MELBOURNE (AP) ― No shirt ripping or bare-chested flexing this time. Novak Djokovic completed his work before midnight, defeating Andy Murray in four sets for his third consecutive Australian Open title and fourth overall.It was also the second time in three years Djokovic had beaten his longtime friend in this final. So the celebration was muted: a small victory shuffle, raised arms, a kiss for the trophy. No grand histrionics, although that’s not to say the moment was lost on him.“Winning it t

More SportsJan. 28, 2013

 Chung Mong-gyu, a business executive and a former head of South Korea’s top professional football league, was elected Monday to lead the nation’s football governing body.Chung, a CEO of the construction firm Hyundai Development Co. who once headed the K League, beat out three rivals to become the new chairman of the Korea Football Association. Chung’s term will be for four years.In the second round of voting, Chung garnered 15 votes from 24 KFA delegates ― 16 heads of municipal and provincial f

SoccerJan. 28, 2013

INCHEON (Yonhap News) ― South Korean pitcher Lim Chang-yong, who recently signed with the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball, said Monday he will try to land a full-time big-league job next year.The 36-year-old right-hander left for Arizona to begin rehabbing his surgically repaired right elbow. He signed a two-year split contract last year that could be worth up to $5 million, with different salary rates for the time he spends in the majors and the minors.“I am going to put in a lot of work

BaseballJan. 28, 2013

BARCELONA (AP) ― Lionel Messi scored four goals to become the youngest player to pass the 200-mark in the Spanish league and set a La Liga record with goals in 11 consecutive games, leading Barcelona to a 5-1 rout of Osasuna on Sunday night.With his 22nd hat trick for Barcelona and fifth game of four goals or more, Messi increased his La Liga total to 202 goals in 235 games. The 25-year-old became the eighth player to reach 200, joining Telmo Zarra (251), Hugo Sanchez (234), Raul Gonzalez (228),

SoccerJan. 28, 2013

HOUSTON (AP) ― James Harden scored 29 points, Chandler Parsons added 16 points and a career-high 11 assists and the Houston Rockets beat Brooklyn 119-106 on Saturday night for their 12th consecutive win over the Nets.Omer Asik had 20 points and 16 rebounds for the Rockets, who outrebounded the Nets 50-31 and outscored Brooklyn 60-24 in the paint.Nets star Deron Williams scored 27 points, but cooled off after a 20-point first quarter. He was ejected with 1:07 left after arguing a call with refere

More SportsJan. 27, 2013

MELBOURNE (AP) ― Wildcard entrants Jarmila Gajdosova and Matthew Ebden combined to win the Australian Open mixed doubles title with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Czech pair Lucie Hradecka and Frantisek Cermak on Sunday.The Australian pair ousted second-seeded Elena Vesnina and Leander Paes in the second round and fifth-seeded Nadia Petrova and Mahesh Bhupathi in the quarterfinals.They had two service breaks in each set and dropped twice in the match. “As Australians it’s incredible to play here,” Ebden sa

More SportsJan. 27, 2013

MELBOURNE (AP) ― Victoria Azarenka had the bulk of the crowd against her. The fireworks were fizzling out, and when she looked over the net she saw Li Na crashing to the court and almost knocking herself out.Considering the cascading criticism she’d encountered after her previous win, Azarenka didn’t need the focus of the Australian Open final to be on another medical timeout.So after defending her title with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory over the sixth-seeded Li in one of the most unusual finals ever

More SportsJan. 27, 2013

The opening ceremony of the 2013 PyeongChang Special Olympics will be held Tuesday at YongPyong Dome in YongPyong Resort, Gangwon Province. About 3,300 athletes and officials from 111 countries will compete in the eight-day athletic contest for the mentally disabled. For Pyeongchang, the Special Olympics also are a good chance to gauge the town’s readiness to host the 2018 Winter Olympics with the same main venues being used ― Pyeongchang Alpensia, YongPyong Resort and Gangneung Indoor Ice Rink.

SportsJan. 27, 2013

South Korean female speed skater Lee Sang-hwa has set a Korean record in the 1000 meters.Lee finished in 1:14.39 in the first 1000-meter heat at the Essent ISU World Sprint Speed Skating Championships in Salt Lake City, Utah on Saturday, 0.47 seconds faster than her own Korean record set on Dec. 13, 2009. Christine Nesbitt of Canada holds the world record for the event with a time of 1:12.68.It was the first time a Korean female skater has broken the 1 minute and 15 second mark.In a 500-meter ra

More SportsJan. 27, 2013

LONDON (AP) ― Fifth-tier Luton became the first non-league club in 24 years to beat top-level opponent in the FA Cup, defeating Norwich 1-0 in the fourth round Saturday on Scott Rendell’s goal in the 80th minute.Luton, which played in the second tier as recently as 2006-07, is 85 places below Norwich in the English soccer pyramid. There had not been such an upset in the FA Cup since Sutton beat Coventry 2-1 in the third round in 1989. Not since 1949 has a non-league team managed to overcome a to

SoccerJan. 27, 2013

Yun Suk-young, the South Korean footballer about to join the Queens Park Rangers in the English Premier League, said he hopes to establish himself as a successful defender in England.Yun arrived at Heathrow Airport Thursday night from Bangkok, Thailand, where he’d been training with his South Korean club, the Chunnam Dragons, in the first-division K League Classic. The Dragons had said Yun would fly to London to undergo medical tests before signing his contract with QPR.The deal would make Yun t

SoccerJan. 25, 2013

SAN DIEGO (AP) ― Brandt Snedeker ended another round at Torrey Pines atop the leaderboard. Only this time he had company, and still a long way to go.Snedeker had a flawless start to his title defense in the Farmers Insurance Open by playing bogey-free on the North Course for a 7-under 65 and a share of the lead with Choi Kyung-ju on Thursday. The advantage after one day goes to Choi, who birdied three of his last four holes on the tough South Course for his 65.Tiger Woods, a seven-time champion

GolfJan. 25, 2013

Park Jae-hong, one of the best all-around players in South Korean baseball, announced his retirement on Friday, saying he felt it was “the right time” to leave the game.Park, 39, played 17 seasons in the Korea Baseball Organization for three different clubs. The outfielder spent his final eight years with the SK Wyverns, winning three KBO championships.Park said the Wyverns offered him an opportunity to receive coaching training after last season, but he turned it down so that he could return fo

BaseballJan. 25, 2013