Serena captures 53rd WTA title of career
Tennis: Serena Williams beat Johanna Larsson 6-4, 6-1 in the final of the Swedish Open in Bastad, Sweden, on Sunday, for her 53rd WTA title.
The 24-year-old Swede broke to lead 3-1 in the first set before Williams fought back to 3-3. Larsson advanced to 4-3 before caving in to the American’s strong serve and losing the next three games.
Williams dominated the second set, breaking Larsson’s serve twice.
• Fognini hangs on in Hamburg: Fabio Fognini saved three match points before beating Argentine qualifier Federico Delbonis 4-6, 7-6 (8), 6-2 to win the German Tennis Championships in Hamburg, Germany.
• Meusburger earns first career title: Yvonne Meusburger of Austria won her first WTA title by defeating Andrea Hlavackova of Czech Republic 7-5, 6-2 at the Gastein Ladies in Bad Gastein, Austria.
Villopoto races to first win at home
Motorcycles: Washington rider Ryan Villopoto raced to his fifth Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championships victory of the year and first at his home track in Washougal, Wash., Saturday, winning the second 450 class moto after finishing second in the first.
Villopoto, the Monster Energy Kawasaki star from Poulsbo, ended Ryan Dungey’s Washougal victory streak – in both 450 and 250 competition – at five. Dungey, the Red Bull KTM rider from Belle Plaine, Minn., was second overall after winning the first moto and finishing second in the second.
Villopoto leads the season standings after eight races, 42 points ahead of defending series champion Dungey.
• Spanish rider wins at Laguna Seca: Spain’s Marc Marquez won the U.S. Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif.
The Repsol Honda Team rider held off Germany’s Stefan Bradl by 2.2 seconds.
• Italian rider dies in crash: Race organizers say Kawasaki Go Eleven rider Andrea Antonelli died after losing control of his Kawasaki ZX-6R bike in rainy weather and crashing during the opening lap of the World Supersport race in Moscow.
Johnson secures fifth win at Mile-High
Auto racing: Defending Pro Stock champion Allen Johnson won the Mile-High NHRA Nationals for the fifth time, holding off Colorado native V. Gaines in the final round in Morrison, Colo.
Johnson raced to his fourth victory of the year with a 6.989-second run at 196.87 mph in a Dodge Avenger.
Spencer Massey won the Top Fuel division, Cruz Pedregon topped the Funny Car field, and Shawn Gann won in Pro Stock Motorcycle.
• Logano holds on for win at Chicagoland: Joey Logano held off Sam Hornish Jr. to win the NASCAR Nationwide race at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill.
Hornish held on for second, giving car owner Roger Penske the top two spots. Austin Dillon finished third, earning a $100,000 bonus.
Kiwis beat Italians despite losing jib
Miscellany: Emirates Team New Zealand overcame the loss of its jib early in the race and routed Italy’s Luna Rossa in just their second head-to-head matchup in the America’s Cup challenger series in San Francisco.
The Kiwis beat Luna Rossa by 2 minutes, 20 seconds and lead 6-3 in the Louis Vuitton Cup round-robins.
• German pair wins gold in diving: German pair Sascha Klein and Patrick Hausding won the gold medal in the men’s synchronized 10-meter platform at the swimming world championships in Barcelona, Spain.
The silver medalists from the 2011 worlds and 2008 Olympics scored 461.46 points to edge Russian duo Victor Minibaev and Artem Chesakov with 445.95. Olympic champions Cao Yuan and Zhang Yanquan of China scored 445.56 for bronze.
• Former U.S. soccer coach Woosnam dies: According to U.S. Soccer, Phil Woosnam, the former Welsh soccer star who served as the North American Soccer League’s commissioner and had a brief stint as coach of the U.S. national team, died Friday in Dunwoody, Ga., of complications related to prostate cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. He was 80.