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, 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, second-seeded Thomas Muster scored his third consecutive straight-set victory, beating ninth-seeded Wayne Ferreira, 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (16-14), and No. 3 Michael Chang defeated Goran Ivanisevic, 6-3, 7-5.

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Yayuk Basuki, the only Indonesian on the women’s tour, defeated 13th-seeded Amy Frazier, 2-6, 6-2, 7-5, to reach the semifinals of the $1.3-million du Maurier Open at Montreal. 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 Mary Joe Fernandez, 6-2, 6-3. She will play second-seeded Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, who beat Florencia Labat of Argentina 6-4, 6-4.

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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-card 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 of McKinney, Texas, beat Jenny Lee of Fullerton, 3 and 2, to advance to the final of the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship at Lincoln, Neb. In today’s 36-hole final, Kuehne will face Colombia’s Marisa Baena, who defeated Joellyn Erdmann of Little Chute, Wis., 3 and 2.

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 of 120.733 mph.

“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 of Britain 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.

Pro Basketball

The Orlando Magic, in need of a center after Shaquille O’Neal signed with the Lakers, acquired Felton Spencer from the Utah Jazz for guard Brooks Thompson, forward Kenny Gattison and an undetermined first-round draft pick.

The Jazz re-signed the 7-foot Spencer earlier in the day, but terms were not disclosed. Jon Koncak was the Magic’s only other center.

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. . . . The Boston Celtics signed free-agent forward-center Julius Nwosu, a Nigerian who played 23 games for the San Antonio Spurs in 1994-95 and played in Moscow last season.

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.

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 money.

Names in the News

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. . . . Light-heavyweight James Toney knocked out Duran Williams in the ninth round at Bay St. Louis, Miss. . . . 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. . . . Fred Henry, the first back to run for more than 1,000 yards in a season at New Mexico, died of natural causes at 44 in Albuquerque. . . . Gary Tuthill, 56, a former trainer for the Los Angeles Rams, died Friday of an apparent heart attack in Orange.