BASEL, Switzerland — Defending champ Roger Federer beat Kei Nishikori 6-1, 6-3 in the Swiss Indoors final on Sunday to win his first tennis title in 10 months.
Federer had a complete game on display to dominate the 32nd-ranked Japanese player, who stunned top-ranked Novak Djokovic in the semifinals.
Federer’s 68th career title was just his second this season after he won the season-opening event in Doha, Qatar. He had not reached a title match since losing the French Open final to Rafael Nadal in June.
Now ranked No. 4 at age 30, Federer was playing his first event while ranked outside the top three since he won his first Wimbledon title in 2003.
• The Czech Republic won its first Fed Cup title in 23 years after Lucie Hradecka and Kveta Peschke beat Maria Kirilenko and Elena Vesnina 6-4, 6-2 in the decisive doubles match in Moscow to secure a 3-2 win over Russia in the final.
Earlier, Petra Kvitova rallied to beat Svetlana Kuznetsova 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 and give the Czechs a 2-1 lead after the first reverse singles. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova then beat Lucie Safarova 6-2, 6-4 in the second reverse singles to even it.
• Marcel Granollers defeated Juan Monaco 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (3) in the Valencia Open final in Spain for his third career title.
• Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic successfully defended her WTA Tournament of Champions title with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Spain’s Anabel Medina-Garigues in Nusa Dua, Indonesia.
Blake, Lehman are both winners
SAN FRANCISCO — Jay Don Blake won the Charles Schwab Championship for his second victory of the season following a 20-year drought, and Tom Lehman took the Champions Tour season points title.
Blake closed with an even-par 71 for a two-stroke victory in the tour’s season finale. He finished at 8-under 276 at TPC Harding Park. Mark Calcavecchia (69), Loren Roberts (70), Michael Allen (71) and Jay Haas (71) tied for second.
• Martin Kaymer made nine birdies over his last 12 holes and closed with a 9-under 63 to win the HSBC Champions in Shanghai for the biggest comeback ever in a World Golf Championship event.
Starting the final round five shots behind Fredrik Jacobson, Kaymer ran off four straight birdies to start the back nine. The German finally caught Jacobson with a birdie on the 13th, and then poured it on. Jacobson shot a 71 and finished three shots behind.
• Japan’s Momoko Ueda won the Mizuno Classic in Shima, Japan, for the second time in five seasons, beating China’s Shanshan Feng with a 15-foot birdie putt on the third hole of playoff.
Ueda closed with a 3-under 69 to match Feng (65) at 16-under.
Penn State athletic director steps down
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Penn State athletic director Tim Curley and school administrator Gary Schultz have stepped down amid allegations of an explosive child-sex abuse scandal and cover-up.
In a brief statement released after an executive session of Penn State’s Board of Trustees, university president Graham Spanier said late Sunday that he had received a request from Curley to be placed on administrative leave so he could devote the time needed to defend himself against perjury and other charges.
Footnotes.
Dan Duquette, who served as general manager of the Boston Red Sox from 1994-2002, signed a three-year contract to become the Baltimore Orioles’ president of baseball operations.
• Motorcycle stunt rider Jim McNeil died from injuries suffered during practice for an exhibition at Texas Motor Speedway.
