Becker Pulls Out of U.S. Open

Boris Becker withdrew from the U.S. Open, citing the death this week of his manager as the reason. The tournament, which starts in New York on Monday, was expected to be Becker’s last Grand Slam event.

Becker’s manager and close friend, Munich lawyer Axel Meyer-Woelden, died Monday of liver cancer. He was 56.

Becker, who has not competed for more than a month because of a knee injury, won the U.S. Open in 1990.

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Top-seeded Pete Sampras, going for his third consecutive and fifth overall U.S. Open title, is expected to have an easy draw for the first two rounds in this year’s tournament. Sampras will play a qualifier in the first round, with the winner meeting the survivor of a first-round match between two other qualifiers.

There are some interesting first-round matchups in the men’s draw--Todd Martin against Jim Courier, Thomas Muster against Tim Henman, Pat Rafter against Andrei Medvedev--and the women, where unseeded Jennifer Capriati faces seventh-seeded Conchita Martinez.

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Jana Novotna, Monica Seles and Iva Majoli beat the heat, thunderstorms and the opposition to advance to the quarterfinals of the $450,000 U.S. Women’s Hardcourt Championships at Stone Mountain, Ga. . . . Top-seeded Alex Corretja of Spain easily beat qualifier Guillermo Canas of Argentina, 6-3, 6-4, to advance to the quarterfinals of the MFS Pro Championships at Brookline, Mass.

Pro Basketball

Terry Mills signed a two-year, free-agent contract with the Miami Heat, giving Coach Pat Riley more depth and scoring punch in the frontcourt.

Mills will make $1 million this season and $1.15 million in 1998-99. The Heat, above the NBA salary cap, used its entire league-allotted $1-million exemption to sign Mills, who spent the past five seasons with the Detroit Pistons.

Mills, 29, has averaged 12.0 points and 5.9 rebounds during his seven-year career.

Gary Trent of the Portland Trail Blazers has been charged with fourth-degree assault for a scuffle with an acquaintance who accidentally set off a burglar alarm at the player’s home.

Trent allegedly punched and choked Theron L. Hall, 31, on July 24.

College Basketball

Indiana senior forward Andrae Patterson underwent arthroscopic surgery on his ankle to repair damage he sustained last season. Patterson aggravated the injury this summer while playing on the U.S. team in the Under-22 World Championships. Patterson, Indiana’s leading scorer and rebounder last season, is expected to be ready for the start of practice Oct. 18. . . . North Carolina State Coach Herb Sendek agreed to a new contract package worth at least $500,000 a year. . . . Georgetown sophomore point guard Ed Sheffey was arrested and charged with several misdemeanors, including possession of marijuana and resisting arrest, after Prince George’s County, Md., police clocked his car traveling 97 mph in a 40-mph zone.

Boxing

Carlos Hernandez of Bellflower has signed to fight his friend, Genaro Hernandez of Mission Viejo, for Genaro’s World Boxing Council super-featherweight title Nov. 20 at the Beverly Hilton. Two months ago, Carlos Hernandez, who is 25-1 and ranked 11th by the WBC, said he would never fight Genaro (36-1-1) because of their friendship.

“He said that. I never said that,” said Carlos Hernandez’s manager, Jack Lipeles. “We wanted this fight. The WBC is the best title out there.”

Soccer

Romania became the first European nation to qualify for next year’s World Cup after its 4-2 victory over Macedonia maintained its perfect record of seven wins.

Because Ireland and Lithuania tied, 0-0, in Dublin, neither can catch the Romanians, who have 21 points in Group Eight.

Bosnia-Herzegovina scored the upset of the night, a 3-0 triumph over Group Two leader Denmark in Sarajevo.

Miscellany

U.S. Junior Amateur golf champion Jason Allred defeated Walker Cup team member Buddy Marucci Jr. in the first round of match play at the U.S. Amateur at Lemont, Ill.

USC coaches Mark Schubert (swimming) and Jeff Shaffer (diving) were named U.S. Olympic Committee national coaches of the year in their respective sports.

A Wisconsin high school football coach accused of inappropriately touching the team’s water girl and propositioning a former member of the girls’ track team was charged with three sex offenses.

John Titus, 54, named Associated Press coach of the year last season after leading Columbus High to a state championship, appeared in Columbia County Circuit Court in Portage, Wis.

An NHRA event will take place in the Chicago area for the first time next year, the highlight of the 1998 NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series schedule.

The new event will be held May 28-31 at Route 66 Raceway, a $20-million facility opening next spring in Joliet, Ill., about 20 miles southwest of Chicago.