Williams Sisters Reach Final

Venus and Serena Williams--sisters, best friends and doubles partners--now find themselves foes in an unprecedented family final. With their beaded braids clacking and their forehands crackling, the precocious teenagers scored an impressive sweep Friday in the semifinals of the Lipton Championships at Key Biscayne, Fla.

Serena, 17, came from behind in both sets to beat top-ranked Martina Hingis of Switzerland, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3). Three hours later, Venus, 18, completed a 6-4, 6-2 victory over five-time Lipton champion Steffi Graf of Germany.

The all-sister women’s final Sunday will be the first since tennis’ Open era began in 1968.

“It will be a great feeling,” Serena said.

During an interview on the court, Venus was asked who would win. “A Williams,” she said, and the crowd roared with delight.

“It’s what we thought we would always do, so it’s a wonderful thing,” Venus said later. “I really, really hope it’s super tennis.”

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Jeffrey Schwartz, an agent representing Hingis, Pete Sampras and Marcelo Rios, has reached a settlement with IMG. The marketing group had sued Schwartz, a former employee, for fraud and misrepresentation last month after Schwartz left the agency. Schwartz denied those charges. IMG will continue to represent Sampras and Rios in marketing and financial-management matters, and Schwartz will handle the business and legal affairs of those players. No announcement was made regarding Hingis. . . . Two former Syracuse tennis players who filed a sexual harassment suit against the school settled out of court, three days before the trial was to begin. The amount awarded Dacia Kornechuk, Kirsten Ericson and their families was kept confidential.

Figure Skating

A tearful Michelle Kwan fell on a jump and dropped to fourth place after the short program in the World Figure Skating Championships at Helsinki.

Kwan can retain her title only if leader Maria Butyrskaya of Russia falters in the long program.

In the ice dance final, Russians Angelika Krylova and Oleg Ovsiannikov retained their title.

Meanwhile, the sport’s governing body rejected the suggestion to isolate judges to prevent possible scoring controversies. Footage shot by Canadian television during Wednesday’s pairs final showed the judges from Russia and Ukraine glancing at each other and appearing to talk.

Miscellany

A Maryland judge rejected Mike Tyson’s request for a reduction of the sentence he is serving for assault. The former heavyweight boxing champion won’t be able to get out of jail in Rockville, Md., until at least June.

Heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield has filed for divorce, six months after a public admission that he fathered two children out of wedlock. Holyfield filed papers in Fayette County (Ga.) Superior Court to dissolve his 2 1/2-year marriage with Janice Holyfield.

Kenny Irwin, who won his first Winston Cup pole in the 1998 season finale at Atlanta Motor Speedway in November, set a track record in capturing the top qualifying spot for the Primestar 500 at Texas Motor Speedway at Fort Worth. Last year’s top rookie cruised around the 1 1/2-mile oval on his qualifying lap at 190.154 mph, the fastest of 37 drivers who beat the previous record of 185.906, set last April by Jeremy Mayfield.

World champion sprinters Marion Jones and Michael Johnson were impressive winners at the Engen Grand Prix Summer Series at Cape Town, South Africa. Jones started brilliantly in the 100 meters, and never was threatened, clocking 11.06 seconds. Johnson also got out well, then eased up and won the 200 in 20.41.

Stanford’s Dod Wales set an American record in the 100-yard butterfly in the NCAA men’s swimming and diving championships at Indianapolis. Wales won in 45.89 seconds, beating the mark of 46.26 that Stanford swimmer Pablo Morales set in 1986. Auburn still leads with 341.5 points. USC, with Bela Szabados taking second in the 200 freestyle, is tied for fourth with 206. . . . Swimmer Gary Hall Jr., who won two gold and two silver medals in the 1996 Olympics, withdrew from the upcoming national championships after being diagnosed with diabetes on March 20.

The first drug tests of U.S. Olympic athletes by an independent agency are expected this summer, USOC Executive Director Dick Schultz said. Schultz said the committee had heard from nine companies wanting to do the testing.

The San Diego Chargers signed free-agent linebacker Eric Hill. . . . The Cleveland Browns added experience to their defensive line by signing eight-year NFL veteran tackle John Jurkovic. . . . The Carolina Panthers signed unrestricted free agent guard-tackle Clarence Jones and defensive end Vernon Broughton. . . . The Washington Redskins signed linebacker Fred Strickland to a two-year, $1-million contract.

About 8,000 runners are expected to compete Sunday in the Carlsbad 5,000, which has produced nine world records in 13 years. . . . The top-ranked Long Beach State men’s volleyball team plays host to 10th-ranked USC tonight at 7 at the Pyramid.