Phelps can't find winning groove

Michael Phelps emerged from the water in Santa Clara, Calif., with an unfamiliar look of disappointment splashed across his face. A glance at the scoreboard only made things worse.

Even in tuneup races, losing streaks for Phelps are rare.

The planet's most recognized swimmer lost for the third consecutive time in one of his signature events Sunday night, finishing a tenth of a second behind Australia's Nicholas D'Arcy in the 200-meter butterfly at the Santa Clara International Grand Prix.

"I would have liked to get the win and end the drought of getting my butt kicked every race, but Nick and I have had some good races over the past couple years and he's definitely a tough competitor and he finishes really strong," Phelps said.

The 14-time Olympic gold medalist and world record-holder was hardly at his dominating best, getting chased down in the final 25 meters. D'Arcy touched the wall a fingertip ahead at 1 minute, 55.39 seconds.

Phelps chalked up the losses to part of the training process. He spent most of the past month in high altitude in Colorado Springs, exhaustingly increasing his workouts.

But one thing is for sure: Phelps will have to be better when the world championships begin July 16 in Shanghai if he wants gold.

U.S. beats Jamaica in Gold CupJermaine Jones broke a scoreless tie early in the second half, leading the United States to a 2-0 victory over Jamaica in the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals in Washington, D.C.

Jones fired a shot from outside the penalty area in the 49th minute, and Jamaica defender Jermaine Taylor stuck out his foot, deflecting the ball past goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts.

"The first one you score for the national team is always special, and even more so that it was a very important goal for us tonight," Jones said.

The United States will face Panama in the semifinals on Wednesday in Houston. Panama beat El Salvador on penalty kicks.

WNBA: Diana Taurasi scored seven of her 32 points in overtime, all on free throws, to lift host Phoenix to a 93-89 victory over Indiana, the Mercury's first victory in four games this season. ... Tina Charles scored 11 of her career-high 31 points in the fourth quarter and had 11 rebounds in Connecticut's 83-68 victory over Chicago in Uncasville, Conn. ... Reserve forward Ebony Hoffman scored 12 points to lead a balanced offense as host Los Angeles beat defending champion Seattle 74-50, ending a seven-game losing streak to the Storm.

NBA: Yao Ming is staying tight-lipped about his future once his contract with the Rockets expires at the end of this month. The oft-injured 7-6 center declined to answer questions about his plans at an appearance in Beijing on behalf of the Special Olympics, saying he didn't want to discuss anything not related to his work with the charity. Yao said previously he hoped to stay with Houston, now coached by Kevin McHale.

Beach volleyball: Brazilians Larissa Franca and Juliana Felisberta Da Silva won their first beach world title, beating two-time Olympic champions Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh. The top-seeded Franca and Felisberta Da Silva won 21-17, 13-21, 16-14 in Rome. Americans May-Treanor and Walsh won world titles in 2003, '05 and '07.

Golf: Matthew Zions of Australia shot a 2-under 69 to win his first European Tour title at the Saint-Omer Open in France. ... Australia's Mathew Goggin won the Wichita Open for his second Nationwide Tour title of the year and fourth overall.

College football: Nevada coach Chris Ault received a two-year contract extension after guiding the Wolf Pack to a 13-1 record and the No. 11 ranking last season.

Cycling: American Levi Leipheimer won the Tour of Switzerland, overtaking Damiano Cunego in the final time trial. Leipheimer, a 37-year-old RadioShack rider, finished in 31 hours, 45 minutes, 2 seconds. Cunego had worn the yellow jersey since Monday and finished four seconds behind.

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