Graf Supplants Sanchez Vicario

Steffi Graf regained the No. 1 spot in the Women’s Tennis Assn. tour rankings Tuesday, ending Arantxa Sanchez Vicario’s six-week hold.

Graf had 298.8213 points in this week’s computer listing, to 296.7202 for Spain’s Sanchez Vicario.

Graf lost the top position Feb. 6 after she missed the Australian Open because of a thigh injury, and then regained it for a week on Feb. 20. She has held the No. 1 ranking for 279 weeks since August of 1987. Martina Navratilova holds the record of 331 weeks as No. 1.

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Defending champion Richard Krajicek of the Netherlands was eliminated from the Conde de Godo tournament in Barcelona, Spain, by unseeded Spaniard Roberto Carretero, 7-5, 6-2.

Eighth-seeded Andrei Medvedev of Ukraine also had a brief stay, beaten by Javier Sanchez of Spain, 6-1, 1-6, 6-0.

Among the first-round losers was 11th-seeded Patrick McEnroe. Australian veteran Wally Masur, who has slipped from 21st to 139th in the rankings, beat No. 11 McEnroe, 6-2, 6-4.

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Top-seeded Ryan Wolters from San Jose advanced to the third round of the boys’ 18 division of Easter Bowl Junior Tennis Championships in Palm Springs with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Keith Brill of Columbia, S.C. Second-seeded Kevin Kim of Fullerton also advanced with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Ali Ansari of Houston.

In the boys’ 16s, second-seeded Ahn Anh Liu of Bellvue, Wash., was upset by Scot Hirschfield of Freeport, N.Y.

In the girls’ 18s, fourth-seeded Amanda Basica of Lomita advanced to the third round with her second consecutive straight-set victory. In the girls’ 16s, top-seeded Julie Ditty of Ashland, Ky., advanced to the quarterfinals with a 7-6, 6-2 victory over Kathy Sell of Moorestown, N.J.

Football

The International Management Group, which represents Joe Montana, confirmed that the Kansas City quarterback will retire next week in San Francisco in a farewell luncheon to be attended by former teammates and executives of the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs.

Cris Carter, who set an NFL record with 122 catches last season, has agreed with Minnesota on a contract extension worth $11.5 million through 1998, the richest Viking contract ever.

Free agent linebacker Darryl Talley agreed to a two-year, $2-million contract with the Atlanta Falcons. A 12-year NFL veteran, Talley led the Buffalo Bills in tackles four of the last five seasons. He had 124 in 1994, but he was deemed expendable when the Bills signed former Green Bay Packer Bryce Paup last month.

Defensive end Keith McCants has signed a one-year contract with the Rams. McCants, 6 feet 3, 265 pounds from Alabama, is a five-year veteran who played for the Houston Oilers and Arizona Cardinals last season.

Linebacker Andre Collins, Washington’s leading tackler in the 1994 season, was released. The Redskins have signed former Buffalo and UCLA linebacker Marvcus Patton and former Dallas Cowboy Matt Vanderbeek during the offseason.

Golf

Corey Pavin’s short game knocked out Phil Mickelson, 3 and 1, and Loren Roberts saved par from the water on the way to a 3-and-2 decision over Tom Kite in the World Championship of Golf in Lake Oconee, Ga.

Pavin and Roberts will join Paul Azinger and Mark McCumber in the U.S. Section semifinals July 31 at Kohler, Wis.

Australians Steve Elkington and Robert Allenby, who won Monday, were joined by countryman Craig Parry and South African David Frost. Frost beat Eduardo Romero of Argentina, 2 and 1, and Parry eliminated Mark McNulty of Zimbabwe, 1-up.

Miscellany

Foreign travel agents and tour operators arranging trips to the 1996 Atlanta Olympics say they are being charged four times the standard rate for rooms, prompting state consumer-protection officials to launch an investigation.

Olympic officials have been trying to keep hotel and restaurant operators from engaging in price gouging, but brokers often add “service fees” each time items are re-sold by tour wholesalers.

Former U.S. national medalist figure skaters Mark Mitchell and Natasha Kuchiki were among 41 athletes who applied for reinstatement of their Olympic eligibility.

Mitchell was a three-time medalist at the national championships. Kuchiki teamed with Todd Sand to win a bronze medal in pairs at the 1991 world championships and also skated with Sand at the 1992 Olympics.

Other professionals who are seeking reinstatement include Doug Mattis, the 1985 U.S. junior champion, and Rory Flack Burghart, who won the 1995 U.S. Open Professional Championship.

Any individuals granted reinstatement by the U.S. organization also must apply for reinstatement with the International Skating Union, which will meet in late May.

Horse Racing

Pyramid Peak will not run in the $500,000 Blue Grass Stakes on Saturday at Keeneland, and instead will make his next start in the Kentucky Derby on May 6, trainer John T. Ward Jr. said.

Leading jockey Jim Cassidy was suspended for three years by the Australian Jockey Club, which is looking into charges of corruption in Australian horse racing. Kevin Moses, another top jockey, was suspended for a year. The two were banned for giving tips to bettors for monetary gain, and for bringing racing into disrepute.

Names in the News

Maryland basketball star Joe Smith said he is leaning toward the NBA draft instead of staying in school for his junior year. . . . Steve Kinser, a 14-time sprint car champion who struggled in the first seven races of his rookie NASCAR season, is being replaced on Kenny Bernstein’s Winston Cup team by Hut Stricklin. . . . Tom O’Malley drove in seven runs with three consecutive home runs as the Yakult Swallows beat the Chunichi Dragons, 8-3, in a Japanese Central League baseball game.