Tennis
ATP CHAMPIONSHIP: Pete Sampras rallied to beat doubles specialist Mark Woodforde 6-7 (7-5), 7-5, 7-6 (7-4) to advance to the quarterfinals of the $2.2 million ATP Championship in Mason, Ohio.
Sampras has beaten Woodforde, who won the doubles title at the Atlanta Olympics with Todd Woodbridge, in all eight of their matches.
Defending champion and sixth-seeded Andre Agassi overcame Alex O'Brien 6-7 (7-5), 6-3, 6-0; third-seeded Michael Chang defeated Cristiano Caratti 7-6 (7-3), 6-2; No. 9 Wayne Ferreira stopped No. 8 Jim Courier 7-6 (11-9), 6-7 (7-4), 6-2, and No. 10 Thomas Enqvist downed seventh-seeded Richard Krajicek 7-6 (9-7), 6-2.
Second-seeded Thomas Muster routed No. 16 Jason Stoltenberg 6-2, 6-2; fourth-seeded Yevgeny Kafelnikov outlasted Chris Woodruff 6-7 (7-5), 6-4, 7-5 and fifth-seeded Goran Ivanisevic downed Bernd Karbacher 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.
DU MAURIER OPEN: Monica Seles and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, the top two seeds, advanced to the quarterfinals of the $1.3 million du Maurier Open in Montreal while a hip injury forced Jennifer Capriati's exit.
Seles, who won the du Maurier last year in Toronto, defeated ninth-seeded Gabriela Sabatini of Argentina 7-6 (7-4), 6-1, and Sanchez Vicario topped 10th-seeded Amanda Coetzer of South Africa 7-5, 6-1.
In other third-round matches, sixth-seeded Magdalena Maleeva of Bulgaria advanced when Capriati retired in the second set. Argentina's Florencia Labat beat Japan's Naoko Kijimuti 6-3, 6-0; Yayuk Basuki of Indonesia eliminated No. 16 Elena Likhovtseva of Russia, 6-1, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, and No. 13 Amy Frazier ousted eighth-seeded Mary Pierce 6-3, 6-3.
Hockey
KARIYA WITHDRAWS: Following Mario Lemieux's lead, Paul Kariya of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks withdrew from Canada's entry in the upcoming World Cup of Hockey.
The 21-year-old left wing had 50 goals and 58 assists last season. But a serious groin inflammation could prevent him from starting this season.
Glen Sather, Canada's coach and general manager, replaced Kariya with Adam Graves of the New York Rangers.
The World Cup, an eight-nation tournament that replaces the Canada Cup, begins Aug. 26 and concludes with a best-of-3 championship series starting Sept. 10.
Lemieux, who has been troubled by various ailments, including Hodgkin's disease and a bad back, said he needed more rest while deciding his hockey future. Montreal forward Vincent Damphousse will replace Lemieux.
Soccer
GALAXY SHINES: Eduardo Hurtado headed in Cobi Jones' pass in the 80th minute Thursday night to lift the Los Angeles Galaxy to a 1-0 Major League Soccer victory over the New England Revolution before an announced crowd of 10,251 at the Rose Bowl.
Boxing
REID TO TURN PRO: David Reid, the only American boxing gold medalist at the Atlanta Olympics, is turning pro.
Reid, a light middleweight, said he had spoken with promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank, Inc., and will announce his professional plans next week.
HIGHSMITH SCORES KO: Alonzo Highsmith had an unprepared accomplice Thursday night in trying to make the unusual transition from NFL running back to boxer, as he knocked out Richard Davis in just 70 seconds in Lake Charles, La.
In a four-round bout on the undercard of "Heavyweight Thunder," Highsmith decked Davis after just 1:10 had elapsed in the first round.
The former Dallas Cowboys and Oilers running back from Houston improved his record to 13-0-1 with 10 knockouts. Davis, 4-4, admitted he was ill-prepared for the undertaking.
College football
GRAMBLING UNDER INVESTIGATION: The NCAA stepped up its probe of the football and women's basketball programs at Grambling State University, notifying the school that it is under formal investigation.
Grambling received a preliminary letter of inquiry from the NCAA indicating that questions still persist about grade changes given to athletes. The investigation also involves player eligibility in the women's basketball program and off-season football practices.