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.

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.

Rima Fakih, the first Arab-American to be crowned Miss USA, avoided jail during sentencing Wednesday in her Michigan drunken driving case, an experience she described as "very humbling."

Judge William McConico put Fakih on six months of probation, ordered the former beauty queen to perform 20 hours of community service and said she must pay $600 in fines and costs. Fakih also must attend an alcohol safety class.

The government is taking steps to help ensure that children who need CT scans and other X-ray-based tests don't get an adult-sized dose of radiation.

Too much radiation from medical testing is a growing concern, especially for children, because it may increase the risk of cancer later in life.

Yulia Tymoshenko, Ukraine's imprisoned former prime minister, was moved Wednesday from jail to a hospital for treatment of a severe back condition under the supervision of a German doctor.

The move was likely to allay at least some Western concerns over Tymoshenko's health and handling in prison. Top EU officials and some EU governments have vowed to boycott the European football championship matches co-hosted by Ukraine in June, and Ukraine had to cancel a regional cooperation summit this weekend after most heads of central and eastern European states canceled their visits over the Tymoshenko case.

Roger Federer has had his name on the trophy and now he has it on the street sign as well.

The town of Halle in western Germany hosts the Gerry Weber Open, a grass court tournament that serves as a warm-up for Wimbledon.

Barcelona defender Carles Puyol is set to undergo knee surgery, ruling him out of Spain's title defense at the European Championship.

Puyol felt discomfort in his right knee in Barcelona's 4-0 victory over Espanyol last Saturday, and medical tests have led the 34-year-old to opt for an arthroscopic operation.