Federer, Nadal advance to final

Rafael Nadal won a three-set struggle with Novak Djokovic to protect his No. 2 ranking Saturday and advance to the Hamburg Masters final in Hamburg, Germany, against the world’s top-ranked player.

Nadal will face No. 1 Roger Federer in today’s final, a rematch of last year’s championship match in which Federer won his fourth Hamburg title and ended Nadal’s‘ 81-match winning streak on clay.

Nadal and Federer reached the final in contrasting fashion.

Federer overwhelmed Andreas Seppi 6-3, 6-1. Nadal had to fight for more than three hours to defeat the third-ranked Djokovic 7-5, 2-6, 6-2.

•Maria Sharapova pulled out of the Italian Open semifinals in Rome because of a strained left calf, two days before she is to assume the No. 1 ranking following Justine Henin’s retirement.

Sharapova said the injury would not affect her preparations for the French Open, which begins next weekend.

“I don’t think so. It’s a strain,” the second-seeded Russian said.

Sharapova had been scheduled to play defending champion Jelena Jankovic. In today’s final, Jankovic will meet France’s Alize Cornet.

Cornet became the first female qualifier to reach the Italian Open final in several decades by defeating sixth-seeded Anna Chakvetadze 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.

On Friday, Serena Williams withdrew from the quarterfinals with a back problem.

Hockey

Finland wins bronze at worlds

Finland beat Sweden 4-0 for the bronze medal at the IIHF World Hockey Championship in Quebec City behind first-period goals by Antti Pihlstrom and Janne Niskala and 36 saves by Niklas Backstrom.

Canada and Russia play for the gold medal today. The countries have never met in a world championship final.

Pihlstrom added his second goal of the game and fifth of the tournament in the third period and Mikko Koivu scored in an empty net. Finland was outshot 36-13.

Finland lost to Russia 4-0 Friday in the semifinals. It has won a medal at three consecutive world championships, taking the silver last year and the bronze in 2006.

Soccer

Portsmouth takes FA Cup title

Portsmouth won its first title in 69 years by beating Cardiff 1-0 in the FA Cup final in Wembley, England.

Nwankwo Kanu pounced on a blunder by goalkeeper Peter Enckelman to tap in the winner from 2 yards out in the 37th minute, giving manager Harry Redknapp his first major trophy in 25 years of coaching.

The win also gave Portsmouth a place in next season’s UEFA Cup, the first time the club has qualified for European play.

Portsmouth last won the FA Cup – the world’s oldest domestic cup competition – in 1939, while Cardiff’s only triumph was in 1927. Cardiff, which plays in the division below the Premier League, was trying to become the first lower-league team since 1980 to win the FA Cup.

Olympics

Roach, Haworth top weightlifting

Melanie Roach was supposed to make her first Olympic team in 2000.

Eight years later, she could truly appreciate the thrill.

The 33-year-old mother of three finally fulfilled her Olympic dream, having overcome the back injury that ruined her expected trip to Sydney.

Roach was the top-rated lifter at the U.S. weightlifting trials in Atlanta, claiming one of four female spots allotted to the Americans. She’ll be joined in Beijing by Carissa Gump, Natalie Woolfolk and third-time Olympian Cheryl Haworth.

The three-member U.S. men’s team also was decided at Georgia Tech. Kendrick Farris was the top-rated qualifier, followed by Chad Vaughn and Casey Burgener.