Briefly

Argentina upset Australia on grass to reach the semifinals of the Davis Cup on Sunday, and was joined by Russia, Slovakia and Croatia.

Argentina beat the 28-time Davis Cup winner 4-1 in Sydney, Australia. Argentina has never won the Davis Cup.

Russia beat France to qualify for the semifinals for the first time since winning its only title in 2002. That win was also over France. Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin, a tennis aficionado, stepped on to the court in Moscow to dance and help the team celebrate.

Argentina advanced to the semifinals for the third time in the last four years, but has only reached the final once, losing to the United States in 1981.

David Nalbandian sealed the victory by ending a career winless streak against Lleyton Hewitt, ranked second in the world. The Argentine won the fourth match of the tie by beating Hewitt 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 Sunday after losing to Hewitt in their previous three encounters.

“This is great, to beat Australia here and on grass, it’s amazing,” Nalbandian said. “We’re trying so hard to win the Davis Cup, and I hope we can do it this year.”

Argentina, which traditionally favors clay courts, had taken a 2-1 lead into the final day on the specially made grass court at the Sydney International Tennis Center.

Argentina will face Slovakia in the semifinals. Slovakia beat the Netherlands 4-1 to reach the final four for the first time, playing on indoor courts in Bratislava.

Russia rallied to beat France 3-2 when Igor Andreev and Nikolay Davydenko won their reverse singles matches.

Nine-time champion France was ahead 2-1 and one point away from qualifying for the semifinals after winning Saturday’s doubles. Davydenko, who led Russia in the absence of the injured Marat Safin, defeated Richard Gasquet 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 to draw Russia even.

Andreev then scored the decisive victory, allowing Paul-Henri Mathieu to win only three games — 6-0, 6-2, 6-1.

Russia will travel to Croatia in the semifinals. Croatia beat Romania 4-1.

•Anna Smashnova won her 10th career title when Tathiana Garbin retired with sunstroke during a first set tiebreaker in the final of the Modena (Italy) International.

The fifth seed from Israel was leading the tie break 3-0 when the unseeded Italian asked for a break in play and collapsed on a bench.

Softball

Japan to face U.S. in finals

Japan advanced to play the United States in the championship game of the inaugural World Cup of Softball by beating Australia 1-0 in eight innings in Oklahoma City.

Ayumi Karino, who started the eighth on second base under international tiebreaker rules, was sacrificed to third and scored when Australia starter Melanie Roche (1-1) misplayed Megu Hirose’s grounder back to the pitching circle.

Australia (2-2) had a chance to tie in the bottom of the inning, but left fielder Satoko Mabuchi caught Kerry Wyborn’s line drive and threw home in time to get Danielle Stewart as she tried to score from third.

Australia is the No. 3 seed and will play Canada, which beat China 3-2 in the fourth-place game.

Soccer

Colombia stuns Mexico

Abel Aguilar scored on an improbable 40-yard shot to help Colombia stun Mexico 2-1 in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup in Houston.

Aguilar netted the winner in the 76th minute when he kicked the ball high and hard toward the goal while in a crowd, and it looped in over the top of goalkeeper Moises Munoz.

•After tying 1-1 in regulation and through stoppage time, Panama beat South Africa 5-3 on penalty kicks in the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals in Houston.

Panama advanced to the semifinals against Colombia at East Rutherford, N.J., on Thursday.

Miscellany

Peirsol wins fourth event at Evans

Hayley Peirsol won the 1,500 meter freestyle in 16 minutes, 13.64 seconds in the final day of the four-day Janet Evans Invitational in Los Angeles.

The time for the Auburn junior was the second fastest in the world this year behind Kate Ziegler’s 16:11.23, shattered a 16-year-old pool record and a 1-year-old meet record.

Former Olympian Kalyn Keller, who finished 35 seconds behind Peirsol to take second place, set the meet’s previous 1,500 freestyle record last year in Irvine at 16:19.34.

•China picked up where it left off from the Athens Olympics, winning two golds in synchronized diving at the world aquatics championships in Montreal.

Jia Tong and Yuan Pei Lin finished first in women’s 10-meter synchronized diving with 351.60 points, easily outdistancing Australians Loudy Tourky and Chantelle Newberry.

He Chong and Wang Feng won the men’s 3-meter synchronized springboard title with 384.42 points.

•A small plane piloted by the son of a former owner of the San Jose Sharks crashed near San Jose, Costa Rica, killing six people, authorities said Saturday. No survivors were reported.

The pilot was Greg Gund, 32, said Miguel Corrales, an official with the Costa Rica Coast Guard.

George Gund, former owner of the NHL team, told the Associated Press that he held out little hope that his son had survived.

•Island Sand charged past Gunther and pacesetting Two Trail Sioux in mid-stretch to post a 3 3/4 -length victory in the $1 million Grade II Delaware Handicap in Stanton, Del.