Nadal and Williams win easily in Rome

ROME (Reuters) - Rafa Nadal made short work of his great rival Roger Federer to win the Italian Open, his sixth trophy of the year, 6-1 6-3 on Sunday.

McDowell tames Thongchai to win first World Match Play

KAVARNA, Bulgaria (Reuters) - Britain's Graeme McDowell came from behind to win his maiden World Match Play Championship with a 2 & 1 victory over Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee on Sunday.

Emotional swansong for Beckham in Paris

PARIS (Reuters) - A capacity crowd chanting his name, the Eiffel Tower in the background: even by his own glamorous standards, David Beckham got a special send-off on Saturday as he headed into retirement with another title in the bag.

Australia's Griffin wins weather-hit event in South Korea

(Reuters) - Australian Matthew Griffin won the SK Telecom Open at South Korea's Jeju Island by one shot after Sunday's final round was called off due to heavy fog.

Sharks win in overtime to get on board against Kings

(Reuters) - Logan Couture scored early in overtime to help the San Jose Sharks to a 2-1 victory over the Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings in Game Three of the NHL's Western Conference semi-finals on Saturday.

Indians walk off with win over Seattle again

(Reuters) - The Cleveland Indians beat the Seattle Mariners in a walk-off for the second successive day with a 5-4 victory on Saturday.

Oxbow wins Preakness Stakes, Orb fourth

BALTIMORE (Reuters) - Oxbow, a 15-1 longshot ridden masterfully by 50-year-old Hall of Famer Gary Stevens, cruised to an easy, wire-to-wire victory in the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, denying a Triple Crown bid for Kentucky Derby champion Orb.

McGaughey says it just wasn't Orb's day

BALTIMORE (Reuters) - Orb's disappointing fourth-place finish in the Preakness Stakes meant it just wasn't his day, trainer Shug McGaughey said on Saturday.

Carpenter slays IndyCar giants to win 500 pole

(Reuters) - Ed Carpenter upstaged IndyCar's biggest names and teams on Saturday to grab pole for the 97th Indianapolis 500.

Bradley remains in charge despite late bogey

(Reuters) - Former champion Keegan Bradley overcame a wobbly start to stay on track for a wire-to-wire victory at the Byron Nelson Championship in Irving, Texas, despite bogeying the par-four 18th for a third day in a row on Saturday.

Oxbow wins the Preakness Stakes, Orb fourth

BALTIMORE (Reuters) - Oxbow, a 15-1 longshot ridden masterfully by 50-year-old Hall of Famer Gary Stevens, cruised to an easy, wire-to-wire victory in the $1 million Preakness Stakes on Saturday.

Nadal to meet Federer in Rome final, Serena rolls on

ROME (Reuters) - Roger Federer will meet great rival Rafa Nadal in the Italian Open final after the Swiss held off a spirited challenge by unseeded Frenchman Benoit Paire on Saturday.

Sharks fined $100,000 for comments on Torres suspension

(Reuters) - The San Jose Sharks were fined $100,000 for public comments made by general manager Doug Wilson over the suspension of forward Raffi Torres, the National Hockey League said on Saturday.

Swiss fairytale continues as they set up Sweden final

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Switzerland's fairytale run at the world ice hockey championships continued on Saturday when they reached the final thanks to a 3-0 victory over United States.

Red Wings rally past Blackhawks to level series

(Reuters) - The Detroit Red Wings spotted the Chicago Blackhawks an early lead then struck for four unanswered goals to claim a 4-1 win on Saturday and even their Western Conference semi-final at a game each.

Pass rusher Freeney agrees two-year deal with Chargers

(Reuters) - Veteran pass rusher Dwight Freeney, a seven-time Pro Bowl selection, has agreed to a two-year deal with the San Diego Chargers, the National Football League (NFL) team said on Saturday.

An inconvenience for Colsaerts as he loses to McDowell

KAVARNA, Bulgaria (Reuters) - Britain's Graeme McDowell and South African Branden Grace set up a mouth-watering showdown in the semi-finals of the World Match Play Championship by winning on Saturday.

Staal avoids surgery to repair damaged knee

(Reuters) - Carolina Hurricanes captain Eric Staal will not require surgery to repair knee ligament damage sustained while playing for Canada at the ice hockey world championships, the National Hockey League team said on Saturday.

Dane Hoyer Larsen elected BWF president

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Badminton's world governing body (BWF) will create a separate commission to deal with match-fixing problems, Poul-Erik Hoyer Larsen said after being elected president on Saturday.

Kuroda inspires Yankees, Detroit edge Rangers

(Reuters) - Japanese ace Hiroki Kuroda pulled out his best performance of the season as the New York Yankees cruised to a 5-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday.

Crosby hat-trick helps Penguins to 2-0 series lead

(Reuters) - Captain Sidney Crosby scored a hat-trick as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Ottawa Senators 4-3 in Game Two of the National Hockey League Eastern Conference semi-finals on Friday.

America's Cup team calls for changes to make regatta safer

ALAMEDA, California (Reuters) - The head of the Italian sailing team in the America's Cup called on Friday for lowering limits on wind speeds and other safety measures to make the regatta less dangerous following a deadly accident last week.

Bradley stays in charge, Guan exits

(Reuters) - Former champion Keegan Bradley maintained a three-shot lead in Friday's second round of the Byron Nelson Championship in Irving, Texas after grinding his way to a one-under-par 69 in increasingly tricky conditions.

Hall of Famer Venturi dies aged 82

(Reuters) - Former U.S. Open champion and television broadcaster Ken Venturi, a 14-times winner on the PGA Tour, died on Friday at the age of 82 following various health complications.

Ferguson praises 'amazing' Beckham's longevity

(Reuters) - David Beckham's longevity and his ability to reinvent himself were "absolutely incredible", retiring Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has said.

Gritty Kings find a way to keep winning in the playoffs

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A year ago, the unfancied Los Angeles Kings delivered their own unforgettable Cinderella story as they beat the odds en route to claiming the franchise's first Stanley Cup.

Djokovic crumbles to defeat against Berdych in Rome

(Reuters) - Czech Tomas Berdych snapped a run of 11 consecutive defeats by world number one Novak Djokovic to reach the semi-finals of the Rome Masters before Rafa Nadal was stretched to the limit against David Ferrer on Friday.

Gillis sizzles at the Byron Nelson, China's Guan fades

(Reuters) - American journeyman Tom Gillis rocketed into the early clubhouse lead in Friday's second round of the Byron Nelson Championship in Irving, Texas, where China's 14-year-old Guan Tianlang was certain to miss the cut.

America's Cup sailing suspended for review of boats and dangers

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Clouds hung over the America's Cup sailing regatta on Friday after investigators asked the teams to temporarily halt practicing on blustery San Francisco bay following a deadly accident last week.

Jones knocks out Lebedev to reclaim crown

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Former champion Guillermo Jones of Panama stopped title holder Denis Lebedev with seconds remaining in the 11th round to reclaim his WBA cruiserweight crown from the Russian on Friday.