Singles win is a comeback for Venus Williams

Venus Williams won in her first singles match since August, dispatching Kimiko Date-Krumm, 6-0, 6-3, in the Sony Ericsson Open at Key Biscayne, Fla., on Wednesday.

She smiled, raised her arms in victory, then skipped to the net to shake Date-Krumm’s hand before twirling around and pumping her arms in a celebration worthy of winning the title, not just a first match.

But other than playing a meaningless doubles match during the United States’ Fed Cup first round victory over Belarus in early February, she hadn’t played an official match since the U.S. Open first round.

The 31-year-old Williams withdrew from her second round match against Sabine Lisicki at the U.S. Open after announcing she had the fatigue-causing, autoimmune disease known as Sjogren’s syndrome.

ETC.

Carpenter suffers a setback

St. Louis Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter won’t start on opening day after a setback in his recovery from a bulging disk in his neck.

The right-hander returned to St. Louis from Florida on Tuesday for tests. He threw live batting practice Sunday but didn’t feel right the next day.

Kyle Lohse will start April 4 at Miami in his place. Lohse was 14-8 with a 3.39 earned-run average last season, leading the Cardinals in wins and ERA.

Righty Lance Lynn, a setup man, will take Carpenter’s spot in the rotation. Lynn is 1-0 with a 1.64 ERA in 11 innings this spring. He made his second spring start Monday. The Cardinals now must replace Lynn in the bullpen.

===

A person familiar with the negotiations said that former New England Patriots running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis has agreed to a deal with the Cincinnati Bengals, who need someone to replace Cedric Benson.

Green-Ellis spent four seasons with New England, carrying 181 times for 667 yards in 2011 with 11 touchdowns. Various reports had him agreeing to a three-year deal.

===

Doctors at a Las Vegas hospital decided to keep former Nevada Las Vegas basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian overnight Wednesday for observation after a mild heart attack, despite originally planning to release him, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Mountainview Hospital spokeswoman Amanda Powell said Tarkanian’s status had not changed despite the change in plans. She said he was still doing “very well.”

===

Fabrice Muamba’s heart stopped beating on its own for 78 minutes last weekend and “in effect, he was dead in that time,” Bolton’s team doctor said.

The 23-year-old Bolton midfielder collapsed during an FA Cup match against Tottenham on Saturday after suffering from cardiac arrest. He was taken to London Chest Hospital, where he’s improving and talking to doctors after needing 15 shocks from a defibrillator.

Medics tried unsuccessfully to revive Muamba for 48 minutes on Saturday before he arrived at the hospital, Bolton team doctor Jonathan Tobin said. It took 30 more minutes, after 15 shocks from a defibrillator, before the player’s heart started beating again on its own.

===

Hall of Fame Broadcaster Bob Uecker is going to be honored by the Milwaukee Brewers this summer with a statue outside Miller Park.

===

Mel Parnell, the left-handed pitcher who spent his entire 10-year career with the Boston Red Sox and faced some of the best hitters of the 1940s and early 1950s, has died. He was 89.

Parnell, a New Orleans native, died Tuesday after a battle with cancer, said his son, Dr. Mel Parnell Jr.

===

Ron Erhardt, the offensive architect of the New York Giants’ two Super Bowl titles under Bill Parcells, has died. He was 80.

The Giants announced that the onetime head coach of the New England Patriots and the longtime NFL offensive coordinator died in Boca Raton, Fla., on Wednesday.