■ Soccer
D.C. United edge Fire
Andy Herron scored in the 62nd minute and the Chicago Fire beat nine-man D.C. United 1-0 in a feisty Major League Soccer (MLS) match in Bridgeview, Illinois, on Sunday. United's Bryan Namoff, the recipient of a yellow card earlier in the match, was red-carded in the 73rd minute for taking down Herron. Teammate Joshua Gros was ejected in the 88th after a tackle on Thiago, who left the field holding a cloth to his face. In other MLS action, the Houston Dynamo's Alejandro Moreno apparent goal on a header in the final seconds of injury time was wiped out by an offside call, leaving them tied with Chivas USA in a 0-0 draw.
■ Golf
Poulter ends long drought
Flamboyant English golfer Ian Poulter ended a nearly two-year wait for a win on the European Tour when he won the Madrid Masters by five strokes on Sunday. Poulter carded a three-under-par 69 on his final round to finish a total of 22 under par to beat Spaniard Ignacio Garrido, who scored 66 on his final round. Welshman Phillip Price finished third, one stroke behind Garrido and one stroke ahead of Ireland's Padraig Harrington. Of the Ryder Cup team members playing in the Spanish event, Harrington finished with the best score. Spain's Jose Maria Olazabal finished nine shots behind Poulter.
■ Basketball
US women demolish France
The two-time defending champion US team crushed France 76-41 in the second round to remain unbeaten at the women's world basketball championship in Brazil on Sunday. Diana Taurasi led the US with 15 points to guarantee a berth in the final eight. With the top four advancing to the quarterfinals, the US has 8 points, the Czechs 7 and France 6, followed by Russia, Cuba and China with 5 each. The Czechs edged Russia 85-83 on 25 points from Eva Viteckova, and China beat Cuba 73-70. Australia remains the only other unbeaten team and also secured a quarterfinals spot after frustrating host Brazil 82-73. In other games, Lithuania dominated Argentina 62-47, and Spain beat Canada 85-57.
■ Soccer
Porto shuts out Naval
Two first-half goals brought FC Porto a 2-0 win over Naval and put the defending champion three points clear at the top of the Portuguese league on Sunday. Defender Marek Cech completed a counterattack with a neat scoring shot after 10 minutes. Mario Sergio deflected the ball into his own goal in the 26th as he lunged to stop a superb solo run by Bosingwa. Sporting Lisbon surprisingly lost 1-0 at home to Pacos Ferreira on Saturday, though Brazilian striker Ronny used his hand to score the goal. The referee awarded the goal despite the home team's furious protests. In other action it was, Martimo 0, Aves 0; Academica 1, Belenenses 1; Beira Mar 2, Amadora 0.
■ Soccer
Sao Paulo `reborn' with win
Smarting from its loss to Internacional in the Copa Libertadores finals last month, Sao Paulo won the second matchup 2-0 and widened its lead atop the Brazilian league on Sunday. Striker Lensilson angled in a header in the eighth minute, and even after Silva was sent off in the 54th, Sao Paulo doubled its lead when Junior drilled home his shot in the 70th. Sao Paulo was "reborn" after the victory, coach Muricy Ramalho said. The team has 46 points, followed by Gremio on 42, Internacional at 40, and Santos at 39.
■ Tennis
Baghdatis wins China Open
Third-seeded Marcos Baghdatis won his first career title on Sunday when he defeated Croatia's Mario Ancic 6-4, 6-0 in the China Open final. Australian Open runner-up Baghdatis of Cyprus upped the tempo in the second set roll past fourth-seeded Ancic, who was contesting his first tournament after a two-month layoff due to injury. After making the quarterfinals at Wimbledon this year, Ancic hurt his back and knee in a yachting accident and was sidelined until this week. The China Open was his fourth finals appearance this season.
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