Sir Alex Ferguson has brushed off talk of a new order in English football as bitter rivals Manchester City prepare to snatch his team's Premier League crown.

Manchester United travel to Sunderland on Sunday knowing that a City victory over Queens Park Rangers at Eastlands will effectively clinch the title for Roberto Mancini's side.

Novak Djokovic joined Rafael Nadal in declaring he won't play again on the new blue clay court at the Madrid Open after losing to Janko Tipsarevic 7-6 (2), 6-3 Friday in an all-Serb quarterfinal.

Tipsarevic won for the second time in five matches against Djokovic, who last lost at this stage in November at the Paris Masters.

Filippo Inzaghi and Gennaro Gattuso have decided to leave AC Milan, signaling the end of an era a day after Alessandro Nesta also bid goodbye to the Rossoneri.

After meeting with Milan vice president Adriano Galliani, the 34-year-old Gattuso announced, "It's time to move aside and leave space to others. ... I'll go away for a year and then we'll see."

The Guinness World Records has recognized a 44-year-old Hawaii pro surfer for catching a 78-foot wave off the coast of Portugal, saying the November feat beats a 2008 record for the biggest ridden by more than 1 foot.

Big-wave surfer Garrett McNamara of Haleiwa, on Oahu's North Shore, told The Associated Press that the ride of his life was a fluke.

The Denver Nuggets routed an ailing Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers 113-96 to stay alive in their NBA Western Conference first-round playoff series.

Facing elimination for the second straight game, the Nuggets wasted no time in setting a tone, racing to a 13-0 lead.

The Philadelphia 76ers edged Chicago 79-78, ousting the top-seeded Bulls from the first round of the NBA playoffs and booking a clash with the Boston Celtics.

Andre Iguodala Thursday drained two free throws with 2.2 seconds to play as the 76ers advanced with a 4-2 victory in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference series.

Rafael Nadal lost to Spanish countryman Fernando Verdasco for the first time in the Madrid Open on Thursday, then threatened, along with top-ranked Novak Djokovic, not to return if the new blue clay-court wasn't discarded.

Nadal blew a 5-2 lead in the third set in losing 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, his first defeat to Verdasco in 14 matches.

The second phase of testing with Hawk-Eye's goal-line technology system has started, less than two months before football's rule-makers decide whether it can be used in games.

Experiments with the Sony Corp.-owned system were conducted at Southampton's St. Mary's Stadium on Thursday.

Barcelona has staunchly defended Lionel Messi over claims he racially abused a black Real Madrid player several seasons ago, calling such claims "well wide of the mark."

Dutch midfielder Royston Drenthe, who is currently on loan at Everton, was quoted in a Dutch magazine as saying he was taunted by the Argentina forward and three-time world player of the year during several of their Spanish league encounters.

Seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher is hopeful the Spanish Grand Prix may yield the first podium finish since his comeback, while rival Kimi Raikkonen is similarly optimistic about a first victory since his return.

Schumacher, in his third season since coming out of retirement, has a pair of 10th-place finishes to go with two DNFs this season, while Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg won in China.