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Ochoa victorious for the fourth week in a row

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From Times Staff and Wire Reports

Lorena Ochoa became the first LPGA Tour player in 45 years to win four tournaments in consecutive weeks.

Ochoa shot a three-under-par 69 in the final round of the Ginn Open on Sunday at Reunion, Fla., and beat rookie Yani Tseng by three strokes for her fifth victory in six starts this year.

Ochoa trailed early in the final round but went ahead for good with three consecutive birdies beginning at No. 8.

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She finished 19 under and became the second player to win four times in as many weeks.

Mickey Wright did it in 1962 and 1963. Kathy Whitworth (1969) and Annika Sorenstam (2001) also won four consecutive events, but both took a week off during their runs.

Sorenstam (2004-05) and Nancy Lopez (1978) hold the tour record with five straight victories in events entered, but neither came in consecutive weeks.

Ochoa will not play this week.

Boo Weekley, avoiding the dramatics of last year, won his second straight Verizon Heritage by shooting an even-par 71 for a three-shot victory over Anthony Kim and Aaron Baddeley on Hilton Head Island, S.C.

Last year, Weekley needed miraculous chips on the 71st and 72nd holes to edge Ernie Els by a stroke.

Tom Watson defended his Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am title in Lutz, Fla., saving bogey after hitting into the water on No. 18 for a one-under 70 and a one-stroke victory over Jay Haas and Scott Hoch in nine under.

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TENNIS

Federer ends drought

with his first title of ’08

Top-ranked Roger Federer ended a long drought with his first title of the year, helped by a leg injury to second-seeded Nikolay Davydenko, who retired while trailing 7-6 (5), 1-2, in the Estoril Open at Oeiras, Portugal.

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Federer, playing his fifth tournament of the season, hadn’t taken so many events to reach a final in eight years. It was also his 54th title.

Federer leveled his record in clay-court finals at 7-7 to improve to 12-0 against Davydenko.

Maria Kirilenko beat Iveta Benesova, 6-4, 6-2, to win the women’s title -- the third title of her career.

Serena Williams won the Family Circle Cup title, defeating Vera Zvonareva, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, at Charleston, S.C., for her first clay-court title since the 2002 French Open.

Williams moved to 5-1 against Zvonareva in improving to 19-1 with three titles this year.

Marcel Granollers-Pujol beat top-seeded James Blake, 6-4, 1-6, 7-5, in the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship at Houston for his first tour title.

The seventh-seeded Spaniard came back from 3-0 down in the third set, turning back Blake, who at one point won 18 of 19 points before being denied his first clay-court title.

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Top-seeded David Ferrer won his first title of the year, rallying at the Valencia Open to beat two-time defending champion Nicolas Almagro, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (2), in Spain.

Ferrer came back from a 5-2 final-set deficit to twice break Almagro’s serve and force a tiebreaker.

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MOTOR RACING

Busch edges Ambrose

for third straight victory

Kyle Busch won his third consecutive race in NASCAR’s Nationwide Series, holding off Marcos Ambrose by 0.737 of a second in the Corona Mexico 200 in Mexico City.

Busch passed Scott Pruett on the 72nd of 80 laps to take the lead. Pruett finished third on the 2.518-mile course.

Australia’s Mat Mladin raced to his 66th AMA Superbike Championship race victory at Leeds, Ala., completing a weekend sweep.

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MISCELLANY

May-Treanor, Walsh

win their second in a row

Top-seeded Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh won their second straight AVP Crocs Tour event, beating second-seeded Nicole Branagh and Elaine Youngs, 17-21, 21-14, 15-13, in the Cuervo Gold Crown Dallas Open at Arlington, Texas.

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In the men’s event, top-seeded Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers also won their second straight event, beating No. 4 Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal, 16-21, 21-16, 15-12.

Sylvia Fowles scored 25 points with 18 rebounds and six blocked shots to help the U.S. women’s team bounce back from a Saturday loss to Australia with a 92-60 victory over Cuba in Beijing.

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