Sampras Loses on Clay

Looking more vulnerable as the French Open approaches, Pete Sampras lost Monday in the first round of his second consecutive clay-court tennis tournament.

He was defeated by Alex Calatrava of Spain, 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-4, as the men began play in the German Open at Hamburg. Calatrava needed eight match points to complete the victory.

The French Open begins in two weeks, and Sampras hardly seems in position to make a run at the only Grand Slam title that has eluded him.

“It’s disappointing. Two weeks in a row I lost 6-4 in the third set,” Sampras said. “I’m there, I’m just not converting the big points.

“I definitely had my chances out there but I couldn’t make any of them. . . . I played well, though, and have to give [Calatrava] credit.”

Third-seeded Andre Agassi had no trouble recovering from his opening-round defeat at the Italian Open last week, downing Davide Sanguinetti of Italy, 6-1, 6-4.

Henrieta Nagyova of Slovakia defeated 16th-seeded Magui Serna of Spain, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, and Rita Kuti Kis of Hungary downed 1997 French Open champion Iva Majoli of Croatia, 6-4, 6-4, as women began play in the Italian Open at Rome.

Tatiana Panova of Russia rallied to defeat U.S. qualifier Jill Craybas, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, setting up a match against Martina Hingis.

Hingis, seeded first, Jennifer Capriati, Conchita Martinez and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario all had first-round byes. Venus and Serena Williams and defending champion Monica Seles were late dropouts.

Miscellany

Morgan Pressel, 12, shot a two-under par 70 at a tournament in North Palm Beach, Fla., and the seventh-grader qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open on May 31 at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C. She is among the youngest to qualify for the event. Beverly Klass was 10 when she played in the 1967 U.S. Women’s Open.

In other golf news, former Miami Dolphin quarterback Dan Marino, the NFL’s most prolific passer, failed in his bid to qualify for the men’s U.S. Open. Marino shot a six-over 78 at Weston Hills Country Club in Weston, Fla., and missed qualifying by eight strokes.

Two years after an academic fraud scandal tarnished Minnesota’s men’s basketball program, its women’s coach, Cheryl Littlejohn, was fired for a pattern of rule-breaking that included improper benefits to players.

The university’s investigation found that Littlejohn gave money to a player, bought clothing for others and interfered with an earlier inquiry by telling players to lie.

St. Joseph’s men’s basketball Coach Phil Martelli agreed to a new multiyear contract through at least the 2004-2005 season.

The Oakland Raiders re-signed tight end Roland Williams to a six-year, $12.4 million contract, agent Harold Lewis said. Williams was traded from the St. Louis Rams to the Raiders on April 20.

Two weeks after organizers said all sports venues were set, a senior minister in Athens proposed moving the Olympic canoe and kayak slalom course from Rizari, about 20 miles north of Athens. The site is opposed by environmental activists.

Mike Tyson sued promoter Don King and heavyweight Hasim Rahman in federal court in New York, contending that Rahman must give him a title fight. The former heavyweight champion also asked for more than $75 million in damages.

King has put together a plan to unify the heavyweight titles that would leave out Tyson and Lennox Lewis--unless they win in court.

A man charged with murder in the shooting of a promising boxer in Lowell, Mass., was being held without bail after pleading not guilty.

Johnny Manuel Diaz of Lawrence was arrested Sunday night and charged with shooting Luis M. Ayala on Saturday.

Bill Egan, 52, coach of the U.S. men’s alpine skiers for the last four years, announced his retirement from the team. He plans to keep the job through mid-August while the search for a successor is conducted.

Robert Howard, a triple jumper who was on two Olympic teams, was stripped of his second-place finish in the USA Indoor Track and Field Championships after testing positive for ephedrine, a banned substance.