NEWSWIRE

A 23-year-old Disney World employee has accused Laker center Shaquille O’Neal of grabbing her by the neck at the resort in Orlando, Fla., earlier this month.

Kim Grant, who was not injured, filed a battery complaint against O’Neal on Tuesday.

A spokesman for the Orange County sheriff’s office in Florida said that no charges have been filed and that his office will try to contact both parties and report to the state attorney. The offense, if O’Neal is charged, would be a misdemeanor, the spokesman said.

O’Neal’s agent, Leonard Armato, dismissed the accusation. “We have thoroughly investigated the claims against Shaquille and have found that the accusations are completely false and without factual support,” Armato said in a statement.

Baseball

The Vigilantes missed a league-imposed deadline Thursday to submit plans for 1999, further decreasing the chance the team will play next season.

Bruce Engel, Western Baseball League president, said Thursday the league “will not be considering Mission Viejo” as part of the league next season. The Vigilantes were required to inform the league office by Thursday of plans to stay in Mission Viejo, move, sell the team or sit out the season.

“I haven’t heard from our people but it doesn’t look good for our ballclub,” Vigilante Manager Buck Rodgers said. Other team officials could not be reached for comment.

Engel said the Mission Viejo team owes the league $12,000-$15,000 in monthly dues, and would not be allowed to stay in the league until those dues were paid.

The team is also being sued by the city of Mission Viejo for $135,000 in back rent for the baseball stadium at Saddleback College.

Tennis

Second-seeded Venus Williams began play in the $1-million European Championships at Zurich, Switzerland, with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Corina Morariu.

Australia’s David Hall, the world’s top-ranked player, advanced to the semifinals of the U.S. Open Wheelchair Tennis Championships by defeating countryman David Johnson at the Racquet Club of Irvine.

Hall, the defending champion, beat Johnson, 6-2, 6-2, and will face fourth-seeded Martin Legner of Austria, a 6-4, 6-3 winner over Corona del Mar’s Dan Lachman.

In women’s singles, top-ranked Daniela DiToro of Australia advanced to Saturday’s championship, defeating fifth-seeded Sonja Peters of the Netherlands, 7-6, 6-3.

Second-seeded Patrick Rafter of Australia advanced to the quarterfinals of the $800,000 CA Trophy tournament at Vienna, defeating Magnus Norman of Sweden, 6-3, 6-2. . . . Top-seeded Marcelo Rios of Chile was the only seeded player to advance to the quarterfinals of the $575,000 Singapore Open, beating Romania’s Andrei Pavel, 6-2, 6-4.

Miscellany

Ramon Ramirez scored with an assist from Alberto Coyote late in the first half to break a tie as Chivas of Guadalajara defeated Pumas of Mexico, 2-1, late Wednesday night at the Coliseum before 27,278 in the semifinals of the Coliseum Cup.