It's a special win for Murray

L.A. Times Archives

Aug. 4, 2008 12 AM PT

From Times Staff and Wire Reports

One point away from his first Masters series championship, Andy Murray let the moment get to him.

Murray, seeded eighth, wasted four match points with an uncharacteristic show of sloppiness in the second set.

Forced to play another tiebreaker, he pulled off the best shot of the game -- an in-the-corner backhand -- that set up a 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5) victory over third-seeded Novak Djokovic for the Cincinnati Masters title.

“It’s huge to win your first sort of major tournament, and to do it in a match like today makes it more special,” Murray said. “I put in a lot of work off the court to be able to win these sorts of tournaments, and it makes it all worthwhile.”

Murray’s 2-hour 22-minute win ended a $2.6-million ATP Masters tournament that will be remembered more for what it did to the world rankings.

Rafael Nadal lost to Djokovic in the semifinals but piled up enough rankings points during the week to finally wrest the No. 1 spot from Roger Federer in two weeks.

Federer has led the rankings since Feb. 2, 2004, with Nadal right behind him for the last three years.

Seventh-seeded Dinara Safina defeated 19-year-old Dominika Cibulkova, 6-2, 6-1, to win the Rogers Cup at Montreal.

It was the second title in a row for Safina, who beat Flavia Pennetta in the final of the East West Bank Classic in Carson the previous week.

HORSE RACING

Big Brown wins Haskell

Big Brown barely bounced back from his last-place finish in the Belmont Stakes with a victory in the $1-million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park in New Jersey.

The win was in doubt until the final strides, when Big Brown finished with a flourish under Kent Desormeaux and beat 20-1 longshot Coal Play by 1 3/4 lengths in front of a cheering 45,132.

The 1 1/8 -mile Haskell was Big Brown’s first race since his Belmont flop ended the colt’s quest to become the first Triple Crown champion since Affirmed in 1978.

Big Brown, the winner of the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, never had to rally in the stretch before. The 3-year-old colt won his first five starts by a combined 39 lengths before losing in the Belmont 57 days ago, when he was pulled up with a quarter-mile to go.

Black Mamba defeated I Can See by half a length to win the $400,000 John C. Mabee Handicap at Del Mar. Ridden by Garrett Gomez, Black Mamba ran 1 1/8 miles on the turf in 1:47.11 and paid $3.80, $3 and $2.40 as the odds-on favorite.

PRO FOOTBALL

Brennan leads Redskins

Rookie Colt Brennan threw two touchdown passes in the second half, and Matterral Richardson returned an interception 38 yards for a touchdown to rally the Washington Redskins for a 30-16 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in the Hall of Fame Game at Canton, Ohio.

Brennan, the record-breaking quarterback from Hawaii, entered midway through the third quarter with the Redskins trailing, 16-9, and threw a 20-yard scoring pass to Maurice Mann on his first series.

Brennan drove the Redskins into scoring position on the next series, throwing a five-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Mason with 10:22 left to make the score 23-16.

The Colts played without seven starters, including injured two-time league most valuable player Peyton Manning, 2007 defensive player of the year Bob Sanders and record-setting receiver Marvin Harrison.

Baltimore Ravens running back Willis McGahee might sit out Thursday’s preseason opener against the New England Patriots because of an ailing left knee.

Rookie Ray Rice could get the start in his NFL debut.

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

Fuerbringer and Jennings win

Sixth-seeded Matt Fuerbringer and Casey Jennings successfully defended their AVP Crocs Slam San Diego title by defeating top-seeded Nick Lucena and Sean Scott, 19-21, 21-17, 15-11.

In the women’s draw, fifth-seeded Tyra Turner and Rachel Wacholder beat second-seeded Annett Davis and Jenny Johnson Jordan, 21-16, 19-21, 15-10. It was Turner’s first AVP Tour title.

BASEBALL

U.S. defeats Canada, 9-1

Matt LaPorta and Mike Hessman homered in the second inning to lead the U.S. Olympic team to a 9-1 victory over Canada in the third game of an exhibition series at Durham, N.C.

Nate Schierholtz hit a grand slam to highlight a five-run eighth inning.

Terry Tiffee, who plays for the Dodgers’ triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas, also homered for the Americans, who have won two in a row.

The Canadians won the opener, 4-3, in 10 innings.