Sports in Brief: Nadal defeats Federer in final

Top-ranked Rafael Nadal started 2011 with a win over rival Roger Federer, beating the Swiss, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3), Saturday to defend his title at the World Tennis Championships exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Both players held serve throughout the match, and Federer had the early momentum in the first tiebreaker, hitting a couple of blistering forehand winners to go up 3-0. But Nadal won the next five points and clinched the set when the Swiss hit a forehand long.

Both Federer and Nadal were given byes into the semifinals of the six-player tournament. Federer beat fifth-ranked Robin Soderling on Friday, while Nadal ousted Tomas Berdych.

Former No. 1 Justine Henin and Lleyton Hewitt made winning comebacks from injuries as Australia beat Belgium, 2-1, in the Hopman Cup in Perth, Australia.

Henin beat Alicia Molik, 6-4, 6-4, in her first singles match since hurting her elbow at Wimbledon in June, and Hewitt beat Ruben Bemelmans, 6-4, 6-3, in his first singles match since injuring his right hand in September.

Third-ranked Kim Clijsters beat top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki, 6-3, 4-6, 12-10, in Hua Hin, Thailand, in an exhibition warm-up for the Australian Open.

AUTO RACING: The Dakar Rally roared out of Buenos Aires with a ceremonial parade of hundreds of vehicles departing from its famed Obelisk. The 16-day trek will take drivers 5,903 miles across northern Argentina, through the Andes, the Atacama Desert of Chile, and back to the Argentine capital. Defending champions Carlos Sainz in the cars category and Cyril Despres in motorcycles return to defend their titles.

SOCCER: David Beckham could be on his way back to England's Premier League - for a little while. Tottenham, where Beckham trained as a schoolboy before signing with Manchester United, wants to sign the former England captain on loan from the Los Angeles Galaxy until the MLS season starts in March.

HORSE RACING: Edward P. Evans, 68. one of thoroughbred racing's leading owners and breeders, died after a brief illness. Evans died Friday night at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, his secretary, Catherine Moraetis, said Saturday. She said the cause of death was acute myeloid leukemia. Evans owned Spring Hill Farm in Virginia, and his horses won more than 100 stakes races during his 30-plus years as an owner. Quality Road was among his best horses, earning more than $2.2 million with victories that included the Woodward Stakes and the Metropolitan Handicap in 2010. Other horses bred by Evans include 2005 horse of the year Saint Liam, Gygistar, and Tap Dance.

- Associated Press