Davenport’s Status in Doubt After Injury

Lindsay Davenport withdrew from the Adidas International semifinals Friday at Sydney because of an arm injury, casting doubt over her status for next week’s Australian Open.

Davenport was to play top-ranked Justine Henin-Hardenne but pulled out.

Davenport, seeded fifth for the Australian Open and the 2000 champion, strained chest and arm muscles in her quarterfinal win over Elena Dementieva. Later Thursday, she left a doubles semifinal as it was in progress.

Henin-Hardenne defeated seventh-seeded Chanda Rubin, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, to advance to the semifinals.

Third-seeded Amelie Mauresmo defeated Anastasia Myskina, 6-4, 7-6 (4). She will play unseeded Francesca Schiavone, who beat Anna Smashnova-Pistolesi, 6-2, 6-2.

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David Nalbandian tamed top-ranked Andy Roddick’s powerful serves and defeated the American, 3-6, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4), to advance to the final of the Commonwealth Bank International at Melbourne, Australia.

Nalbandian will meet Andre Agassi in the championship.

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Roddick and Henin-Hardenne earned No. 1 seedings for the Australian Open.

The seedings -- 32 each for men and women -- generally followed the ATP and WTA rankings. The tournament starts Monday in Melbourne.

An exception was made for Venus Williams, last year’s runner-up to her sister Serena. Venus was seeded third despite a ranking that slipped to 11 at the end of 2003 based on an extended absence because of an abdominal injury. Kim Clijsters is seeded second.

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Steffi Graf, Stefan Edberg and Dorothy “Dodo” Cheney will join the International Tennis Hall of Fame at Newport, R.I., on July 11.

Graf and Edberg were elected in the recent player category by a media panel, hall President Tony Trabert said. Cheney was selected in the master player category by a committee that included Hall of Fame members.

Baseball

National League Cy Young Award winner Eric Gagne of the Dodgers and Roy Halladay of the Toronto Blue Jays -- the American League Cy Young winner -- were among 65 players who filed for salary arbitration, the fewest to submit their names since 1999, when 62 filed.

Right-hander Rick White agreed to a minor league contract with the Dodgers. White split last season between the Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros.

Hank Aaron is adamant: Pete Rose has no place in the Hall of Fame, or anywhere in baseball.

The all-time home run leader harshly criticized the career hit king for an insincere confession, saying Rose should not be reinstated after admitting he bet on the game.

“During these past few days, I’ve looked at Pete on television, and he hasn’t given any signs of an honest confession,” Aaron told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in an interview posted on the newspaper’s website Thursday night.

Right-hander Adam Eaton agreed to a $5.25-million, two-year contract with the San Diego Padres. Eaton, 9-12 with a 4.08 earned-run average last season, will make $1.8 million in 2004 and $3.2 million in 2005.

Boxing

Ishe Smith of Las Vegas won a unanimous decision over Randall Bailey of Miami in Santa Ynez to win the United States Boxing Assn., the World Boxing Council Continental Americas and the North American Boxing Organization welterweight titles.

The judges scored it 117-110, 114-113, and 116-111. Smith is 14-0 with seven knockouts. Bailey is 27-4 with 26 knockouts.

Passings

Harold Sanderson, the oldest member of the PGA and the organization’s second-longest serving member behind Gene Sarazen, has died. He was 100.

He died Dec. 31 in Roanoke, Va., the PGA said on its website. He was a member for 77 years. Sarazen, who died in 1999, was a member for 78 years.