Redman Leads by One With 65

Michele Redman shot a seven-under-par 65 Thursday at the Samsung World Championship at Vallejo, Calif., and held a one-shot lead over Annika Sorenstam, who had her sixth hole in one as a professional.

Redman has two LPGA Tour victories, the last at the 2000 First Union Betsy King Classic. She has tied for second twice this season, at the Kellogg-Keebler in June and Canadian Women’s in August.

Sorenstam’s 38 career wins include eight this year and the world’s No. 1 player tied Redman for the lead with one swing of her five-iron at the 185-yard 17th at Hiddenbrooke Golf Club.

Sorenstam hit her second shot into the water at the closing 497-yard par-five and settled for a bogey that dropped her to 66.

Grace Park was third with a 67. *

David Duval shot a seven-under 64--his best round of the season--and shared a two-stroke lead with Hidemichi Tanaka after the first round of the Michelob Championship at Williamsburg, Va.

Tanaka birdied three of the last four holes for his 64. He missed a right-to-left, 11-foot birdie putt on the par-four 18th.

Scott Hoch was at 66 along with Loren Roberts, Corey Pavin, Bart Bryant and Jose Coceres.

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Tennis

Magdalena Maleeva upset top-seeded Venus Williams, 2-6, 6-1, 7-6 (3), in the second round of the Kremlin Cup at Moscow.

Williams was playing in her first match since losing to sister, Serena, in the final of the U.S. Open on Sept. 8.

On the men’s side, top-seeded Marat Safin beat Andre Sa, 7-6 (3), 4-6, 7-5. Second-seeded Yevgeny Kafelnikov also advanced with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Nicolas Kiefer.

Defending champion Lleyton Hewitt rallied from a set behind to beat 14th-seeded Nicolas Massu, 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-4, in the third round of the Japan Open at Tokyo.

Second-seeded Juan Carlos Ferrero lost to Magnus Norman, 6-3, 6-3, and sixth-seeded James Blake lost to Martin Verkerk, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

The United States will play at Croatia in the first round of the 2003 Davis Cup, Feb. 7-9, in the teams’ first meeting. Croatia joined the Davis Cup competition in 1993. Goran Ivanisevic, who is recovering from his shoulder surgery in May, is hoping at least to play doubles for Croatia.

Additionally, U.S. Open champion and No. 1-ranked Serena Williams has withdrawn from three upcoming indoor events in Europe because of fatigue. She will skip tournaments in Filderstadt, Germany; Zurich, Switzerland, and Linz, Austria.

Williams said that she still intends to play the season-ending championships at Staples Center in November, according to a statement released by the WTA.

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Miscellany

Cincinnati basketball Coach Bob Huggins, 49, underwent tests on his heart while recovering from a heart attack. Huggins had tests to determine how much damage the heart attack caused, said his cardiologist, Dr. Dean Kereiakes.

Former UCLA guard Darrick Martin signed, an eight-year NBA veteran, signed a one-year deal with the Denver Nuggets.... Philadelphia 76er Coach Larry Brown said he would like to coach the U.S. team in the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

Seattle’s OneWorld Challenge edged Alinghi by 10 seconds in the America’s Cup today, highlighting an American sweep at Auckland, New Zealand. The Americans also scored victories with Dennis Conner’s Stars & Stripes of New York and Oracle of San Francisco.