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-seed 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 an as-yet undetermined qualifier in the first round, with the winner meeting the survivor of a first-round match between two other qualifiers.

Michael Chang, seeded No. 2, opens against Patrik Fredriksson of Sweden, then is likely to play a more dangerous Swede, Mikael Tillstrom.

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With most of Wednesday’s play postponed by rain, Wimbledon runner-up Cedric Pioline of France defeated Alert Portas of Spain, 6-2, 6-4, to complete the first round of the Hamlet Cup in Commack, N.Y.

Pro Basketball

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

Mills will make $1 million this season and $1.15 million the following year. 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 sought a six-year contract from Detroit with a $3-million salary the first season. He settled for much less--and less than the Pistons offered--according to his agent, Harold MacDonald.

Auto Racing

An NHRA national 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 released by NHRA President Dallas Gardner.

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.

There will be 22 national events on the schedule, the same as in 1997. Only one national event will be contested at Heartland Park Topeka, the Western Auto Parts America Nationals from Oct. 1-4. Heartland Park played host to two NHRA national events annually from 1993-97. All other venues remain unchanged.

The NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series season will continue to start and finish at Pomona Raceway. The season opens with the Chief Auto Parts Winternationals, Jan. 29-Feb. 1, and closes with the Winston Finals, Nov. 12-15.

College Basketball

Indiana senior forward Andrae Patterson underwent arthroscopic surgery on his ankle to repair damage he sustained last season. Team orthopedist Dr. Steve Ahlfeld performed the surgery on Patterson’s right ankle, which Patterson aggravated 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 with the school worth at least $500,000 a year.

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. It’s the most legitimate organization. We’re real happy. Now we just have to win.”

Lipeles said his fighter will be trained by Emanuel Steward, who will replace Bill Slayton, at Steward’s camp in Big Bear. Carlos Hernandez’s last fight was a second-round knockout of Jose Montes of Mexico City at The Pond of Anaheim in June. Genaro Hernandez defended his WBC title in June with a split decision victory over Anatoly Alexandrov of Russia.

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.

Viorel Moldovan scored twice to start the celebrations in Bucharest, while Macedonia’s Miroslav Djokic became the first player to score against the Romanians in seven qualifying games.

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.

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, 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.

He was charged with having sexual contact with a girl under 16, having sexual contact with the same girl a year later while on the staff at her school and enticing another girl under 18 with the intent to have sexual contact.