Advertisement

King surprises Bartoli in India

Share
From Times Staff and Wire Reports

Vania King upset top-seeded Marion Bartoli, 6-1, 7-5, Tuesday in the first round of the Sunfeast Open at Calcutta.

King, an 18-year-old from Long Beach ranked No. 90, faced only one break point in defeating her 12th-ranked opponent. Bartoli won only 58% of the points on her first serve and 33% on her second. King won 70% on both her first and second serves.

“Vania was outstanding today while I wasn’t up to it physically,” said Bartoli, who held serve only once in the first set.

Advertisement

--

Martina Hingis advanced to the second round of the China Open at Beijing, beating Sun Tiantian, 6-2, 6-3. The former top-ranked player will next face Peng Shuai, who beat Xu Yi-Fan, 6-1, 6-4.

Second-seeded Sybille Bammer beat Yvonne Meusburger, 6-2, 6-1, to reach the second round of the Slovenia Open at Portoroz.

Meghann Shaugnessy also advanced, defeating Magdalena Rybarikova, 6-1, 6-4.

--

PRO BASKETBALL

Brand is fitted with a walking boot

Clippers forward Elton Brand was fitted with a removable walking boot during an examination of his ruptured left Achilles’ tendon in Wilmington, Del.

Brand, 28, who previously had a cast on the leg, is expected to wear the boot for the next six weeks before being re-evaluated, according to a statement released by the team.

He suffered the injury during a workout Aug. 3.

-- Jonathan Abrams

--

Guard Royal Ivey signed a one-year deal with the Milwaukee Bucks.

--

MISCELLANY

Testimony continues in Thomas trial

A former New York Knicks executive at the center of a sexual harassment lawsuit repeatedly complained to a friend from work that Coach Isiah Thomas berated her with foul language, according to trial testimony.

“What are your job responsibilities . . . ?” Thomas, with obscenities added for emphasis, told former vice president Anucha Browne Sanders in 2004, according to the account of her friend, Jeffrey Nix.

Advertisement

Sanders is seeking $10 million in damages on her claim that she was fired because she accused Thomas of harassment. Thomas denies the allegations. Nix worked for the Knicks for 15 years, including stints as a bench coach and in the front office. He said he was let go last month.

A company that distributed human growth hormone to “well known athletes and entertainers” agreed to pay a $10.5-million penalty and cooperate with ongoing law enforcement investigations, federal prosecutors said.

Under the terms of the agreement, Specialty Distribution Services Inc., a subsidiary of Express Scripts Inc., will not face prosecution for three years if it fully complies with terms of the agreement.

U.S. boxer Kendall Holt filed a protest with the World Boxing Organization over his loss to Ricardo Torres this month, contending the junior-welterweight title bout in Colombia was fought in a dangerous environment. Holt wants an immediate rematch outside Colombia. His lawyer says poor planning by Torres’ promoter in his native Colombia created the unsafe conditions.

Russian Olympic champion Alexey Mishin won his first World Wrestling Championship gold medal in the Greco-Roman division, defeating Brad Vering, 5-0, 4-0, in the 84-kilogram class at Baku, Azerbaijan.

Scotland defeated Romania, 42-0, for its second straight victory at the Rugby World Cup at Edinburgh, Scotland.

Advertisement

Kasey Kahne will inherit Budweiser beer as the main sponsor of his No. 9 Dodge next year after the brewer leaves Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 8 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series.

Terms of the Kahne deal were not disclosed.

Earnhardt plans to announce his new primary sponsor and car number today amid reports that he has chosen No. 88 and will sign with PepsiCo Inc., whose brands include Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew and AMP energy drinks.

-- Jim Peltz

--

Belmont Stakes winner Rags To Riches will miss the Breeders’ Cup Distaff on Oct. 27 after suffering a hairline fracture in the foot area while finishing second to Lear’s Princess in the Gazelle Stakes on Saturday at Belmont Park. “The injury is not career ending, and she is expected to make a full recovery,” trainer Todd Pletcher said of the 3-year-old filly.

Advertisement