Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova romped to the Madrid Open title on Saturday with a crushing 6-1, 6-2 victory over Svetlana Kuznetsova.

The Czech ended Serena Williams's 27-match winning streak in the semi-finals and was far too good for Kuznetsova, who looked heavy-legged after spending more than 11 hours on court to reach the final.

Rafael Nadal stayed on course for a third consecutive Madrid Open title as he proved too strong for the Czech Republic's Tomas Berdych 7-6 (7/3), 6-1 on Saturday.

The Spaniard will face either a rematch of last year's final against Kei Nishikori or world number three Andy Murray in Sunday's final.

Nico Rosberg topped the times again in Saturday morning's final free practice for Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix.

The 29-year-old German, without a win this season and 27 points behind Mercedes team-mate and defending world champion Lewis Hamilton in the title race, clocked a best time of one minute and 26.021 seconds.

Svetlana Kuznetsova scored her first victory over Maria Sharapova in seven years to reach the final of the Madrid Open 6-2, 6-4 on Friday.

Defending champion Sharapova was the heavy favorite to reach the final for a third consecutive year with the 29-year-old Kuznetsova having spent nearly six hours on court in the past two days to reach the last four.

The third version of the Beirut Marathon Association’s Women’s race is coming up on June 7, 2015 and it will take place in the historic and scenic seaport city of Byblos (Jbeil). “Rise and Run Forward” is the slogan for this year’s race: it is a call to action to keep moving forward, and to rise to the challenges of every day no matter how big or small. It is a continuation of last year’s “Run Forward” campaign, as we believe that Forward >> is the only way to go.

The Beirut Marathon Women’s race was launched three years ago: the main goal of this race was to engage women in competitive sports through running, and empower them to fulfill all their roles in society. Women from all walks of life, all ages, and all backgrounds rallied and participated in this race that was designed specifically for them. Women are also Peace Runners, and on this day they can bring all of their positive energy forward and run towards a promising future.

Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge could be sidelined until at least September as he battles back from a hip operation, club manager Brendan Rodgers said.

The 25-year-old England international went under the knife in New York on Tuesday in a bid to cure a number of related problems with his thigh and calf which have seen him make just eight Premier League starts this season.

A threat by footballers in Spain to strike in a dispute over the sharing of riches from television rights harms the game and its precious revenues, the government warned Friday.

Players from top teams, including Barcelona and Real Madrid, on Thursday joined in a threat to boycott the last games of the season if the government does not renegotiate a reform of football broadcasting rights.

Ukrainian side Dnipro equalized late in the second half for a 1-1 draw at Napoli in the opening leg of the Europa League semifinals on Thursday.

Napoli midfielder David Lopez headed in a corner from Lorenzo Insigne in the 50th minute at San Paolo Stadium, and it was all Napoli until substitute forward Yevhen Seleznyov redirected in a cross at the far post nine minutes from time.

Sevilla right back Aleix Vidal scored two goals and set up another to lead the titleholders to a 3-0 win over Fiorentina in their Europa League semifinal first leg on Thursday.

Fiorentina had the better share of chances in the first half, but it was Vidal who struck first from long range in the 17th minute at Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium.

Alberto Contador has been riding a bit slower than usual this season.

That's by design.