From Beacon Journal wire services

Roger Federer flicked a final winner, trotted to the net and started to shake hands. Then, there was one last challenge.

Playfully, Thiago Alves called for a replay review.

So the man trying for his fifth consecutive U.S. Open title and an overmatched qualifier shared a laugh, watching together as the giant scoreboards above Arthur Ashe Stadium confirmed the call: The ball landed squarely on the line, Federer had won 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 Friday in New York.

Federer swept a guy ranked 137th, someone who spent this year in the minors and was playing his first tour-level event of the season. Still, it was hardly a breeze.

''The depth in men's tennis is immense,'' Federer said.

On the women's side, it's shaping up as even more of a scramble.

A day after No. 1 Ana Ivanovic lost to 188th-ranked Julie Coin, third-seeded Svetlana Kutznetsova became the latest upset victim when Katarina Srebotnik beat her 6-3, 6-7 (1), 6-3.

''It can happen with everyone,'' said Olympic champion Elena Dementieva, who moved into the fourth round.

Novak Djokovic, Jelena Jankovic and Nikolay Davydenko also won during the day.

In night matches delayed more than an hour by rain, No. 12 Marion Bartoli defeated No. 23 Lindsay Davenport 6-1, 7-6 (3), and No. 15 Patty Schnyder beat Magdalena Rybarikova 7-6 (4), 6-4. Also, former Open champion Marat Safin lost to No. 15 Tommy Robredo, 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4, 6-0.

Eighth-seeded Andy Roddick played Ernests Gulbis later.

Federer is down to his last chance to win a Grand Slam this year, part of a tough season in which he lost his No. 1 ranking to Rafael Nadal.

NBA: Knicks acquire Patrick Ewing Jr.

• The New York Knicks acquired Patrick Ewing Jr. from the Houston Rockets in exchange for the draft rights to center Frederic Weis, one of the most widely panned picks in franchise history. Ewing was selected by the Sacramento Kings with the 43rd pick in this year's NBA Draft and traded with Ron Artest to the Rockets on Aug. 14. Now, he's on to New York, where his father ruled the paint at Madison Square Garden for 15 of his 17 NBA seasons.

• San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili, who helped lead Argentina to a bronze medal in the Beijing Olympics, will need surgery to repair a ligament injury in his left ankle. The Spurs said Ginobili will have surgery next week.

• The National Basketball Players Association suspended player agent Calvin Andrews for one year for alleged recruiting improprieties regarding former Southern California star O.J. Mayo.

• Former Seattle SuperSonics owner Howard Schultz says he's dropping his lawsuit against new team owner Clay Bennett, ending an attempt to regain ownership of the team that has moved to Oklahoma City.

Golf: Weir leads by 3; Curtis 4 behind

• Mike Weir birdied the first four holes and one-putted his final nine greens in the Deutsche Bank Championship in Norton, Mass., to tie the course record at TPC Boston with a 10-under 61, the lowest round of his PGA Tour career. Weir had a 3-shot lead over a group of four players that included Vijay Singh, whose victory last week at The Barclays put him atop the standings in the PGA Tour Playoffs for the FedEx Cup. John Merrick, Heath Slocum and Briny Baird joined Singh at 64, while former Kent State standout Ben Curtis had a 65.

• Hale Irwin shot a 6-under 66 at Del Monte for a share of the lead in the suspended first round of the Wal-Mart First Tee Open in Pebble Beach, Calif. Fuzzy Zoeller, Loren Roberts and Chip Beck also opened with 66s at Del Monte, and Andy Bean had a 66 at Pebble Beach.

• France's Gregory Havret shot a 2-under 71 to take a 1-stroke lead after the second round of the Johnnie Walker Championship, and Scotland's Colin Montgomerie had a 70 to boost his chance of a Ryder Cup selection in Gleneagles, Scotland. Havret had a 7-under 139 total. England's Robert Rock (70) was second.

Other: Johnson wins Pepsi 500 pole

• Aiming to build some momentum heading into NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, Jimmie Johnson got off to a good start, winning the pole at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. The two-time reigning Cup champion was easily the fastest driver on the 2-mile oval in qualifying for Sunday's Pepsi 500, turning a fast lap of 180.397 mph. A.J. Allmendinger, Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne and Patrick Carpentier rounded out the top five.

• Adam DiMichele threw two touchdown passes and visiting Temple took advantage of two Army mistakes for a big early lead in a 35-7 victory in West Point, N.Y. DiMichele finished 15-for-22 for 159 yards and had one interception.

• Usain Bolt easily won the 100 meters in 9.83 seconds in the Weltklasse meet in Zurich, Switzerland, his first competition since record-shattering performance in the Beijing Olympics. Bolt's return was upstaged by Pamela Jelimo, the 18-year-old Kenyan who won the women's 800 in 1:54.01. American sprinters Jeremy Wariner and Lolo Jones got a measure of compensation for their Olympic defeats by winning the men's 400 and women's 100 hurdles, respectively.