In brief: Federer triumphs at Dubai Open
Roger Federer won the Dubai Open Saturday, beating Mikhail Youzhny of Russia 6-4, 6-3 in the final at Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Federer won his 41st straight match, tying Bjorn Borg for the fourth-longest streak in the Open era.
“Top-seeded Justine Henin of Belgium won the Qatar Open with a 6-4, 6- 2 win over Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova at Doha, Qatar.
“Maybe I have a mental block when I play Justine,” said Kuznetsova, who has lost 14 of their 15 clashes.
“Fourth-seeded Jurgen Melzer of Austria ended Evgeny Korolev’s eventful run in the Tennis Channel Open at Las Vegas, beating the unseeded Russian 6-7 (4), 6-2, 7-6 (4) to reach his sixth ATP Tour final.
Figure skating
Zhang wins Juniors
American Caroline Zhang won the girls title in the Junior World Figure Skating Championships in Oberstdorf, Germany, leading an American sweep.
Mirai Nagasu was second and Ashley Wagner finished third.
The 13-year-old Zhang finished with 110.08 points in the free stake, beating her previous personal best of 106.40. Her total score was 169.25 points.
Horse racing
Scat Daddy wins
Scat Daddy established himself as a top Kentucky Derby contender with a narrow victory in the Fountain of Youth Stakes at Hallandale Beach, Fla.
The 3-year-old colt closed with a rush to edge Stormello by a nose.
Scat Daddy, ridden by John Velazquez, won in 1:49.11 and paid $13.80, $6.20 and $2.80. Stormello, sent cross-country to take on the best in the East, returned $6.20 and $3.
“Great Hunter used his late-running style effectively to earn a 1 1/4-length victory in the $200,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes in Arcadia, Calif., confirming the 3-year-old colt’s status as a Kentucky Derby threat.
Making his 2007 debut, Great Hunter covered 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.89 and paid $3.80, $2.60 and $2.20 as the 4-5 wagering favorite at Santa Anita.
Soccer
Scarf issue ends
Soccer’s rule makers decided that no player can wear a head scarf on the field.
The International Football Association Board was asked at its annual meeting in Manchester, England, to rule on a decision to ban an 11-year-old Muslim Canadian girl from playing in a tournament near Montreal last weekend because she was wearing a head scarf.
“If you play football there’s a set of laws and rules, and law 4 outlines the basic equipment,” said Brian Barwick, chief executive of the English Football Association. “It’s absolutely right to be sensitive to people’s thoughts and philosophies, but equally there has to be a set of laws that are adhered to, and we favor law 4 being adhered to.”
Miscellany
Raich gains
Defending World Cup overall champion Benjamin Raich was trailing Aksel Lund Svindal in the giant slalom and overall standings heading into this weekend’s races at Kranjska Gora, Slovenia.
But after winning a giant slalom, Raich leads the discipline standings and is only three points behind Svindal for the World Cup overall lead.
“Olympic champions Dale Begg-Smith of Australia and Jennifer Heil of Canada won the last World Cup moguls races of the season at Voss, Norway.
“Colombia’s Alejandro Berrio won the vacant IBF super middleweight title in Rostock, Germany, stopping previously undefeated Robert Stieglitz in the third round.
“American gymnast Shawn Johnson spent the last two years dominating junior competition. She might be on the verge of doing the same at the next level.
Johnson, the 4-foot-6, 85-pounder nicknamed Peanut, won her debut as a senior, topping a teammate and the international competition at the American Cup in Jacksonville, Fla. She also helped give the United States a sweep as Jonathan Horton claimed the men’s title by winning the event for the second year in a row.