Hingis Defeats One Williams

Martina Hingis of Switzerland taught Serena Williams a simple truth of clay-court tennis Friday: Patience is a virtue.

The Italian Open’s defending champion dominated the rushing Williams from the start and routed the American at Rome, 6-2, 6-2, setting up a semifinal match with Serena’s sister, Venus.

The top-seeded Hingis won 16 of the first 17 points and gained a measure of revenge for her loss on a hard court at the Lipton Championships in March.

“I just didn’t miss,” Hingis said. “I was very focused, and didn’t let her back in the game. And I just didn’t give her the chance to kill me. I guess I made her kill herself.”

Third-seeded Venus Williams advanced with a 7-6 (7-1), 6-2 victory over No. 11 Dominique Van Roost. The Belgian suffered a right groin strain early in the second set and could not keep up with Williams.

French players Mary Pierce, the 1997 Italian Open champion, and Amelie Mauresmo also won and will meet in the other semifinal.

The 10th-seeded Mauresmo ended Sylvia Plischke’s string of upsets with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over the unseeded Austrian. Plischke had beaten French Open titlist Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario and 12th-seeded Amanda Coetzer.

Pierce, seeded fourth, defeated No. 8 Sandrine Testud, 6-4, 7-5.

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Carlos Moya of Spain played one his best matches on clay and beat Gustavo Kuerten, 6-0, 6-2, for his first victory over the Brazilian on a slow surface and moved into the semifinals of the German Open at Hamburg.

But Moya will not be able to recapture the No. 1 world ranking he held for two weeks in March, even if he wins the $2.45-million tournament.

With third-seeded Tim Henman’s loss to Mariano Zabaleta, there are not enough high-ranked players left for Moya to earn the bonus points he needs to become No. 1.

Yevgeny Kafelnikov will remain in the top spot, despite having missed the tournament because of an infection.

In the semifinals, Moya will play Marcelo Rios of Chile, who defeated local favorite Tommy Haas, 6-4, 6-4.

Zabaleta, who beat Henman, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, will play Nicolas Lapentti of Ecuador, who defeated Arnaud di Pasquale, 6-4, 6-7 (8-6), 6-2.

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Wild card entrant Xavier Malisse of Belgium--lucky white fingernail polish and all--upset third-seeded Scott Draper, 6-4, 6-4, at the Citrix Championships at Delray Beach, Fla., to set up the first all-teen men’s final in four years. Sixth-seeded Lleyton Hewitt of Australia, the youngest player in the top 100, outslugged second-seeded Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean, 6-3, 6-2. Both finalists are 18.

Jurisprudence

A Minneapolis Star Tribune reporter is suing former Fox Sports broadcaster Jerry Glanville and Fox Sports Inc., claiming Glanville hit him while riding a motorcycle inside the Metrodome before a Viking game last year. Paul Levy, 48, suffered arm and shoulder injuries and has been in physical therapy since the incident. According to the suit, Glanville borrowed the motorcycle from the Viking mascot and drove around the stadium, hitting Levy, who was standing on the sideline.

Christopher Gamble, a former Northwestern wide receiver who lied to a federal grand jury about his role in the school’s sports gambling scandal, was sentenced to two months in prison.

Iowa State linebacker Ab Turner was arrested on suspicion of forgery. He is accused of forging checks twice to buy about $40 worth of merchandise. Football Coach Dan McCarney suspended Turner, who is from El Cajon.

Miscellany

Teemu Selanne of the Mighty Ducks scored the game-winning goal as Finland defeated the United States, 4-3, in the quarterfinal round of the world hockey championships at Hamar, Norway.

Giovanni Soldini, whose boat slowed to a crawl in light winds for several days nearing the finish of the 27,000-mile Around Alone sailing race, was expected to cross the finish line at Charleston, S.C., about midnight Friday.

Kentucky center Jamaal Magloire made himself eligible for the NBA draft but will retain the option of returning for his senior year if he doesn’t like his probable draft position, Coach Tubby Smith said. . . . Duke freshman forward Corey Maggette did not show up for a news conference on his decision to return to the Blue Devils or turn pro early. . . . The so-called “held-ball” rule for men’s college basketball has been rescinded and the game will go back to the alternating possession arrow in all held-ball situations.

The Philadelphia Eagles signed free agent running back Eric Bieniemy to a one-year deal. . . . Erica Sorgi of Mission Viejo, who at 16 already has won five national titles, advanced to the three-meter finals of the USA Diving Grand Prix at Fort Lauderdale, Fla. . . . William Owens, a grade school dropout who played for a dozen teams in the Negro baseball leagues in the 1920s and ‘30s, died of complications of diabetes. He was 98.