Sports Briefs: Johnson Completes WGC Sweep at Match Play

Austin, Texas — The final day lasted longer than Dustin Johnson wanted. The outcome was what everyone expected.

Johnson, a golfing machine with no discernible weakness and hardly any pulse, won the Dell Technologies Match Play on Sunday for his third straight victory, this one making him the first person to sweep the four World Golf Championships.

He had to work the hardest for this title.

Johnson was taken to the 18th hole in the semifinal before making an 8-foot putt to beat Hideto Tanihara, and then Jon Rahm rallied from 5 down with 10 holes to play until his fearless charge fell short on the final hole.

Johnson tapped in a 30-inch putt for a 1-up victory, completing a dominant week in which he never trailed in the 112 holes he played over seven matches.

Johnson now has 15 victories in his career, six of them dating to his first major at the U.S. Open last summer at Oakmont. Three of them were World Golf Championships at the Bridgestone Invitational, the Mexico Championship and the Match Play. He won the HSBC Champions in Shanghai in 2013.

Bill Haas won the consolation match against Tanihara, 3 and 2, in which Tanihara made a hole-in-one on the seventh hole.

Tennis

V. Williams, Nadal Advance

Key Biscayne, Fla. — The oldest player in the women’s draw at the Miami Open, Venus Williams is looking forward to the next round. And next year. And the year after that.

Williams earned her latest win in this season of resurgence on Sunday, beating qualifier Patricia Maria Tig, 6-3, 6-0, to reach the fourth round. Seeded 11th and appearing in the event for the 18th time, Williams is a threat to win her fourth Key Biscayne title — and her first since 2001.

Rafael Nadal followed Williams onto the stadium court and was promptly blanked in a set for the first time in more than two years. But he recovered to beat Philipp Kohlschreiber, 0-6, 6-2, 6-3, a comeback that left him unusually pumped up for an early-round win.

Soccer

Favorites Win; Dutch Coach Fired

Berlin — Germany, England and Poland all took another step toward World Cup qualification, but the Netherlands’ failure to do the same cost national coach Danny Blind his job.

The Dutch football association fired Blind one day after his team’s humiliating 2-0 defeat to Bulgaria in Sofia — a result that leaves the 2014 World Cup semifinalist in danger of missing out on a second successive major tournament after watching Euro 2016 at home.

On the field Sunday, defending champion Germany remained on course with its fifth win from five games despite conceding its first goal in Group C. It beat Azerbaijan 4-1.

England, now the only team not to have conceded so far in European qualifying, beat Lithuania 2-0 in Group F.

In Group E, Poland captain Robert Lewandowski scored again as his first-placed team beat second-placed Montenegro 2-1.