Kafelnikov, Rafter Stumble

Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Patrick Rafter, the two highest seeded players in the tournament, were defeated Saturday in the semifinals of the Gerry Weber Open at Halle, Germany.

Sweden’s Thomas Johansson defeated Kafelnikov, 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, his seventh consecutive victory over the Russian. France’s Fabrice Santoro downed Rafter, 7-5, 6-4, at the $1-million Wimbledon tuneup.

Today’s title match will pit Santoro, ranked 29th in the ATP Champions Race, against Johansson, ranked 32nd.

Johansson’s winning streak against Kafelnikov began at the 1998 U.S. Open and includes a victory at last year’s Wimbledon.

Unseeded Seda Noorlander of the Netherlands reached her first WTA tournament final, defeating No. 7 seed Cristina Torrens Valero of Spain 6-3, 7-6, in the semifinals of the Tashkent Open at Uzbekistan.

In today’s final, Noorlander will face Bianka Lamade of Germany. Lamade hit 15 aces in defeating 17-year-old Marie-Gaiane Mikaelina of Switzerland, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3.

Amelie Mauresmo withdrew from the Eastbourne tournament because of fatigue, but there is no indication she will skip Wimbledon. Mauresmo cited exhaustion after the clay-court season. The Frenchwoman was seeded second at Eastbourne.

The man who prosecuted Martina Hingis’ stalker now has a different relationship with the tennis star.

“Martina and I have a personal relationship, but anything beyond that is between her and me,” Miami-Dade County Assistant State Attorney Chris Calkin told The Miami Herald.

Hingis testified against Dubravko Rajcevic, who was convicted in April of stalking her.

Calkin denies any impropriety and says he notified his superiors about the relationship.

The semifinals of the Queen’s Club championships at London were postponed because of rain. That means that semifinal matches between Tim Henman and Wayne Ferreira and Pete Sampras and Lleyton Hewitt and the final will be played today, weather permitting.

Rain also washed out play at the DFS Classic women’s grass court tournament at Birmingham, England, leaving the possibility that some players will have to play three times today.

Surfing

Jay Moriarty, a popular big-wave surfer from Santa Cruz, died Friday after an apparent diving accident in the Republic of Maldives, a group of islands off southern India. He was 22.

Visiting the island nation to compete in a surfing contest, Moriarty had gone diving alone and failed to return for lunch and dinner. His body was discovered a few hours later near the dive spot.

Miscellany

Heavyweight boxing champion Hasim Rahman reportedly helped launder $37,000 for a cousin who was later sent to prison for cocaine and heroin trafficking, according to a sworn statement by U.S. Customs Service agents.

The agents filed the affidavit during efforts to seize an investment account owned by the cousin, the Baltimore Sun reported. Rahman has not been charged with any crime, and has declined to comment on the allegations.

The cousin, William A. Fryson Jr., 28, was sentenced to 17 years and five months in federal prison in May 1998 after pleading guilty to tax evasion, money laundering and drug conspiracy charges.

Baltimore Raven cornerback Chris McAlister and former teammate Clarence Love were arrested at McCarren International Airport in Las Vegas on Friday after an argument with a flight attendant over seating arrangements.

Sarah Jones and Laura Rauchfuss won the only medal for the U.S. at the Rowing World Cup at Seville, Spain, finishing third in the women’s double scull.