Mauresmo loses in straight sets

Defending champion Amelie Mauresmo lost Tuesday to Nadia Petrova, 6-2, 6-2, in opening round-robin play at the WTA Championships at Madrid and U.S. Open champion Maria Sharapova defeated Elena Dementieva, 6-1, 6-4.

Third-ranked Justine Henin-Hardenne defeated Martina Hingis, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-1.

Mauresmo entered the tournament ranked No. 1.

For her to end the year with the top ranking, the Frenchwoman needs to successfully defend her title, Henin-Hardenne must finish last in their group and No. 2 Sharapova must miss the final.

“There’s nothing to say about that match except it could be worse in the next couple of matches,” said Mauresmo, who played her first match since injuring her right shoulder last month. “It’s hard to say anything positive about a match like that. I speak better Spanish than I played today.”

The 19-year-old Sharapova can finish the year No. 1 if she wins this week and Henin-Hardenne fails to reach the final.

Sharapova, who won the championships two years ago, is bidding for her sixth title of the year.

Mauresmo withdrew from the Zurich Open because of the shoulder injury.

“There was no pain in my shoulder -- I just feel a little behind the play and I made stupid mistakes,” Mauresmo said. “It’s the kind of match I would play after missing competitions.”

BASEBALL

Red Sox decline option on Foulke

The Boston Red Sox will not exercise their $7.5-million option on reliever Keith Foulke, the star closer on their 2004 World Series championship team who struggled with injuries and inconsistency the last two seasons.

Foulke has until Friday to exercise his $3.75-million option for 2007.

Ryan Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies hit the tiebreaking homer in the top of the eighth inning as the major leaguers defeated the stars of Japanese baseball, 7-2, at Osaka, Japan.

The major leaguers have a 4-0 lead in the five-game series.

MISCELLANY

Graham receives letter of allegation

Track coach Trevor Graham received notice from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency that he is accused of violating doping rules, sources familiar with the investigation told the Associated Press.

Graham, whose star athletes included Marion Jones, Tim Montgomery and Justin Gatlin, was indicted by a grand jury last week on three counts of making false statements to federal agents. Now, he has 10 days to respond to USADA’s allegation letter. The case then will be presented to a review panel that recommends whether sanctions should be levied.

The sources, who spoke to AP on condition they not be identified because the charges have not been announced, said the letter informed Graham that he is being accused on a “non-analytical” basis, meaning the doping violation isn’t predicated on positive drug tests, but rather on other evidence.

Meanwhile, 2004 Olympic 200-meter champion Shawn Crawford said he was no longer training with Graham, adding “All this stuff that’s going on, I just don’t want to be bombarded with it.”

Two-time major champion golfer John Daly and his wife have filed for divorce, four months after she finished serving a federal sentence involving finances from an alleged drug and gambling ring.

Sherrie Miller Daly filed for divorce on Oct. 17, and Daly filed a day later, according to records in Shelby County, Tenn.

Crew member Craig Curione was suspended indefinitely by NASCAR for shoving Kevin Harvick on pit road at Texas Motor Speedway.

Curione, the front tire carrier for Scott Riggs, was fined $10,000, NASCAR officials said.

The U.S. Olympic Committee will hold an informational seminar today and Thursday in Orange County with groups from the three cities, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco, contending for the right to become the domestic bid city for the 2016 Olympic Games.

A decision on whether to go forward with a U.S. bid is expected by the end of the year.

If the USOC moves in that direction, a bid city would be selected in March or April.

-- Lisa Dillman

Kansas forward C.J. Giles was dismissed from the team after a student reported Giles had dragged her from his apartment by her feet and hit her.

School police ticketed Giles on Monday night for misdemeanor battery, and he was ordered to appear in municipal court on the battery charge. He was not arrested.

Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina, Joakim Noah of Florida, Ronald Steele of Alabama, Glen Davis of Louisiana State and sophomore Brandon Rush of Kansas were selected to the AP preseason All-American basketball team.

Manchester United was eliminated from the English League Cup with a 1-0 loss to Southend, a club ranked more than 40 places below the defending champion....FC Dallas fired Colin Clarke as coach after the team was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs and missed a chance to play for the Major League Soccer Cup at home.

Irina Slutskaya, 27, the two-time world champion figure skater, said she hasn’t retired, dismissing a report from Russia.

Cal State Fullerton senior Karen Bardsley was selected Big West Conference goalkeeper of the year for the third time in her soccer career.

Kingsley Costain scored 23 points as the Pepperdine men’s basketball team won an exhibition over Fresno Pacific, 103-91, at Malibu.

PASSINGS

Sain, three-time All-Star pitcher, was 89

Johnny Sain, a three-time All-Star who teamed with Warren Spahn to make up one of baseball’s most fabled pitching tandems, died at Downers Grove, Ill. He was 89.