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Published: July 4, 2009 at 11:00 PM

Serena Williams wins Wimbledon title

LONDON, July 4 (UPI) -- Serena Williams defeated her sister Venus in straight sets Saturday, winning her third Wimbledon women's singles title.

Serena posted a break in the sixth game of the second set en route to a 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 victory and ended Venus' Wimbledon match winning streak at 20 in avenging a title match loss from a year ago. Venus had been seeking a third consecutive, and sixth overall, Wimbledon title.

But she had first-serve problems in the second set, and Serena took advantage, earning her first service break opportunity. A double fault by Venus put Serena up 4-2.

Serena needed four shots at championship point but Venus fought back and the game went to deuce four times before a return by Venus went into the net, deciding the title.

The sisters entered the match 10-10 in head-to-head matches and played the first set even until the tiebreaker, when Serena took advantage of a second serve by Venus to go up 3-1. She pushed the advantage to 6-2 and cashed her second set point to end Venus's Wimbledon set winning streak at 34.

The win Saturday gave Serena 11 Grand Slam championships, including three at Wimbledon. She also won Wimbledon in 2002 and 2003, beating Venus both times in the finals.


Federer, Roddick in Wimbledon title match

LONDON, July 4 (UPI) -- Roger Federer plays Andy Roddick Sunday with the Wimbledon Championships title and one of the biggest records in tennis within reach.

Federer, seeded No. 2, and Roddick, ranked sixth in the world, square off for the third time in the Wimbledon finals. Federer won the previous two meetings and is 18-2 overall vs. Roddick.

Federer is 14-5 in Grand Slam finals, with all five losses to No. 1-ranked Rafael Nadal. That includes last year's classic Wimbledon championship match, which Nadal took in five sets.

That loss is the only blemish on Federer's record on grass courts since 2003, when he won the first of five consecutive Wimbledon titles. Over the last six years, he is 46-1 at Wimbledon and 71-1 on grass court overall.

His 14 men's major tournament championships total ties him with Pete Sampras for the most in tennis.

Federer last month became the sixth man to complete the career Grand Slam when he won the French Open. He has won the last five U.S. Open titles and three Australian Open championships.

A victory Sunday would return Federer to the No. 1 world ranking.

Roddick is looking for his second major tournament title. He won the U.S. Open in 2003 but is 0-3 in Grand Slam finals since then and hasn't made a major final since 2006, when he lost in the U.S. Open to Federer.


Woods and Kim share A&T National lead

BETHESDA, Md., July 4 (UPI) -- Tiger Woods had an even-par 70 Saturday and dropped back into a tie with Anthony Kim after three rounds of the PGA's AT&T National in Maryland.

Kim, the defending champion, shot a 2-under 68 to join Woods at 10-under 200. The two matched the tournament's 54-hole scoring record, which Tom Pernice Jr. set last year.

Michael Allen, who won the Senior PGA Championship in June, turned in the best round of the day -- a 5-under 65 -- to move into a share of third place at 211 with Cameron Beckman (66).

Woods will be seeking his 68th PGA Tour victory Sunday at Congressional. Kim will go after his third tour title and first since last year in this tournament.


Yi has 61 to take LPGA Jamie Farr lead

SYLVANIA, Ohio, July 4 (UPI) -- Eunjung Yi of Korea shot a 10-under 61 Saturday to take a four-stroke lead in the third round at the LPGA Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic.

Yi, 21, made a fairway shot for an eagle at No. 10 and collected eight birdies without a bogey to post her best score on the LPGA Tour by five shots.

Yi moved to 18-under 195, four shots better than Song-Hee Kim (64) of Korea and Morgan Pressel (67) going into Sunday's final round.

Mikaela Parmlid (62) was in a group of seven players two strokes back at 12-under 201.

Yi's 61 was not a course record. Defending champion Paula Creamer, who withdrew Thursday, had a 60 in the first round last year. Annika Sorenstam has the only 59 in LPGA Tour history.


Cancellara wins Tour's first stage

MONACO, France, July 4 (UPI) -- Switzerland's Fabian Cancellara won the first stage of the 2009 Tour de France cycling race Saturday in Monaco, France.

Cancellara, a time-trial specialist who was one of the last riders on the course Saturday, finished the 9.6-mile time trial in 19 minutes, 32 seconds.

The Olympic gold medalist captured his fourth career stage victory for Team Saxo Bank over Team Astana's Alberto Contador of Spain by 18 seconds.

England's Bradley Wiggins of Garmin-Slipstream was third, one second behind Contador. Andreas Kloden, a bronze medal winner at the 2000 Olympic Games and the second-place finisher at the Tour de France in 2004 and 2006, came in fourth, 22 seconds behind the leader.

Lance Armstrong of the United States opened with a 10th-place finish at the start of his quest to win the Tour a record eighth time.

"It's a difficult course," said Armstrong, a member of Team Astana. "It's very technical and it was hard to find a rhythm."

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