Agassi Has Chang’s Number Once Again

Andre Agassi, the Olympic gold medalist, defeated Michael Chang, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4, Sunday to win the ATP Championship for the second consecutive year at Mason, Ohio.

Agassi, ranked seventh in the world and the tournament’s No. 6 seed, used a strong serve and powerful forehand strokes to beat Chang, ranked third in the world and in the tournament.

Agassi, who also beat Chang in last year’s final, got $320,000. Chang received $169,000.

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Top-seeded Monica Seles won the du Maurier Canadian Open for the second year in a row, beating No. 2 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, 6-1, 7-6 (7-2), at Montreal.

Seles, who shares the world’s No. 1 ranking with Steffi Graf, went through the tournament without dropping a set and holds an 11-1 career record against Sanchez Vicario.

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Rain postponed the title match in the San Marino International with second-seeded Felix Mantilla leading fellow Spaniard Alberto Costa, the No. 1 seed, 3-0, in the first set. The rest of the match was rescheduled for today.

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Austria’s Barbara Paulus, ranked 16th in the world, won her first WTA title when Sandra Cecchini of Italy had to retire after only four points because of a foot injury at Maria Lankowitz, Austria.

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Kevin Kim of Fullerton ad Lilia Osterloh of Canal Winchester, Ohio, posted singles victories at the USTA National Junior Championships at White Plains, N.Y., to earn wild-card entries into the U.S. Open that will begin Aug. 26 at Flushing Meadows, N.Y.

Jurisprudence

Former Denver Bronco cornerback Michael Harden was released from the Denver County Jail after posting bond of $550 on a misdemeanor domestic violence charges.

Harden, 38, was arrested Saturday night after working as a color commentator for a Denver radio station on the Broncos’ exhibition game against the Carolina Panthers at Mile High Stadium.

Denver police spokesman John Wyckoff said officers had been trying to track down Harden for about a month for investigation of assault and disturbing the peace.

“Somebody heard him on the radio and we waited until the game was over to make the arrest,” he said. “We just all of a sudden realized where he was.”

Former New England Patriot owner William Sullivan will receive $11.5 million in a settlement of his lawsuit against the NFL, according to the Boston Globe.

Sullivan sought $116 million when he sued the NFL in 1991, claiming its refusal to allow him to sell public stock forced him to sell the team to Victor Kiam in October 1988 for what Sullivan considered to be a low price, $84 million.

Miscellany

Dennis Pankratov of Russia set a world record of 23.68 seconds in the 50-meter butterfly at a swim meet in Mulhouse, France. Pankratov won the 100-meter and 200-meter butterfly at the Olympics. The 50 is a non-Olympic event.

Britain’s Tony Jarrett, who was disqualified in the quarterfinals at the Atlanta Olympics, upstaged Olympic champion Allen Johnson and world record-holder Colin Jackson by winning the 110-meter hurdles in 13.32 seconds at a track and field meet in London.

The U.S. women’s coxless fours and lightweight coxless pairs won gold at the World Rowing Championships at Strathclyde, Scotland. Emily Dirksen, Sara Field, Amy Turner and Rosan Zegarra trailed Romania for most of the race.

El Salvador and the United States will play a soccer exhibition game at the Coliseum Aug. 30.

Eric Cantona, who served an eight-month suspension for kicking a fan, threw Philippe Albert to the ground but escaped with only a yellow card as Manchester United routed Newcastle, 4-0, in the Charity Shield, the opener of England’s soccer season.

Third-seeded Lisa Arce and Holly McPeak defeated top-seeded Barbra Fontana Harris and Linda Hanley, 15-6, to win the $75,000 Evian Invitational in women’s beach volleyball at Central Park, N.Y.