Courier Looks at Winless Year

Jim Courier, once the world’s No. 1 player but now ranked 14th, lost to Mark Woodforde in the second round of the $2.25-million Paris Open tennis tournament, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3. Courier has not won a tournament since August 1993 and is not scheduled to play any more this year.

Pete Sampras and Boris Becker survived first-set scares by Dutch opponents. Top-seeded Sampras downed Jacco Eltingh, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4. Becker, fresh from a tournament victory in Sweden, ousted Paul Haarhuis, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

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Baseball

The Astro first baseman received 31 votes in a nationwide poll of 58 sportswriters and broadcasters. Frank Thomas, Chicago White Sox first baseman, was runner-up with 16 votes and San Francisco’s Matt Williams, who led the majors with 43 home runs, was third with three.

Miscellany

Trainer Dean Weber will plead guilty to one count of refusing to keep records of his department’s distribution of drugs and also will pay a $5,000 civil penalty, the U.S. Attorney’s office said. David England, an assistant, will plead to the same charge but will not face a civil penalty. Both face sentences of up to a year in prison and fines of $25,000.

John Bertrand’s oneAustralia overcame a 51-second deficit at the start and won its third straight race in the International America’s Cup Class World Championship off San Diego, defeating America 3’s all-woman team by 32 seconds.

The Australian boat, with 1983 America’s Cup winner Bertrand at the helm, has a commanding lead in the five-race regatta with a low score of 2.25 points. Its elapsed time over the 18.55-mile Pacific Ocean course was 2 hours 12 minutes 48 seconds.

The Kingdome will reopen Sunday, 3 1/2 months after acoustical tiles slammed into the stands and led to $32.5 million in repairs to the stadium roof and ceiling. The Seattle Seahawks will play Cincinnati in the Kingdome’s reopening event. The Seahawks had to play their first four regular-season home games and two exhibition games at the University of Washington’s Husky Stadium.