Tennis: World number one Serena Williams claimed her seventh WTA title of the year by beating eighth seed Johanna Larsson to win the Collector Swedish Open in Bastad yesterday. The American, knocked out in the fourth round at Wimbledon, bounced back to claim her 51st match win of the year with a 6-4 6-1 success.
Boxing: Britain’s Dereck Chisora claimed the vacant WBO international heavyweight title with a bizarre sixth-round stoppage of previously unbeaten American Malik Scott at Wembley Arena late Saturday. The 29-year-old (17-4, 11 KOs) was on the front foot from the start and had Scott (35-1-1, 12 KOs) nursing swelling under his right eye after round one. After a closely fought fifth round, Chisora floored Scott with a right hook. The 32-year-old appeared able to continue, but did not get up until the referee had reached nine in his count and the contest was over.
Diving: Germany ended China’s domination of men’s 10 metres synchronised diving at the world championships when Patrick Hausding and Sascha Klein improved on their silver medal from 2011 to clinch the title in Barcelona yesterday. At the hill-top Montjuic pool with its spectacular views over the Catalan city, Chinese pair Cao Yuan and Zhang Yanquan unexpectedly had to settle for bronze behind Russian silver medallists Victor Minibaev and Artem Chesakov after fluffing their fourth dive.
Snooker: Ali Carter will return to tournament snooker at the Shanghai Masters after being given the all-clear from testicular cancer. The 33-year-old underwent an operation shortly after making his cancer diagnosis public on July 1 and he later sought a follow-up examination from his oncologist. His decision to return for September’s ranking event gives Carter two more months to recuperate.
Rugby League: Hull’s Australian forward Ben Galea has announced his retirement with immediate effect. The 34-year-old second rower had planned to hang up his boots at the end of the season, the 15th of his career, but a torn pectoral muscle sustained in Hull’s Challenge Cup quarter-final win over Catalan Dragons in Perpignan last weekend has prompted him to bring forward his retirement. In all, Galea made 15 appearances for the Black and Whites after joining them from city rivals Hull KR at the end of last season.
Basket, NBA: A memorabilia dispute between Los Angeles Lakers basketball star player Kobe Bryant and his parents officially ended when the settled items were sold at an auction, reports said last weekend. Among the items Bryant allowed Goldin Auctions to sell were two duplicate versions of Bryant’s 2000 NBA championship rings that were originally gifts for his parents. One of the rings sold for $174,184 while the other fetched $108,153. ESPN reported that the larger ring, intended for Bryant’s father, was 14-karat gold, surrounded by 28 diamonds and was a size 11 1/2. Also, two of Bryant’s high school basketball jerseys sold for more than $40,000 each.
Motorcycling: Italian rider Andrea Antonelli died after a high-speed crash on the opening lap of a World Supersport Championship race at the Moscow Raceway yesterday. Antonelli suffered a head wound when he came off his Kawasaki at 250kph in torrential rain on the opening lap and was hit by a following rider. The 25-year-old Antonelli died after being taken to the circuit’s medical centre. Officials called off the race, and the day’s headline World Superbike Cham-pionship event.
MotoGP: Germany’s Stefan Bradl stole the pole for the US Grand Prix from MotoGP cham-pionship leader Marc Marquez on Saturday after the Spaniard crashed late in qualifying on the tricky Laguna Seca circuit. Factory Honda rider Marquez had been poised to take the position but slid off the track with just four minutes remaining. The mistake opened the door for Bradl, who turned in a blistering lap of one minute 21.176 seconds on his non-works LCR Honda to bump Marquez and claim his first career MotoGP pole in his second season in the top category.