Off the wire

TENNIS Serena Williams routs Venus

Serena Williams routed Venus Williams 6-1, 6-2 at the Family Circle Cup on Saturday in Charleston, S.C., the most one-sided match in the sisters’ long rivalry. Serena Williams won her 14th consecutive match at the Family Circle. She will play for her second consecutive tournament title today against Jelena Jankovic. This was the first time since 2009 that the Williams sisters were playing each other in a tournament. Serena has won five in a row in their series and leads 14-10. Serena said it was encouraging to see her sister reach the semifinals of the WTA tournament after her struggles of the past 18 months dealing with the autoimmune disease Sjogren’s syndrome. “We’ve definitely been through a lot since our last match. But yeah, we all come together at the end and we just try to love each other like we always do,” said top-ranked Serena, who surged to a 4-0 lead and won the first set in 22 minutes.Venus Williams, who withdrew from her previous event because of back problems, picked up her game in the second set but it was hardly enough. Serena Williams’ victory surpassed her 6-2, 6-2 win over Venus at Miami in 2002.

The United States trails Serbia 2-1 in a Davis Cup quarterfinal after the top-ranked doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan lost to Serbia’s Nenad Zimonjic and Ilija Bozoljac 7-6 (5), 7-6 (1), 5-7, 4-6, 15-13 in a match that last 4 hours, 23 minutes, in Boise, Idaho. The Bryans, who have a 20-4 Davis Cup doubles record together, have only played two five-set matches in Davis Cup competition and both took place this year. They were upset by Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares of Brazil in the Davis Cup first round in February and by the Serbians in Boise.

BASKETBALL Drexel wins WNIT

Hollie Mershon hit the winning layup with 20.6 seconds remaining to lift Drexel over Utah 46-43 on Saturday in the Women’s NIT championship game in Philadelphia. Taylor Wootton scored 16 points, including the 1,000th of her career, and Mershon, finished with 14 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 assists for the Dragons (28-10), who closed a record-setting season with the program’s first postseason title. Mershon was named the tournament MVP. Iwalani Rodrigues led Utah (23-14) with 12 points, including a three-pointer that put the visiting Utes up 43-42 with just under three minutes remaining. But with Drexel still trailing by one in the final minute, Renee Johnson-Allen got a big steal in the back court, and after a timeout, Mershon put the Dragons ahead for good with a driving layup.

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning and his wife plan to donate $500,000 to the Pat Summitt Foundation. Patrick Wade, the director of the Pat Summitt Foundation, confirmed the Mannings’ decision Saturday after it was first reported by CBS Sports. The commitment by Peyton and Ashley Manning represents the largest gift announcement made to the foundation since it was founded in November 2011 to help fight Alzheimer’s disease. Manning, who played at Tennessee from 1994-1997, is an honorary co-chair of the foundation’s advisory board. Summitt stepped down as the Tennessee women’s basketball coach last April after announcing in 2011 she had early-onset dementia, Alzheimer’s type. She went 1,098-208 and won eight national titles in 38 seasons. Summitt remains on Tennessee’s staff as head coach emeritus.

TRACK & FIELD Smith follows father

Calvin Smith Jr. won the 400-meter race at the IAAF Melbourne World Challenge on Saturday to add to some family racing history in Australia. The American finished in 46.25 seconds 28 years after his father won the 100 at the 1985 Australia Games in Melbourne. Calvin Smith Sr. once held the 100 world record and was a two-time 200 world champion. American sprinter Wallace Spearmon followed up his fourth-place finish in the 100 to win the 200 on Saturday. The 100 was supposed to feature former world record holder Asafa Powell, but the Jamaican withdrew because of a left hamstring injury. It was the same ailment that forced him to pull up in the 100 final at last year’s London Olympics.

BOXING Zou wins pro debut

Zou Shiming won a unanimous decision in his professional boxing debut Saturday, dominating all four rounds against Mexico’s Eleazar Valenzuela at Macau. Zou’s high-profile flyweight debut was the centerpiece of a show at the Cotai Arena at the Venetian Macau casino. The two-time Olympic gold medalist didn’t disappoint the crowd, which waved flags and cheered for the most successful amateur boxer in Chinese history. Zou, 31, won China’s first Olympic boxing medal in 2004 and its first gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Games, adding a second gold last year in London. Zou then signed with Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, who teamed him with veteran trainer Freddie Roach. Zou’s pro debut was broadcast to nearly every home in China. While other Chinese fighters have turned pro in recent years, none has Zou’s amateur success or fame. Zou had little trouble catching Valenzuela with big shots, but didn’t manage to stop his 18-year-old opponent.

HORSE RACING Mott-trained filly romps in Ashland

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Running on just a week’s rest proved to be easy for Emollient, who scored a 9-length victory in Saturday’s Grade I Ashland Stakes at Keeneland.

The reward of making the Kentucky Oaks and the belief that she was better than last Saturday’s fifth-place effort in the Gulfstream Oaks made it worth taking the chance on a quick turnaround, Juddmonte Farms Manager Garrett O’Rourke said.

Emollient, trained by Bill Mott, made the decision pay off in the $500,000 stakes race for 3-year-old fillies. Ridden by Mike Smith, Emollient took the lead from the far 13th post and didn’t let up after setting the pace near the rail at the first turn.

“With the 13, you never know how they’re going to break,” said Rodolphe Brisset, an assistant to Mott. “You never know if you’re going to have pressure, but we knew what she could do and I guess she showed everybody today.”

Emollient, bred in Kentucky, ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.49 and returned $14.40, $8.40 and 5.80.

Tuttipaesi paid $5.80 and $4.40, while Kitten’s Point paid $5.20 to show.

Emollient’s second victory this year and third in six career starts earned $300,000 and 100 points toward qualifying for the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs in Louisville on May 3. Emollient entered the day with just four points in the standings, which will determine eligibility for the Oaks field if more than 14 horses are entered.