Injured Graf Will Take a Break

Steffi Graf, the world’s top-ranked female tennis player, will be out of action for three weeks while she recovers from a back injury, her doctor said Wednesday.

Graf lost the U.S. Open singles final Sunday to second-seeded Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, then flew home to Germany to be examined by her doctor in Essen. The extent or nature of the injury is not known. The week before the U.S. Open, Graf pulled out of an exhibition tournament in New Haven, Conn., saying she wanted to rest her back for the year’s final Grand Slam event.

Baseball

Texas Ranger General Manager Tom Grieve, who has run a major league team without winning a division title longer than anyone else, was fired and reassigned as an assistant to club President Tom Schieffer.

Jorge Fabregas hit a two-run single to highlight a three-run fifth inning that sent the Vancouver Canadians, the Angels’ top farm team, to a 5-3 victory and a split of their Pacific Coast League championship doubleheader with the Albuquerque Dukes at Albuquerque. The Dukes, the Dodgers’ top minor leaguers, shut out Vancouver on five hits to win the first game, 7-4.

The Modesto A’s beat the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, 7-4, in the Epicenter to cut the Quakes’ lead in the best-of-five series to 2-1. Game 4 is tonight at 7:15 at the Epicenter.

Pro Basketball

Dwane Casey, a central figure in Kentucky’s 1989 basketball scandal, was named an assistant coach with the Seattle SuperSonics. He replaces Bob Kloppenburg, who becomes vice president of personnel and scouting.

At Kentucky, Casey was linked to a recruiting scandal when he was an assistant under then-coach Eddie Sutton. Casey’s name was on the return address of a package sent to the father of Fairfax High star Chris Mills. Employees of the air-freight company said the package broke open, revealing $1,000. The NCAA concluded that the school had sent the package.

High Schools

The Sylmar High football team was put on two years’ probation by the City Section rules committee and will forfeit two future practice days for violating two Interscholastic Athletics Committee rules last month. The team will remain eligible for the playoffs, however.

The Spartans scrimmaged Pierce College in an informal passing game Aug. 9, violating two IAC rules. They were also on probation last season for practicing on a holiday, but that probation period ended with the completion of the 1993 schedule.

Sailing

Dennis Conner sailed to within striking distance of leader Dave Curtis in the Etchells World Championship at Newport Beach, but with two races remaining it’s not quite a match race yet.

Tim Hogan won the fourth race in 14 knots of breeze, the strongest wind of the week. Conner placed fourth, with Curtis 10th after a 1-1-2 string the first three days.

That left Curtis, a seven-time Etchells champion, leading Conner by three points, 19-22, in the reverse scoring system, or 3-14 if they discount their worst races.

In the 73rd Star worlds at San Diego, 1989 champion Alan Adler of Brazil passed Germany’s Frank Butzmann on the second of three windward legs and won comfortably to move into third place--first, if he discounts his 26th-place finish Tuesday.

Names in the News

Michael Schumacher plans to return to drive for the Benetton team, the suspended Formula One leader’s management team said amid speculation that he was looking for a new team.

Dale Brown, a former Kentucky basketball player. has been ordered to pay MGB Sports Agency $9,010 in a breach of contract suit.