Chang Can’t Get Past Sampras

Top-ranked Pete Sampras continued his dominance of Michael Chang on Saturday night.

Sampras defeated his longtime rival, 6-3, 6-2, in the semifinals of the Kroger-St. Jude tournament at Memphis, Tenn. He has won seven of their last eight meetings.

Sampras will play Todd Martin, a 6-3, 7-5 winner over Australian teenager Mark Philippoussis, for the championship today. Martin has won the event the last two years.

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Goran Ivanisevic stayed on course for a third consecutive tournament victory by beating top-seeded Boris Becker, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), in the semifinal of the European Community Championships at Antwerp, Belgium. Sixth-seeded Michael Stich of Germany needed less than an hour to overwhelm Andrei Medvedev of Ukraine, 6-4, 6-1, in the other semifinal.

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At Essen, Germany, defending champion Jana Novotna ousted hometown favorite Anke Huber, 6-4, 6-4, to reach the final of the Faber Grand Prix. The fourth-seeded Novotna will face top-seeded Iva Majoli of Croatia, who defeated unseeded Asa Carlsson of Sweden, 6-3, 6-2.

Winter Sports

Sweden’s Pernilla Wiberg won her second gold medal of the World Alpine Championships by taking the slalom at Sierra Nevada, Spain.

Vladimir Smirnov of Kazakhstan stopped Bjorn Dahlie’s quest to become the winningest cross-country skier in World Cup history by beating Norway’s Olympic hero in a 30-kilometer race at Trondheim, Norway. Dahlie is tied with Gunde Svan of Sweden for most career wins with 30.

American Kerrin Petty won the women’s 30-kilometer Vasaloppet cross-country ski race at Mora, Sweden, beating Sweden’s Magdalena Wallin by 11 seconds. . . . Hiroyuki Noake of Japan and Gunda Niemann of Germany set track records while winning their events in the World Cup Allround speedskating races at Milwaukee.

Boxing

Terry Norris stopped Vincent Pettway with his third knockdown of the fight in the eighth round at Richmond, Va., to retain the World Boxing Council super-welterweight and International Boxing Federation junior-middleweight titles.

Norris (43-6) punished Pettway with a sold left-hand rib-cage shot 2:41 into the round. Pettway, grimacing in pain, barely managed to beat the count, but referee Larry Doggett waved off the bout.

Golf

Meg Mallon turned back rookie sensation Karrie Webb with birdies on the final two holes to win the Hawaiian Ladies Open title at Honolulu with a four-under-par 212. Mallon finished with a final-round 68 to earn $90,000. Webb’s 69 left her at 213.

Graham Marsh, Dave Stockton and Hale Irwin were tied for the lead at 11 under par and 14 players were within four shots after the second round of the Senior Tour American Express Invitational at Sarasota, Fla.

Pro Football

Jumbo Elliott, a mainstay of the Giants’ offensive line for eight years, used the free-agent route to move to New York’s other NFL team, the Jets. Elliott agreed to a five-year deal said to be worth between $15 million and $16 million. . . . The Philadelphia Eagles have extended an offer sheet to Miami Dolphin cornerback Troy Vincent. Terms of the offer were not disclosed.

Auto Racing

Mark Martin overpowered the rest of the 42-car field to win the Goodwrench Service 200 at North Carolina Motor Speedway in Rockingham.

In capturing the NASCAR Busch Series event, Martin led for 151 of the 197 laps--including the final 50--on the 1.017-mile oval. There were eight caution flags for a total of 44 laps, slowing Martin’s average speed to only 105.974 mph.

Names in the News

Cal State Fullerton gymnast Natalie Meyer apparently tore knee ligaments in Friday night’s meet and probably is out the rest of the season, an athletic department spokesman said Saturday. Meyer, a junior from St. Charles, Mo., was hurt during her free exercise routine. . . . Holly McPeak and Nancy Reno won the Evian Indoor Pro Beach Volleyball Championship at New York’s Madison Square Garden and, with it, the biggest purse for a pro beach event. McPeak and Reno beat Liz Masakayan and Angela Rock, 15-13, to earn $31,500.