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Wozniacki wins title at Pilot Pen

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Wire Reports

Caroline Wozniacki believes this is her time.

The 19-year-old from Denmark won her second consecutive Pilot Pen tennis championship Saturday at New Haven, Conn., beating Elena Vesnina, 6-2, 6-4, in the final tuneup for the U.S. Open.

Fernando Verdasco won the men’s title, besting Sam Querrey, 6-4, 7-6 (6).

The second-seeded Verdasco, 25, fought off four set points from the hard-serving Querrey in the second set, three of them in the tiebreaker, to win his first title of the season and third of his career.

Wozniacki’s championship was her sixth, third this year, and made her the first repeat champion in New Haven since Venus Williams in 2001-02.

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She did not drop a single set in her five matches during the week.

LITTLE LEAGUE

Chula Vista reaches title game

California’s mini-mashers bashed their way into the Little League World Series championship at South Williamsport, Pa.

Andy Rios hit a grand slam in Chula Vista’s nine-run first inning and the California sluggers routed San Antonio, 12-2, to advance to today’s final against Chinese Taipei.

Chula Vista will try to extend the United States’ four-year winning streak in the World Series title game. Taipei advanced with a 9-4 victory over Mexico.

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Luke Ramirez and Bulla Graft also hit consecutive homers in the first, and Graft had a two-run drive to center in the third. California has 19 homers in five World Series games.

Ramirez also was impressive on the mound, throwing one-hit ball in a game that was shortened to 3 1/2 innings because of the 10-run rule.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Michigan players claim violations

Several Michigan football players have told the Detroit Free Press that the program regularly violates NCAA rules limiting how much time they can spend on training and practice sessions.

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Players from the 2008 and 2009 teams talked to the newspaper for a story published on its website. They spoke to the newspaper on condition of anonymity because they feared repercussions from coaches.

Coach Rich Rodriguez and the university’s compliance director, Judy Van Horn, denied that the football program was violating NCAA rules.

Those rules allow eight hours a week for mandatory workouts during the off-season. However, players told the newspaper that they spent two to three times that amount on required workouts.

Alabama Coach Nick Saban has signed a three-year contract extension, Athletic Director Mal Moore said.

Saban signed an eight-year contract when he joined the Crimson Tide in 2007. The extension takes him through 2017.

Florida wide receiver Andre Debose may need surgery to correct a hamstring problem that has bothered him since practice began.

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Gators Coach Urban Meyer said that Debose’s hamstring injury was at first not thought to be serious because Debose was able to work out at practice, though he was limited. Meyer said the team would know more Monday.

ETC.

Storm’s Jackson out indefinitely

Seattle Storm forward Lauren Jackson is out indefinitely because of a stress fracture in her lower back.

Jackson had a bone scan Friday that revealed the stress fracture, Storm Coach Brian Agler said. He said it’s doubtful Jackson will travel with the team for a three-game trip that starts Tuesday at New York.

Jackson had 17 points and played 29 minutes as the Storm (17-11) beat the Connecticut Sun, 86-74, on Thursday to clinch a sixth consecutive playoff berth.

Jackson is the Storm’s leading scorer, averaging 19.2 points.

Wayne Rooney’s penalty kick and an own-goal by Abou Diaby gave Manchester United a 2-1 victory over Arsenal in the English Premier League. . . . Inter Milan had AC Milan beaten by halftime in a 4-0 thrashing in Serie A, securing bragging rights in Italy’s second city. . . . Arjen Robben scored twice in his Bayern Munich debut, leading a 3-0 victory over defending Bundesliga champion Wolfsburg.

David Zabriskie won his fourth straight U.S. Cycling time trial title at Greenville, S.C., as Floyd Landis was eighth as he tries to make a comeback from a doping suspension.

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Zabriskie finished the 20.7-mile course in 39:37, beating Tom Zirbel by 44 seconds.

Marco Huck of Germany has won the World Boxing Organization cruiserweight title with a unanimous decision over Victor Emilio Ramirez of Argentina at Halle, Germany.

The judges were overwhelming in favor of Huck (26-1) by 116-111, 115-112 and 116-111, but Ramirez (15-2) walked out of the arena visibly upset by the decision.

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