Briefs | Davydenko beats Nadal in Sony Ericsson final

Tennis

Davydenko rises to 12-3 in ATP finals: Nikolay Davydenko beat Rafael Nadal of Spain 6-4, 6-2 in the Sony Ericsson Open final Sunday and became the first Russian man to win the Key Biscayne, Fla., tournament.

In recent months, Davydenko has been best known for an ATP investigation into heavy wagering on a match he lost in August at a tournament in Poland. He retired in the third set, citing a foot injury, and says he did nothing wrong.

Davydenko, ranked No. 4 in the world, has accused the ATP of dragging out the investigation. He improved to 12-3 in ATP finals with the victory over the second-ranked Nadal.

Soccer

U.S. to face Costa Rica with Olympic berth on the line: Natasha Kai scored twice and Abby Wambach added a goal as the United States beat Mexico 3-1 before 22,280 in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, to win Group A in CONCACAF women's Olympic qualifying.

The U.S. team faces Costa Rica on Wednesday, with a berth in this year's Beijing Olympics on the line.

Hope Solo, a former Washington Huskies standout from Richland, was the U.S. goalkeeper and made six saves.

Dynamo gets a draw: Geoff Cameron scored in the 91st minute to give the host Houston Dynamo a 3-3 tie with FC Dallas in a Major League Soccer match.

Brian Ching, a former Gonzaga and Seattle Sounders standout, scored in the 57th minute and assisted on Cameron's goal.

Cardiff to play Portsmouth in FA Cup final: Cardiff of Wales reached England's FA Cup final for the first time since 1927, beating Barnsley 1-0 at Wembley in London in a matchup of teams from the second-level League Championship.

In the May 17 final at Wembley, Cardiff will face English Premier League team Portsmouth.

WNBA

Dales retires: Forward Stacey Dales, 28, has retired from the Chicago Sky.

She plans to keep working at ESPN as a studio analyst and sideline reporter.

Running

Zewdie wins Carlsbad 5000: Terefe Maregu Zewdie of Ethiopia won the Carlsbad 5000 race in California in 13 minutes, 34 seconds.

Runner-up Mo Farah of Britain was a second behind in the 5-kilometer event.

Alan Webb, the U.S.-record holder in the mile, had leg pain and didn't finish.

Vivian Cheruiyot of Kenya won the women's event in 15:14.

Kebede, Komu prevail: Ethiopia's Tsegaye Kebede and Kenya's Martha Komu won the Paris Marathon in the rain.

Kebede ran 26.2 miles in 2 hours, 6 minutes, 40 seconds. Komu won in 2:25:33.

Triathlon

Vernay repeats: New Caledonian triathlete Patrick Vernay used his strong running to successfully defend his Ironman Australia title, while Hawaiian Ironman champion Chrissie Wellington of Britain won the women's race and finished ninth overall.

Vernay needed 8 hours, 31 minutes, 33 seconds to finish the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike race and 26.2-mile run.

Swimming

Fast time for Phelps: Michael Phelps finished second and still stole the spotlight. The eight-time medalist at the Athens Olympics was second in the 100-meter freestyle yet his time of 48.41 seconds at the Columbus Grand Prix in Ohio was the third fastest by an American.

Cesar Cielo, who will swim for Brazil at the Beijing Olympics, won in 48.34.

Katie Hoff won four events at the three-day meet.

Hockey

U.S. women triumph: Angela Ruggiero assisted on three goals to help the U.S. women beat Switzerland 7-1 in a preliminary-round game at the world championships in Harbin, China.

Curling

U.S. splits: The U.S. team skipped by Craig Brown beat defending champion Scotland 7-6 and lost to the Czech Republic by the same score in round-robin play at the world championships in Grand Forks, N.D.

Seattle Times news services