Wimbledon, England — Rising, rising, rising, high above the most famous patch of grass in tennis, Roger Federer channeled Pete Sampras on match point in the Wimbledon semifinals Friday, tucking both feet back beneath his body and uncorking an overhead smash.

And now, after years of chasing Sampras, Federer is poised to surpass him.

A victory over No. 6-seeded Andy Roddick of the United States in Sunday’s final at the All England Club would give Federer his 15th Grand Slam singles championship, breaking a tie with Sampras for the most in history. It also would give Federer a sixth Wimbledon title and a return to No. 1 in the rankings.

As it is, No. 2 Federer’s overwhelming 7-6 (3), 7-5, 6-3 victory over No. 24 Tommy Haas of Germany in Friday’s opening match on Centre Court put the Swiss star in a seventh consecutive Wimbledon final and 20th career Grand Slam final — establishing two other marks.

“I’m very proud of all the records I’ve achieved, because I never thought I would be that successful as a kid. You know, I would have been happy winning a couple tournaments and maybe collecting Wimbledon,” the 27-year-old Federer said. “It’s quite staggering.”

Roddick celebrated rather emotionally after finishing off No. 3 Andy Murray of Britain 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (5) in Friday’s second semifinal. The 2003 U.S. Open champion, still seeking a second major title, dropped to his knees, leaned forward and covered his head with his hands.

Leaving the court, Roddick paused to enjoy the moment, thankful that all of the changes he’s made over the past several months paid dividends: tweaking his diet to drop 15 pounds, hiring a new coach, working more than ever to improve his returns, his volleys, his backhand.

“To be honest, the last couple of years, I didn’t know if I’d ever get a chance to play for another Grand Slam title,” Roddick said. “Now I get to. It’s just a dream.”

This part might cause some nightmares before Sunday: Roddick is 2-18 against Federer, including losses in the 2004 and 2005 Wimbledon finals, as well as the 2006 U.S. Open final.

“I’ve had plenty of time to study his game, to understand his game,” Federer said. “He’s always played me also quite differently every single time.”

Then again, Roddick was 2-6 previously against Murray.

NBA

Jackson says he’ll return

Los Angeles — Phil Jackson will return to coach the Los Angeles Lakers next season, getting a clean bill of health following a record championship season.

The Hall of Fame coach turns 64 in September and said on the team’s Web site Friday he got the go-ahead for another season after consulting the team doctor.

Turkoglu to Raptors?

Orlando, Fla. — Erstwhile Orlando Magic small forward Hedo Turkoglu’s free-agent tour took a bizarre turn on Friday as he surprisingly stiff-armed the Portland Trail Blazers. His next stop? Maybe Canadian customs.

Various media outlets reported that Turkoglu had agreed in principle to a contract with the Blazers, but Turkoglu and his agent, Lon Babby, broke off talks in Portland after two days of negotiations.

An NBA source told the Orlando Sentinel that Turkoglu now has focused on signing a better deal with the Toronto Raptors — and he was reportedly offered $50 million over five years by the Blazers.

Report: Celtics, Wallace talk

Boston — The Boston Celtics have offered forward Rasheed Wallace a contract as part of a major push to land the coveted forward, according to a published report Friday. The Boston Globe reports the Celtics offered Wallace a deal during a three-hour meeting in Detroit on Thursday.

Gasol will play for Spain

Alicante, Spain — Los Angeles Lakers center Pau Gasol will play for Spain in September in the European Basketball Championship.

Golf

Tiger moves into lead

Bethesda, Md. — The best of Tiger Woods came Friday when his game was falling apart.

Woods lived up to his hopes of being a “greedy host” when he salvaged his round during a shaky stretch in the middle and shot 4-under 66 to take a one-shot lead at his AT&T National with the lowest 36-hole score ever at Congressional Country Club.

“Either I hit it pretty close to the hole, within 10 feet, or I was missing greens,” Woods said. “So it was a little bit of two ends today. It was nice to actually get a score out of it.”

Woods was at 10-under 130, breaking by one shot the previous 36-hole score at Congressional set last year by Tom Pernice Jr. and Jeff Overton. Woods had a one-shot lead over Rod Pampling, who had a 64 to boost his chances of qualifying for the British Open.

Diaz, Kemp share lead

Sylvania, Ohio — Laura Diaz made a 12-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a 4-under 67 and a share of the second-round lead with Sarah Kemp in the LPGA Tour’s Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic.

Kemp shot a 63 to match Diaz at 11-under 131. Morgan Pressel (68) was a shot back, and Natalie Gulbis (65), Seon Hwa Lee (63) and Jiyai Shin (67) followed at 9 under.

Echenique leads French

Saint-Quentin-En-Yvelines, France — Argentina’s Rafa Echenique shot a 4-under 67 to take a two-stroke lead in the French Open.

Echenique, coming off a second-place finish last week in the BMW International Open in Munich, had a 10-under 132 total.

Baseball

Target Field to open in April

New York — Target Field has a target date. Outdoor baseball is tentatively set to return to Minneapolis on April 12 when the Minnesota Twins play their 2010 home opener against the Boston Red Sox.

Ryan: Rangers OK

Arlington, Texas — Texas team president Nolan Ryan said Friday that the club is not hamstrung by owner Tom Hicks’ financial difficulties, a day after a report that Major League Baseball loaned millions to the team owner.

“There haven’t been any restrictions put on us,” Ryan said. “I just think as we get closer to the trade deadline, we’ll see what we might be able to be put together. If we think it is in our best interest, then obviously we’ll take it to Tom.”

Yahoo! Sports, citing a major league source, reported Thursday a loan was made to Hicks Sports Group and that the amount was believed to be for less than $15 million.

Football

UFL to consider Vick

New York — When the United Football League debuts in October, Michael Vick could be one of its players.

Michael Huyghue, the commissioner of the new four-team league, says the UFL is willing to give Vick a place to play — provided there are no pending legal issues. His rights belong to Orlando.

“One of the things that is important in our premiere season is to showcase the quality of talent and the coaches, and to be able to show outstanding players who find themselves in this quagmire the NFL creates,” Huyghue said. “Michael Vick might be that kind of player because he is … a phenomenal talent, but he needs transitioning back into the NFL.

“Also gaining as much widespread exposure for the league as possible might be addressed with Michael Vick.”

NFL coaches visit Iraq

The soldiers expressed their gratitude over and over to the NFL coaches who made the trip to Iraq.

“They kept thanking us,” said the Tennessee Titans’ Jeff Fisher. “We kept thanking them.”

Fisher, the Giants’ Tom Coughlin, the Ravens’ John Harbaugh and former coaches Bill Cowher and Jon Gruden are taking part in the first NFL-USO coaches tour.