Blake upset by qualifier in Delray Beach final

Qualifier Kei Nishikori became the first Japanese man to win an ATP title in 16 years by upsetting top-seeded James Blake 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in the International Tennis Championships final on Sunday in Delray Beach, Fla.

“I still can’t believe it that I beat James Blake,” the 18-year-old Nishikori told the crowd. “I’ve only seen him on TV.”

With the win, the 244th-ranked Nishikori is expected to move to a No. 122 ranking. He is the youngest player to win an ATP title since Lleyton Hewitt won Adelaide as a 16-year-old in 1998.

Blake, 10 years older than Nishikori and currently ranked 12th, has failed to capture the title in two consecutive final appearances at the ITC. Blake was the third top-seeded player to reach the final at this tournament since it began in 1993. None of the three captured the title.

•Belgian Justin Henin won the title at the Diamond Games in Antwerp, Belgium, by beating Karin Knapp of Italy 6-3, 6-3. The win was Henin’s 41st career title, and she has now won the last 10 finals she has played in.

•Fourth-seeded Andy Murray beat Mario Ancic of Croatia 6-3, 6-4 to win the Open 13 in Marseille, France, for his fifth career title.

•Second-seeded Nicolas Almagro of Spain fought off a comeback attempt by countryman Carlos Moya to win the Brazil Open 7-6 (4), 3-6, 7-5 in Costa do Sauipe, Brazil.

Swimming

Hoff sets record

Katie Hoff set her second American record in as many days when she and six-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps each cruised to a pair of victories at the Missouri Grand Prix in Columbia, Mo.

Hoff set an American record in the 200-meter freestyle, finishing in 1 minute, 56.08 seconds to defeat five-time Olympic medalist Natalie Coughlin for the second time in two days. Coughlin set the previous mark.

Phelps finished in 4 minutes, 14.08 seconds in the 400 individual medley. Phelps’ time was nearly eight seconds off his personal best, which is a world record.

Coughlin set a world record in the 100-meter backstroke during a preliminary race on Sunday night. She finished in 59.21 seconds, lowering her previous world record in the event by 0.23 seconds.

•Australian Eamon Sullivan broke the 50-meter freestyle world record, finishing in 21.56 seconds at the New South Wales Open meet in Sydney, Australia.

Sullivan took 0.08 seconds off the previous record of 21.64, set in 2000 by Russian Alexander Popov.

Miscellany

Miller fails to score

Austrian Mario Matt, a two-time world champion, won the inaugural men’s World Cup slalom in Zagreb, Croatia, with a time of 1 minute, 51.36 seconds.

American Bode Miller, the overall World Cup leader, nearly crashed out in the first run. Although Miller managed to stay on his skis, he finished outside the top 30 and did not qualify for the second run, meaning he failed to pick up any points from the race.

Miller’s closest overall challenger, Benjamin Raich of Austria, fell in the second heat, finished 26th and did not gain significant ground on Miller.

•American Shani Davis broke the track record in winning his second 1,000 meter race in two days in World Cup speedskating in Inzell, Germany.

The Olympic champion finished in 1 minute, 9.65 seconds – 0.39 seconds off his world record.

•Buffalo Bills receiver Roscoe Parrish, 25, was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence on Saturday in Miami. Parrish was a second-round pick of the Bills in 2005.