Boetsch Returns Davis Cup to France

For the first time in five years, the Davis Cup is going back to France.

Arnaud Boetsch outlasted Sweden’s Nicklas Kulti, 7-6 (7-2), 2-6, 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 10-8, in the decisive fifth match Sunday night, giving France a 3-2 victory in the Davis Cup final at Malmo, Sweden.

Boetsch faced triple match point trailing 0-40 and 6-7 in the fifth set, but saved them all as Kulti was struggling with thigh cramps.

Kulti dropped serve to fall behind, 9-8, then Boetsch went up 40-0 with service and triple match point. Kulti fought off the two first, but then hit a forehand long clinching France’s eighth Davis Cup title.

Earlier, Sweden’s Thomas Enqvist played one of the finest matches of his career, rallying from two sets down and 2-5 in the fifth set to defeat Cedric Pioline, 3-6, 6-7 (8-10), 6-4, 6-4, 9-7.

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World No. 1 Pete Sampras, Michael Chang and Todd Martin have withdrawn from this week’s season-ending $6 million Grand Slam Cup in Munich, the richest event in the tennis calendar, because of injury organizers said.

Winter Sports

Tom Stiansen, of Norway, earned his first career World Cup victory in five seasons on the circuit, skiing to a narrow victory over Thomas Sykora of Austria in a men’s slalom race at Breckenridge, Colo. Stiansen was timed in 51.75 seconds in the first run.

World slalom champion Pernilla Wiberg of Sweden won the first women’s World Cup super-G of the season at Lake Louise, Canada. One day after finishing third in the downhill, Wiberg collected the 14th victory of her World Cup career in one minute, 22.12 seconds, defeating Germany’s Hilde Gerg (1:22.43).

Kristian Brenden of Norway moved to the top of the overall standings of the World Cup Ski Jumping after winning the second of two events on the large hill at Lillehammer, Norway. She defeated countryman Esper Bredesen by less than half a point. Brenden had 267.6 points.

World speedskating champion Rintje Ritsma of the Netherlands defeated countryman Gianni Romme in the World Cup 5,000-meter race at Heerenveen, Netherlands with a time of 6:42.44. . . . Germany’s Dirk Wiese overtook first-heat leader Brian Shimer of the United States to win a four-man World Cup bobsled race at La Plagne, France.

Baseball

Taiwan baseball star Kuo Lee Chien-fu, a pitcher for Japan’s Hanshin Tigers, is reportedly considering an offer from the Dodgers that would make him the first Taiwanese ever to play in Major League Baseball. Taiwan’s state-run Central News Agency quoted Japanese sources saying Kuo Lee, 27, was mulling a one-year, $100,000 offer to play for the Dodgers in 1997.

Boxer Mike Tyson fought only three times in 1996 but, according to Forbes Magazine, earned $75 million, more money in one year than any athlete ever. Tyson knocked NBA star Michael Jordan ($52.6 million) out of the top spot in the Forbes’ Super 40 list of highest paid athletes. Laker Shaquille O’Neal moved up from No. 5 to No. 4 with his total income computed at $24.4 million.

Peter Senior overcame driving wind and rain to shoot a two-under-par 70 and win the $560,000 Greg Norman Holden Classic at Melbourne, Australia, defeating the tournament host by one shot. Senior finished with a seven-under total of 281 to edge Norman (282).

Portuguese soccer player Jorge Costa, whose nose was broken by Liberian superstar George Weah, has spurned the African player’s offer of an apology because it came with an accusation of racism, the Publico newspaper in Lisbon reported. Costa, a defender for Porto, said he plans to sue Weah, a striker for AC Milan, and seek damages of up to $1 million. . . . In a move that shocked Italian soccer, Arrigo Sacchi resigned as coach of Italy’s national team to become coach of his former club, AC Milan. . . . Craig Hodges, the former Chicago Bull guard now coaching at Chicago State, was granted a leave of absence from his coaching duties for personal reasons. Assistant Phil Gary will replace Hodges.