Tennis’ Gasquet tests positive for cocaine

The UCLA women’s water polo team won its fifth consecutive NCAA championship Sunday afternoon, defeating top-seeded USC, 5-4, at College Park, Md. Senior Tanya Gandy led the Bruins (25-6) with three goals, and senior goalkeeper Brittany Fullen collected 12 saves.

The Bruins, seeded third, also received one goal each from senior Anne Belden and sophomore Priscilla Orozco. The title is the 11th national championship for the women’s water polo program and its seventh NCAA title.

“It may be one of the most improbable wins that we’ve had,” Coach Adam Krikorian said. “I knew going into the game that defense was going to be the key. I knew that we were going to have a hard time scoring 11 goals like we did [in the semifinals], and so I knew we had to play good defense.”

UCLA’s softball team was seeded second for the NCAA tournament and will host regional play at Easton Stadium from Friday to Sunday. The Bruins will play Long Beach State in their first game on Friday at 3:30 p.m., with Fresno State and Nevada Las Vegas battling in the other matchup at 1 p.m.

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TENNIS

Gasquet denies using cocaine

French tennis player Richard Gasquet has acknowledged he has been told he tested positive for cocaine but says he’s innocent.

“I am gathering together proof of my innocence, and I will choose an appropriate moment to express myself,” Gasquet said Sunday.

Gasquet said the “B” sample from the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Fla., confirmed the result of the “A” sample taken the same day.

The French tennis federation called the report “very surprising” and said Sunday it would wait for confirmation before taking any action.

Gasquet could face a two-year ban or a three-month ban if the tests conclude the substance was consumed out of competition.

James Blake lost to Albert Montanes, 5-7, 7-6 (6), 6-0, in the final of the Estoril Open at Oeiras, Portugal. . . . Tomas Berdych rallied from four points down in a decisive tiebreaker to beat Mikhail Youzhny, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (5,) in the final of the BMW Open at Munich, Germany. . . . Top-seeded Novak Djokovic beat Lukasz Kubot, 6-3, 7-6 (0) in the Serbia Open final at Belgrade.

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CYCLING

Armstrong moves up in standings

Alessandro Petacchi edged Mark Cavendish to win the second stage of the Giro d’Italia in a mass sprint at Trieste, and Lance Armstrong finished in the main pack and moved up in the overall standings.

Cavendish leads the overall standings by 14 seconds. Armstrong moved from 15th to 10th overall, 27 seconds behind Cavendish.

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GOLF

Kerr wins her 12th LPGA title

Cristie Kerr emerged from a tie for the lead with a birdie on the 15th hole and won her second Michelob Ultra Open with a 16-under-par 286 at Williamsburg, Va.

The putt gave Kerr a 16-under total, and when other challengers In-Kyung Kim and third-round co-leader Lindsey Wright bogeyed, Kerr led by two shots with two holes left.

Kerr held on for her 12th career victory and earned the $330,000 winner’s check, moving her to the top of the money list for the season with more than $700,000.

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MOTOR RACING

Matos leads Indy Day 2 qualifiers

Raphael Matos is the fastest driver in second-day qualifying for the Indianapolis 500.

The Indy rookie from Brazil posted a four-lap average of 223.429 mph on the historic 2.5-mile Brickyard oval and will start 12th in the May 24 race.

Longtime open-wheel star Paul Tracy was second-fastest at 223.111 mph as the top seven drivers in the second session were faster than Alex Lloyd, the slowest of Saturday’s 11 qualifiers.

Jenson Button won his fourth Formula One race of the season by taking the Spanish Grand Prix ahead of Brawn GP teammate Rubens Barrichello at Barcelona.

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HOCKEY

Russia wins gold medal; U.S. fourth

Russia successfully defended its gold medal at the hockey world championship at Bern, Switzerland, beating Canada 2-1. Sweden won the bronze, beating the United States, 4-2.