Hingis captures first title since return
Martina Hingis beat 16th-seeded Dinara Safina 6-2, 7-5 Sunday to win the Italian Open, her first title since coming out of retirement.
Hingis spent nearly three years out of the game with foot and ankle injuries, but returned in January. This was the 41st title of her career, but first since winning in Tokyo more than four years ago.
The victory should boost Hingis going into the French Open, which starts May 28. The Italian Open is a key clay-court tuneup for Roland Garros, the only Grand Slam that Hingis hasn’t won.
Hingis is expected to return to the top 15 in the rankings today.
•Defending champion Germany beat Italy 2-1 and Chile topped Spain 3-0 on the opening day of the World Team Cup in Duesseldorf, Germany.
The eight-nation field features 12 of the top 20 players and is split into two groups, with the winners of each group advancing to Saturday’s final.
Argentina, the Czech Republic, Germany and Italy are in the Red Group while the United States, Chile, Croatia and Spain are in the Blue Group.
•Meghann Shaughnessy of the United States won her fourth career title, beating eighth-seeded Martina Sucha of Slovakia 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 on clay at the Grand Prix SAR in Rabat, Morocco.
•Tommy Robredo beat Radek Stepanek 6-1, 6-3, 6-3 in the Hamburg (Germany) final for his first Masters Series title.
Miscellany
Sweden wins hockey world championship
Sweden shut out defending champion Czech Republic 4-0 in Riga, Latvia, to win hockey’s world championship, becoming the first country to win that title and Olympic gold in the same year. It was the eighth world title for Sweden.
In the bronze-medal game, defenseman Petteri Nummelin set up three goals to lead Finland over Canada 5-0.
•Lauren Dougher scored four goals and Rachel Gordon added three to help The College of New Jersey capture its second straight NCAA Division III lacrosse title with a 10-4 win over top-seeded Gettysburg in Hoboken, N.J.
•Luis Felipe Laverde of Colombia beat Francisco Perez of Spain in a two-way sprint to win the 14th stage of the Giro d’Italia. Overall leader Ivan Basso retained the pink jersey.
•Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison will have elbow surgery today. It will be his second surgery in recent months, after having treatment done on a wrist injury.
•Gary Kiyaka of the Republic of Congo streaked past favored Americans Derrick Brew and Leonard Byrd to win the 400 meters at the 22nd Brazilian Athletics Grand Prix in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Brazilian triple jumper Gregorio Jardel also came away with gold. U.S. sprinter Jason Smoots took gold in the 100. Jamaica’s Ainsley Waugh won gold in the 200.
Osleidys Menendez led Cuba’s sweep of the top two spots in the women’s javelin. Cuban Guillermo Martinez also won the men’s event.
Other U.S. gold-medal winners were Tiffany Ross-Williams, who won the women’s 400 hurdles, and Carrie Messner, winner of the 3,000 steeplechase.