Seles Is Impressive in Victory

Monica Seles continued her comeback from a foot injury with a 6-0, 6-0 victory against Sarah Pitkowski of France in the quarterfinals of the $180,000 IGA SuperThrift Tennis Classic Thursday at Oklahoma City.

Seles, ranked 14th in the world and seeded second in the tournament, needed only 42 minutes to defeat the eighth-seeded Pitkowski.

It was only the second match since September for Seles, who suffered a stress fracture in her right foot during competition in Japan.

Seles will meet the winner of today’s Amanda Coetzer-Lisa Raymond match in a semifinal Saturday. The third-seeded Coetzer beat Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4).

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Top-seeded Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia advanced to the quarterfinals of the AXA Cup indoor tournament at London by defeating Czech Daniel Vacek, 6-2, 7-5.

Pro football

Keith McKenzie, a pass-rushing specialist in Green Bay, agreed to terms with the Cleveland Browns. McKenzie’s two-year deal is worth $4.25 million. . . . The Packers acquired defensive end David Bowens from the Denver Broncos for an undisclosed draft pick. . . . The Carolina Panthers signed cornerback Jimmy Hitchcock, an unrestricted free agent from the Minnesota Vikings, to a four-year contract.

Receiver Derrick Mayes has agreed to a three-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks that is reportedly worth $9 million. . . . The Miami Dolphins re-signed center Tim Ruddy to a five-year contract. . . . The Arizona Cardinals signed starting middle linebacker Ronald McKinnon to a three-year contract. . . . Running back Lamar Smith was released by the New Orleans Saints. . . . Two weeks after retiring from the St. Louis Rams, Frank Gansz returned to the NFL, signing with Jacksonville as its special teams coach.

Olympics

Police, security officers and employees of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee could be jailed and fined for disclosing security arrangements for the 2002 Winter Games under a penalty being considered by the Utah Legislature.

Legislative lawyers warn the gag order could run afoul of the First Amendment, but the Utah House of Representatives voted, 67-0, to approve and send it to the Senate for final legislative action.

Violations could bring a year in jail and $10,000 fine, and the gag order would remain in effect until three years after the Games.

Figure skating

Canadian champions Jamie Sale and David Pelletier won their first significant international title, edging Americans Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman to win pairs at the Four Continents Championships at Osaka, Japan.

Sale and Pelletier, in their second season together, received a perfect 6.0 mark and five 5.9s for artistry in their free skate program. They also topped the field in the short program.

Miscellany

Tonya Harding pleaded not guilty in a Camas, Wash., court to charges she smacked her live-in boyfriend in the nose with a hubcap and bloodied his face with her fists. Harding, 29, was ordered to return to court March 8 for a pretrial hearing. She faces up to one year in jail and a $5,000 fine if convicted of the misdemeanor assault charge. . . . Boxer Thomas “Hit Man” Hearns said he will retire after a March 25 bout against International Boxing Organization cruiserweight championship Crawford Ashley at Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena. . . . Shannon Briggs, hopeful of landing a fight against Mike Tyson, knocked Warren Williams out in the third round of a scheduled 10-round bout in New York. . . . USC’s Kellie Brennan defended her one-meter springboard title and Arizona State’s Marc Briggs won the three-meter springboard at the Pacific 10 Conference diving championships at USC. . . . A federal judge in Boston set a Sept. 18 trial date in the antitrust suit Major League Soccer players filed against the league more than three years ago.