Sports in Brief: Armstrong gives up fight on doping charges

said Thursday night he is finished fighting a barrage of drug charges from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, putting his legacy as one of the greatest cyclists in history at risk.

The decision sets up a likely lifetime ban from the sport and the possibility that Armstrong will be stripped of his signature achievement - the extraordinary run of Tour titles he won in 1999-2005.

"There comes a point in every man's life when he has to say, 'Enough is enough.' For me, that time is now," Armstrong said in a statement. "The toll this has taken on my family and my work for our foundation and on me leads me to where I am today - finished with this nonsense."

Armstrong, who retired last year, said his decision is not an admission of drug use, but a refusal to enter an arbitration process he believes is unfair.

USADA will almost certainly treat Armstrong's decision as an admission of guilt, and hang the label of drug cheat on an athlete who was a hero to thousands for overcoming life-threatening testicular cancer and for his foundation's support for cancer research.

The agency can impose a lifetime ban and recommend he be stripped of his titles. That would put the question in the hands of the International Cycling Union, which has disputed USADA's authority to pursue the investigation, and Tour de France officials, who have had a prickly relationship with Armstrong.

TENNIS: Though no player would admit to looking so far ahead, Novak Djokovic may have been the biggest winner when the U.S. Open bracket was set. The defending champion and No. 2 seed can reach his third straight final at New York's Flushing Meadows without having to face either Roger Federer or Andy Murray.

Those two wound up on the same side of the draw and could meet in the semifinals for a rematch of their recent finals at Wimbledon and the London Olympics.

Rafael Nadal, ranked third, is out of this year's tournament with a knee injury.

In the women's bracket, third-seeded Maria Sharapova drew a possible semifinal matchup against top-seeded Victoria Azarenka, and fourth-seeded Serena Williams could play No. 2 Agnieszka Radwanska in the semifinals.

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Sports in Brief: Armstrong gives up fight on doping charges