Parker, France Upset Serbia and Montenegro

Tony Parker played his best game of the tournament Tuesday as France stunned host Serbia and Montenegro, 74-71, and reached the quarterfinals of the European basketball championship at Belgrade.

Parker, the point guard for the NBA champion San Antonio Spurs, had 13 points and Antoine Rigaudeau had 14 against the defending world champions.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 33 points as Germany beat Turkey, 66-57, to move into the quarterfinals. Croatia also reached the final eight by beating Olympic runner-up Italy, 74-66, and Greece gave up only 14 points in the first half in a 67-61 victory over Israel.

In Thursday’s quarterfinals, France will play defending European champion Lithuania and Greece plays Russia. On Friday, Germany will play Slovenia and Croatia will face Spain.

Parker had been a non-factor in the first three games as France squeezed into the playoffs with a 1-2 record.

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Tennis

French Open organizers decided to pay men and women equal prize money and add a 15th day to the tournament.

Christian Bimes, head of the French Tennis Federation, said the changes would start at next year’s tournament, which will run over three weekends -- from Sunday May 28 to June 11.

The Australian Open and the U.S. Open already pay equal prize money. The French Open’s new policy leaves Wimbledon as the last of the four Grand Slam events to pay women less.

Sun Tiantian advanced to the second round of the China Open with a 6-3, 6-4 victory at Beijing over Tatiana Panova and will next play defending champion Serena Williams.

Top-seeded Silvia Farina Elia lost to 172nd-ranked Vanessa Henke, 6-1, 6-7 (3), 6-4, in the first round of the Slovenia Open in Portoroz.

Fifth-seeded Marion Bartoli lost, 7-5, 6-1, to Maret Ani. Ani will play Eleni Daniilidou, who beat Camille Pin, 6-2, 5-7, 6-4.

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Pro Hockey

Colorado Avalanche forward Milan Hejduk will miss the start of the season after undergoing surgery on his right knee.

Hejduk will be sidelined for at least four weeks, the team said. The NHL season begins Oct. 5.

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Auto Racing

New Champ Car President Steve Johnson’s plans for his sport’s World Series do not include unification with the rival Indy Racing League.

Johnson said that his only focus was on promoting his series to fans and sponsors.

Johnson is a former vice president of the National Hot Rod Assn. and president of the Sports Car Club of America. He said the series probably would have announcements in the next few weeks about sponsors, new chassis and television packages and possibly another race on its 2006 schedule.

Johnson last month was named president, succeeding Dick Eidswick, who will remain with the Indianapolis-based company as chief executive and chairman.

NASCAR points leader Tony Stewart crashed during a test session at Lowe’s Motor Speedway at Concord, N.C., raising questions about the recently smoothed track surface.

Stewart crashed his Chevrolet after running only a few laps, then ended his session because of a headache. He met briefly with track President Humpy Wheeler before heading home.

“I don’t remember any of the drivers asking for changes,” Stewart said. “You’ve got to give Humpy credit for trying to make the track better. He actually made it worse instead.”

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Soccer

Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney will miss the next two Champions League matches after being red-carded at Villarreal last week.

Ofori Sarkodie, Kile Nakazawa and Ryan Soroka scored second-half goals to lead the United States past Italy, 3-1, at the FIFA Under-17 World Championship at Chiclayo, Peru.

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Miscellany

Dick Pound, head of the World Anti-Doping Agency, denied claims by cycling’s governing body that WADA withheld information for the probe into whether Lance Armstrong used banned substances during the 1999 Tour de France.

“We tried to the best of our possibilities to provide the information that we have,” Pound said after a meeting of WADA’s executive committee.

Pound said he was puzzled by a request from the International Cycling Union for information on Armstrong because WADA did not exist at the time of the alleged incidents.

Larry Johnson’s assault case was postponed in Kansas City, Mo., until Nov. 29, despite objections by the attorney for the Kansas City Chief running back. Johnson was cited for domestic abuse assault last week after an altercation with his girlfriend at a bar.

Chicago’s WNBA franchise announced the new team would be called the Sky, with light blue and yellow as its colors.

Former USC running back Sam Cunningham will be among three inductees to the Sportswalk to the Waterfront on Oct. 10 in downtown San Pedro. He will be joined by former San Pedro High baseball standout Nick Castaneda and fitness guru Denise Austin. John Fer, a track standout who became a prisoner of war in Vietnam, will be the first recipient of the Pat Tillman Award for courage, and longtime San Pedro High football coach Bill Sexias is this year’s Trani Award winner for contributions to local athletes.

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Mike Penner is on vacation.