Three days after his father died, Maxim Trankov and his Russian partner Tatiana Volosozhar took the lead in the pairs after the short program at the European figure skating championships on Wednesday.

Skating to "The Godfather," defending champions Volosozhar and Trankov produced a triple twist, side by side triple salchow, and a throw triple loop.

Real Madrid overcame the loss of goalkeeper Iker Casillas and two dismissals to reach the Copa del Rey semifinals after drawing 1-1 at Valencia on Wednesday, setting up a possible clash with archrival Barcelona.

Madrid went through on a 3-1 aggregate score after making good on its 2-0 win in the first leg despite losing Casillas to a hand injury in the 13th minute.

Swansea's progress to the final of the League Cup was overshadowed by a bizarre sending-off of Chelsea star Eden Hazard on Wednesday following an off-the-pitch incident involving a ball boy.

A miserable night for the European champions at Liberty Stadium was sealed when Hazard was shown a red card for kicking the ball boy in the ribs while attempting to retrieve the ball in the 79th minute, with Chelsea needing two goals to force extra time in the second leg of the semifinal.

Victoria Azarenka had to endure some anxious moments before and after her win over American teenager Sloane Stephens.

Li Na wasn't flustered at all as she beat No. 2-ranked Maria Sharapova.

Golden State's two key men made timely bids for inclusion in the NBA All-Star game by putting in powerful performances and leading the Warriors to a 104-99 win over the league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday.

On the eve of the announcement for the All-Star reserves, Stephen Curry had 31 points and seven assists while David Lee finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds for Golden State.

Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has extended his contract with the Serie A club through 2014-15.

Buffon and Juventus President Andrea Agnelli announced the news Wednesday.

People familiar with the situation say David Beckham's son is having a trial with London club Chelsea.

Brooklyn Beckham was spotted with his father at a Chelsea academy game on Tuesday.

Former Formula One driver Robert Kubica is getting back on a racing circuit for the first time since an accident put his career on hold nearly two years ago.

Mercedes said Kubica will test one of its cars from the German Touring Car (DTM) circuit. Thursday's test will take place at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia.

Roger Federer defeated No. 7-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6 (4), 4-6, 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-3 to reach the Australian Open semifinals for a 10th consecutive year.

The 17-time Grand Slam champion will now play U.S. Open winner Andy Murray, who advanced in straight sets earlier Wednesday over unseeded Jeremy Chardy of France.

The toughest group at the African Cup of Nations delivered two thrilling finishes on Tuesday, adding some excitement to a tournament which had produced five draws in the first six matches.

Ivory Coast needed a late goal to beat scrappy Togo 2-1 to open Group D, while Tunisia produced a remarkable injury-time winner to edge North African rival Algeria 1-0 in the later match in Rustenburg.