U.S. Open Next Stop for Graf

After announcing she had played her last French Open and last Wimbledon, five-time champion Steffi Graf has entered the U.S. Open.

Graf’s name was included in a list of entries for the Open, which runs from Aug. 30 through Sept. 13. It could be her final Grand Slam tennis event.

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Wayne Arthurs of Australia served 20 aces in a 6-7 (7-9), 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 victory over doubles partner Leander Paes of India in the quarterfinals of the Hall of Fame Championships at Newport, R.I. Arthurs will play American Chris Woodruff, who defeated Stefano Pescosolido, 6-2, 6-4. Laurence Tieleman will play Kenneth Carlsen in the other semifinal. . . . Andreas Vinciguerra of Sweden reached the semifinals of the Swedish Open at Bastad as injured Galo Blanco of Spain retired in the second set. Christian Ruud of Norway, Nicklas Kulti of Sweden and Juan Antonio Marin of Spain also advanced to the semifinals. . . . Albert Costa of Spain defeated Vince Spadea, 6-3, 6-2, in the quarterfinals of the Swiss Open at Gstaad. Costa will play Felix Mantilla of Spain. Younes El Aynaoui of Morocco and Nicolas Lapentti of Ecuador will play in the other semifinal.

Jurisprudence

Hall of Fame football star Jim Brown, who was arrested last month after an altercation with his wife, pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of vandalism and making a “terrorist threat.”

Brown, 63, a running back for the Cleveland Browns in the 1950s and ‘60s, faces more than a year in jail and a $2,000 fine if convicted of the charges.

He is due back in court on Aug. 17 for trial.

Prosecutors say the charges stem from a June 15 argument that Brown had with his 25-year-old wife of two years, Monique, at their Los Angeles home in which he allegedly threatened to kill her.

A judge in Christianburg, Va., denied a prosecutor’s request to move the rape trial of San Francisco 49er reserve quarterback Jim Druckenmiller out of the community where he was a Virginia Tech football star.

Druckenmiller will stand trial July 19 in Montgomery County Circuit Court, one week before he is scheduled to report to training camp, Judge Ray W. Grubbs ruled.

Druckenmiller is accused of forcing sex upon a Virginia Tech student who passed out on a bed at a party in nearby Blacksburg in March.

Druckenmiller could face five years to life in prison if convicted of rape.

Auto Racing

Jeff Gordon extended his Winston Cup series lead in poles with his sixth, taking the inside of the front row for the Jiffy Lube 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon, N.H.

Gordon qualified at 131.171 mph.

Tim Steele set a Nashville Speedway record to win the pole position for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Federated Auto Parts 250. Steele lapped the .596-mile oval at 111.079 mph.

Jeff Krogh, 27, has shown improvement but remains in critical but stable condition from injuries received when he crashed last weekend while practicing for a race at the Milwaukee Mile.

Krogh, a third-year NASCAR Busch Series driver, is semi-conscious and responding to voices and pain, track officials said.

Football

Rob Murphy, an All-American offensive lineman at Ohio State, signed a two-year contract as a free agent with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Murphy, who would have been a senior this fall, was dropped from Ohio State for poor grades.

The Washington Redskins signed their second-round draft pick, Michigan right tackle Jon Jansen, to a five-year, $3.5-million contract that includes a $1-million signing bonus.

The Redskins conceded they had fallen behind in the pursuit of free-agent running back Lawrence Phillips and weren’t sure where they stood with defensive lineman Charles Haley.

The NFL has arranged a $65-million, short-term loan for the Baltimore Ravens, backed by the eventual sale of part of the franchise to a new investor, according to the Baltimore Sun.

Miscellany

The Detroit Red Wings signed free-agent goalie Ken Wregget as a backup for starter Chris Osgood. Wregget, a 15-year veteran, spent last season with the Calgary Flames. . . . Roy Disney’s 72-foot Pyewacket increased its lead in the Transpacific Yacht Race. With 518 miles to go to the Honolulu finish line, Pyewacket was 25 miles ahead of Doug Baker’s 68-foot turbo sled Magnitude from the Long Beach Yacht Club.

An investigation into reports of sexual misconduct has determined there was favoritism toward Minnesota athletes and insensitivity toward female victims by administrators. However, school officials said the external investigation, which resulted in a 110-page report, did not find evidence to support complaints that administrators interfered with police investigations to protect athletes. . . . Soccer players Paulo Cesar Chavez and Rodrigo Lara of Mexico tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs and were expelled from the America Cup in Asuncion, Paraguay, by the governing body of South American soccer.