FOOTBALL

NFL EXTENDS FREE AGENCY DEADLINE A few hours after NFL owners voted to continue their standoff with the players union, the league extended its deadline for free agency by three days, putting off what threatened to become a mass purge of high-priced players from rosters.

League vice president Joe Browne announced the delay yesterday afternoon, seven hours before the midnight deadline.

The owners’ vote after a 57-minute meeting earlier in the day had seemed to end 13 years of labor peace between the league and its union.

Mr. Browne did not elaborate on the deadline delay, which gives the union 72 more hours to negotiate a contract extension to the labor agreement that could add about $10 million to the current salary cap of $94.5 million. Many teams spent the day scrambling to get under that figure, and a number of big-name players were expected to be cut. Free agency will now start at 12:01 a.m. EST Monday instead of Friday.

TITANS KEEPING McNAIR ONE MORE YEAR NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Titans decided yesterday they will pay a $1 million fee to keep quarterback Steve McNair this season but allow him to become a free agent after 2006.

The move means the Titans won’t have to pay a $50 million option that would have extended McNair’s contract through 2009, the quarterback’s agent said yesterday. Still, the agent estimated McNair will take up more than a quarter of the team’s salary cap space.

GOLF

TIGER WOODS STILL ON TOP AT DORAL MIAMI – Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson resumed their duel at opposite ends of Doral yesterday, and the outcome didn’t change. Woods was still one shot better.

In a balmy start to the Florida swing, Woods again reached the 603-yard 12th hole in two shots and ran off a string of birdies along the back nine of the Blue Monster for an 8-under 64 and a one-shot lead over Mickelson and four others in the Ford Championship at Doral.

“This guy Tiger seems to play well every day, every week,” Mickelson said. “I’m just trying to keep pace. I’m trying to maybe have another shot at dueling out with him on Sunday, and I’m glad that he’s playing well. I’ve got to do my part and stay with him.”

TENNIS

FEDERER, NADAL ON COLLISION COURSE IN DUBAI DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Top-seeded Roger Federer moved into the semifinals of the Dubai Open with a 6-3, 6-2 win against Robin Vik yesterday.

A showdown between the top two players in the world became a possibility when second-seeded Rafael Nadal also advanced after ending wildcard Tim Henman’s run with a 7-6 (1), 6-1 victory.

Federer will meet Mikhail Youzhny in the semifinals after the Russian cruised to a 6-3, 6-1 win over Olivier Rochus of Belgium.

Nadal will be up against Rainer Schuettler of Germany, a 6-4, 6-1 winner over countryman Bjorn Phau, who knocked out Andre Agassi in the second round.

– Associated Press