Safin leads Russia to Davis Cup title

Admitting he was downright scared, Marat Safin composed himself and won the Davis Cup title for Russia.

The two-time Grand Slam champion had 16 aces in beating Jose Acasuso 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5) on Sunday at Moscow in the fifth and deciding match, giving Russia a 3-2 decision over Argentina for its second Davis Cup crown.

David Nalbandian, who beat Safin on Friday, won the opening reverse singles match Sunday to make it 2-2. The eighth-ranked Argentine downed Nikolay Davydenko 6-2, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 to put Safin on the spot.

Russia won its only previous title four years ago in France. Argentina lost in its only previous final, to the United States in 1981.

Skiing

Swede wins slalom

Sweden’s Andre Myhrer won a slalom for his first World Cup victory, preserving his lead on a chopped-up Birds of Prey course in Beaver Creek, Colo., during the second run.

Myhrer was followed by Canada’s Michael Janyk and Germany’s Felix Neureuther on a day when U.S. skiers did not deliver before home fans.

Bode Miller, who on Friday won a World Cup downhill for the first time in two years, left the course 37 seconds into his opening run.

U.S. teammate Ted Ligety, the Olympic combined champion who was third in Saturday’s giant slalom, was second going into the final leg but straddled a gate. The top American was Jimmy Cochran in 22nd place.

“Austria’s Renate Goetschl won the first super-G of the World Cup season, with Lindsey Kildow the runner-up in yet another strong finish at Lake Louise, Alberta.

Kildow had dominated the two downhills, winning Saturday and placing second Friday behind Germany’s Maria Riesch.

In the super-G, Goetschl won in 1 minute, 20.86 seconds and was followed by Kildow of the U.S. in 1:21.73. Kelly VanderBeek was third in 1:21.77, becoming the first Canadian woman to reach the Lake Louise podium since 1989.

Volleyball

Brazil repeats

Defending champion Brazil beat Poland in straight sets to win the men’s volleyball world championships in Tokyo.

Bulgaria captured the bronze medal, and the United States finished 10th, one place lower than in 2002 and 1998. The Americans lost to Germany 25-17, 25-18, 25-27, 20-25, 17-15 in the match for ninth place.

“For us this has been a very difficult couple of weeks,” U.S. coach Hugh McCutcheon said. “We have performed below our expectations and below what our standard of play is.”

Miscellany

Gauchos get big upset

Nick Perera had a goal and an assist and unseeded UC-Santa Barbara beat UCLA 2-1 in St. Louis in the Men’s College Cup title game to win the program’s first national title and second championship in school history.

“Casey Nogueira had a goal and an assist to lead the North Carolina past Notre Dame 2-1 in the Women’s College Cup title game at Cary, N.C.

It was North Carolina’s 18th NCAA soccer championship.

“Jeff Tyrrell scored as time expired to lift California to its 12th NCAA men’s water polo championship with a 7-6 victory over Southern California at Los Angeles.

“Charles Kiplogat pulled away in the second half of the race to win the Marathon of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Former Russian Olympic marathoner Ramilia Burangulova, now 45 and living in Tampa, won the women’s race in 2 hours, 49 minutes, 21 seconds – more than 27 minutes ahead of any other woman in the field.

Kiplogat, a Kenyan now living in Santa Fe, N.M., finished in 2:25:34. “Ethiopia’s Haile Gebrselassie won the Fukuoka International Marathon in Fukuoka, Japan, barely missing out on a meet record.

Gebrselassie, winner of this year’s Berlin Marathon, crossed the finish line in 2 hours, 06 minutes, 52 seconds.