NEWSWIRE

Ed Mahone retained the NABO heavyweight title by stopping Derrick Banks Saturday night at the Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas. Mahone knocked down Banks seven times before referee Jay Nary stopped the fight at 1:23 of the 10th round. In another bout, David Kamau (29-3) won the NABO welterweight title with a ninth-round TKO of Edgar Ruiz (15-2-1).

Tennis

The Williams sisters made an impressive debut in Fed Cup competition, accounting for all of the United States’ points in a 4-1 semifinal victory over host Italy at Ancona.

Venus and Serena Williams routed Silvia Farina and Rita Grande, respectively, by identical 6-1, 6-1 scores Sunday to clinch a U.S. berth against Russia in the finals in September. Then they won the doubles, 6-2, 6-2. On Saturday, Venus posted the first U.S. singles win. Serena was a replacement for injured Monica Seles.

In the other semifinal, Russia beat Slovakia, 3-2, at Moscow, with Tatiana Panova scoring the clinching win, 6-4, 6-4, over Ludmila Cervanova.

Unseeded Magnus Norman of Sweden won the Mercedes Cup at Stuttgart, Germany, after Tommy Haas blew a 5-4, 30-0 lead in the third set and lost, 6-7 (8-6), 4-6, 7-6 (9-7), 6-0, 6-3.

Pro Football

Cleveland Brown president Carmen Policy said he is cooperating fully with the NFL and is innocent of any wrongdoing concerning charges the San Francisco 49ers violated the salary cap while under his control.

The Chicago Bears did not reveal the details of their offer but submitted a revised contract proposal they hope moves negotiations closer to signing top draft pick Cade McNown. . . . The Philadelphia Eagles’ top draft pick, Donovan McNabb, was absent and unsigned as rookies reported for camp. . . . San Diego Charger defensive end Israel Ifeanyichukwu is scheduled to undergo arthroscopic surgery this week for torn cartilage and a ligament tear in his left knee.

Miscellany

Johnny Gray, 39, narrowly defeated Norberto Tellez of Cuba to win the 800 meters in the Pan American Games at Winnipeg, Canada, in a season-best and Games record of 1:45.38. Meanwhile, Chandra Sturrup gave the Bahamas its first Pan Am track gold, overtaking Angela Williams of USC to win the women’s 100 in 11.10. Williams aggravated a hamstring injury while warming up.

Dawn Staley had 13 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds to lead the Charlotte Sting to a 78-66 victory over the short-handed Detroit Shock in a WNBA game at Auburn Hills, Mich. . . . Cynthia Cooper scored 20 points and Houston held off a late Minnesota rally for a 62-57 victory at Minneapolis. . . . At Phoenix, Jennifer Gillom scored 16 points and Edna Campbell made a pair of clutch second-half three-point baskets as the Mercury defeated Washington, 72-59.

San Clemente’s Shea Lopez easily won the $100,000 ShockWave U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach before a crowd of more than 50,000. In the final, he had 23.25 points to 18 for Rob Machado of Cardiff.