From Beacon Journal wire services

Sam Querrey is so young that there isn't a trace of irony when he mentions growing up rooting for Andy Roddick and James Blake, two guys still very much on tour and still in their 20s.

Querrey is so new to this whole professional tennis gig that there is nothing but earnestness in his voice when he admits he's excited his matches are on TV.

And Querrey is so young, so new and so eager that he clearly means it when he plainly explains he's ''looking forward'' to facing No. 1 Rafael Nadal at the U.S. Open in New York, a matchup the 20-year-old Californian set up Saturday by knocking off a seeded player for the second time in the tournament.

It's Querrey's first berth in the fourth round of a major championship.

Querrey is ranked 55th, owns one career title and has lost more matches than he's won on tour — even after upsetting No. 14 Ivo Karlovic 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5), 6-2 in the third round Saturday.

Querrey added that to his victory over No. 22 Tomas Berdych in the first round. A far tougher test follows, of course: Wimbledon, French Open and Olympic champion Nadal, who won for the 41st time in his last 42 matches by brushing aside Viktor Troicki 6-4, 6-3, 6-0.

In other third-round action Saturday, French Open semifinalist Gael Monfils, Andy Murray, Juan Martin Del Potro and Stanislas Wawrinka all advanced.

Kei Nishikori upset fourth-seeded David Ferrer, becoming the first Japanese man to reach the U.S. Open's fourth round in the 40-year Open era.

Nishikori, ranked 126th, beat Spain's Ferrer 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 2-6, 7-5.

On the women's side, both Williams sisters — the only two past champions left in the field — won 6-2, 6-1 against seeded foes who, in theory at least, should have provided something more of a challenge.

No. 7 Venus Williams compiled a remarkable 32-4 edge in winners against No. 27 Alona Bondarenko of Ukraine. No. 4 Serena Williams was never troubled by No. 30 Ai Sugiyama of Japan.

Golf: Clark leads by 1; Curtis 2 behind

• Tim Clark needed only one birdie over his final two holes to shoot 59. He finished with consecutive bogeys and had to settle for a 1-shot lead in the Deutsche Bank Championship in Norton, Mass. He still matched his career low with a 9-under 62. Mike Weir of Canada is 1 shot behind at the halfway point of the PGA Tour's second playoff event. Vijay Singh and former Kent State standout Ben Curtis are 2 shots behind at 12-under 130. Defending champion Phil Mickelson (70) overcame a double bogey on the 16th hole with a 33 on the front nine to make the cut on the number.

• Jeff Sluman shot a 6-under 66 at Pebble Beach for a share of the second-round lead in the Wal-Mart First Tee Open with Loren Roberts, Phil Blackmar and John Harris in Pebble Beach, Calif. Sluman had six birdies and a bogey en route to a 9-under 135 total.

• France's Gregory Havret birdied the last hole for a 4-under 69 and a 1-stroke lead over England's Anthony Wall after the third round of the Johnnie Walker Championship in Gleneagles, Scotland. Havret had an 11-under 208 total on the PGA Centenary Course. Wall shot a 65.

Other: Curlin wins Woodward Stakes

• Curlin won the $500,000 Woodward Stakes to move a step closer to defending his Horse of the Year title, beating long-shot Past the Point by 11/4 lengths at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The $300,000 winner's share moved the Stonestreet Stable-owned Curlin past Skip Away as the second-leading money-winning thoroughbred in history with more than $9.79 million and leaves him less than $200,000 behind Cigar ($9.9 million). Curlin, ridden by Robby Albarado, ran 11/8 miles in 1:49.34 en route to his fourth victory in five starts this year and sixth consecutive win on dirt. Curlin paid $2.70, $2.40 and $2.10. Past the Point returned $13.80 and $6.40, and Wanderin Boy paid $3.50 to show.

• Guillermo Barros Schelotto had two assists, giving him a league-leading 16 on the season, to lead Columbus past FC Dallas 2-1 in Frisco, Texas. The win gave the Crew (12-6-4) the MLS lead with 40 points.

• Luol Deng will play in Great Britain's European Championship qualifying games after the national association bumped up the insurance to cover his lucrative NBA contract. Deng signed a new deal with the Chicago Bulls last month reportedly worth up to $80 million.

• Russian giant Nikolai Valuev won the WBA heavyweight championship, using his left jab to outpoint American John Ruiz in a unanimous decision in Berlin. The 7-foot Valuev (49-1) regained the title he lost to Ruslan Chagaev in April 2007 and beat Ruiz (43-8-1) for the second time. The fight was first declared a split decision, but the score was officially changed to give Valuev all three of the judges' votes. The judges scored it for Valuev, 116-113, 116-111 and 114-113.

• Liquigas won the team time trial of the Spanish Vuelta with Filippo Ponzzato surging ahead to take the first stage of the cycling season's third major tour in Granada, Spain. Ponzzato finished the 4.8-mile course in 8 minutes, 21 seconds, to edge Liquigas teammates Valerio Agnoli and Manuel Quinziato, who had the same time.