Sampras Upset in Barcelona Tournament

Pete Sampras, two days after losing his No. 1 ranking, was beaten by the world’s 84th-ranked player Wednesday in the Conde de Godo ATP tournament at Barcelona, Spain.

Oliver Gross of Germany won, 1-6, 6-2, 6-3, in Sampras’ first match since being overtaken by Andre Agassi for the top spot in tennis.

“I really played motivated,” Sampras said. “I came to win this tournament and played some good tennis. Each day is a different day, and today I didn’t play the way I should have.

Said Gross: “It means a lot to me beating Sampras. It’s my best win ever. He made easy mistakes, and he gave me a lot of points.”

Gilbert Schaller of Austria upset the tournament’s No. 2 seeded player, Sergi Bruguera of Spain, 7-5, 6-1.

*

In his first match since being ranked No. 1, Agassi defeated Tommy Ho, 6-3, 6-2, in the $1.2 million Japan Open at Tokyo.

In other matches, No. 6 Michael Chang defeated Shuzo Matsuoka of Japan, 6-4, 6-2, and Jim Courier defeated Anders Jarryd of Sweden, 4-6, 6-4, 7-5.

*

Steffi Graf defeated Maria Strandlund, 6-2, 6-1, in the second round of the Houston Women’s Tennis Championships. Nino Louarsabishvili of Georgia upset third-seeded Iva Majoli of Croatia, 6-2, 7-6 (8-6).

*

Second-seeded Kevin Kim of Fullerton recovered from a 4-1 deficit in the second-set tiebreaker to defeat Nick Cromwell of Amarillo, Tex., 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), and set up an all-Southern California quarterfinal with Kelly Gullett of Whittier in the boys’ 18 division of the Easter Bowl Junior Tennis Championships in Palm Springs.

Sixth-seeded Gullett defeated Hugo Armando of Bradenton, Fla., 6-2, 6-4.

Amanda Augustus of Palos Verdes and Amanda Basica of Lomita advanced to the girls’ 18 quarterfinals.

Football

The Chicago Bears announced plans to build a $285-million open-air, grass-field stadium and leave Soldier Field, their home for the last 24 years.

The Bears said they would push for legislation to fund the new facility and hoped to play their first season there in 2000.

The San Diego Chargers have agreed to two-year contract with safety Bo Orlando, who formerly played with the Houston Oilers.

Basketball

Stanford women’s Coach Tara VanDerveer, who has guided the Cardinal to eight consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, was expected to be named coach of USA Basketball’s national team today.

Kansas assistant Steve Robinson has been hired as Tulsa’s coach. Robinson, 37, has spent the past seven years under Roy Williams at Kansas. . . . Delaware has hired former Duke assistant Mike Brey as head coach.

Arkansas State guard Arthur Agee, a star of the acclaimed documentary “Hoop Dreams,” was the first pick of the Florida Sharks in the U.S. Basketball League draft. Rebecca Lobo, who led the Connecticut women’s team to an undefeated national championship, was chosen in the eighth and final round.

Miscellany

Former pro golfer Cathy Gerring has reached an out-of-court settlement in a $25-million lawsuit she filed as a result of burns she received during a fire in a concessions tent at a 1992 tournament in Nashville, Tenn.

The top-ranked UCLA men’s volleyball team clinched the top seeding for the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament by defeating UC Santa Barbara, 15-6, 15-10, 15-5.

Mia Hamm scored three goals to lead the U.S. women’s soccer team to a 5-0 rout of Canada in an international tournament at St. Maur, France.

Kevin Mitchell hit a home run and Kevin Reimer, another former major leaguer, singled home a run as the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks beat the Nippon Ham Fighters, 3-0, in the Tokyo Dome.