AUCKLAND, New Zealand -- Venus Williams fell short in her attempt to capture her first title in more than a year, losing to Ana Ivanovic 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 in the final of the ASB Classic on Saturday. Jim Rice Jersey . Second-seeded Ivanovic looked headed for a routine victory in the matchup between former world No. 1s, winning the first set in 35 minutes and holding match point at 5-3 in the second. But Williams fought back to break Ivanovic twice to capture the second set and force a decider. Williams opened the third set with two double faults to drop serve, however, and played under pressure the remainder of the match. She held two break points in the final game before Ivanovic won four straight points to close out the match. Williams was playing in her first final since winning her 44th career title at Luxembourg in October 2012. The seven-time Grand Slam champions ranking has fallen to 47th as she has battled injuries and Sjogrens syndrome, a fatigue-causing autoimmune disease, over the past two years. Williams had an 8-1 record against Ivanovic heading into the match, with the Serbs only win coming at the 2008 Australian Open. "She played so well. Weve played a lot of great matches and this is another one," Williams said. "I just kept fighting despite the odds. She was playing so well." Ivanovic, a former French Open champion, captured her 12th WTA singles title and her first since Bali in 2011. "It was very tough," Ivanovic said. "Venus showed again what a great sport she is in what shes done today and over all these years. Williams sister Serena is playing later in the day against Victoria Azarenka in the final of the Brisbane International, another Australian Open tuneup event. Venus said the sisters made a pact before the finals that they would both bring home the trophies Saturday. "Ill just be rooting for Serena tonight," she said. "I couldnt keep up my end of the bargain. I just played too tough of a player but hopefully she can make it at least one win today." Jason Varitek Jersey . The veteran fighter will be squaring off with Henderson in a five-round lightweight bout as part of another network televised card at the United Center on Saturday night. Wade Boggs Jersey . - Florida State has suspended Jameis Winston for the entire game against Clemson on Saturday, extending its initial punishment of one half after the quarterback made offensive and vulgar comments about female anatomy earlier this week. https://www.cheapredsox.com/401z-dustin-pedroia-jersey-red-sox.html . The right-hander pitched into the seventh inning and boosted Cincinnatis struggling offence by hitting a double and scoring as the Reds ended a seven-game losing streak by beating the Atlanta Braves 1-0 Saturday night.San Diego, CA - The Los Angeles Dodgers continued to wheel and deal on Wednesday at Major League Baseballs Winter Meetings, as they made two more significant moves. First, Los Angeles shipped infielder Dee Gordon and veteran right-hander Dan Haren to the Miami Marlins for a four-player package that included prized pitching prospect Andrew Heaney. But Heaney was only a Dodger for hours before he was sent across town to the Angels in a straight swap for second baseman Howie Kendrick. This deal comes on the heels of the Dodgers reportedly picking up shortstop Jimmy Rollins from the Philadelphia Phillies. Gordon is coming off a solid season that saw him hit .289 over 148 games while leading the majors with 64 stolen bases and 12 triples. However, he posted a miserable 47/4 K/BB ratio with a .648 OPS during the second half. Thank you @Dodgers for the last 6 (years) of my life. You are an amazing organization with tremendous leadership. Youve stood by me in the bad times and made me a stronger man, Gordon said in a statement on his twitter account. Gordon stole six more bases than the entire Marlins team last season. Haren recently exercised a $10 million option for the upcoming season, but has also stated thatt if he was dealt anywhere other than to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim that he would retire. Custom Boston Red Sox Jerseys. He made 32 starts for the Dodgers last season and produced a 13-11 record with a 4.02 ERA. However, he was not used in the Dodgers National League Division Series loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. Heaney, meanwhile, was the ninth overall pick in 2012, but struggled in limited big league action last season, pitching to a 5.83 ERA in five starts in place of the injured Jose Fernandez. The 23-year-old left-hander bounced back in the minors and posted a 3.28 ERA with 143 strikeouts over 137 1/3 innings. Over 259 2/3 career minor league innings Heaney has compiled a 2.77 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 262/68 K/BB ratio. Kendrick has been one of the most consistent second basemen in baseball over the last couple of seasons. The nine-year vet has spent his entire career with the Angels, compiling a .292 batting average with 78 home runs and 501 RBI. Kendrick was an All-Star in 2011 and posted the best WAR of his career, 5.4, last season. The Marlins also sent righty Chris Hatcher, infielder Kike Hernandez and catcher Austin Barnes to the Dodgers. Shortstop Miguel Rojas went from the Dodgers to Miami. ' ' '