Wild-Card Entry Tops Dent

Robert Kendrick, hoping to soon be mentioned along with the rest of the talented young Americans in men’s tennis, helped his cause by beating one of them in the Siebel Open at San Jose.

The 24-year-old wild-card entry from Fresno staged the first upset of the tournament Wednesday with a 6-4, 6-4 win over 23rd-ranked Taylor Dent in a second-round match.

Kendrick reached the quarterfinals of an ATP tournament for the second time after advancing to the semifinals at Delray Beach, Fla., last year.

Top-seeded Andy Roddick had 16 aces, the fastest being 143 mph, in a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Christophe Rochus.

*

Mary Pierce won her 2004 debut, beating Arantxa Parra, 7-5, 6-2, in the first round of the Gaz de France tournament in Paris.

Jurisprudence

A police officer who responded to a reported suicide at former NBA player Jayson Williams’ home said he knew shortly after arriving that the victim’s wound wasn’t self-inflicted.

New Jersey State Police Trooper Thomas Muehleisen testified in Williams’ manslaughter trial in Somerville, N.J., that he reached that conclusion when he saw the body of limousine driver Costas “Gus” Christofi on the floor of Williams’ bedroom and a shotgun nearby.

“I believe I made a comment that there was no way; there was a 30-inch barrel and it wasn’t a contact wound,” he said.

Cleveland Indian outfielder Milton Bradley, 25, pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of obstructing official business for leaving the scene of a traffic stop and was ordered jailed for three days in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.

College Football

The NCAA Football Rules Committee has recommended that instant replay be used experimentally during Big Ten games this season.

It must still be approved by the NCAA championships/competition cabinet for Division I. Under the proposal, all games between Big Ten schools will be played with the experimental rule. Nonconference opponents who play televised games in Big Ten stadiums would have the option to play with replay.

Miscellany

New York Giant tight end Jeremy Shockey had surgery on his left knee. Shockey sat out the final seven games of last season after spraining his knee Nov. 9.

Less than a week after heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis retired, Corrie Sanders and Vitali Klitschko have begun talks for a possible April 24 bout for the vacant WBC title.

Laura Davies of Britain shot a three-over-par 75 against the men in the European Tour-sanctioned ANZ Championship at Australia. Davies is minus-one point under a modified version of the Stableford system. Nick O’Hern shot an eight-under-par 64 and leads with 18 points.

The Chicago Cubs will be allowed to increase their night games at Wrigley Field from 18 to 30 a season by 2006 under an ordinance approved by the City Council.