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Sharapova faces Hennin-Hardenne in WTA showdown

By TIMES WIRES
Published November 11, 2006

MADRID - U.S. Open champion Maria Sharapova faces French Open winner Justine Henin-Hardenne in the WTA Championships semifinals, with the No. 1 world ranking on the line.

Sharapova defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-1, 6-4 Friday in the final match of round-robin play in the Red Group. Henin-Hardenne lost 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 to defending champion Amelie Mauresmo in the Yellow Group, but both reached the semis.

Mauresmo plays Kim Clijsters, who beat Elena Dementieva 6-4, 6-0 in the Red Group.

SOCCER

76 years later, American gets credit for hat trick

It's 76 years later, but American Bert Patenaude has finally received official credit as the first to score a hat trick in a World Cup match.

Records had given Guillermo Stabile of Argentina credit for the first World Cup hat trick, but FIFA said that Patenaude should hold the title "by virtue of his three goals in the USA's 3-0 win over Paraguay in Montevideo (Uruguay) on 17 July 1930." The match took place two days before Stabile scored his three goals in Argentina's 6-3 victory against Mexico.

MLS: Teams will start a youth development program next year. Each MLS team plans to launch separate teams for players younger than 25, 20, 18, 16, 15 and 14. As many as 18 players will be on each youth team.

INJURY: Real Madrid's Ronaldo will be out for a month after a ligament injury in his left knee, sports daily Marca said on its Web site.

ET CETERA

BOXING: Canada's Steve Molitor stopped England's Michael Hunter to win the vacant IBF super-bantamweight title in Hartlepool, England.

GYMNASTICS: Philadelphia was selected as site of the 2008 Olympic trials.

SKIING: Five-time Olympian Fredrik Nyberg, 37, is out for the season after tearing ligaments in one of his knees during training.

OBITUARY

Annette Kelly, 93, winner of two Olympic golds

Annette Kelly, 93, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in the 400-meter relay, died Wednesday in Des Plaines, Ill.

Mrs. Kelly won gold in the 400-meter relay at the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles and the 1936 Games in Berlin, and she placed sixth in the high jump in 1932 and fifth in the 100 meters in 1936.

"She was competitive, but she loved to laugh, she loved life," said her daughter, Kathleen Kelly.

HORSES

Eclipse Award winner Bowl Game euthanized

Bowl Game, the Eclipse Award winner as the top male turf horse in 1979, was euthanized at age 32 because of infirmities. Under the care of the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation since 1998, the horse had been living on a farm in Paeonian Springs, Va.

RACES: Successful Affair had an eight-length victory in the featured allowance at Aqueduct in New York. ... Gin and Sin took the feature race at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

Elsewhere

HIGHER FINES? Women tennis players may be fined as much as $300,000 for missing a tournament next year after withdrawals reached a record level. Stacey Allaster, president of the Women's Tennis Association, wants tour directors to double sanctions at a Monday meeting. The circuit in 2006 failed to meet its commitment to have six top 10 players at any of its 10 leading events.

[Last modified November 11, 2006, 02:29:01]