Denny Hamlin was already feeling down on himself, his confidence waning in the face of a series of missed opportunities to win races.

Then came his latest here-we-go-again moment, a poorly timed pit stop.

And finally, his redemption as he overtook Jeff Burton on the 427th lap and went on to win the Goody?s 500, a victory he said he hopes will be a turning point for him.

?When you get so close to winning so many races and something bad happens or things just don?t work out in your favor at the end and you end up losing a win, it?s tough to maintain confidence,? Hamlin said Sunday after notching his fourth career victory.

?Your self-esteem starts going down. It takes a toll on you.?

And there?s nothing like a trip to Victory Lane to repair it.

Hamlin had twice finished in the top three on the smallest, tightest track in the series, and said he felt like bad luck had let several other wins slip away. Visit GoTickets for Daytona 500 Tickets and Las Vegas NASCAR Packages

At Atlanta three weeks ago, he had just moved into second place when his power steering failed. In the next race at Bristol, a fuel pickup problem on the restart of a two-lap sprint to the finish cost him a chance to win, and he finished sixth.

Andy Roddick whacked one last thunderous serve to finally beat Roger Federer, then slowly walked to the net with his head down, as if unsure how to celebrate such a rare achievement.

With an almost flawless performance, Roddick ended a streak of 11 consecutive losses against his nemesis Thursday at the Sony Ericsson Open. Roddick dominated with his serve and took advantage of Federer?s suddenly shaky play down the stretch to win 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-3 in the quarterfinals.

?I came in knowing that nobody has beaten me 12 times in a row,? Roddick told the delighted capacity crowd afterward. ?So I had that on my side.?

In the women?s semifinals, Serena Williams overcame a slow start to outlast Svetlana Kuznetsova 3-6, 7-5, 6-3. Williams needs one more win for her fifth Key Biscayne title and second in a row.

?I haven?t won anything five times, except I win all the time in Uno,? Williams said. ?I don?t think that counts.?

The beginning of the end will have to wait.

The final opening day at Yankee Stadium was postponed because of rain Monday, pushing back New York?s game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Buy ticket for that game at Ticket Solution

It was rescheduled for 7:05 p.m. on Tuesday, previously an off day in the series. Yankees right-hander Chien-Ming Wang and Toronto ace Roy Halladay remained slated to pitch.

?It?s obviously a little anticlimactic. You want to get the first one in,? Alex Rodriguez said. ?Just have to wait.?

New York owner George Steinbrenner showed up around noon for the 84th opening day at Yankee Stadium, but history was put on hold by steady rain and a wet forecast that washed away batting practice and the planned festivities.

The tarp was still on the field when the game was called at about 2:30 p.m. after a delay of approximately 85 minutes. Players never got introduced, and Joe Girardi?s debut as Yankees manager was postponed.

?I?m cautious about tomorrow, too,? New York GM Brian Cashman said. ?Tomorrow night is supposed to be dry, tomorrow day is supposed to be similar to what we just had.

?It?s obviously not the way you want to start. You?d like to have opening day instead of opening night. But you do what you?ve got to do. It?s still going to be opening day.?

Next year, the Bronx Bombers will move into a $1.3 billion new Yankee Stadium, under construction just across 161st Street.

?You see the new stadium, but it still seems like that?s years away, even though it?s only one,? Derek Jeter said. ?Just 100 yards away? That?s not too far for the ghosts to go.?

The Yankees have won 10 consecutive home openers, the best run in franchise history and the longest active streak in the majors, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Other Sport Tickets buy at Ticket Solution