Muster Rallies in Rome, Remains Clay Master

Thomas Muster solidified his status as French Open favorite and extended his clay-court winning streak to 28 matches by overcoming Sergi Bruguera, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, 6-3, Sunday in the final of the Italian Open.

In a match delayed by rain for nearly four hours, the Austrian won his fifth clay-court title of the year and the 27th of his career.

It was Muster’s 21st consecutive victory in clay-court finals since 1990. His 28-match winning streak leaves him three short of the record set by Mats Wilander in 1982-83. The French Open, which starts May 29 and is the only Grand Slam event played on clay, was won by Bruguera the past two years.

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Arantxa Sanchez Vicario easily defeated Bulgaria’s Magdalena Maleeva, 6-4, 6-1, to win the German Open in Berlin.

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Jimmy Connors defeated John McEnroe, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, to win The Challenge championship at Pebble Beach. Connors avenged one of only two Champions Tour losses since he and Ray Benton started the over-35 circuit in 1993.

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Todd Woodbridge defeated Greg Rusedski, 6-4, 6-2, to win the America’s Red Clay Championship at Coral Springs, Fla.

Track and Field

Carl Lewis, who will be 34 on July 1, showed it Sunday, winning the 200 meters at 20.28 seconds at the New York Games.

“I’m not dead yet,” the eight-time Olympic gold medalist and eight-time World Championship gold medalist said after his first victory in a 200 final since July 7, 1993, at Lille, France.

Daniela Bartova of the Czech Republic set a new world record in the women’s pole vault, clearing 13 feet, 8 inches in an international competition in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

In a surprise decision, Athens was chosen to host the 1997 World Championships instead of Madrid.

Five-time world cross country champion John Ngugi, banned for four years for refusing to take a drug test, gained early reinstatement from the Council of the International Amateur Athletic Federation.

Motor Sports

Two spectators were killed and 36 injured in Braga, Portugal when a car crashed through the guard rail and into a crowd at a European Mountain Championship time trial.

Thousands of fans had abandoned the bleachers and were crowding the rails of the 3-mile asphalt track when Portuguese driver Manuel Barbosa lost control of his Volkswagen Golf GTI on a turn and went into a skid.

Barbosa’s car, traveling an estimated 75 m.p.h., vaulted the rails and flipped once into the crowd before stopping.Barbosa was not believed to have been injured in the crash.

Larry Dixon, Cruz Pedregon, Bob Glidden and David Schultz won their divisions NHRA Mopar Parts Nationals at Englishtown, N.J. Dixon won in Top Fuel, Pedregon in Funny Car, Glidden in Pro Stock and Schultz in Pro Stock Motorcycle.

Miscellany

Maryland won an unprecedented third NCAA Division I women’s lacrosse title, beating defending national champion Princeton, 13-5, in Ewing Township, N.J.