Tennis player Richard Gasquet cleared by Court of Arbitration

French tennis player Richard Gasquet was cleared of any wrongdoing Thursday when the Court of Arbitration for Sport accepted his claim that he tested positive for cocaine by kissing a woman in a nightclub.

The CAS dismissed appeals by the World Anti-Doping Agency and International Tennis Federation, which wanted Gasquet banned for up to two years.

“I’m absolutely relieved. This is the end of a crazy story,” Gasquet said. “I’m happy to be 100% cleared.”

The court in Lausanne, Switzerland, accepted Gasquet’s claim that he inadvertently consumed cocaine by kissing the woman in a Miami club hours after withdrawing injured from a tournament in March.

“It was impossible for the player, even when exercising the utmost caution, to know that in kissing a woman who he had met in a totally unsuspicious environment, he could be contaminated with cocaine,” the court said in a statement.

A CAS panel of three lawyers said the quantity of the drug in Gasquet’s urine test was “minute” and the 23-year-old Frenchman was “clearly not a regular cocaine user.”

“The possibility of contamination became the most plausible explanation,” CAS said.

Yanina Wickmayer has accepted a wild card to play in the ASB Classic women’s tournament in New Zealand one day after a Belgian court overturned her one-year ban for breaching anti-doping regulations.

Wickmayer was suspended last month by the Flemish National Doping Organization for failing on three occasions to report her whereabouts as required by World Anti-Doping Agency policies. A Belgian civil court lifted that ban Wednesday and the International Tennis Federation said she was free to return to the women’s tour.

The men’s tour is returning to Atlanta, putting a hard-court tournament in the city that will be played July 17-25, 2010, and start off the U.S. Open Series.

The ATP tour bought the sanctioning rights to the Indianapolis tournament that has been held in July but recently had attendance and sponsorship issues.

BASEBALL

Arizona State facing scrutiny from NCAA

The NCAA is accusing Arizona State of a “lack of institutional control” of the baseball program, citing allegations that include impermissible recruiting phone calls and a failure to monitor baseball staff members.

The Arizona Republic reported Thursday that the university last month received a notice of the allegations. The case is not expected to be heard by the NCAA infractions committee until next summer.

The newspaper reported that the university received a notice from the NCAA on Nov. 19, one day before Pat Murphy announced his resignation as coach.

In a statement issued to the Republic, school spokesman Virgil Renzulli said, “ASU is working with the NCAA on an investigation of the university’s baseball program involving allegations of infractions of NCAA legislation.”

ETC.

Penn State, Texas reach volleyball final

Penn State is one win away from setting another volleyball record, earning the chance for a third straight national title by beating Hawaii, 23-25, 25-18, 25-15, 25-18, in Tampa, Fla.

The Nittany Lions (37-0) overcome a sluggish start and dropped only their sixth set of the season before extending their record winning streak to 101 matches. It was also Coach Russ Rose’s 1,000th victory.

Penn State will face Texas on Saturday night. The Longhorns swept Minnesota, 25-19, 25-20, 25-15, in the other semifinal.

Destinee Hooker led the Longhorns (29-1) with 17 kills, part of a team of outside hitters that punished the Gophers with size and strength at the net.

Angela Ruggiero of Simi Valley and Jenny Potter are headed to their fourth Olympics after being selected to the U.S. women’s hockey team.

Ruggiero and Potter were among 21 players chosen by Coach Mark Johnson for the final Olympic roster.

Prized recruit Royce White says he’s leaving the Minnesota basketball team because of his legal troubles and the stress they are causing his family and the program.

White is currently indefinitely suspended from the team while police investigate the theft of a laptop computer from a dorm room in November. He says he is innocent.

Jim Livengood, 64, was hired as the athletic director at Nevada Las Vegas.

Baseball Hall of Famer Yogi Berra has been selected as the first “Classic Ambassador” for the Bob Hope golf tournament that will be held in La Quinta from Jan. 21-24.