Li Na beats Kim Clijsters in Sydney International final | Tennis

Tennis

Li wins Sydney International: Li Na of China won her fourth career WTA Tour title Friday, overcoming a 5-0 deficit in the first set to beat third-seeded Kim Clijsters of Belgium 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 at the Sydney International in Australia.

The Australian Open starts Sunday.

In the men's final, Gilles Simon of France will face Viktor Troicki of Serbia.

Ferrer beats Nalbandian in Heineken Open final: Top-seeded David Ferrer of Spain beat sixth-seeded David Nalbandian of Argentina 6-3, 6-3 in the final of the Heineken Open in Auckland, New Zealand. He also won the event in 2007.

CBS to televise U.S. Open through 2014: The U.S. Tennis Association and CBS have agreed in principle to a three-year contract that will keep the U.S. Open on the network through 2014 and leave the tournament's final weekend schedule unchanged.

CBS has aired the U.S. Open each year since 1968. The network's existing deal with the USTA ends after the 2011 tournament.

College sports

Jones pleads guilty for his role in ticket-scalping scheme: A former Kansas athletics official pleaded guilty for his role in a $2 million ticket-scalping scheme, shedding light on how authorities uncovered a scam that brought down seven former university employees.

Rodney Jones, a former assistant athletic director, admitted his part in a conspiracy that began in 2005. The scheme unraveled last year, after the Internal Revenue Service noticed an inordinate amount of season tickets being sold by one broker whose checks for about $975,000 were cashed by Jones' friend at the broker's bank.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Hathaway told the judge Jones converted cash from the ticket sales into money orders in amounts of between $400 and $500 to avoid currency reporting requirements. The government contends Jones, 42, got the tickets from three other athletic-department employees.

Jones could face up to 20 years in prison when sentenced March 31, but will likely receive less under federal sentencing guidelines.

Bobsled

Bremerton's Schaaf is released after appendectomy: Olympian Bree Schaaf of Bremerton had an emergency appendectomy earlier this week and was released from a hospital Thursday.

U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation officials said in release that Schaaf, 30, would miss two weeks.

"I feel amazing now," Schaaf said in the release. "The Austrian doctors took excellent care of me. I was diagnosed and on the operating table within an hour and half of arrival."

Soccer

Morgan is first pick in WPS draft: Alex Morgan, University of California and U.S. national-team forward, was the top pick in the Women's Professional Soccer draft, going to the expansion Western New York Flash.

Motor sports

Al-Attiyah, Coma lead Dakar Rally: Nasser Al-Attiyah of Qatar drove his car and Marc Coma of Spain rode his motorbike without major problems in the next-to-last stage of the Dakar Rally in Argentina.

Al-Attiyah leads Giniel de Villiers of South Africa by 48 minutes, 21 seconds.

In bikes, Coma won the stage and leads defending champion Cyril Despres of France by 16:36. Jonah Street of Ellensburg was 14th in the stage and is 13th overall.

Cycling

Study shows USPS sponsorship of Armstrong was worth the money: Studies commissioned by the United States Postal Service estimated the agency received at least three times the value of the $32 million spent sponsoring Lance Armstrong's cycling teams during their heyday.

Obtained by The Associated Press, reports by two marketing firms covering 2001 to 2004 state the USPS received $103.6 million in domestic value from sponsoring the Armstrong-led teams during his historic run of Tour de France victories from 1999 to 2005.

Swimming

Phelps beats Lochte in Austin Grand Prix: Michael Phelps, who has won 14 Olympic gold medals, beat Ryan Lochte, the dominant swimmer of 2010, in the 100-meter butterfly final in 52.53 seconds in the Austin Grand Prix in Texas.

Seattle Times news services