*TENNIS: Top-seeded Venus Williams was upset by Virginie Razzano 4-6, 7-6 (7), 6-4 in the final of the Japan Open in Tokyo. Williams had three match points in the tiebreaker of the second set but couldn’t finish off the fifth-seeded Razzano, who won her second straight WTA tournament. On the men’s side, top-seeded David Ferrer of Spain defeated Ivo Karlovic of Croatia 7-6 (3), 6-3 and will face Richard Gasquet of France in Sunday’s final. Gasquet defeated second-seeded Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic 7-6(3), 6-3. … Top-ranked Justine Henin defeated Jelena Jankovic 7-6 (2), 7-5 and will play Tatiana Golovin for the title of the Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany. Golovin reached her second straight Porsche GP final by upsetting second-ranked Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-2, 6-4.
*NBA: Warriors guard Monta Ellis was released from the hospital after injuring his neck in practice. He left the hospital in Kailua, Hawaii, on his own accord with what the team said was a sprained neck. Ellis underwent a battery of tests, including an MRI exam and CT scan, and all were normal. He hit his head on teammate Brandan Wright’s hip as he was driving toward the basket. His status was listed as day-to-day, and his availability wasn’t immediately known for preseason games against the Lakers in Honolulu on Tuesday and Thursday. … Nuggets guard Anthony Carter broke a bone in his right hand during practice Saturday. He fractured the third metacarpal, the team said. No timeline was set for his return.
*HORSE RACING: War Pass took the lead early and then cruised to an easy victory in the $400,000 Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park. The 2-year-old colt improved to 3-for-3 for trainer Nick Zito and is sure to be among the favorites for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at New Jersey’s Monmouth Park on Oct. 27. … Donato Hanover matched the fastest mile ever by a trotter, winning the $742,000 Kentucky Futurity in 1 minute 50.1 seconds at the Red Mile in Lexington, Ky. Donato Hanover matched the record set earlier in the day by Giant Diablo and set a record for 3-year-old colt trotters en route to his 19th straight victory in 20 career starts.
*NFL: The Patriots released tight end Marcellus Rivers after safety Rodney Harrison’s roster exemption was lifted. Harrison was suspended for the first four games of the season for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances, reportedly by using human growth hormone. … Dolphins safety Donovin Darius will miss Sunday’s game against the Texans with a calf injury. Cameron Worrell will likely make his first start in Darius’ place.
* BOXING: Samuel Peter survived three early knockdowns to pull away from Jameel McCline (38-8-3) and keep the WBC heavyweight championship in New York. Peter (29-1) dominated the latter rounds for a unanimous decision. For Peter, it was his first title bout; McCline has lost four times with a championship on the line.
