Rafael Nadal described reaching the final of the Madrid Masters as a "dream" after he stormed into his seventh consecutive final since returning from a seven-month injury layoff with 6-0, 6-4 win over compatriot Pablo Andujar.

"To be able to return to a final here at home, in Madrid is a dream," he said.

Italian World Cup winner Alessandro Del Piero will feature in Sydney FC's friendly against J-League side Sagan Tosu in Japan in July, the club said on Saturday.

Sydney will play the game in Tosu City on July 24 as part of their pre-season schedule.

Miami's LeBron James put in a powerful fourth-quarter performance to steer the Heat to a 104-94 win over Chicago on Friday and a 2-1 lead in their NBA Eastern Conference semifinal series.

James shook off a shove to the court that earned Nazr Mohammed an ejection — and brought accusations of play-acting from Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau — to score 12 points in the final quarter, finishing with 25 for the game.

Top-ranked Serena Williams outlasted Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-3, 0-6, 7-5 to reach the Madrid Open semifinals on Friday.

Williams appeared to wear down against the scrappy Spaniard on the red clay court, and after getting blanked in the second set she fell behind 4-2 in the decider.

Lionel Messi's life story is set to hit cinemas in time for the 2014 World Cup.

Epic Pictures Group announced it is financing and developing a Rocky-style film after buying the rights to dramatize a biography about the Barcelona star.

Defending world champion Russia lost to France 2-1 on Thursday in one of the biggest upsets in ice hockey history.

A team stacked with NHL and KHL players bowed to a group of mainly French league players who ended Russia's 13-match winning streak at the world championship.

Kimi Raikkonen is confident he can put questions about his future to one side and fight for the Formula One title this season.

Four races into the season, the 2007 champion is second overall and only 10 points behind three-time defending champion Sebastian Vettel heading into this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix.

Schalke announced the extension of the contract of rising star Julian Draxler on truck-mounted panels driven through the city on Thursday.

The 19-year-old attacking midfielder is considered one of Germany's most promising players. Draxler extended his contract prematurely by two seasons until 2018.

After a frustrating start to the season, Fernando Alonso retains high hopes of clawing back his 30-point gap on Formula One championship leader Sebastian Vettel starting at this week's Spanish Grand Prix.

The two-time world champion has drifted down to fourth place after four races. But the Spaniard feels that for the first time in years Ferrari has a car good enough to dictate the race to Red Bull, rather than waiting for opportunities and slip-ups from his main rival.

The slippery blue clay may be gone, but the Madrid Open continues to produce surprises.

Second-ranked Roger Federer was ousted by Kei Nishikori of Japan 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 in Thursday's third round, leaving Rafael Nadal as the either the clear front-runner for the title or the next big name who should be wary of an upset.