Australian Open finals to have familiar names

January 30, 2015 at 12:00a.m.

MELBOURNE, Australia

Andy Murray advanced to his fourth Australian Open final and a chance to win his third Grand Slam title with a 6-7 (6), 6-0, 6-3, 7-5 semifinal win over Tomas Berdych on Thursday.

Murray broke Berdych’s serve in the 11th game of the final set and clinched the match with an ace to advance to Sunday’s final against either Novak Djokovic or defending champion Stan Wawrinka.

Serena Williams is on the verge of a 19th major championship after beating 19-year-old Madison Keys 7-6 (5), 6-2 on Thursday and setting up an Australian Open final against long-time rival Maria Sharapova.

Williams has won all five Australian Open finals she has contested and won her last 15 matches against No. 2-ranked Sharapova, a five-time major winner who will be playing her fourth final at Melbourne Park.

Pitt has early road-heavy 2015 schedule

New Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi won’t have to wait long to see how the Panthers will handle hostile environments. Pitt will play five of its first seven games of the 2015 season on the road.

The Panthers open at home on Sept. 5 against Youngstown State and former Nebraska coach Bo Pelini. Pitt then has a stretch of five road games in six weeks, including nonconference games at Akron and Iowa. The Panthers begin ACC play at Virginia Tech on Oct. 3.

Pitt plays four of its final five games at Heinz Field, including a nationally televised showdown with North Carolina on Oct. 29. The Panthers also face Notre Dame at home on Nov. 7 and wrap up the regular season against Louisville on Nov. 21 and Miami on Nov. 27.

3 Hawks, Irving lead NBA All-Star reserves

Al Horford, Paul Millsap and Jeff Teague have been picked as reserves for the Eastern Conference All-Star team, giving the sizzling Atlanta Hawks three selections.

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were selected in the West, despite early season injuries for the Oklahoma City stars. The Miami Heat also had two reserves selected in Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. But Portland surprisingly only had one in LaMarcus Aldridge. Point guard Damian Lillard was not among the seven reserves selected.

Atlanta has won 17 in a row and has a 38-8 record, second-best in the NBA. The Hawks were hoping for four selections, but Kyle Korver was not chosen by East coaches. Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving and first-timer Jimmy Butler of Chicago were the other players announced to the East roster on Thursday night.

NBA: Randolph records double-double in win

MEMPHIS, Tenn.

Zach Randolph had 15 points and 17 rebounds, Jeff Green added 13 points and the Memphis Grizzlies built an early lead en route to a 99-69 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night.

Memphis won its fifth straight, holding the Nuggets to 11 points in the first quarter and never getting threatened the rest of the way as Randolph recorded his 10th consecutive double-double.

BUCKS 115, MAGIC 100

ORLANDO, Fla.

Jerryd Bayless scored 19 points, Jared Dudley and Khris Middleton had 17 apiece and Milwaukee ended a 17-game losing streak in Orlando.

The Bucks never trailed and placed seven players in double figures, including all five starters. Brandon Knight had 16 points and eight assists, O.J. Mayo scored 13 points and John Henson had 12 points and 11 rebounds.

PACERS 103, KNICKS 82

INDIANAPOLIS

Rodney Stuckey scored 22 points, Roy Hibbert had 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Indiana routed New York.

The struggling Pacers (17-31) picked up their most lopsided home victory of the season by winning for only the second time in 10 games.Carmelo Anthony scored 18 points, 12 in the first 9 minutes for the Knicks (9-38).

Wire reports