He also hit plenty of good shots on a miserable day at the TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth, Ga.

Coming off a final-round meltdown at The Players Championship, Perry endured a steady - and occasionally driving rain - to claim a share of the first-round lead with a 6-under 66 at the AT&T Classic. The other leaders - Jonathan Kaye, Ryan Palmer, Jonathan Byrd and Parker McLachlin - all teed off in the morning, before a huge weather system engulfed the suburban Atlanta course.

NFL

Redskins release Petersburg's Mathis

Jerome Mathis' stay with the Washington Redskins was short.

The kick returner/wide receiver from Petersburg High School and Hampton University was released yesterday by the Redskins. Mathis was signed by the Redskins on April 4.

To fill his roster spot, the Redskins signed defensive end Jonathan "J.T." Mapu. Mapu, 6-4 290, is a rookie from the University of Tennessee. He was invited to the Redskins minicamp May 2-4 as a tryout player.

In other NFL news:

AUTOS

VIR race tests open to fans

DANVILLE - Fans of stock cars and road racing are invited to attend the Stock Car Open Test Day at VIRginia International Raceway on June 3. Tickets to the spectator areas are available at the gate and only $10. Teams testing last year included Hendrick, Joe Gibbs, Evernham and others. Fans who attend the Stock Car Open Test day will be eligible for rides in the VIR Volkswagen R32 Pace Cars at the end of the day or at lunch if time permits.

SWIMMING

Battle over suits moves to court

Forget the pool. The bitter battle over Olympic swimsuits is now in the courts, less than three months before the Beijing Games.

In a case sure to rock the swimming world, California-based TYR Sport filed a federal lawsuit this week alleging that rival Speedo, manufacturer of the record-breaking "LZR Racer," has conspired with USA Swimming to stifle competition and lure top athletes away from other companies.

The main issue: Speedo's financial relationship with the sport's American governing body and the head coach of the U.S. team, Mark Schubert.

TYR claims Warnaco Swimwear, the parent company of Speedo, has violated antitrust laws by conspiring with USA Swimming and Schubert to promote the benefits of wearing the LZR suit in Beijing.

TENNIS

Sharapova, Williams sisters advance

ROME - Maria Sharapova rallied from a four-game deficit in the second set to beat Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), advancing to the Italian Open quarterfinals along with sisters Serena and Venus Williams.

Seventh-seeded Venus Williams won the first three games of each set in a 7-5, 6-2 win over No. 10 Vera Zvonareva and next will face defending champion Jelena Jankovic. The fourth-seeded Jankovic routed Maria Kirilenko 6-1, 6-1.

Serena Williams overcame some erratic moments before eliminating Italian wild-card entrant Sara Errani 6-4, 6-3, and next will play 34th-ranked Alize Cornet - who upset last year's runner-up, Svetlana Kuznetsova.

In other tennis news:

Nadal won 6-3, 6-2 against Murray, who turned 21.

Defending champion Roger Federer breezed past Robin Soderling 6-3, 6-2. The top-ranked Federer is seeking his fifth title in Hamburg and will play Fernando Verdasco, who upset fifth-seeded David Ferrer 7-6 (7-2), 6-2.

Djokovic defeated Ivo Karlovic 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 to stay on course for back-to-back titles after winning last week's Rome Masters. Djokovic could rise to No. 2 after this tournament.

Nadal will face Carlos Moya, who outlasted Marat Safin 6-2, 6-7 (7-3), 6-1. ELSEWHERE