Hewitt’s Rally Keeps Aussies Even in Davis Cup

U.S. Open champion Lleyton Hewitt rallied to beat Jonas Bjorkman on Friday and even Australia’s Davis Cup semifinal with Sweden.

Hewitt bounced back from a set down for a 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (2) victory over Bjorkman in Sydney after Patrick Rafter had lost to Thomas Johansson, 3-6, 6-7 (8), 6-3, 6-2, 6-3.

France took a 2-0 lead over the Netherlands at Rotterdam in the other semifinal. Dutch player Raemon Sluitter quit after injuring his ankle while leading Arnaud Clement, 2-1, in the third set. Then Nicolas Escude outlasted Sjeng Schalken, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (4), 4-6, 7-6 (4), 8-6, to put France in command.

In one of seven matches involving teams trying to get back into the World Group, host Italy is tied with Croatia, 1-1, after Filippo Volandri upset Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic, 6-2, 7-6 (4), 3-6, 0-6, 6-4.

Kim Clijsters and Jelena Dokic won in straight sets to set up a semifinal matchup in the Toyota Princess Cup at Tokyo. The top-seeded Clijsters beat Thailand’s Tamarine Tanasugarn, 6-3, 6-1. Dokic, seeded third, defeated Meilan Tu, 6-2, 6-2.... Second-seeded Rainer Schuettler of Germany advanced to the semifinals of the $400,000 Shanghai Open, defeating Noam Behr of Israel, 7-5, 6-2. Schuettler will face fourth-seeded Francisco Clavet of Spain, who rallied past Takahiro Terachi of Japan, 3-6, 6-1, 6-1.

Next week’s Toulouse Open tournament in France was canceled after an explosion at a nearby petrochemical plant killed 17 and injured several hundred.

Hockey

The Ottawa Senators re-signed captain Daniel Alfredsson to a one-year, $3-million deal. Senator General Manager Marshall Johnston, vehemently denied a published report, citing an unidentified NHL executive, that he was prepared to sign and then trade Alfredsson .... Goalie Miikka Kiprusoff agreed to a one-year contract extension with the San Jose Sharks. Kiprusoff will back up Evgeni Nabokov.

Soccer

Midfielder Tab Ramos will miss the New York/New Jersey MetroStars’ playoff series with the Galaxy because of a stress fracture in his left leg. The MetroStars, who begin the series Sunday at the Rose Bowl, also will be without injured forward Clint Mathis, midfielder Roy Myers and back-up goalkeeper D.J. Countess ....Manny Lagos, San Jose’s all-star midfielder, will be allowed to play in the Earthquakes’ playoff game at Columbus tonight after a red-card suspension was delayed because of last week’s terrorist attacks.

Saudi Arabia moved to the top of its World Cup 2002 qualifying group with a 4-0 victory over Bahrain in Manama, Bahrain. The result lifted the Saudis two points ahead of Iran in Group A, the winner of which qualifies for Korea/Japan 2002.

In a Group B play, Qatar defeated Oman, 3-0, in Muscat, Oman, moving into second place behind China.

College Basketball

Coach Bob Huggins said center Donald Little can return to the Cincinnati basketball program if he abides by certain conditions. The Bearcats also learned Friday that Conference USA had suspended B.J. Grove for the conference opener for striking an Alabama Birmingham player in a game last March.

Brigham Young point guard Michael Vranes will skip his senior season because of foot injuries and won’t return to the basketball team.... Florida State’s top recruit, North Carolina high school standout Anthony Richardson, was cleared to play this season by the NCAA.

Auto Racing

Alex Zanardi, the two-time CART champion driver who lost his legs in a Sept. 15 race crash, may be released from intensive care in a few days.

“He could be released any time from Sunday to the following week,” said Dr. Walter Schaffartzik from the Berlin hospital where Zanardi is being treated.

CART’s Rockingham 500 in Corby, England, is in jeopardy because of drainage problems on the new oval.

So-called “weepers”--spots where underground water bubbles through to the surface--washed out practice Thursday and Friday. CART chairman Joe Heitzler said a 2-hour 10-minute practice would be held today, with the race to follow, three hours later than originally scheduled.

Dale Jarrett’s Ford got around Dover Downs International Speedway in 22.238 seconds, going 154.919 mph to beat Bobby Labonte by seven-thousandths of a second and win the pole for NASCAR’s MBNA Cal Ripken Jr. 400 Sunday in Delaware.

Miscellany

A University of Wyoming student charged in the traffic deaths of eight fellow student-athletes attended a party before the accident, prosecutors said.

Clinton Haskins, 21, had a blood-alcohol content of 0.16 after the Sunday accident, higher than the legal limit of 0.10, prosecutor Cal Rerucha said.

The Clippers will hold their foundation charity golf tournament Tuesday at Ocean Trails Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes.

The team’s players and coaches will play in the event, which benefits youth groups through the Clippers Foundation and Variety Club International. Details: (213) 742-7500.