Roger Federer cruises past Rafael Nadal for ATP title

Roger Federer turned his high-profile, season-ending match against Rafael Nadal into little more than an exhibition.

Federer gave his rival little chance to mount a challenge in the 22nd meeting between two of the greatest players of all time, winning his fifth season-ending title, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, in the ATP World Tour Finals on Sunday at London.

Federer won an incredible 92% of the points played on his first serve in the final, and lost only 13 points on serve in the entire match.

Nadal, the top-ranked Spaniard who won the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open this year, was able to break Federer once in the second set, but he appeared to tire as the match wore on. On Saturday, Nadal spent more then three hours and three sets beating Andy Murray to reach the final of the tournament for the first time in his career.

The win cut Nadal’s career record to 14-8 against the Swiss player, who is ranked second.

GOLF

Poulter’s luck runs out

The lucky coin Ian Poulter uses to mark his ball was anything but that in the Dubai World Championship.

As he went to replace his ball on the 18th green in a sudden-death playoff, it slipped from his hand a few inches above the ground and hit his marker — a lucky coin featuring his children’s names. The coin flipped over, costing Poulter a one-shot penalty.

Instead of a 40-foot birdie putt on the second extra hole, Poulter was putting from long range for par, and he missed it. Robert Karlsson then made his four-foot birdie putt to win $1.25 million in the final European Tour event of the season.

Poulter earned $833,000 for second place, the difference of $417,000.

If Poulter had won the playoff — unlikely given Karlsson had only four feet for birdie — he would have finished third on the money list and received a $750,000 bonus, instead of fourth place for $600,000.

PGA champion Martin Kaymer won the European Tour money title, after his only challenger, Graeme McDowell, fell short in Dubai. Kaymer then withdrew from this week’s Chevron World Challenge in Thousand Oaks. He was replaced in the 18-man field at Sherwood Country Club by Nick Watney.

ETC.

Montreal wins Grey Cup

Former Utah State star Anthony Calvillo led Montreal to its second consecutive Grey Cup title and third in nine years, completing 29 of 42 passes for 336 yards in the Alouettes’ 21-18 victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Edmonton, Canada.

Montreal has played in eight of the last 11 Canadian Football League title games, also winning in 2002.

Cleveland Cavaliers Coach Byron Scott was fined $35,000 for publicly criticizing game officials.

NBA Executive Vice President Stu Jackson announced the discipline for the comments Scott made after Cleveland’s 110-100 loss at Orlando on Friday.

Garrett Gomez rode 11-1 shot Haimish Hy to win the $250,000 Hollywood Derby, the fifth and final race of this year’s turf festival at Hollywood Park. Haimish Hy completed the 11/4 miles in 2:01.20.

Neversaidiwassweet remained undefeated in California with a victory in the $100,000 Miesque Stakes. The Maryland-bred ran the one mile on turf in 1:35.88. The victory margin was half a length.

Maria Pietilae-Holmner of Sweden won a World Cup slalom at Aspen, Colo., holding off Maria Riesch of Germany with a strong final run.

Pietilae-Holmner finished her two runs in an unofficial time of 1 minute 46.19 seconds, and Riesch took second, 0.68 back. Finland’s Tanja Poutiainen captured third.

Tobias Gruenenfelder raced to his first World Cup victory, beating Swiss teammate Carlo Janka by .07 of a second in a super-giant slalom on the men’s Olympic course at Lake Louise, Canada

Gruenenfelder completed the 1.49-mile course in 1 minute 32.31 seconds.