Davenport, Fernandez Say They Would Boycott Australian Open

Two top U.S. women’s tennis players, Lindsay Davenport and Mary Joe Fernandez, said Friday they will support a boycott of the 1996 Australian Open if the tournament does not raise the women’s prize money to equal the men’s.

“I definitely support the boycott,” said Davenport, who is on the WTA board of directors.

The ninth-ranked Davenport said she believes all the top players, including defending Australian Open champion Mary Pierce, will pull out if Tennis Australia, which runs the Grand Slam event, does not change its mind.

“We have to unite and stick together on this issue,” said Fernandez, the world’s 11th-ranked player.

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Magdalena Maleeva’s experience and finesse brought an end to 15-year-old Venus Williams’ run in the Bank of the West Classic. Maleeva, No. 7 in the world, scored a 6-2, 6-3 victory in the quarterfinals of the $430,000 indoor tournament at Oakland.

In other quarterfinals, Davenport fought off a back injury and beat Helena Sukova, 6-4, 6-3; Japan’s Ai Sugiyama defeated Zina Garrison Jackson, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4; and fourth-seeded Fernandez eliminated Linda Wild, 6-2, 2-6, 6-1.

Three-time Paris Open champion Boris Becker defeated Richard Krajicek, 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, and top-seeded Pete Sampras eliminated Jakob Hlasek, 6-2, 6-3. In other quarterfinals, Jim Courier defeated Michael Chang, 6-2, 7-6 (7-5), and Wayne Ferreira beat Daniel Vacek, 6-2, 6-4.

Baseball

David Cone, Wade Boggs, Paul Molitor and Dodger pitcher Tom Candiotti headed 33 players who filed for free agency Friday, raising the total to 106 with more than a week remaining.

Also filing were Baltimore pitcher Kevin Brown, Boston outfielder Willie McGee, Texas outfielder Otis Nixon, Chicago Cub first baseman Mark Grace and reliever Randy Myers.

Eligible players can file through Nov. 12, and they can start talking contract terms with all clubs the next day. Until then, they can negotiate only with their former clubs. About 40 more players are eligible to file before the deadline.

Instead of filing, relief pitcher Bruce Ruffin re-signed with the Colorado Rockies, agreeing to a $2-million, two-year contract.

Ryne Sandberg’s pay under his new contract with the Cubs ranges from $1.5 million to $5 million next season, depending on his performance.

The Tiger Stadium Fan Club and state Sen. George Hart filed a lawsuit aimed at preventing the use of $55 million of state money for the construction of a new ballpark in Detroit.

Jurisprudence

Former Central Florida student team manager, Kelly Hunter, 27, of Houston, was given the minimum three years of probation for his role in trying to fix a basketball game between his school and Stanford in 1990.

Boxing promoter Don King testified under cross-examination in his New York trial that he insisted on signing checks for as little as a nickel, but never paid much attention to a $350,000 insurance claim that resulted in wire-fraud charges against him.

King said that he signed all checks for his company, King Productions, Inc. But King also said he let his accountant decide on his own to pay nearly $80,000 to insure a 1991 championship fight between Julio Cesar Chavez and Harold Brazier.

An attempt by Lennox Lewis to stop Frank Bruno from defending his World Boxing Council heavyweight title against Mike Tyson ended in failure when his attorneys failed to get an injunction in London’s High Court.

Judge Sir Keith Rattee decided the case would be better fought out at a WBC mediation panel in Dallas. The Bruno-Tyson fight is scheduled for March 16.

USA Volleyball’s Executive Committee denied an appeal by youth coach Rick Butler, who was expelled for life for having sexual intercourse with three teen-aged players, including former UCLA All-American Julie Bremner. Butler, 40, denied the charges. He can appeal the latest decision to the Board of Directors on Dec. 10.

Golf

Jim Furyk birdied five of his last seven holes on the way to an eight-under-par 65 and a three-stroke lead over Davis Love III and Russ Cochran in the second round of the Kapalua International.

Fuzzy Zoeller, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Chris Williams sloshed to five-under-par 67s and shared the lead in the rain-delayed opening round of the Sarazen World Open in Braselton, Ga. . . . Thunderstorms wiped out the first 18 holes of the Emerald Coast Classic and reduced the senior PGA tournament to 36 holes at Milton, Fla.

Miscellany

Michelle Kwan, who won the women’s singles competition at Skate America last weekend, did the same at Skate Canada. Kwan fell with 20 seconds left in her four-minute free-skating routine, but still went on to take the $30,000 top prize at Saint John.

In the first round of the World Cup for women’s volleyball, South Korea snapped the United States’ 17-game winning streak, 10-15, 15-13, 15-12, 15-10, at Matsumoto, Japan.