Originally published Monday, August 4, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Briefs | Tennis: Andy Murray tops Novak Djokovic for title in Cincinnati
Tennis Murray wins first Masters championship: Andy Murray wasted four match points with an uncharacteristic show of sloppiness in the second...

Andy Murray will be No. 6 in the new rankings.

Dinara Safina has played finals in 5 of last 6 events.
Tennis
Murray wins first Masters championship: Andy Murray wasted four match points with an uncharacteristic show of sloppiness in the second set of the Cincinnati Masters final. Forced to play another tiebreaker, he pulled off the best shot of the game — an in-the-corner backhand — that set up a 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (5-5) win over Novak Djokovic on Sunday.
The 21-year-old Brit crouched in exultation when he finished off his 2-hour, 22-minute victory, swatted a ball into the stands and hunched over, trying to catch his breath.
"At the end of the match, there were some long, long volleys that took a toll on both of us," Murray said. "Both of us were really tired."
It was a highlight of the best summer of Murray's career. He also reached his first Grand Slam quarterfinal at Wimbledon. When the next rankings come out, Murray will move up to No. 6, the best of his career.
Two straight for Safina: Seventh-seeded Dinara Safina of Russia easily handled unseeded Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia in a 6-2, 6-1 victory to win the Rogers Cup in Montreal.
"I hit some good shots and, in the crucial moments, she gave me some good mistakes," Safina said, "and that helped me win in two sets."
It was a second win in a row for Safina, who beat Flavia Pannetta in the final in Los Angeles last week. With a win earlier this year in Berlin, it was the 22-year-old's third victory of the year and the eighth of her career.
Safina has reached the final in five of her last six tournaments, including the French Open in May where she lost to compatriot Maria Sharapova.
Soccer
Toronto falls at home: All-Star Kenny Cooper scored on a penalty kick in the 81st minute after Toronto FC's Amado Guevara received a red card, propelling FC Dallas to a 2-0 win in Major League Soccer action.
Cooper then scored in injury time to secure Toronto's first loss at home in 10 games this season (6-8-4). Toronto is winless in its past six MLS games and 11 games overall.
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Earthquakes pull one out: Darren Huckerby scored one goal and had an assist as host San Jose beat the Los Angeles Galaxy 3-2, ending an eight-match winless streak.
Ryan Cochrane scored his first goal of the season in the 90th minute for the Earthquakes (4-9-6). Los Angeles (6-8-5) had its winless streak extended to seven matches.
Barcelona wins in Chicago: Samuel Eto'o scored two goals to lead FC Barcelona to a 5-2 win over CD Guadalajara in front of 40,717 at Soldier Field. Barcelona next plays the New York Red Bulls at Giants Stadium on Wednesday.
College football
Former Razorback arrested: Dismissed Arkansas linebacker Freddie Fairchild faces new criminal charges after police say he ran from an officer and threw away a bag of marijuana.
Fairchild, 22, of Little Rock, is charged with possession of a controlled substance and fleeing after his arrest just after midnight Sunday.
In March, Fayetteville police arrested Fairchild for battery following a report by a woman that he had attacked her. Coach Bobby Petrino dismissed Fairchild from the Razorbacks' football team in June.
Six Arkansas players have faced problems with the law this year.
Running
Nike gets millions running: On Aug. 31, in cities around the world including Rome, London, Singapore, New York and Vancouver — plus countless other sites — Nike hopes to coordinate 1 million runners in what it bills as the world's first global 10K.
Celebrities such as Lance Armstrong and musical acts including Kanye West will lend star power to the Nike+ Human Race. Three global charities will help blunt the edge of what is at its heart a promotion of the Nike+ training system, a computer-integrated shoe and wristband that tracks distance, pace and calories burned.
Seattle Times news services
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
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