Murray defeats Roddick, takes Qatar Open title
tennis
Andy Murray won his second straight Qatar Open after defeating Andy Roddick, 6-4, 6-2, in Doha yesterday. Murray, ranked fourth, converted all three break points against No. 8 Roddick in the tuneup ahead of the Australian Open. Murray broke Roddick to go up 3-2 in the opening set and used two more breaks in the second to take a 4-1 lead. Roddick's only break-point chance came with Murray serving for the match, but the Scotsman saved it with an ace and clinched the title with a backhand winner down the line. Murray, who beat Roger Federer in the semifinals and defeated Federer and top-ranked Rafael Nadal last week in an exhibition in Abu Dhabi, downplayed talk that he's the favorite heading into the Australian Open, which begins Jan. 19. "I feel good going into the Australian Open but after what happened last year, I don't want to get too carried away," said Murray, who lost in the first round.
Australian Open:: Men's and women's singles champions will earn $1.42 million at the Australian Open, which is increasing overall prize money by 12 percent. The losing singles finalists will received $706,300.
Ogilvy distances himself in Mercedes-Benz tourney
et cetera
Geoff Ogilvy ran off three straight birdies on the back nine and shot an 8-under-par 65 in Kapalua, Hawaii, to make the rest of the winners-only field at the Mercedes-Benz Championship feel as though they were playing for second. The wind switched directions, making Kapalua play entirely different. What didn't change was the name atop the leader board. Leading by one shot to start the third round, Ogilvy played bogey-free for the second time in three rounds and wound up at 19-under 200, six shots ahead of Justin Leonard and D.J. Trahan as he tries to win the PGA Tour's season-opening event.
More golf:: Annika Sorenstam and Mike McGee were married in Orlando, Fla., four weeks after the Swedish golf star ended her Hall of Fame career.
Horse racing:: Sondra Bender's Access Fee sped to the lead and scored an easy victory in the $50,000 What A Summer Stakes for fillies and mares at Laurel Park. Sent to post as the favorite against nine others under jockey Jose Caraballo, Access Fee remained unbeaten at Laurel Park with her 4 3/4 -length victory in 1 minute, 10.31 seconds over the fast main track. The daughter of Menifee paid $3.60. All Giving rallied to take second, and Now It Begins finished third. ... Laurel Park will not be open for live racing Wednesday so it can card a nine-race program Jan. 19 for the Martin Luther King holiday. Laurel and Pimlico Race Course will be open for simulcasting, which will include a special 14-race card from San Isidro in Argentina.
College football: : Louisville defensive coordinator Bill Miller has left the Cardinals to take a co-defensive coordinator position at Kansas.
Soccer: : David Beckham won't start today in his Serie A debut against AS Roma. "Beckham is ready to play even though he's been inactive for two months, but it's difficult to start him in the match against Roma," AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti told the ANSA news agency.
