Third-ranked Djokovic wins tennis’ Masters Cup

Third-ranked Novak Djokovic won his first Masters Cup title with a 6-1, 7-5 win Sunday over Nikolay Davydenko in the season-ending tournament at Shanghai, China.

It was Djokovic’s first tournament victory since he won the Rome Masters in May, and it left him only 10 points behind No. 2 Roger Federer in the rankings.

After Davydenko netted a service return on match point, Djokovic repeatedly pumped both fists and threw two rackets, his wristbands and shirt into the crowd.

“I would put it in the same league as a Grand Slam because the best eight players in the world are participating here. It’s a huge achievement for me,” Djokovic said.

GOLF

Stanford holds off Sorenstam to win

Annika Sorenstam nearly holed her third shot on the par-five 18th, then lipped out a nine-foot birdie try to give Angela Stanford a one-stroke victory in the inaugural Lorena Ochoa Invitational at Guadalajara, Mexico.

Stanford closed with a three-under 69. She had a 13-under 275 total on the Guadalajara Country Club course and earned $200,000 for her third LPGA Tour title. Ochoa shot a 70 to tie for 14th at four under.

“I want to congratulate Angela,” Ochoa said. “. . . We have been good friends for some time, and I’m very happy that she won this event.”

Jeev Milkha Singh closed with a two-under 69 to win the $5-million Singapore Open by one stroke over Ernie Els and Padraig Harrington.

Phil Mickelson shot a 75 and finished ninth.

Erik Compton, playing six months after a second heart transplant, failed to advance by one shot in the second stage of PGA Tour qualifying after he closed with a one-over 73 at Brooksville, Fla. Only the top 20 and ties advance to the final stage of Q-school next month in California.

Todd Demsey, who returned to the PGA Tour this year after surgery to remove a golf-ball-size tumor from his brain, closed with a 68 to share medalist honors with Camilo Benedetti at 13-under 275.

Among those to advance at Southern Hills Plantation were former PGA Tour winners Robert Gamez, John Huston, Garrett Willis and Michael Bradley. In other qualifiers, former tour winners Chris Riley and Robert Damron shared medalists honors with Oskar Bergman to lead 20 players who advanced to the final stage from Callaway Gardens in Georgia.

Former PGA champion Mark Brooks was among 21 players who advanced to the final stage from Deerwood Golf Club in Kingwood, Texas.

ETC.

Boston was set to suspend Ramirez

Manny Ramirez was on the verge of being suspended by the Boston Red Sox in the week leading up to his trade to the Dodgers, according to ESPN.

Citing multiple sources, ESPN reported that an official letter of suspension drafted by Red Sox management was delivered to Ramirez on July 25. The letter informed Ramirez, who sat out his second consecutive game that evening, that he would be suspended without pay starting the next day for refusing to play.

Within two hours of Ramirez’s receiving the letter, the Red Sox got two phone calls, one from one of Ramirez’s teammates and another from Ramirez, who both said he would play the next day.

Ramirez was traded to the Dodgers the next week.

Due to several fires in the area, Sunday’s NCAA second-round women’s soccer match between top-seeded UCLA and San Diego was postponed until 6 p.m. today. The winner will face fourth-seeded USC, which advanced by beating Brigham Young, 2-1, in a shootout. . . . Bode Miller lost to Jean-Baptiste Grange by 0.79 of a second in the World Cup slalom opener at Levi, Finland. . . . American Randall Bal set a world record in the 50-meter backstroke with a time of 22.87 seconds at a short-course swimming World Cup meet at Berlin.