Nadal Gets Past Agassi in Final of Rogers Cup

Neither Andre Agassi nor a quick hard court could stop Rafael Nadal.

The top-seeded 19-year-old from Spain won on a hard court for the first time, defeating the 35-year-old Agassi, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2, in the Rogers Cup final Sunday at Montreal.

The French Open champion’s left-handed shotmaking got the better of Agassi, who was missing the lines with his winners in a baseline battle interrupted 58 minutes after the first set because of rain.

It was Nadal’s third victory in a row and his ATP Tour-leading ninth tournament win this year. He has a 16-match winning streak.

“I don’t want to think about it, because I always want to stay the same,” Nadal said of his breakthrough season. “I only want to think about next week.”

The fourth-seeded Agassi, who was coming off a win in the Mercedes-Benz Cup at UCLA two weeks ago, ended a 10-match winning streak.

It was the first meeting between Nadal and Agassi, who has won 60 tournaments, including eight Grand Slam events, in his 19-year career.

“It’s easy to see why he’s won so many matches,” Agassi said. “He’s just a great mover on the court and he gets good power from stretched positions, so you’re never sure if you have control of a point.

“His serve was more awkward than I anticipated. If you don’t get a good return, he immediately gets on the offense. That’s the sign of a great player.”

Later Sunday, Agassi withdrew from the Cincinnati Masters, which begins today.

Perry Rogers, Agassi’s agent, told Bruce Flory, the Cincinnati tournament director, that Agassi was unable to play but did not give a reason.

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Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia upset top-seeded Anastasia Myskina of Russia, 7-5, 6-2, to win the Nordic Light Open at Stockholm, her second WTA championship this year.

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Maria Sharapova of Russia, has pulled out of this week’s Rogers Cup at Toronto because she has not recovered after straining a chest muscle Thursday in the JP Morgan Chase Open at Carson.

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Donald Young of Fairburn, Ga., defeated Sam Querrey of Thousand Oaks, 7-6 (4), 5-7, 6-2, to win the singles title in the boys’ 18s national championship at Kalamazoo, Mich.

In the girls’ championships at San Jose, Mary Gambale of Billerica, Mass., defeated Alexa Glatch of Newport Beach, 7-6 (8), 5-7, 6-1, to win the singles title.

Glatch and Vania King of Long Beach defeated Krysty Marcio of Sunrise, Fla., and Jessica Nguyen of Chatsworth, 6-1, 7-5, for the doubles title.

Hockey

The Calgary Flames signed unrestricted free-agent defenseman Roman Hamrlik, who spent last season with the New York Islanders, scoring seven goals with 22 assists in 81 games. Terms of the deal weren’t released.

Golf

Jay Overton gave the United States its first Walker Cup victory since 1997, beating Nigel Edwards 1-up in the deciding match in the Americans’ 12 1/2 -11 1/2 win over Britain and Ireland at Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton, Ill.

Overton, the Big Ten Conference champion last season as a senior at Indiana, two-putted from 20 feet on the 18th hole to secure the title after Edwards missed a 25-foot birdie try.

Britain and Ireland had won the last three matches in the biennial competition, topping the U.S., 12 1/2 -11 1/2 , in 2003 at Ganton Golf Club in England.

Overton, 3-1 in the two-day competition, secured the victory after Britain tied two matches and won a third at the 18th hole to stay alive.

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Oliver Fisher, at 16 the youngest player in Walker Cup history, made an 18-foot birdie putt to earn half a point in his match with Michael Putnam, and Robert Dinwiddie holed a 25-foot birdie chip to earn another half a point against Matt Every. Lloyd Saltman then made a 20-footer for birdie to beat Kyle Reifers 1-up.

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U.S. Women’s Amateur champion Morgan Pressel failed to repeat her title in the Women’s North & South Amateur at Pinehurst, N.C., losing in the 36-hole final to Ya-Ni Tseng on the third playoff hole.

Soccer

Youri Djorkaeff scored in the 65th minute to give the MetroStars a 2-1 win over the Columbus Crew in a game at East Rutherford, N.J., delayed by bad weather.

Columbus had a chance to tie the score in stoppage time, but Tony Meola made his fourth and final save on a shot by Cornell Glen. It was Meola’s 91st victory, fourth in Major League Soccer history.

Basketball

Duke guard J.J. Redick scored 22 points to lead the United States over Argentina, 111-85, in the game for fifth place in the Under 21 World Championships at Mar del Plata, Argentina.

High Schools

Travon Titus, one of the top returning running backs in the City Section, will be sidelined indefinitely after being shot in the right leg Friday outside the entrance of Harbor City Narbonne, Coach Manuel Douglas said.

Titus, who rushed for 1,335 yards as a junior, underwent surgery to repair damage to a vein.

Police have arrested a suspect in the shooting, which allegedly involved a dispute over a girl. The shooting came on the same day players attended a funeral for former Narbonne tight end Michael Buchanan, who was killed Aug. 3 in a shooting.