Navratilova Sees Singles Return End

Martina Navratilova’s short-lived return to singles is over, but not before she showed she can still compete with players nearly half her age.

The 45-year-old Navratilova lost, 2-6, 6-2, 6-2, to third-seeded Daniela Hantuchova--a player 26 years younger--at the Eastbourne grasscourt championships in England on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, playing her first tour singles match in eight years, Navratilova beat Tatiana Panova, 6-1, 4-6, 6-2, becoming the oldest woman to win a WTA match.

“I’ve always taken it one year at a time and I don’t know if I’m even playing next year,” Navratilova said after her loss. “But I have no plans to play singles again.... It was fun and I think that I showed I had a good time out there and I played some good tennis.”

In other matches, top-seeded Jelena Dokic of Yugoslavia lost, 6-4, 1-6, 6-2, to Daja Bedanova of the Czech Republic, and fifth-seeded American Meghann Shaughnessy defeated Italian Rita Grande, 6-4, 6-2.

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Third-seeded Greg Rusedski reached the quarterfinals of the Samsung Open by defeating Adrian Voinea, 6-3, 6-2, at Nottingham, England. Rusedski will face Magnus Larsson in the quarterfinals. The Swede defeated Chile’s Nicolas Massu, 7-6 (5), 6-4.... Marat Safin defeated American Scott Humphries, 7-6 (4), 5-7, 6-3, in the Liverpool International in England to virtually seal his place in the semifinals of the round-robin exhibition.... Roger Federer of Switzerland advanced to the third round of the Ordina Open at Den Bosch, Netherlands, after Ivo Heuberger retired with an injury after losing the first set, 6-4.

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Lindsay Davenport, who has missed all of this season because of a knee injury, will return to action in a Fed Cup qualifying series against Israel next month. Also chosen for the U.S. squad by captain Billie Jean King were fourth-ranked Monica Seles, top-ranked doubles player Lisa Raymond and Shaughnessy.

Women’s Basketball

The Detroit Shock hired former Piston center Bill Laimbeer to replace Greg Williams as coach. Williams was fired earlier in the day after the Shock started the season 0-10, the worst in six-year history of the league....Former WNBA All-Star Brandy Reed, who was suspended indefinitely by the Phoenix Mercury on Tuesday, faces misdemeanor charges of marijuana possession in Mississippi, the Arizona Republic reported.

In WNBA games, Andrea Stinson had 27 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Charlotte Sting to a 78-64 victory over Washington before 5,109 at Charlotte, N.C., ending the Mystics’ six-game winning streak.... Nykesha Sales scored 18 points to lead the visiting Orlando Miracle to a 66-62 victory over the Cleveland Rockers before 5,210.

Miscellany

In Major League Soccer games: Ryan Nelsen of New Zealand scored a goal and Jaime Moreno converted a penalty kick as Washington D.C. United (5-6-1) posted a 2-0 victory over the Colorado Rapids (6-6-1) in front of 11,086 at Washington.... Preki’s goal in the 52nd minute tied him with Roy Lassiter for the league’s all-time points lead with 211 and lifted the Kansas City Wizards into a 1-1 tie with the Columbus Crew in front of 14,089 at Columbus, Ohio.... In a Women’s United Soccer Assn. game, Marinette Pinchon scored a goal in each half to lead the Philadelphia Charge (7-1-2) to a 3-1 victory over the Carolina Courage (5-2-3) in front of 5,244 at Cary, N.C.

Former U.S. Olympian Dan O’Brien’s attempt at a comeback was interrupted when he dropped out of the decathlon at the U.S. Championships at Berkeley. In third place after four events of the two-day, 10-event decathlon, O’Brien, 35, skipped the 400 meters because his left foot had become too painful. O’Brien said he hopes to be among the world’s top decathletes by the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Duke junior forward Mike Dunleavy said he will remain in the NBA draft and forgo his final season with the Blue Devils. Stanford’s Curtis Borchardt joined teammate Casey Jacobsen in saying he also will remain in the draft.... Coach Darryl Sutter and assistants Rich Preston and Lorne Molleken agreed to new contracts with the San Jose Sharks.... UCLA freshman Wes Whisler was named to the Baseball America college All-American team. He was joined on the third team by Long Beach State sophomore Abe Alvarez and Cal State Fullerton sophomore Wes Littleton.... Six men were sentenced in Brazil to more than 20 years each in prison in the slaying of New Zealand yachtsman Peter Blake.

The Swim Meet of Champions, featuring world-record holders Lindsay Benko and Aaron Peirsol, begins today and continues through Sunday at Marguerite Recreation Center in Mission Viejo. Today’s events will be the men’s and women’s 800 freestyles.

Senior swingman LeBron James, expected to be the first player selected in the 2003 NBA draft, will lead Akron (Ohio) St. Vincent-St. Mary High against Santa Ana Mater Dei in the Dream Classic on Jan. 4 at Pauley Pavilion.