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Sports in brief

By DAVE THEALL and Times wires
© St. Petersburg Times
published May 11, 2002


Agassi, Roddick easily into semis of Italian Open

Two weeks before the French Open, Andre Agassi appears to be in top form. So does Andy Roddick.

Agassi beat Albert Costa 6-2, 6-2, and Roddick eliminated Tommy Robredo 6-4, 7-6 (7-2) Friday to reach the Italian Open semifinals in Rome. It is the first time two U.S. men are in the final four at the clay-court tournament since 1993.

"I'm pleasantly surprised by the way I'm playing," Agassi said. "I didn't think I'd be at this point now, but it's hard to think about Paris when you're in the semifinals of an event like this."

Agassi faces Jiri Novak, who beat James Blake 3-6, 7-6 (9-7), 6-4. Roddick faces Tommy Haas, who beat 1998 French Open champion Carlos Moya 6-3, 6-4.

The last American to win at the Open was Pete Sampras in 1994.

Agassi, trying to win his first Italian Open title, insisted he was focused on the tournament, not the French Open, which begins May 27.

Martina Hingis (foot injury), Monica Seles (stomach virus) and Amanda Coetzer (muscle problem) withdrew from next week's tournament.

MORE TENNIS: Jennifer Capriati moved within two wins of regaining the No. 1 ranking, beating Sandrine Testud 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 in a German Open quarterfinal in Berlin. Capriati faces Justine Henin, a 6-0, 6-4 winner over Nathalie Dechy. Serena Williams advanced after defending champion Amelie Mauresmo withdrew with a neck injury. She faces unseeded Anna Smashnova, who beat Daniela Hantuchova 1-6, 6-2, 6-3. ... Top-seeded Henrieta Nagyova beat Virginia Ruano-Pascual 6-7 (1-7), 7-5, 6-1 at the J&S Cup in Warsaw, Poland.

SOCCER: Host AC Parma upset Italian League champion Juventus 1-0 to win the Italian Cup. ... Lothar Matthaeus, the former German World Cup star who finished his career with the MLS's New York/New Jersey MetroStars, was fired as coach of Austria's Rapid Vienna. ... Incumbent Sepp Blatter's opponent in the FIFA presidential election asked a Zurich prosecutor to investigate Blatter for improper use of the governing body's money. Issa Hayatou was among 11 members of the 24-man executive committee filing the formal complaint.

SWIMMING: Four-time Olympic medalist Summer Sanders and 10 others will be inducted today into the International Hall of Fame at Fort Lauderdale. Sanders won two golds, silver and bronze at the 1992 Barcelona Games and retired two years later. Other inductees: two-time diving medalist Patty Elsener, international diving community leader Tom Gomph, synchronized swimming champion Peg Hogan, four-time U.S. Olympic coach Eddie Reese, two-time water polo medalist Terry Schroeder and two-time swimming medalists Igor Poliansky, Jill Sterkel, Melvin Stewart and Georg Zacharias. Longtime International Olympic Committee member Richard Pound will receive the Gold Medallion Award, given annually to a former competitive swimmer.

DIVING: China's Yu Ting Yang and Minxia Wu (284.82 points) won the women's 3-meter synchro in the USA Grand Prix at Coral Gables. Americans Kimiko Soldati and Erin Quinn (270.9) were second. China's Yulong Luo and Xiang Xu won the men's platform synchro with 322.17, edging Americans Mark Ruiz and Justin Dumais by 9.63.

HORSES: Murray Johnson, who trained Spiral Stakes winner Perfect Drift to a third-place Kentucky Derby finish at Churchill Downs, is passing on the Preakness. He is preparing the gelding for the Belmont Stakes on June 8. But Derby winner War Emblem, runner-up Proud Citizen and fourth-finisher Medaglia d'Oro are expected to race May 18. ... Charmed Gift, the 3-year-old daughter of A.P. Indy, won the $46,800 feature for fillies and mares at Churchill Downs, returning $3.60, $2.60 and $2.20. ... Alchemilla won the $48,000 feature for fillies and mares at Belmont Park, returning $7.20, $3.60 and $2.10.

GOLF: The Dodge Shootout, a Celebrity Players Tour event, is looking for caddies for the May 24-25 tournament at Innisbrook. Caddies will earn $50 a day and use carts. For more information, call Doug Laseter at (727) 789-2755.

GREYHOUNDS: Talentedmrripley seeks 11 straight wins in the national Night of Stars IX simulcast event tonight at Derby Lane in St. Petersburg. He is undefeated over three-eighths mile this year and has won 54 of 65 starts. Derby Lane also features Ireland's Euro Off-track 600 stakes, in which Late Late Show is the defending champion.

CYCLING: All 198 entered in the Giro d'Italia in Groningen, Netherlands, had clean results in prerace drug tests.

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