Sports in brief

GOLFCurtis leads Texas Open by three

Ben Curtis remained in position for his first PGA Tour victory since 2006 despite two front-nine double bogeys at the Valero Texas Open, shooting a 1-over-par 73 Saturday to take a three-stroke lead into the final round at the TPC San Antonio. Curtis was at 9-under 207 for three rounds. Matt Every was second after a 73 in a bid for his first PGA Tour victory . . . David Frost and Michael Allen combined for a 9-under 63 for a share of the second-round lead with Tom Purtzer and Brad Bryant in the Legends of Golf at Savannah, Ga.

TENNIS

Nadal vs. Djokovic at Monte Carlo

Rafael Nadal will try to beat top-ranked Novak Djokovic for the first time in eight finals when they meet in the Monte Carlo Masters final. Nadal advanced to the final with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Gilles Simon, and Djokovic rallied from a set down to beat Tomas Berdych, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. Djokovic has beaten the Spaniard in seven consecutive finals, including the recent Australian Open, and handed Nadal his only two defeats on clay last year.

U.S. takes 2-0 Fed Cup lead

Serena Williams overpowered Ukrainian teenager Elina Svitolina, 6-2, 6-1, to give the United States a 2-0 lead in their Fed Cup match in Kharkiv, Ukraine. In the opening match, Christina McHale defeated Lesia Tsurenko, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3.

SOCCER

Real Madrid beats Barcelona

Cristiano Ronaldo scored in the 73rd minute to send Barcelona to its first loss in 55 home games and put Real Madrid on the cusp of breaking the Catalan giants' three-year hold on the Spanish league crown with a 2-1 win. -- AP