TENNIS

Sharapova win advances her to quarterfinal match with Stosur in Pan Pacific Open

Two-time champion Maria Sharapova overpowered Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic 6-2, 7-6 to advance to the quarterfinals of the Pan Pacific Open at Tokyo.

The second-seeded Russian coasted through the first set and led 3-0 before Safarova mounted a comeback, breaking Sharapova three times to take a 6-5 lead.

Sharapova will next face Australia’s Sam Stosur, who beat Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia, 6-4, 7-5.

THAILAND OPEN: Gael Monfils, returning strong from a knee injury, beat South African qualifier Kevin Anderson 6-4, 2-6, 7-5 to reach the second round in Bangkok.

Monfils came back last week after being sidelined for nearly four months and reached the semifinals in Metz in his French homeland.

MALAYSIAN OPEN: Nikolay Davydenko beat Sanam Singh of India 7-5, 6-4 in the first round at Kuala Lumpur.

Davydenko won the first Malaysian title in 2009 and has been ranked as high as No. 3.

Fellow Russian Alex Bogomolov Jr. beat British qualifier Dominic Inglot to set up a second-round match with top-seeded David Ferrer.

PREPS

BOYS’ SOCCER: Jamal Fraser Borden, Ethan Morrow and Zach Leighninger each scored twice to lead Hyde to a 7-0 win against High Mowing School at Bath.

Kiefer Cindy got the scoring started in the 10th minute.

GIRLS’ SOCCER: Brooke Downey had a goal and an assist to help Berwick Academy (5-1) take a 5-0 win over Landmark School at Beverly, Mass. Georgia Barlow, Holly St. Jean, Caroline Hernon and Olivia Hurley also scored.

BASKETBALL

MAINE: Former men’s basketball standout Troy Barnies has signed a professional contract to play for the Salon Vilpas Vikings of the Korisliiga, Finland’s top division.

Barnies averaged nearly 11 points and six rebounds for Istanbulspor in Turkey last season, his first year as a pro.

GOLF

EUROPE: In 2011, Spain hosted seven European Tour tournaments, more than any other country.

Next year, that could be down to just one — the Spanish Open — as widespread economic woes have led to the folding of several tournaments. Those include the $1.3 million Iberdrola Open, the $2.6 million Castello Masters and the $3.9 million Andalucia Masters.

The Madrid Masters was also canceled, leaving a hole in the Tour schedule last week, when no replacement could be found for Bankia, the bailed-out Spanish bank that had sponsored the $1.3 million event.

CYCLING

MILANO-TORINO: Alberto Contador won the revived Milano-Torino road race in Milan — a one-day, 123-mile event — his second title since returning from a doping ban.

Contador returned from a doping ban in August, and also tested positive for clenbuterol en route to winning the 2010 Tour de France.

The Spaniard dedicated the victory to compatriot Victor Cabedo, who died in a training accident last week.

Italy’s oldest cycling classic, first staged in 1876, had not been held since 2007.

– From staff and news services