upset

Juan Martin del Potro

4-6, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4), 6-3 Friday, allowing Spain to escape the first day of the Davis Cup final tied 1-1 tie with Argentina.

David Nalbandian

brushed aside

David Ferrer

6-3, 6-2, 6-3 in the opening singles.

Lopez took the two tiebreakers, and del Potro injured his right thigh in the sixth game of the fourth set. After treatment, he lost his serve and Lopez cruised to victory in 3 hours, 19 minutes, hushing the boisterous crowd of about 10,000 at Islas Malvinas Stadium.

Nalbandian was picked to join

Agustin Calleri

against the experienced Spanish pair of Lopez and

Fernando Verdasco

in today's doubles match.

Knicks swing 2 deals

The New York Knicks traded

Zach Randolph

and

Jamal Crawford

in separate deals Friday, parting with their two top scorers to free up coveted salary-cap space for the summer of 2010.

Crawford was sent to Golden State for forward

Al Harrington

. Hours later, Randolph was shipped to the Los Angeles Clippers along with reserve guard

Mardy Collins

for

Cuttino Mobley

and

Tim Thomas

.

Knicks president Donnie Walsh has repeatedly said his goal was to get under the cap in time for a potentially sensational free-agent crop that could be headlined by

LeBron James, Dwyane Wade

and

Chris Bosh

.

Randolph and Crawford have deals that extend past 2010. Randolph is scheduled to make $17.3 million and Crawford $10.1 million in 2010-11. None of the players the Knicks brought back are under contract past 2010.

In other NBA news:

Utah forward

Carlos Boozer

sat out the Jazz's game Friday night against San Antonio because of a left quadriceps strain.

Rockets center

Yao Ming

was back in the starting lineup Friday night against the Washington Wizards after missing one game with a sore left foot.

Marlins can proceed

with new ballpark

A key legal obstacle was removed Friday for a new downtown Florida Marlins stadium, and the team will now determine whether the ballpark can open for the 2011 season.

Marlins president

David Samson

said the months of delay caused by a lawsuit challenging the ballpark's financing package might push the completion date to 2012.

Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Jeri Beth Cohen issued formal, final orders ending a lawsuit filed by auto dealer

Norman Braman

against the proposal for several huge projects, including a 37,000-seat, retractable-roof stadium. Estimated to cost $515 million, the ballpark is to rise on the site of the now-demolished Orange Bowl in Little Havana.

The legal fight may yet continue, but Braman will have to persuade an appeals court that Cohen was wrong to rule against him on all counts.

In other Baseball news:

Disorderly conduct charges against

Roger Clemens'

son,

Koby Clemens,

and minor league teammate

Mark Ori

have been dropped nearly three months after a restaurant disturbance in Salem, Va..

Yankees pitcher

Joba Chamberlain

is fighting a 90-day license revocation after an October arrest for suspected drunken driving in Lincoln, Neb. The 23-year-old pitcher hasn't been charged, and is to appear in court Dec. 17. His blood-alcohol content level when he was pulled over for speeding on Oct. 18 was 0.134; the legal limit in Nebraska is 0.08.

Former major league All-Star

Tim Raines

signed a two-year contract to manage the Newark Bears of the Atlantic League.

Curlin to stand stud

Reigning Horse of the Year Curlin will stand at stud next year at Lane's End, a Kentucky horse farm owned by a former U.S. ambassador to Britain.

Will Farish

announced Friday the richest racehorse in North America will become a stallion at his Versailles farm, where Curlin's sire, Smart Strike, is already a breeding star.

Curlin will command a stud fee of $75,000 his opening year, half what Smart Strike receives. But its $10,000 more than the fee for Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner Big Brown.