Popov His Keeps Unbeaten Streak Alive in 50 Meters

Double Olympic gold medal winner Alexander Popov of Russia kept his six-year unbeaten string alive in the 50-meter freestyle Saturday, winning at the European Swimming Championships at Seville, Spain with the best time in the world this season.

Popov, who is making a comeback after being stabbed in a fight with a Moscow watermelon vendor last year, was clocked in 22.30 seconds as he earned his second title of the meet. He won the 100-meter earlier, also with the best time of the season, 49.09.

Mark Foster of Britain was second in 22.53 and 19-year-old Frenchman Julien Sicot of Martinique was third in 22.78.

Florida-born Spaniard Martin Lopez-Zubero won the 100 backstroke in 55.17.

Franck Esposito of France won the 200-meter butterfly, coming from behind to overtake Denis Silantiev of Ukraine in the last 50 meters.

Oxana Verevka of Russia won the women’s 200 medley in 2:14.74 with Martina Moravcova of Slovakia second in 2:15.02.

Kerstin Kielgass of Germany won the women’s 800 freestyle in 8:34.41 with Carla Geurts of the Netherlands second in 8:36.14 and Jana Henke of Germany third in 8:39.93.

Basketball

Free agent forward Brian Grant signed a seven-year, $63-million contract with the Portland Trail Blazers. Portland also re-signed center Chris Dudley to a one-year deal.

Grant, who played his first three seasons for the Sacramento Kings, rejected a $48 million, seven-year offer from the Kings.

Grant’s Portland contract includes an opt-out clause after the third year.

The Blazers renounced forward Clifford Robinson and guards Rumeal Robinson, Mitchell Butler and Marcus Brown.

Kansas forward Lester Earl has been freed from his scholarship commitment to Louisiana State and will be able to play for the Jayhawks next season. Earl enrolled at Kansas for the spring semester after leaving LSU. Then-LSU Coach Dale Brown had suspended him for missing practices, and he later quit the team.

Earl Boykins of Eastern Michigan scored 16 points to lead the United States to an 88-48 victory over Britain at the World University Games in Alcamo, Sicily.

The United States (2-0) led only 10-9 in the first 6 1/2 minutes before pulling off to lead, 38-27, at halftime.

Kara Wolters had 22 points and 10 rebounds as the United States women’s basketball team routed Turkey, 110-32, to reach the quarterfinals at the World University Games at Palermo, Italy.

The U.S. (3-0) plays Russia in Monday’s quarterfinals.

Tennis

Lindsay Davenport, won the U.S. Women’s Hardcourt Championships, defeating Sandrine Testud, 6-4, 6-1, in 58 minutes at Stone Mountain, Ga.

The fourth-seeded Davenport didn’t lose a set in four matches during the weeklong event.

Fifth-seeded Carlos Moya of Spain defeated countryman Julian Alonso, 6-2, 6-3, to reach the final of the Hamlet Cup at Commack, N.Y.

Moya, ranked eighth in the world, will play eighth-seeded Patrick Rafter of Australia. Rafter, who defeated Michael Chang in the quarterfinals, defeated sixth-seeded Thomas Enqvist of Sweden, 6-4, 6-4.

Second-seeded Marcelo Rios of Chile and unseeded Sjeng Schalken of the Netherlands won semifinal matches to move into the singles finals of the MFS Pro Championships at Brookline, Mass.

Schalken defeated fifth-seeded Albert Costa of Spain, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, and Rios beat unseeded Jeff Tarango, 6-4, 6-3.

Gymnastics

Shannon Miller led the U.S. to a 1-2 finish in individual all-around gymnastics at the World University Games in Alcamo, Sicily.

Miller, who won two Olympic gold medals last year, totaled 36.937 points, edging teammate Kathleen Shrieves by 0.012.

China swept the men’s competition, with Zheng Lihui winning the gold, followed by Zhao Sheng and Wang Dong.

Miscellany

Oakland won the Babe Ruth World Series, defeating South Shore of Staten Island, N.Y., 15-5.

Marv Albert’s lawyers want a judge to dismiss sodomy and assault charges against the NBC sportscaster, saying prosecutors jeopardized his chance for a fair trial by making DNA test results public.

A defense motion unsealed Friday alleges that prosecutors violated a secrecy order by revealing lab test results that compared Albert’s DNA with genetic material found on a Vienna, Va. woman who claims Albert bit her and forced her to perform oral sex.

Former New Hampshire coach Charlie Holt was among three members inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame on Saturday at Eveleth, Minn.