Serena Williams Ends Her Drought

Serena Williams erased a match point in the second set and came all the way back to beat U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, Sunday at the China Open in Beijing for her first title in six months.

“I just never gave up. I really didn’t want to lose today,” the top-seeded Williams said. “I haven’t won a title since March, which really isn’t like me.”

Williams ended Kuznetsova’s 14-match winning streak. The second-seeded Russian won her previous two events: the U.S. Open and a tournament in Bali, Indonesia, last week.

“I think next time I’m going to be more fit playing against Serena,” Kuznetsova said. “In the third set, I couldn’t serve well because I couldn’t push myself, I couldn’t push with my legs on my serve.”

Williams saved a match point while down 4-5 in the second set. She went on to win the next three games to take the second set. She raced ahead 4-0 in the third before Kuznetsova could reply.

Both players appeared rattled by the boisterous crowd, several times playing after a point was complete because they couldn’t hear the call. Professional tennis is new to China, and spectators clapped and cheered during points and between serves. Cellphones rang repeatedly.

Williams, a former No. 1 and owner of six Grand Slam titles, was out eight months after left-knee surgery on Aug. 1, 2003. She won her first tournament back, at Key Biscayne, Fla., in March, but then hadn’t won another title until Sunday, missing more time because of pain in that knee.

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A trip to Spain for the Davis Cup final assured, the U.S. padded its margin in the semifinals against Belarus on Sunday at Charleston, S.C., with Andy Roddick beating Alexander Skrypko, 6-4, 6-2, as the Americans won the competition, 4-0.

The last match, between Mardy Fish and Andrei Karatchenia, was called off because of rain.

The final will be in Spain from Dec. 3 to 5, probably on clay courts.

Spain won a berth in the finals with a 4-1 semifinal victory over France. Spain led 2-1 after Saturday, and it clinched the victory when Rafael Nadal beat Arnaud Clement, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2, in Sunday’s first match.

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Miscellany

Japan’s Yoko Shibui won the Berlin Marathon in a race-record 2 hours 19 minutes 41 seconds, the fourth-best time for a woman at the distance.

Felix Limo won the men’s division in 2:06:43, the eighth Kenyan in 10 years to win the race through the streets of Germany’s capital.

Shibui was more than a minute ahead of countrywoman Hiromi Ominami midway through the race and was never challenged. Ominami finished in 2:23:26, while Germany’s Sonja Oberem was third in 2:26:53.

Limo’s time was about 30 seconds slower than the world’s best this year, which he set in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

Kenya’s Joseph Riri finished in 2:06:49, followed by another Kenyan, Joshua Chelanga, in 2:07:05.

Philip Metto of Kenya won the Mexico City Marathon, covering the route at an altitude of 7,350 feet in 2:18:14.

Countryman Nyamoki Charles was second in 2:20:16, followed by Jesus Capula of Mexico in 2:20:32.

Albina Gallyamova of Russia won the women’s title in 2:43:17, beating Emma Cabrera (2:45:17) and Soria Cabello (2:45:21).

Utah State indefinitely suspended basketball players Jason Williams and Marques Crane for a violation of team rules, and Coach Stew Morrill said the two may be dismissed from the team.

Williams started 27 games last season, averaging 6.7 points and 2.2 rebounds.

Crane sat out last season after transferring from Saddleback Community College in Mission Viejo.

Australia’s Jade Edmistone broke the short-course world record in the 50-meter breaststroke. Edmistone finished in 29.90 seconds on the second night of the Australian short-course championships at Brisbane, breaking the record of 29.96 set by Sweden’s Emma Igelstrom in 2002.