Sampras, Agassi Know Way to No. 1 Today

Andre Agassi delivered his end of the deal, setting up a match with Pete Sampras for tennis’ No. 1 ranking with a 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 victory over Michael Chang in the Sybase Open semifinals Saturday night at San Jose.

Sampras, who defeated Jan Kroslak, 7-6 (8-6), 6-3, in the other semifinal, plays Agassi today to determine the ATP computer’s No. 1 ranking. Sampras began the year as No. 1, Agassi took it over Jan. 29 then lost it Feb. 12 to Thomas Muster, the clay-court specialist who lost a first-round match last week in the Dubai Open.

Agassi is 8-9 in seven years against Sampras, who won their last meeting, the U.S. Open finals last year.

Now 10-5 lifetime against Chang, Agassi lost to him in their most recent match, the semifinals of the Australian Open three weeks ago.

Golf

Brad Faxon birdied seven of the last 10 holes for a 66 and joined Steve Stricker, who also went on a late birdie binge, atop the leaderboard at 207 after three rounds of the Hawaiian Open at the oceanside Waialae Country Club course in Honolulu. Stricker birdied the last three holes.

Isao Aoki of Japan was the only player under par after two rounds of the GTE Suncoast Classic at Lutz, Fla., shooting a five-under 66 for a five-shot lead over a group that included Jack Nicklaus. Nicklaus shot a second-round 68.

Pro Football

The Jacksonville Jaguars, last in the NFL with only 17 sacks last year, took a big step toward improving their pass rush by signing Bears’ defensive end Alonzo Spellman to an offer sheet.

The Bears designated Spellman as a transition player on Friday, meaning they have seven days to match the offer. The Florida Times-Union reported the Jaguars offered Spellman a four-year deal worth between $2.8 million and $3 million a year, with much of it up front to make it difficult for the Bears to match.

The Washington Redskins re-signed wide receiver Henry Ellard, the sixth leading pass catcher in NFL history, and defensive tackle Marc Boutte to undisclosed contracts.

Winter Sports

Austria’s Patrick Ortlieb won the men’s downhill in the World Alpine Skiing Championships at Sierra Nevada, Spain.

The 220-pound Ortlieb finished in 2 minutes 0.17 seconds, hitting a top speed of 80 mph. Italy’s Kristian Ghedina was second in 2:00.44.

Christine Witty of the United States led the women’s competition at the 27th World Sprint Speedskating Championships at Heerenveen, the Netherlands, by dominating the 1,000 meters in 1:20.63. . . . Tony Goskowicz and Erin Porter won the men’s and women’s 1,500-meter U.S. short-track speedskating titles at Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Miscellany

Frederik Deburghgraeve of Belgium set a short-course record in the 100-meter breaststroke at Bastogne, Belgium, becoming the first Belgian to hold a world swimming record since Elise Vandenbogaert-Lamot in 1922. The reigning European champion was timed in 59.02 seconds during an international meet, bettering the mark of 59.07 set by Phil Rogers of Australia.

Tisha Venturini and Tiffeny Milbrett scored to lead the U.S. women’s soccer team to a 3-0 victory over Sweden at Houston.

Track and Field

Marco Ochoa of Fullerton placed fifth at the Marathon Olympic Trials in Charlotte, N.C. Ochoa, an assistant track and cross-country coach at Rancho Santiago, ran the 26.2 miles in 2 hours 14 minutes and 22 seconds, finishing just a minute back from the Olympic qualifing third place.

Kevin Broady of Anaheim finished 64th in 2:28:22, and Joseph Karnes of Anaheim placed 82nd in 2:37:17.

The Pasadena Muir boys’ track team broke two of its national indoor high school records at the Simplot Games in Pocatello, Idaho. Xavier Savant, Makio Haywood, Shaheed McCullough and Obea Moore won the 1,600-meter relay in 3:14.84, shattering the record of 3:16.97 set in 1995. Its sprint medley relay team of Savant, Stewart Holmes, Sulton McCullough and Moore won in 3:27.80, breaking the record of 3:27.90 set last year.