Venus caps season with first WTA championship
Venus Williams rallied to win the WTA’s Sony Ericsson Championships for the first time, defeating Vera Zvonareva 6-7 (5), 6-0, 6-2 Sunday at the season-ending event in Doha, Qatar.
The Wimbledon champion took command in the last two sets with powerful serving, smashes and aggressive groundstrokes against her Russian opponent.
Williams won $1.34 million at the event, which for the first time offered the same prize money as the men at the ATP’s season-ending Masters Cup.
The first lady of Qatar, a conservative Muslim sheikdom, presented the trophy to Williams, shaking her hand and kissing her on both cheeks. “Thanks to your Royal Highness for coming. Wow!” Williams said.
Such a public appearance by a ruler’s wife is unusual in the region. Billie Jean King sat with Mozah and other dignitaries during the match and joined Williams on the court for the awards ceremony. The trophy is named for King.
•Djokovic wins at Masters Cup: Novak Djokovic ended his Masters Cup jinx, overcoming a rash of errors to defeat Juan Martin del Potro 7-5, 6-3 in the season-ending tournament’s opening round-robin match at Shanghai, China.
Djokovic failed to win a set last year in three matches, citing exhaustion from a heavy schedule in his rise to No. 3 in the world.
NBA
Celtics ruin Iverson’s home debut
The Boston Celtics showed the Detroit Pistons that Allen Iverson may not be the answer for them.
Tony Allen scored 12 of his 23 points in the pivotal second quarter, lifting Boston to an 88-76 win over Detroit at Auburn Hills, Mich.
Iverson was given a standing ovation when he was introduced for the first time as a Piston at The Palace, the frenzied fans so loud the public-address announcer couldn’t be heard.
•Knicks hand Jazz first loss: Jamal Crawford scored 32 points, and the Knicks ended the Utah’s undefeated start with a 107-99 victory at New York.
Zach Randolph had 25 points and 14 rebounds for the Knicks (4-2), who moved two games over .500 for the first time since they were 16-14 on Jan. 1, 2005.
Utah (5-1) was trying to start 6-0 for the first time since the lockout-delayed 1998-99 season.
•Lakers rout Rockets: Kobe Bryant scored 23 points, Pau Gasol added 20 points and 15 rebounds, and the unbeaten Lakers routed the Houston Rockets 111-82 at Los Angeles.
Jordan Farmar added 16 points and six assists and Andrew Bynum had 13 points and seven rebounds for the Lakers, who shot 65.8 percent in the second half. Los Angeles has won its five games by an average of 22.4 points.
•Dizziness sidelines Stuckey: Detroit Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey felt dizzy and lightheaded late in the first half and did not return to play against the Boston Celtics at Auburn Hills, Mich.
Stuckey, a former Eastern Washington standout, squatted with discomfort in the final seconds of the second quarter, then stood up with his hands on his knees. Later, Stuckey patted his chest rapidly while talking to strength coach Arnie Kander.
“He’s fine,” Kander said.
Golf
Love ends 2-year drought
Davis Love III shot an 8-under 64 to win his first tournament in more than two years, holding off a late challenge from Tommy Gainey for a one-shot victory in the Children’s Miracle Network Classic at Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
It was the 20th career PGA Tour victory for Love, 44, giving him a lifetime exemption. Among active players, only Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson have won at least 20 times.
■Garcia wins in playoff: Sergio Garcia won the rain-delayed HSBC Champions to take the No. 2 spot in the world ranking behind Tiger Woods, beating Oliver Wilson with a birdie on the second hole of a playoff today in Shanghai, China.
Garcia forced the playoff by holing a 5-foot birdie on 18 to finish with a 4-under 68 and match Wilson at 14-under 274. Wilson, a surprise star for Europe in the Ryder Cup, reached the playoff by saving his par on 18 with a 7-footer for a 70.
Wilson was attempting to win his first European tour title.
NHL
Booth scores hat trick
David Booth scored three straight goals for his first NHL hat trick, and Craig Anderson made 44 saves to help the Florida Panthers end a six-game winless streak with a 3-1 victory over the Ducks at Anaheim, Calif.
•Sharks’ streak snapped: Olli Jokinen had two goals and an assist and the Phoenix Coyotes beat San Jose 4-2 at Glendale, Ariz., to snap the Sharks’ seven-game winning streak.
Ryane Clowe had a goal and an assist and Dan Boyle also scored for the Sharks, first overall in the NHL at 13-3-0.
Miscellany
45 PBA titles for Williams
Walter Ray Williams Jr. earned his 45th career PBA Tour title, defeating Bill O’Neill 246-202 in the Lake County Indiana Golden Anniversary Championship at Olympia Lanes in Hammond, Ind.
Williams, of Ocala, Fla., is also the career money leader with $4,030,116 in earnings.
•Kenyans sweep at Athens: Kenya’s Nicholas Paul Lekuraa set a course record to win the Athens Classic Marathon, outsprinting Julius Seurei Kiprotich in a race tracing the ancient course.
The 25-year-old Kiprotich crossed the finish line at the marble Panathenian stadium in 2 hours, 12 minutes, 42 seconds, with the 33-year-old Kiprotich of Kenya clocking the same time.
Another Kenyan, Paul Kogo, was third in 2:12:49.
Mai Tagami of Japan was the fastest woman in 2:36:58, with Elena Tikhonova of Russia second.
•Davis edged in opener: American Olympic champion Shani Davis narrowly lost to Stefan Groothuis of the Netherlands in the opening 1,000-meter race of the World Cup season at Berlin.
Groothuis finished in 1 minute, 9.13 seconds, 0.20 ahead of Davis. Simon Kuipers of the Netherlands was third in 1:09.30.
Christine Nesbitt of Canada won the women’s 1,000 in the absence of world champion Anni Friesinger of Germany, who had knee surgery and won’t race until December.
•U.S. wins hockey shootout: Erica McKenzie beat Charline Labonte in the sixth round of a shootout, and Jessie Vetter stopped Meghan Agosta with a glove save to give the United States a 3-2 victory over Canada in the Four Nations Cup final at Lake Placid, N.Y.