KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. — Novak Djokovic won his fourth consecutive tennis tournament Sunday, beating top-ranked Rafael Nadal 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4) in a grueling final at the Sony Ericsson Open.
Djokovic has won 26 consecutive matches since December and his record of 24-0 in 2011 is the best to begin a year since Ivan Lendl started 25-0 in 1986.
The No. 2-ranked Djokovic was pushed the distance by Nadal, playing for nearly 3 1/2 hours.
“It was such a close match,” Djokovic said. “To win against the No. 1 player of the world in a tiebreak in the third set, it’s just incredible.”
He pulled a forehand winner cross-court on the final point for his second Key Biscayne title. He also won in 2007. Djokovic is 8-0 against top-10 opponents this year.
Utes hire Nets assistant coach
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah hired Nets assistant Larry Krystkowiak as its men’s basketball coach. Krystkowiak, 45, will be introduced today.
He played for the Jazz from 1992-93 as part of nine injury- plagued NBA seasons.
• Dayton hired Archie Miller as its men’s basketball coach less than a week after Brian Gregory left to take over at Georgia Tech. Miller, 32, was an associate head coach the last two seasons at Arizona.
• Guard Ben McLemore, a 6-foot-5 prep star from St. Louis, committed to Kansas.
Hight on a roll
LAS VEGAS — Robert Hight roared to his second win of the season in his funny car at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, giving John Force Racing its fifth consecutive victory dating to last season. Hight used a 4.149-second run at 307.79 mph to edge Johnny Gray at the Summit- NHRA Nationals.
Antron Brown won the top fuel final, posting a 3.887-second run at 318.84 mph. Mike Edwards won in pro stock, running 6.695 at 205.98 for his 29th career win.
Footnotes.
New Jersey Nets forward Kris Humphries missed the game against the Miami Heat with a sprained ankle and bruised heel.
• Dallas Mavericks center Tyson Chandler didn’t play against the Portland Trail Blazers because of a sore lower back.
• The Columbus Blue Jackets activated left wing Kristian Huselius (groin, hip) from the injured list.
• Women’s basketball coach Kevin McGuff left Xavier to take the same job at Washington. He signed a multiyear contract.
• Dialed In won the $1 million Florida Derby in Hallandale Beach, Fla., likely cementing his status as a major contender in the upcoming Triple Crown season. Dialed In made up more than 10 lengths to win, covering the mile-and-an- eighth at Gulfstream Park in 1 minute, 50.07 seconds.
• Nick Nuyens of Belgium won the Tour of Flanders cycling classic, beating France’s Sylvain Chavanel and 2010 winner Fabian Cancellara in a three-way sprint to the line. Nuyens won the 159-mile race over the rolling hills and cobblestone roads of northern Belgium in 6 hours, 1 minute, 20 seconds.
• French alpine skier Ingrid Jacquemod retired after a 15-year career in which she won one World Cup race and competed in the 2002, 2006, 2010 Olympics.
The Associated Press
