Briefs | Tennis: Soon-to-be-No. 1 Nadal falls to Djokovic

Tennis

Win streak ends at 32 matches: Rafael Nadal's move to No. 1 will have to wait a couple of more weeks.

Looking weary after two months of nonstop winning, the 22-year-old Spaniard got run around the court Saturday and, ultimately, bounced from the Cincinnati Masters one step short of another title match. Instead, Novak Djokovic reached the final with a 6-1, 7-5 victory that delayed the inevitable.

The third-seeded Djokovic will play Andy Murray today for the title. Murray reached his first Masters series final by beating Ivo Karlovic 6-4, 6-4.

By reaching the semifinals, Nadal piled up enough points to overtake Roger Federer as the world's No. 1 player in the Aug. 18 rankings.

"I feel happy because for sure to be No. 1 is hard work from a long, long time ago," Nadal said. "But there's no time to be excited and enjoy."

He could have moved up immediately by winning in Cincinnati, but wore down as the week went along. Djokovic ended Nadal's 32-match winning streak by making Nadal work hard for every point.

"The way he was playing, we all thought he was not going to lose any time soon," Djokovic said.

Women will get new No. 1, too: Jelena Jankovic, who never has reached a Grand Slam singles final, will become the 18th player to lead the WTA computer rankings when she rises to the top spot Aug. 11. Currently No. 2, Jankovic will move ahead of another Serb, Ana Ivanovic, who has led the rankings since June 9, the day after winning the French Open.

Safina, Cibulkova reach final: Teenager Dominika Cibulkova rallied after a rain delay to defeat Marion Bartoli 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 to reach the final of the Rogers Cup in Montreal. The 19-year-old Cibulkova, from Slovakia, will play Dinara Safina for the championship. The seventh-seeded Safina was a 6-0, 2-6, 6-3 winner over 11th-seeded Victoria Azarenka in the other semifinal.

Soccer

United blanks Wizards: Luciano Emilio scored his 11th goal of the Major League Soccer season and Jaime Moreno had a goal and an assist to help D.C. United beat visiting Kansas City 2-0.

In other MLS action, Brian Ching, a former Gonzaga and Sounders player, scored for host Houston in a 2-0 victory over Columbus; and Patrick Nyarko's goal in the 16th minute sent host Chicago to a 1-0 victory over Chivas USA.

Boxing

Clottey wins IBF belt: Joshua Clottey (35-2) captured the vacant IBF welterweight title with a unanimous decision over Zab Judah in Las Vegas. Clottey connected with a right-hand to Judah's left eye in the ninth round that immediately sent blood rushing down his face. Ringside physician Dr. James Game examined Judah (36-6), who claimed he couldn't see, and the fight was called at the 1:22 mark.

Horse racing

Winner's streak hits 15: Deweycheatumnhowe captured the $1.5 million Hambletonian, becoming the first unbeaten winner of the 3-year-old trotting classic. The 2-5 favorite extended his winning streak to 15 with a half-length victory over Crazed. Deweycheatumnhowe completed the mile in 1 minute, 52 seconds and paid $2.80, $2.20 and $2.10.

Ready Set goes to front: Ready Set withstood a charging Web Gem and a claim of foul to win the $750,000 West Virginia Derby. Ready Set covered the 1-1/8-mile course at the Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort in 1:52.03 and paid $11.20, $5.80 and $5.20.

Zenyatta wins at Del Mar: Zenyatta defeated Model by a length to win the $300,000 Clement L. Hirsch Handicap at Del Mar. Zenyatta covered 1-1/16 miles in 1:41.48, a record on the synthetic Polytrack surface, and paid $3.20, $2.40 and $2.10.

In other Del Mar news, the track will reduce purses by 3.5 percent starting Aug. 13. The cuts, which will amount to about $10,000 per day, were triggered by a downturn in on-track handle and a slowdown in account wagering.

Big win for Indian Blessing: Heavily favored Indian Blessing left five other 3-year-old fillies at the quarter pole and drew away to a 7-length victory in the $250,000 Test Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. She hit the wire after 7 furlongs in 1:22.70 and paid $2.80.

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