Williams’ run ends during semifinals
Jelena Jankovic of Serbia and Montenegro got a 6-4, 6-3 upset win Saturday over Serena Williams in the JPMorgan Chase Open in Carson, Calif.
She will meet Russian Elena Dementieva in the final, who defeated an exhausted Maria Sharapova 7-5, 6-2.
Williams, unseeded and playing her third tournament of the year after a knee injury knocked her out for six months, is projected to rise to a ranking between No. 75 and 80 from her current 110.
•Top-ranked Roger Federer won the first five games of the match and went on to defeat Fernando Gonzalez 6-1, 5-7, 6-3 in the semifinals of the Rogers Cup in Toronto, and will meet Richard Gasquet in today’s final. Gasquet defeated Andy Murray 6-2, 7-5 to advance.
•Top-seeded Anastasia Myskina and third-seeded Zheng Jie won in straight sets to reach the final at the Nordic Light Open in Stockholm, Sweden. Myskina beat fourth-seeded Swede Sofia Arvidsson 6-2, 6-4. Zheng topped Tsvetana Pironkova 6-2, 7-6.
•Andre Agassi has pulled out of the upcoming Cincinnati Masters because of back pain.
•Sharapova, citing fatigue, joined the parade of top players to withdraw from the $1.34 million Rogers Cup tournament that begins Monday in Montreal.
Track and Field
Isinbayeva wins
Yelena Isinbayeva completed her collection of gold medals from major meets when she won the women’s pole vault at the European Championships in Goteborg, Sweden.
The Russian – the reigning Olympic and world champion – cleared 15 feet, 9 inches for a meet record.
•Middle-distance runner Latifa Essarokh tested positive for a banned substance during a meet last month in Stockholm, Sweden, where she broke the French 1,500-meter record.
France’s track and field federation said Saturday it was informed by the IAAF that Essarokh tested positive July 25 during the IAAF Super Grand Prix meet.
Also, France’s Nordine Gezzar, a 3,000-meter steeplechaser, could face a two-year ban after testing positive for steroids at a meet in Strasbourg, France, in June.
Soccer
Ronaldinho excites
Brazilian superstar Ronaldinho scored two goals as FC Barcelona beat the New York Red Bulls 4-1 in an international exhibition match at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
•Ruud van Nistelrooy scored on a penalty kick and assisted on another goal as Real Madrid beat namesake Real Salt Lake 2-0 in an exhibition game in Salt Lake City.
Hockey
Malkin leaves camp
Evgeni Malkin, the star forward and Pittsburgh Penguins draft pick who has said repeatedly he wants to play in the NHL, left his Russian pro team during a training camp in Finland.
Malkin was the No. 2 pick in the 2004 draft behind last year’s NHL rookie of the year, fellow Russian Alexander Ovechkin. But he did not play in the NHL last season because the league lacked a transfer agreement with the Russian ice hockey federation. Penguins spokesman Tom McMillan said the club had no comment on the report.
Miscellany
Nowitzki scores 18
Dirk Nowitzki scored 18 points to lead Germany to a 76-75 win over Brazil in a world championships warmup in Nanjing, China. In the earlier game, Tony Parker led France back from a first-half deficit to down European champion Greece 72-68.
•The U.S. rugby team was routed by Canada 56-7 in St. John’s, Newfoundland, giving the Canadians a spot in next year’s World Cup.