In brief: Hantuchova wins Pacific Life title
Daniela Hantuchova won her second Pacific Life Open championship in five years Saturday at Indian Wells, Calif., and just her second tour title.
Hantuchova, the 2002 champion at Indian Wells, defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3, 6-4 in the final this time to end her long winless streak.
No. 18 Hantuchova, who upset Martina Hingis in the championship match for her only previous title, used steady, accurate groundstrokes and timely net play for the victory over No. 4 Kuznetsova, the 2004 U.S. Open champion.
Rafael Nadal needed just 73 minutes to defeat Andy Roddick in their men’s semifinal, winning 6-4, 6-3.
In the other semifinal, Novak Djokovic defeated Andy Murray 6-2, 6-3 in a battle of 19-year-olds.
Football
Titans get Harper
Nick Harper is going from the Super Bowl champion Colts to a division rival, the Tennessee Titans.
The free-agent cornerback agreed to a three-year deal with the Titans on Tuesday, Harpers’s agent Ian Greengross said.
The 5-foot-10 Harper spent the past six seasons with Indianapolis. The 32-year-old had three interceptions and 58 tackles last season as a starter.
“Free-agent linebacker Cato June signed a contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The fifth-year pro spent his first four seasons with Indianapolis. He started 45 of 56 games he appeared in with the Colts and has 10 career interceptions. He made a team-high 162 tackles in 2006.
Winter sports
Mancuso falls short
Julia Mancuso fell out of contention for the World Cup overall title at Lenzerheide, Switzerland, finishing 16th in the season’s final slalom and ending her bid to become the first American woman to win the crown in 24 years.
Austria’s Nicole Hosp won the slalom to overtake teammate Marlies Schild in the overall standings.
Mancuso secured third place overall, but did not win any points because she didn’t place among the top 15 in the final.
“Norway’s Aksel Lund Svindal won the season’s final giant slalom at Lenzerheide, Switzerland, to capture the discipline title and overtake Benjamin Raich for the lead in the overall standings.
Svindal tops the overall rankings with 1,252 points. Raich is second with 1,155 and must win today’s slalom – the last race of the year – and hope Svindal finishes out of the top 15.
Bode Miller of the United States, who was seventh after the opening run, vaulted to third place after a sizzling second trip down the Silvano Beltrametti course.
Wrestling
Minnesota takes title
Heavyweight Cole Konrad won his second straight national championship to help Minnesota win the NCAA wrestling title at Auburn Hills, Mich.
Minnesota finished with 98 points, 9.5 ahead of Iowa State. The Cyclones had three wrestlers in the championship round, but a pair of losses kept them from claiming the title.
Horse racing
Street Sense wins
Finally making his 3-year-old debut, Street Sense gamely held off Any Given Saturday at the finish to win the $300,000 Tampa Bay Derby at Oldsmar, Fla.
The victory reaffirmed that Street Sense just may be the horse to beat in the Kentucky Derby on May 5.
Street Sense, ridden by Calvin Borel, covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.11, and returned $4.40 to win.
“Cobalt Blue won the San Felipe Stakes by two lengths at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., and moved onto the Derby trail with his third victory in four career starts.
With Victor Espinoza aboard for the first time, Cobalt Blue covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.46.
Boxing
Frenchman wins title
Jean-Marc Mormeck won the world cruiserweight championship, unanimously outpointing defending champion O’Neil Bell of Jamaica in Lavallois, France.
Bell, who had beaten Mormeck last year, lost his WBA and WBC belts when the judges scored it 115-113, 116-112, 115-113 in the Frenchman’s favor.
“At Las Vegas, Daniel Ponce De Leon of Mexico retained his WBO 122-pound title with a unanimous decision over Gerry Penalosa.