Russia’s Kafelnikov Poised to Reach the Top

Yevgeny Kafelnikov has a chance to replace Pete Sampras as tennis’ No. 1 player.

The 25-year-old Russian, the hottest player in the world this year with a victory three weeks ago in the Australian Open, will move into the top spot in the ATP Tour rankings with a victory today over Thomas Johansson of Sweden in the quarterfinals of the Guardian Direct indoor tournament at London.

Kafelnikov put himself in position to knock Sampras off his perch with a 6-3, 6-2 second-round victory Thursday over Byron Black of Zimbabwe.

*

Amelie Mauresmo of France breezed to a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Karina Habsudova, setting up a rematch with top-ranked Martina Hingis today in the quarterfinals of the Gaz de France at Paris.

Their last meeting, for the Australian Open title, produced an off-the-court controversy when Hingis made disparaging remarks about Mauresmo’s body and sexual orientation.

*

Wimbledon champion Jana Novotna has entered next week’s Evert Cup at Indian Wells. French Open champion Arantxa Sanchez Vicario withdrew from the Evert Cup because of a wrist injury. The other top female players not appearing in the Indian Wells singles draw are Mauresmo and Venus Williams, though Williams is scheduled to play doubles with her sister Serena. . . . Lindsay Davenport will play on the U.S. team that will face Croatia in a first-round Fed Cup match April 17-18 in Zagreb, U.S. Captain Billie Jean King announced. . . . Defending champion Venus Williams advanced to the quarterfinals of the IGA SuperThrift Classic in Oklahoma City with a 6-1, 7-6 (7-3) victory over Kimberly Po. Amanda Coetzer of South Africa defeated Elena Wagner of Germany, 6-1, 6-3.

Golf

R.W. Eaks, an obscure player even in a field drained of marquee names because of the World Match Play event, shot an eight-under-par 64 in the first round of the Tucson Open.

The 46-year-old journeyman got the last of his nine birdies on the 17th hole to open a one-stroke lead over Tom Scherrer.

Tommy Tolles, Tim Herron, Jerry Kelly and Doug Dunakey had 66s.

Karrie Webb opened the defense of her Australian Ladies Masters title by breaking her course record with a nine-under 63 at Gold Coast. Canadian rookie Anna-Jane Eathorne was two back after a 65 that included a hole in one on the 153-yard 16th hole.

Arnold Palmer, bothered by the way he is playing at age 69, said he is planning to cut back on his Senior PGA Tour schedule.

Miscellany

In a move that shakes up sports cable TV but won’t change George Steinbrenner’s role as The Boss, the New York Yankees and the New Jersey Nets signed a letter of intent to merge the two teams into one company.

The deal creates a new holding company, YankeeNets, that the teams value at about $1.4 billion. The baseball and basketball teams will remain as separate subsidiaries under their current leadership, with Steinbrenner running the Yankees, and Lewis Katz and Ray Chambers running the Nets.

All International Olympic Committee members implicated in a scathing ethics panel report on the Salt Lake bribery scandal remain under the threat of expulsion, said Dick Pound, the committee’s chief investigator. Pound, an IOC vice president from Canada, said 13 members remained the focus of investigators, who meet this weekend to decide the delegates’ fate. . . . A nonprofit foundation paid Billy Payne $975,000 for memorabilia he collected while organizing the 1996 Olympics, but he used most of the money to pay off personal debts incurred while preparing for the Games, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. . . . Coaches Larry Brown of the Philadelphia 76ers, Gene Keady of Purdue and Tubby Smith of Kentucky were tabbed as assistants for the 1999 U.S. men’s national basketball team. They will assist Rudy Tomjanovich of the Houston Rockets as the U.S. tries to qualify for the 2000 Olympics.

Bob McNair, a businessman trying to lure an expansion NFL franchise to Houston, says he believes the league’s owners are stalemated about whether to award a new team to his city or Los Angeles. . . . Cornelius Bennett, released last week by the Atlanta Falcons despite leading the NFC champions in tackles, is headed to the Indianapolis Colts, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. . . . Injury-plagued receiver Thomas Lewis, who sat out last season and most of 1997, signed a one-year contract with the San Diego Chargers. . . . Former Pittsburgh Steeler center Mike Webster, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, has been charged with forging a prescription for Ritalin, a stimulant used to treat attention deficit disorder. . . . Florida State filled a void on its 1999 schedule by announcing an Aug. 28 game against Louisiana Tech at Tallahassee, Fla. The nationally televised game replaces a scheduled Sept. 2 game against Auburn, which Auburn canceled this month at a $500,000 price.