Davenport sets up match with Jankovic

Lindsay Davenport defeated Julie Ditty, 6-1, 6-4, Thursday to advance to a quarterfinal matchup against Jelena Jankovic in the Bali Open at Nusa Dua, Indonesia.

Davenport, returning to singles play for the first time since having a child in June, was erratic at times after building a 5-2 lead in the second set.

After dropping serve at 5-3, she broke Ditty for the sixth time to set up a meeting with the top-seeded Jankovic.

“Its a great position for me to be in,” Davenport said. “She’s obviously had a great year. This is what I came back to do, to play some matches and try to play some good players, so I’m excited about it.”

Jankovic trailed Casey Dellacqua, 0-4, in the first set before rallying for a 6-4, 6-4 win.

Unseeded Marin Cilic upset top-seeded Nikolay Davydenko, 6-3, 6-4, to move into the quarterfinals of the China Open at Beijing.

Cilic will play wild-card Nicolas Kiefer, who beat seventh-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 6-3, 6-4. Eighth-seeded Igor Andreev also advanced to the quarterfinals with a 7-6 (4), 6-4 win over Kevin Kim.

Three-time French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten, 31, said he might retire if he fails to be competitive next year. The Brazilian was ranked No. 1 in 2000 but is now 662nd. He has a 2-7 singles record this season, his first playing regularly on the ATP tour since hip surgery in September 2004. Kuerten won the last of his 20 titles in February 2004.

HOCKEY

Blue Jackets suspend Svitov for his absence

Center Alexander Svitov, playing for a team in his native Russia, was suspended by the Blue Jackets for failing to report to training camp.

Svitov, 24, signed a two-year, $2.25-million contract with the Blue Jackets in early July, but is playing for Avangard Omsk of the Russian Super League.

“It’s procedurally necessary to get him off the [salary] cap and to preserve our rights as we move forward,” General Manager Scott Howson said.

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Teppo Numminen needs a third surgery to correct an irregular heartbeat. It’s not known when Numminen, 39, consulting with team physicians, will have the procedure and how much time he will miss.

Numminen, the team’s alternate captain last season, already has had two heart surgeries for an irregular heartbeat, including one in the summer of 2006.

In what would be the NHL’s second outdoor game, the league is set to announce next week that the Buffalo Sabres will play host to the Pittsburgh Penguins on New Year’s Day at Ralph Wilson Stadium, a person familiar with the event told the Associated Press.

Several media outlets, including the Buffalo News, cited unidentified sources in reporting the planned outdoor game earlier this month.

The league’s first outdoor game was at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium on Nov. 22, 2003, when 57,167 fans showed up to see the Montreal Canadiens beat the Oilers, 4-3.

Ralph Wilson Stadium is home to the Buffalo Bills and has a capacity of 73,967 for football games.

BASKETBALL

Parker misses late in France’s loss

Tony Parker missed a free throw that would have tied the score with seven seconds to play at Madrid, Spain, and Russia went on to beat France, 75-71, and reach the semifinals of the European Basketball Championship for the first time in 10 years.

Spain moved a step closer to becoming only the third team to claim the European title while holding the world title with an 83-55 win over Germany.

Russia won the tournament 14 times as the Soviet Union but hadn’t reached the last four since finishing with bronze in 1997.

Today, unbeaten Lithuania plays Croatia, with the winner meeting Russia. Defending champion Greece faces Slovenia.

The Dallas Mavericks and Devin Harris agreed on a five-year contract extension worth about $42 million, retaining the point guard through the 2012-13 season.

Harris, who would have been entering the final year of his rookie contract, averaged career highs of 10.2 points and 3.7 assists last season.

Prosecutors decided not to file marijuana possession charges against Indiana Pacers forward Shawne Williams following his arrest this week, but the team suspended him for three games for poor judgment.

The Marion County prosecutor’s office said police found marijuana in the vehicle Williams was driving, but felt it couldn’t prove the drugs belonged to him.

Williams, however, was formally charged with a misdemeanor count of driving without ever having received a license.