Sampras Gives Credit to Enqvist After Loss

Thomas Enqvist, winless in six previous meetings with Pete Sampras, shocked the top-seeded tennis player in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3, Friday in the quarterfinals of the $2.2-million ATP Championship at Mason, Ohio.

“I just ran into a player on fire,” Sampras said. “I’ve never run into a right-handed serve that was so overwhelming. I never felt into the match.”

A year ago in Montreal, Enqvist had gotten to match point against Sampras, then lost.

Sampras had fought off match point Thursday night before overcoming doubles specialist Mark Woodforde, 6-7 (7-5), 7-5, 7-6 (7-4). But Sampras said he didn’t have any problems coming back.

In other quarterfinals, Andre Agassi eliminated Yevgeny Kafelnikov, 7-6 (7-1), 3-6, 6-3, and second-seeded Thomas Muster scored his third consecutive straight-set victory, beating ninth-seeded Wayne Ferreira, 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (16-14).

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Yayuk Basuki, the only Indonesian on the women’s professional tennis tour, made an international impact by beating Amy Frazier to reach the semifinals of the $1.3-million du Maurier Open at Montreal.

Basuki trailed, 5-4, in the third set, fought off two match points, then roared back for a 2-6, 6-2, 7-5 victory over the 13th-seeded Frazier.

Basuki will play top-seeded Monica Seles, who dispatched sixth-seeded Magdalena Maleeva of Bulgaria, 6-4, 6-1.

In another quarterfinal, Kimberly Po of Rolling Hills, ranked 90th in the world, upset fifth-seeded compatriot Mary Joe Fernandez, 6-2, 6-3.

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Unseeded Argentine Marcelo Charpentier upset Gilbert Schaller of Austria, 6-4, 6-4, and advanced to the semifinals at the San Marino International tournament. Second-seeded Felix Mantilla of Spain held on to beat eighth-seeded Czech Slava Dosedel, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4. . . . Top-seeded Barbara Paulus of Austria beat Petra Langrova of the Czech Republic, 6-3, 6-2, to advance to the semifinals of the Styrian Open at Maria Lankowitz, Austria. . . . Jennifer Capriati received a wild-care entry into the Acura Classic, which begins Monday at the Manhattan Country Club in Manhattan Beach.

Golf

Tommy Aaron shot a six-under-par 66 for a one-stroke lead over Bruce Summerhays and Tom Wargo in the first round of the $850,000 First of America Classic senior tournament at Ada, Mich.

Aaron, 59, the 1973 Masters champion, was three under on each nine of the 6,864-yard Egypt Valley Country Club.

Janet Anderson shot a second-round 70 and took the lead in the LPGA Ping Welch’s tournament in Canton, Mass. Anderson, who last won in 1982, totaled 137 to make the cut for only the fifth time in 12 tournaments this year.

Defending champion Kelli Kuehne beat qualifying medalist Jenny Lee of Fullerton, 3 and 2, to advance to the final of the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship at Lincoln, Neb.

Auto Racing

Dale Earnhardt, his body still aching from a broken collarbone and sternum, won the pole for the Bud at the Glen Winston Cup stock car road race at Watkins Glen, N.Y., with a record lap.

The 45-year-old Earnhardt, injured in a crash on July 28 at Talladega, Ala., got around the 2.45-mile, 11-turn Watkins Glen International circuit at 120.733 mph, breaking the mark of 120.411 set last August by Mark Martin.

The pole was Earnhardt’s second of the season and the 22nd of his career.

“It feels great to sit on the pole, but the pain’s still there,” Earnhardt said. “When you’re going after something, like when we’re qualifying, you’re focused and maybe you don’t feel the pain as much.”

Alex Zanardi has the provisional pole position for Sunday’s Miller 200 Indy car race at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington. Zanardi, driving one of Chip Ganassi’s Reynard-Hondas, had a fast lap of 120.318 mph on the 13-turn, 2 1/4-mile circuit. . . . Damon Hill posted the fastest speed in practice as preparations began for Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix at Budapest. Hill, who leads the Formula One standings, had a fast lap of 109.146 over the 2.46-mile course in his Williams-Renault.

Jurisprudence

Former Boston Red Sox manager Butch Hobson pleaded not guilty to cocaine possession, then admitted he had used the drug but said he no longer does.

“We choose what we put in our bodies and I made a bad choice, but it’s over with,” Hobson said after his arraignment in Providence County Superior Court in Rhode Island

Judge Frank Williams released Hobson on $2,000 personal recognizance. If convicted, Hobson faces up to three years in jail and a $5,000 fine.

Hobson was arrested May 4 after agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration found 2.6 grams of cocaine worth about $120 in his shaving kit in a Pawtucket hotel. Hobson was in Rhode Island while his team, the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre Red Barons, played the Pawtucket Red Sox.

A suspected bomb found at the back door of football player Reggie White’s community investment bank in Knoxville, Tenn., turned out to be an elaborate hoax. But authorities consider the threat genuine.

The bank is an offshoot of the Inner City Church, which was firebombed and spray-painted with racist graffiti in January. Officials were quick to draw a connection, while lacking evidence linking the incidents.

Mayor Victor Ashe said the city would offer a $5,000 reward, increase police patrols in the area and present a united front with community leaders and federal law enforcers investigating the case.

White, a star defensive lineman for the Green Bay Packers who played at the University of Tennessee, is an associate pastor of the church. He helped create the Knoxville Community Investment Corp. about two years ago with $1 million of his own money.

Names in the News

Phil “Flip” Saunders has agreed to a new contract as coach and general manager of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Saunders had a 20-42 record last season after replacing Bill Blair on Dec. 18.

Former Winnipeg Jet coach Terry Simpson joined the Toronto Maple Leafs as an assistant coach.

U.S. goalkeeper Brad Friedel left Galatasaray of Turkey to join the U.S. national soccer team for World Cup qualifying this fall. Friedel is expected to finish this season with the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer.

Americans James Martinez and Sarah Garner won their lightweight sculls semifinals and moved into Sunday’s finals of the World Rowing Championships at Strathclyde, Scotland.

Award-winning turf writer and sportswriter William W. Leggett died at 64 after a lengthy illness. Leggett was a turf writer for 30 years for Sports Illustrated, winning an Eclipse Award in 1979 for excellence in the field.

Fred Henry, the first back to run for more than 1,000 yards in a season at the University of New Mexico , died of natural causes at 44 in Albuquerque. Henry was a three-year starter for the Lobos in the early ‘70s.