Mired in a marathon game midway through the opening set, Maria Sharapova wore down her opponent with characteristic resolve and relentlessness, winning the last point without hitting a shot.

That put Sharapova ahead to stay, and she beat fellow Russian Elena Vesnina on a muggy afternoon at the Sony Open, 6-4, 6-2.

Ethiopia's chances of reaching the 2014 World Cup in Brazil became a little more realistic on Sunday after beating Botswana to open a two-point gap at the top of its group in African qualifying.

Ghana beat Sudan 4-0 to apply the pressure on leader Zambia in their group after the 10-man Zambians were held 1-1 in Lesotho.

Mexican magnate Carlos Slim, the world's richest man, secured the Latin American broadcast rights to the 2014 and 2016 Olympics on Friday.

The IOC said America Movil, the Mexican telecommunications company controlled by Slim, was awarded the rights to next year's Winter Games in Sochi and the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro on media platforms across Latin America. The deal does not include Brazil.

John Wall finished with 24 points and a career high 16 assists as Washington rallied from an 18-point deficit to edge Los Angeles 103-100 Friday, spoiling the return of Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol.

Trevor Ariza scored 14 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter for the Wizards, who trailed by 18 (59-41) a minute into the third quarter.

Spain manager Vicente del Bosque lamented his side's inability to turn possession into goals as they could only manage a 1-1 draw at home to Finland in Friday's World Cup qualifier.

Despite their dominance throughout, the world and European champions were restricted to just shots from range for the most part and only found a way through a packed Finnish defense when Sergio Ramos headed home from a corner four minutes into the second-half.

Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone has backed the Malaysian Grand Prix to continue past its current contract, but said the tired Sepang circuit needed a "paint job", a report said Saturday.

Ecclestone said he had "no dramas" with Malaysia's Formula One grand prix, now into its 15th edition, but organizers needed to complete their ongoing, multi-year refurbishment of the racetrack near Kuala Lumpur.

Queen Elizabeth II needed no convincing to appear in a James Bond-themed skit during the opening ceremony of the London Olympics — in fact, she volunteered, according to the show's director.

Director Danny Boyle said he had initially thought a lookalike — possibly actress Helen Mirren — would play the role of Elizabeth alongside Bond actor Daniel Craig.

Portugal scored an injury-time goal Friday to salvage a 3-3 draw with Israel in a World Cup qualifier and avert a major setback in its quest to play in Brazil next year.

Fabio Coentrao equalized in the fourth minute of injury time, allowing Portugal to cling to its fading hopes to qualify.

Croatia and Serbia meet on Friday in a highly charged World Cup qualifier -- the first between the two former foes as independent nations since the bloody 1990s war that tore apart the former Yugoslavia.

Croatia fans geared up for the match on a sunny but cold morning in Zagreb, with those who failed to secure a ticket for the game at the Maksimir Stadium expected to watch on a giant screen in the capital's main Ban Josip Jelacic square.

A thrill-seeking Japanese octogenarian said Friday his third assault on Mount Everest will be the "ultimate anti-aging" remedy, despite his recurring heart troubles.

Yuichiro Miura is readying to begin his third ascent of the 8,848-meter- (29,028-foot) peak and recapture a record he previously held for being the oldest person to scale the world's highest mountain.