MOSCOW - Meghann Shaughnessy edged Kirsten Flipkens 9-7 in the third set, and Lisa Raymond overpowered Els Callens, giving the United States a 2-0 lead over Belgium in the Fed Cup semifinals Wednesday.
Shaughnessy erased a match point and outlasted the 17-year-old Flipkens 6-7 (7-4), 7-6 (10-8), 9-7 after former Florida Gator Raymond put the Americans ahead in the best-of-five series by beating Callens 6-2, 6-1.
Neither team has its top players, with the U.S. squad missing Serena and Venus Williams, Lindsay Davenport, Jennifer Capriati and Monica Seles. The Belgians are without Justine Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters, who are ranked Nos. 1 and 2.
Russia and France were tied at 1 in the other semifinal. Amelie Mauresmo beat Vera Zvonareva 6-2, 6-2 to give France the lead, but Russia evened it when Anastasia Myskina saved a match point and came back to top Mary Pierce 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 7-5.
MOTORSPORTS: Baja 1000 starts Friday
The 36th edition of the Baja 1000 off-road race begins Friday in Ensenada, Mexico, 65 miles south of San Diego. Attempting to complete the race will be 272 entries from 28 states, Washington, D.C., Mexico, Brazil, Canada, France Guatemala, Israel, Japan and Uruguay. All vehicles will have a 32-hour time limit to become an official finisher. The fastest are expected to finish in 15-16 hours.
DRIVERS FINED: Brendan Gaughan and Ted Musgrave have been fined by NASCAR for inappropriate language after Friday's season-ending Craftsman Truck Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Gaughan, who started the day leading the series points, lost his temper after being taken out of the race in a crash. He was fined $10,000. Musgrave appeared on the way to winning the championship in the waning laps, but was blackflagged and penalized for attempting a pass on a restart. He was fined $2,500.
POWERBOATING: Keith Holmes and Barry Glovik of Michigan drove Cat Can Do to victory and the lead in the SuperCat class after the first of three races that comprise the Key West Offshore World Championship in the Florida Keys. They posted an average speed of 86.72 mph over a course with rough seas as high as six feet.
TEXAS HONOREES: Indianapolis 500 winners A.J. Foyt and Johnny Rutherford will be the first inductees into the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame Jan. 27 in Fort Worth.
DOPING CASES: Ski, snowboard bans
Five skiers and snowboarders were given two-year bans by FIS, the world governing body for skiing, for failing drug tests. Slovenian skier Primoz Skerbinek tested positive for the anabolic steroid Stanozolol. Testing positive for marijuana were Spanish freestyle skier Peter Alexander Bouvrie Morales, Spanish cross-country skier Ilazki Barace Baque, Italian snowboarder Paolo Bazzano and Italian snowboarder Lorenzo Barbieri.
STEEPLECHASE: World record holder Brahim Boulami of Morocco was suspended for two years by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, retroactive to August 2002. He tested positive for the endurance-enhancing drug EPO in Zurich, Switzerland, the day before breaking his own world record.
ET CETERA
COLLEGES: Florida signed Will Strickler of Woodberry Forest High of Charlottesville, Va., to its No. 1-ranked golf team. Also, pitcher Lisa Hasson of Seminole High was signed to the softball team. ... Florida had 36 athletes named to the inaugural Southeastern Conference Freshman Academic Honor Roll announced Wednesday. ... Florida Southern signed Michelle Tatlock, a switch-hitting infielder/outfielder from Osceola High.
HORSES: Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Funny Cide joined the snowbirds in Florida, arriving at Gulfstream Park to prepare for his 4-year-old campaign. Two likely races are the $100,000 Hal's Hope Handicap on opening day Jan. 3 and the $500,000 Donn Handicap on Feb. 7.
RUGBY: France flanker Serge Betsen was banned for six weeks for kicking England's Matt Dawson in the head during Sunday's World Cup semifinal. He is the fifth player to be censured for excessive violence at the tournament in Australia.
HOCKEY: St. Louis Blues general manager Larry Pleau was chosen to be the U.S. national team's GM at the World Cup of Hockey. He picked Atlanta GM Don Waddell as his assistant. They also will head the U.S. team at the world championships early next year.
SOCCER: Colombia's soccer federation said embattled coach Francisco Maturana will resign after losing three consecutive World Cup qualifying matches.
