Rubin Win Gets U.S. Into Fed Cup Tie

Chanda Rubin came from a set behind Saturday to beat Brenda Schultz-McCarthy, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, and leave the defending champion United States tied, 1-1, with the Netherlands in a Fed Cup match at Haarlem, Netherlands.

Miriam Oremans of the Netherlands served 13 aces to upset Mary Joe Fernandez, 6-1, 6-4.

Schultz-McCarthy’s serve dominated the first set, but Rubin, ranked 25th in the world, gradually gained control. Rubin, who occasionally plays doubles with Schultz-McCarthy, broke service three times in the final set.

The match concludes today with the reverse singles and a doubles match between Fernandez and Gigi Fernandez and Schultz-McCarthy and Manon Bollegraf.

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Pete Sampras rallied from a set behind to beat Sjeng Schalken, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, and move into the Advanta Championships finals at Philadelphia. After a sluggish start, Sampras won 12 of 13 points and broke Schalken’s serve twice at love during a three-game stretch in the deciding set.

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Goran Ivanisevic needed only 14 minutes to take the first set and eventually beat Germany’s David Prinosil, 6-0, 7-6 (8-6), to qualify for the Italian Indoors finals at Milan, Italy. In the finals, Ivanisevic will meet Sergi Bruguera of Spain, who defeated Nicolas Kiefer of Germany, 6-3, 6-4.

Track and Field

Mary Slaney made her first appearance in 23 years in the U.S. Indoor Championships at Atlanta and won the women’s 1,500 meters in 4 minutes 3.08 seconds, the fastest time in the world since Doina Melinte of Romania set the world record of 4:00.27 in 1990.

The University of Oklahoma’s Edward Clarke, Roxbert Martin, Ryan Kite and Danny McFarlane broke their college record in the 1,600-meter relay, running 3:04.32.

Alicier Urrutia of Cuba jumped 58 feet six inches to set an indoor record in the triple jump at Sindlefingen, Germany. Leonish Voloshin of Russia set the previous mark of 58-3 3/4 at Grenoble, France, in 1994.

Auto Racing

Alex Zanardi set one record with his ninth consecutive front-row start and tied another with his fifth pole position in a row, turning a 195.043-mph lap in qualifying for the season-opening Marlboro Grand Prix of Miami, a CART race at the 1 1/2-mile track at Homestead, Fla.

Mark Martin won the Hardee’s Fried Chicken Challenge 250 Busch Grand National race in a Ford, earning $28,475 for averaging 86.5 mph over the three-quarter-mile Richmond, Va., track. The first 45 laps were run under caution to dry the remnants of 1 1/2 days of rain. Martin took advantage of a crash between Jeff Burton and Jason Keller during the final lap to win for the second week in a row.

Ron Hornaday Jr., still smarting from his first non-finish in a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race, chased down Rich Bickle with 10 laps remaining to win the NAPA 200 at Tucson Raceway Park in Arizona, earning $38,225 for averaging 70.423 mph in a Chevrolet.

Pro Football

Green Bay Packers’ linebacker Wayne Simmons was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol at Hilton Head Island, the South Carolina highway patrol said. Simmons’ alcohol level was 0.17%. In South Carolina, 0.10% is over the limit.

Middle linebacker Jeff Brady signed a $5.4 million, three-year contract extension with the Minnesota Vikings. . . . Quarterback Mark Rypien, who left the St. Louis Rams last fall after a salary dispute, signed a one-year deal with the Rams.

Winter Sports

World champion Hilary Lindh of the United States, Russian star Warwara Zelenskaja and points leader Pernilla Wiberg of Sweden are among favorites in the Hakuba Women’s World Cup downhill today at Hakuba, Japan.

Elena Valbe of Russia became the first racer to sweep all five cross-country distances in the same World Nordic Ski Championships after winning the 30-kilometer classical-style race at Trondheim, Norway. . . . Robert Pipkins and Maryann Baribault moved one step closer to the U.S. Olympic luge team at Lake Placid, N.Y., winning the men’s and women’s titles in the NYNEX U.S. National Championships. . . . Lasse Kjus’ chance at a World Cup victory was swept away by high winds that forced the men’s downhill to be delayed with the Norwegian skier leading at Kvitfjell, Norway. . . . Jenni Meno and Todd Sand of the United States withdrew from the Champions Series final pairs skating competition at Hamilton, Ontario, because of Sand’s back injury.

Miscellany

Defending champion Tom Baker will be among 140 bowlers competing in the AC Delco Classic, the second leg of the Professional Bowler’s Assn. tour, this week at the Cal Bowl in Lakewood.

The tournament begins today with a pro-am and concludes Saturday with five finalist battling for the $48,000 first-prize.

Ian Woosnam of Wales shot his second consecutive 67 to take a one-stroke lead with a three-round total of 203 in the Dubai Classic in United Arab Emirates. . . . Karrie Webb of Australia shot her second six-under-par 66 in a row and has a four-shot lead at 15-under 201 after three rounds of the Alpine Australian Ladies Masters at Gold Coast, Australia. . . . In Paris, Steve Johnston won the World Boxing Council lightweight title in a split decision over Jean-Baptiste Mendy of France. . . . Elvire Teza of France won the American Cup women’s all-around gymnastics title by the smallest margin in the event’s 21-year history, 0.07 points, and Blaine Wilson of the United States took the men’s crown by the largest margin, 1.6 points, at Fort Worth, Texas.

The barks of nearly 900 sled dogs echoed through the streets of Anchorage, Alaska, as the 25th running of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race began with a 13-mile ceremonial race.