late 2016, followed by an administrative leave while he was under a school ethics and misconduct investigation.

Sategna was allowed to return to the programme in early 2017, with no explanation of what Texas was investigating. At the time, then-men's athletic director Mike Perrin and women's athletic director Chris Plonsky said in a joint statement that all the school's concerns had been addressed but, Sategna must meet "appropriate responsive measures" in the future.

The school has previously said, the investigation didn't involve NCAA compliance or gender discrimination issues.