n a four-game slide. Sudburys Troy Timpano m

[lw789]

AUCKLAND, New Zealand - Venus Williams turned back the clock with a vintage performance to beat Caroline Wozniacki 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 in Saturdays final of the ASB Classic, displaying her advanced preparation for the upcoming Australian Open.Wozniacki swept through the first set in 30 minutes on the back of a series of unforced errors by Williams and she seemed headed for her 23rd career title when she broke in the opening game of the second set.But Williams turned the momentum from the middle of the set, breaking back and then going on the offensive with a more accurate serve and with powerful forehand groundstrokes.Wozniacki continued to fight but Williams assumed the upper hand, breaking Wozniacki early in the third set, then clinching the match with a further service break after her opponent had saved two match points.Williams was playing in her first tournament since September and won a WTA title for the first time since Dubai last February, improving her head-to-head record against Wozniacki to 6-1. She reached the final in Auckland last year, losing in three sets for former No. 1 Ana Ivanovic.Caroline and I were training next to each other in Florida recently and I saw how hard she works, Williams said. Shed do half an hour of fitness work before she even started training and I thought I should be doing that...but I didnt. I knew it would be a tough match.She played great and I know shes going to have an amazing two weeks (at the Australian Open).Williams had swept through into the final without dropping a set, beating Jana Cepelova 6-1, 6-0, Kurumi Nara 6-4, 6-1, Elena Vesnina 6-2, 6-4 and compatriot Lauren Davis 6-0, 6-4.Wozniacki, in comparison, struggled at times to assert her authority over lower-ranked opponents, making unforced errors which left her often having to fight her way back into games.Ive played a lot of tennis here this week and done a lot of running and a lot of returning and that will be good for me in the Australian Open, Wozniacki said.In the doubles final, Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci of Italy, the worlds top-ranked combination, beat Shuko Aoyama of Japan and Renata Voracova of the Czech Republic 6-2, 6-1. .com) - Scott Parel carded a 5-under 65 on Thursday and he grabbed a 1-stroke lead after one round of the season-opening Panama Claro Championship. . "This doesnt end anything," he said. "Weve got 10-1 in our last 11 games, and were going home in first place. We just have to keep playing the way we are right now. http://www.magicauthenticshop.com/Authe ... ic-Jersey/. Vinci also beat Dulgheru last week in Bucharest en route to her first WTA final in a year. Vinci next faces sixth-seeded Kurumi Nara of Japan, who beat Czech qualifier Katerina Siniakova 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-2. No. .D. Martinezs ninth-inning sacrifice fly scored Torii Hunter with the winning run and the Detroit Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins 4-3 Sunday. . Al Harrington, another former Knicks forward, scored 22 of his 24 points after halftime for the Nuggets, allowing them to withstand Anthonys attempt to rally the Knicks after his poor shooting had them behind until the final minutes of regulation. Anthony finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds, missing 20 of 30 shots in the Knicks sixth straight loss.ST. CATHARINES, Ont. - Nicholas Baptiste scored three times as the Sudbury Wolves toppled the host Niagara IceDogs 5-3 on Sunday in Ontario Hockey League action. Trevor Carrick had a pair of goals and an assist for the Wolves (29-17-9) while Radek Faksa chipped in with three assists. Graham Knott, Matt Gillard and Eric Ming supplied the scoring for the IceDogs (18-31-7), who are on a four-game slide. Sudburys Troy Timpano made 29 saves for the win as Blake Richard kicked out 32-of-35 shots for Niagara. The Wolves failed to score on three chances with the man advantage while the IceDogs went 2 for 4. --- GENERALS 3 BATTALION 2 NORTH BAY, Ont. &mdashh; Michael Dal Colle broke a 2-2 deadlock at 19:14 of the third period as Oshawa slipped past the Battalion for its fifth win in its last six outings.dddddddddddd Josh Sterk and Cole Cassels gave the Eastern-Conference leading Generals (36-15-5) a two-goal lead 5:13 into the first period. Barclay Goodrow put North Bay (29-21-6) on the board with a shorthanded goal at 11:48 of the first and Nick Paul tied the game 1:14 into the second. Oshawas Ken Appleby made 29 saves for the victory. Jake Smith allowed two goals on four shots and was replaced by Brendan ONeill, who stopped 14-of-15 shots in 52 minutes of relief for the Battalion. --- ' ' '