Williams wins Sony Ericsson
Serena Williams screamed at herself, broke her racket and then finally finished off Jelena Jankovic 6-1, 5-7, 6-3 Saturday in Key Biscayne, Fla., for her fifth title at the Sony Ericsson Open.
Williams survived some shaky play down the stretch and an improbable comeback by Jankovic, who trailed 5-3 in the second set. Williams closed out the elusive victory on her eighth championship point with an overhead slam.
Williams, who grew up in nearby Palm Beach Gardens, also won the tournament in 2002-04 and 2007. She matched Steffi Graf’s record of five women’s titles here, while Andre Agassi won the tournament six times.
Rafael Nadal and Nikolay Davydenko each will seek a first Key Biscayne title when they meet in the men’s final today.
Football
Wright released
Cleveland Browns defensive back Kenny Wright was released from jail after posting $5,000 bail following a foot chase and arrest for a disturbance outside a police station in Pearland, Texas.
Wright was charged with unlawful restraint, evading arrest and possessing marijuana. Police said they found marijuana in his vehicle.
The unlawful restraint charge carries a maximum penalty of a year in jail, while the other counts carry terms up to six months.
•Cornerback and kick returner Chris Carr officially joined the Tennessee Titans when the Oakland Raiders declined to match Tennessee’s offer sheet.
Miscellany
Phelps wins 400
Michael Phelps, winner of six gold medals and two bronzes at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, slept through a preliminary heat for the 400-meter free earlier in the day but came back to win the 400 individual medley at night in the Columbus Grand Prix at Columbus, Ohio.
Phelps breezed to his win in the 400 IM in 4 minutes, 13.73 seconds, more than 3 seconds faster than runner-up Erik Vendt.
•Mario Vazquez Rana, the head of an organization that oversees 205 national Olympic committees, said politicians who encourage a boycott of the Beijing Games are making “a serious error.”
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has not ruled out the possibility of boycotting the opening ceremony if China continues its crackdown in Tibet.
•Canadian Steve Molitor successfully defended his IBF junior featherweight title at Rama, Ontario, ununanimously outpointing Mexico’s Fernando Beltran Jr. to improve to 27-0.
•Felix Sturm stopped Jamie Pittman of Australia in the seventh round in a one-sided defense of his WBA middleweight title at Duesseldorf, Germany.
•A woman who claims Michael Jordan fathered her child wants the former NBA star to submit to a third paternity test.
Lisa Miceli also is asking a judge to lift a temporary restraining order imposed after Jordan filed a harassment suit against her.
Miceli claims Jordan fathered her 4-year-old son, but Jordan’s lawsuit says a pair of 2005 paternity tests rules him out as the father.
•Iya Gavrilova scored two goals in the third period to lead Russia to a 5-3 win over host China at the World Women’s Ice Hockey Championship at Harbin, China.
•Gymnastics world champion Diego Hypolito was undergoing tests to see if he has become ill from the outbreak of dengue fever sweeping Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
•Two-time Olympian Abdi Abdirahman successfully defended his 10-kilometer road racing national championship in Richmond, Va., finishing in 28 minutes, 32 seconds.
•Abby Wambach had three goals to lead the United States to a 6-0 victory over Jamaica on Friday night in its opening Group A game in the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament at Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.