cycling
Belkov wins ninth stage; Nibali retains Giro lead
FLORENCE, Italy – Maxim Belkov of Russia won the ninth stage of the Giro d’Italia on Sunday with a superb solo performance, and Vincenzo Nibali retained the overall lead.
Belkov, who rides for Katusha, won in 4 hours, 31 minutes and 31 seconds, beating Carlos Betancur by 44 seconds following a long solo escape on the wet and hilly 170-kilometer (106-mile) ride from San Sepolcro to Florence. Jarlinson Pantano was third, 46 seconds behind Belkov.
The 28-year-old Belkov attacked 31 miles from the finish and maintained his advantage for his first Grand Tour stage victory.
Nibali finished 10th on the stage to retain the overall leader’s pink jersey. Defending champion Ryder Hesjedal has dropped out of the top 10 and is now more than three minutes behind Nibali.
Westra outsprints Mancebo to lead Tour of California
ESCONDIDO, Calif. – Lieuwe Westra of the Netherlands easily outsprinted Spanaird Francisco Mancebo to claim the sweltering and hilly Stage 1 and assumed the overall race Sunday lead at the Amgen Tour of California.
Westra, an eight-year pro who claimed his 12th career win, completed the 102.6-mile Escondido road race in 4 hours, 31 minutes and 33 seconds as temperatures reached into the high 90s.
Hockey
U.S., Canada, Russia, Swiss moving on at worlds
HELSINKI – The United States, Canada, Russia and Switzerland clinched quarterfinal berths at the hockey world championships Sunday.
The Americans beat Germany 3-0.
Bobby Butler and Paul Stastny scored within the first five minutes for the U.S., and Stephen Gionta put the game away midway through the third period. John Gibson finished with 30 saves.
Jeff Skinner scored the game-winner in the third period in Canada’s 2-1 win over the Czech Republic.
Skinner went around the net for a wraparound goal against the Czechs. Wayne Simmonds gave Canada the lead in the first period before Petr Koukal tied it six minutes later.
Reigning champion Russia came back after two losses to beat Slovakia 3-1, and unbeaten Switzerland defeated Norway 3-1 to win its sixth game.
Auto Racing
Alonso thrills home fans in Spanish Grand Prix win
BARCELONA, Spain – Fernando Alonso won the Spanish Grand Prix in front of his home fans on Sunday to close the gap on championship leader Sebastian Vettel and get back in the Formula One title race.
Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen finished second for the third consecutive race, with Alonso’s Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa in third as most drivers chose a four-stop strategy because of an ongoing problem with Pirelli’s fast-degrading tires. That issue remains a big concern as tires still shred far too easily despite pre-race modifications.
Tennis
Williams and Nadal claim championships in Madrid
MADRID – Serena Williams kept the No. 1 and added No. 50.
Williams beat Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-4 in the final of the Madrid Open Sunday to retain her No. 1 ranking and collect her 50th career title, while Rafael Nadal eased by Stanislas Wawrinka 6-2, 6-4 for his fifth title since returning from a knee injury.
The second-ranked Sharapova would have overtaken the top ranking with a win, but Williams stormed out to an early lead as Sharapova struggled with her serve.
Despite Sharapova briefly recovering her poise in the second set, Williams’ form never dipped as she eased to the title.
Cheered on by the home crowd at the Caja Magica, the fifth-ranked Nadal cruised to his 55th career title.
Associated Press
