Belgian Teenager Upsets Venus Williams in Berlin

Venus Williams struggled all day and Justine Henin kept hitting winners. The result was the Belgian teenager’s biggest career victory Thursday at the German Open in Berlin.

The rising 18-year-old needed four match points but stunned the reigning Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion, 6-1, 6-4, to reach the fourth round.

“Not every day is your day. What can I say?” Williams said. “If she can play like that every time, she should be No. 1. I don’t think she’s ever played a match like that in her life.”

In other matches, top-seeded Martina Hingis of Switzerland rolled past France’s Nathalie Dechy, 6-3, 6-1, and Jennifer Capriati edged Sandrine Testud of France, 6-2, 7-6 (6), after trailing, 3-5, in the second set.

Williams lost for the first time since Feb. 17 in Nice, France, a span of 14 matches.

In a rain-soaked fourth day of play, Harel Levy of Israel showed his victory over Pete Sampras was no fluke as he easily advanced to the quarterfinals of the Italian Open at Rome with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Germany’s Nicolas Kiefer.

Also grabbing quarterfinal spots on the red clay were South Africa’s Wayne Ferreira, who beat Roger Federer, 7-6 (4), 6-2, and Sweden’s Andreas Vinciguerra, who eliminated France’s Sebastien Grosjean, 6-2, 6-3.

Rain halted a match between Alex Corretja of Spain and Lleyton Hewitt of Australia, with Corretja leading, 7-6 (2), 4-3.

Jurisprudence

Former top-ranked tennis star Marcelo Rios was charged with attacking two military police officers and a taxi driver in Rome early Thursday.

Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor, 41, was convicted of possessing drug paraphernalia in a hotel room more than two years ago.

In a Bergen County courtroom, Taylor was fined $1,100 and had his New Jersey driver’s license revoked for six months. The drug conviction stems from the September 1998 discovery in a hotel room of a butane torch and other materials commonly used to smoke crack.

College Basketball

North Carolina All-American guard Joseph Forte will announce today he is leaving the Tar Heels to make himself eligible for the NBA draft, a university official said.

Forte was expected to make the official announcement after finishing an exam this morning, the official said.

Texas junior guard Maurice Evans declared himself eligible for the NBA draft, but said he’ll probably stay in school if he’s not projected as a first-round pick. . . . Seton Hall sophomore center Samuel Dalembert will make himself eligible for the NBA draft. . . . Marcus Cox, a 6-foot-4 sophomore guard, will transfer from Connecticut to Massachusetts, first-year Coach Steve Lappas said.

Jerry Dunn signed a five-year contract extension after coaching Penn State to a 21-12 record and an upset of North Carolina in the NCAA tournament. Dunn, 47, is 103-79 in six seasons.

Miscellany

Darby Hendrickson scored 32 seconds into overtime to give the United States a 4-3 upset victory over Canada and a place in the semifinals of the Ice Hockey World Championships at Hanover, Germany. It marked the United States’ first win over Canada at a world championship since the preliminary round in 1985.

In Saturday’s semifinals, the U.S. will play Finland, which defeated Germany, 4-1. Two-time defending champion Czech Republic, which defeated Slovakia, 2-0, plays Sweden, which edged Russia, 4-3.

Cornerback George McCullough, a free agent who spent the last four seasons with the Tennessee Titans, agreed to a two-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs. . . . The Philadelphia Eagles signed cornerback Monty Montgomery and fullback Jamie Reader. . . . The Green Bay Packers signed pro personnel director Reggie McKenzie to a three-year contract extension.

Salt Lake City Olympic organizers will sell some of their best seats for next February’s events during an Internet auction starting May 21.

Bo Hamburger, one of Denmark’s leading cyclists, was suspended from his team after he tested positive for the banned hormone erythropoetin.

Hernan Gomez, Ecuador’s national soccer coach who was shot during an argument with men who blamed him for excluding former president Abdala Bucaram’s son from a youth squad, said he will continue on in his position. . . . Jean-Paul Akono resigned as coach of Cameroon’s soccer team, four days after his nation’s first loss in qualifying for the 2002 World Cup. Cameroon could have become the first nation in qualifying to clinch a berth, but lost 2-0 at Angola on Sunday. Security forces were called in to protect Akono’s residence in Yaounde from angry fans who threatened to burn it down. . . . The Dallas Burn traded midfielder Lazo Alavanja to the Miami Fusion for Miami’s second-round draft selections in 2002 and 2003.

Kentucky Derby winner Monarchos galloped over Pimlico Race Course for the first time in preparation for the Preakness on May 19 at the Baltimore track.

Utah Starzz Coach Fred Williams has been given a one-year contract extension through the upcoming WNBA season. . . . Biola’s Dave Holmquist was chosen as one of eight coaches for the 2001 USA Basketball men’s national team trials in Colorado Springs, Colo., next month.

A memorial service for Harold “Happy” Hairston, the former Laker who died May 1, will be held today at 11 a.m. at the First African Methodist Episcopal church, 2270 S. Harvard Blvd., Los Angeles.

Passings

Clayton “Bud” Marquette, a former member of the U.S. Olympic gymnastics coaching staff and the founder of the Huntington Beach-based Southern California Acro Team, died of congestive heart failure in Long Beach. He was 81. (See story, B15).

Laird Watt, Canada’s No. 1-ranked tennis player in 1938 and 1939 and a member of several Davis Cup squads, died May 3 in a Montreal hospital. He was 87. . . . Bill Price, who played on Long Beach State’s first football team in 1955, died April 28 in Yorba Linda. He was 70.

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Diane Pucin has the day off