The US women’s volleyball team defeated Brazil, 3-1, on Monday in London in an early-round rematch of the Beijing Games final won by the Brazilians.
Destinee Hooker had 23 points and Jordan Larson added 18 for the top-ranked Americans, who won, 25-18, 25-17, 22-25, 25-21, at Earls Court to improve to 2-0 in Group B.
Sheilla Castro had 15 points for No. 2 Brazil (1-1), which was energized after a third-set victory but lost on Logan Tom’s floater in the fourth set. Tom is playing in her fourth Olympics.
‘‘I call her the glue,’’ coach Hugh McCutcheon said. ‘‘She holds this team together.’’
Brazil has lost five straight international matches to the US. The teams are 21-21 in career play.
The US next plays China on Wednesday. China is 2-0 in Group B after defeating Turkey in four sets.
Also on Wednesday, Brazil plays South Korea (1-1), which got a staggering 34 points from Kim Yeon-Young in a 3-1 victory over Serbia.
Russia (3-1 over the Dominican Republic) and Italy (3-1 over Japan) both moved to 2-0 in Group A.
Tennis
Serena Williams won her second-round match over Poland’s Urszula Radwanska, 6-2, 6-3, and sister Venus took her rain-delayed opening match, 6-3, 6-1, over Sara Errani of Italy. After their singles matches, the Williamses began a bid for their third Olympic doubles gold medal by eliminating Sorana Cirstea and Simona Halep of Romania, 6-3, 6-2.
The US team went 6-0, with Andy Roddick, John Isner, and Varvara Lepchenko also advancing in singles.
Switzerland’s Roger Federer was a double winner, reaching the third round in singles with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Julien Benneteau of France and capturing his first doubles match.
Rowing
Australia threw down the challenge to archrival Britain in the men’s four, setting one of two Olympic-best times on a sunny final day of heat racing in Windsor.
Australia made a bigger impression by winning the first heat in 5 minutes 47.06 seconds behind a slight tailwind. That broke Germany’s Olympic-best time from eight years ago. Britain, which has won the event at the last three Games and is also the world champion, clocked 5:50.27 to win the second heat.
The US won the third heat in 5:54.58 and could also be a contender for gold. The semifinals are Thursday, and the final Saturday.
Britain’s Katherine Grainger broke the 20-year-old Olympic mark in the women’s double sculls with partner Anna Watkins in the first heat. They crossed the line in 6:44.33. New Zealand, the defending champion, came second to also qualify for Friday’s final.
The US men’s quadruple sculls team that includes Massachusetts rowers Elliot Hovey (Manchester-By-The-Sea) and Wes Piermarini (West Brookfield) finished fourth in their repechage and were eliminated.
Equestrian
Zara Phillips had a few things to celebrate Monday: Her first wedding anniversary, and a penalty-free ride through the treacherous cross-country portion of the equestrian eventing competition that counted toward Britain’s second-place finish going into the final round.
An estimated 50,000 fans, including some of the royal family, packed Greenwich Park to root for Phillips, grandaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, as she negotiated her horse over 28 obstacles and a slippery course that claimed a dozen fallen riders.
Hers was one of the top three scores counted in Britain’s second-place standings going into Tuesday’s final show-jumping round with 130.2 points. Germany led with 124.7 points and Sweden was third with 131.4. The US was fifth with 155.2.
Germany’s Ingrid Klimke was tied for first place in the individual standings with Sweden’s Sara Algotsson Ostholt at 39.3 points. Mark Todd of New Zealand, who won individual gold in eventing in 1984 and 1988, was in third place with 39.5 points after incurring a slight time penalty.
Beach volleyball
Misty May-Treanor (celebrating her 35th birthday) and Kerri Walsh Jennings earned a 21-14, 21-19 win over Czechs Marketa Slukova and Kristyna Kolocova, the 16th consecutive Olympic victory for the two-time gold medalists. The Americans, who have never lost a set in three Olympics, fell behind 18-15 in the second before finishing the match.
The US entry (men and women) suffered its first loss in pool play as Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal were beaten by Poland’s Grzegorz Fijalek and Mariusz Prudel, 21-17, 21-18.
Water polo
Making her Olympic debut, 19-year-old Maggie Steffens scored seven goals and the US women survived a pesky Hungarian squad to win its opening match, 14-13. Steffens scored on her first touch and had six goals in the first half.
Courtney Mathewson added four goals for the US, which is tied with Spain atop Group A. The Americans’ main rivals for gold are the Australians, who edged Italy, 10-8.
Shooting
Vincent Hancock was the leader after qualification in the men’s skeet, hitting 74 of 75 targets. US teammate Frank Thompson was tied for third with 71 targets. Qualification ends Tuesday, followed by the finals.
Sailing
Danish sailor Jonas Hoegh-Christensen remained in first place in the Finn class, picking up finishes of second and seventh on a cold, gray afternoon on Weymouth Bay. British star Ben Ainslie finished 6-12 to slip from second to third place, behind Jonathan Lobert of France. American Zach Railey moved up two spots to 13th.
Boxing
American light heavyweight Marcus Browne was outpointed by Australia’s Damien Hooper, 13-11, in a Round of 32 bout.
Archery
Miranda Leek of the US survived the Round of 32 in the women’s individual 70-meter competition, but was then eliminated by Pia Lionetti of Italy, 6-4.