Ivanisevic’s Effort Called Into Question After Quick Loss

Second-seeded Goran Ivanisevic of Croatia lost to Markus Hantschk of Germany in the first round of the Czech Open at Prague and will not receive his appearance fee because of questions about his effort.

Ivanisevic led, 7-6 (7-4), when the match was suspended late Tuesday because of darkness. When it resumed Wednesday, Hantschk won the next two sets, 6-2, 6-4, in 61 minutes.

According to news agency CTK, Ivanisevic may have intentionally missed returns.

Peter Kovarcik of Teleaxis, the tournament’s organizer, said Ivanisevic will not receive the $100,000 appearance money.

“He did not play anything, so he will not get anything,” CTK quoted Kovarcik as saying.

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Venus Williams reached the quarterfinals of the $520,000 Betty Barclay Cup tournament at Hamburg, Germany, beating Magui Serna, 6-3, 6-1. . . . Third-seeded Vincent Spadea, fourth-seeded Michael Chang and seventh-seeded Jan-Michael Gambill were upset in the first round of the AT&T; Challenge at Atlanta. Max Mirnyi of Belarus beat Spadea, 7-5, 6-3. Qualifier Stefan Koubek of Austria defeated Chang, 6-1, 6-4. Justin Gimelstob beat Gambill, 6-0, 6-4. . . . Alberto Berasategui advanced to the third round of the BMW Open at Munich, beating Bernd Karbacher of Germany, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3).

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Tickets for the July 16-18 Davis Cup quarterfinal match between the U.S. and Australia at Brookline, Mass., sold out in 81 minutes--believed to be the quickest sellout in U.S. Davis Cup history.

Soccer

Bob Gansler, coach of the 1990 U.S. World Cup team, was hired as coach of the winless Kansas City Wizards of Major League Soccer.

Gansler succeeds interim coach Ken Fogarty, who took over when Ron Newman resigned April 14. Kansas City was 0-4 under Newman and 0-3 under Fogarty, including a 1-0 loss to the Columbus Crew before 6,069 at Kansas City, Mo., on Wednesday. Gansler observed the game but did not coach.

The U.S. team went 0-3 at Rome in the 1990 World Cup.

Having just split a two-game series with China, the U.S. women’s team faces two games against another World Cup ’99 team, Japan.

The first match is at Ericsson Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., tonight, with the second on Sunday afternoon at Dekalb Memorial Stadium in Atlanta.

Coach Tony DiCicco said he will use these two games as well as the next two-game series against the Netherlands (May 13 and 16 in Milwaukee and Chicago) to complete his World Cup roster. Seventeen of the 20 positions already are decided upon, with five players vying for the remaining three slots.

Football

The Washington Redskins, seeking a veteran quarterback to back up starter Brad Johnson, acquired Rodney Peete from Philadelphia for a sixth-round draft pick in 2000. . . . Deion Sanders had surgery on his left big toe in New York, but it remained unclear when the Pro Bowl cornerback and punt returner will be ready to take the field again for the Dallas Cowboys. . . .

Brandon Burlsworth, a second-team All-American guard who was recently drafted by the Indianapolis Colts, was killed when his car collided with a tractor-trailer rig in Carrolton, Ark.

Miscellany

Patrik Augusta had two goals and an assist as the Ice Dogs defeated the Houston Aeros, 4-1, at Houston to take a 1-0 lead in their second-round International Hockey League playoff series.

San Francisco 49er backup quarterback Jim Druckenmiller proclaimed his innocence after being booked on a charge that he raped a Virginia Tech student during a visit to his alma mater at Christiansburg, Va. Druckenmiller was released on a $10,000 secured bond. Judge Ray Grubbs scheduled a jury trial for July 19.

Olympic hurdles champion Ludmila Engquist has been operated on for breast cancer and will undergo chemotherapy at Stockholm. The Russian-born Engquist, 35, won the 100-meter hurdles for Sweden at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

The Alero Beach Volleyball Series, a nine-event series developed by USA Volleyball and the U.S. Olympic Committee that will determine which beach volleyball players represent this country at international competitions, will hold its first event May 13-16 in Huntington Beach.

A questionable “business” trip to Las Vegas by Minnesota men’s basketball coaches in 1997 was more than a one-time visit, a school auditor said.

The $9,100 trip to Las Vegas by Coach Clem Haskins and three other coaches, as well as a trainer and all of the men’s wives, was little more than a golf outing, auditors said in documents released Tuesday.

A booster group paid for the 1997 trip, and coaches stood to avoid income taxes on the gift by declaring the travel business-related, said Gail L. Klatt, associate vice president in the university’s department of audits.

Former Laker Michael Cooper will be named an assistant coach of the WNBA’s Sparks next week, sources report. Cooper will join former Laker teammate Orlando Woolridge, who in June begins his first full season as the team’s head coach.

Arizona State sophomore Paul Casey shot a 10-under-par 60 at Seattle to repeat as Pacific 10 Conference golf champion. Casey broke the Broadmoor Golf Club course record of 61 and finished with a four-round total of 265, two better than Stanford’s Joel Kribel, who had an eight-shot lead after three rounds.

Casey helped the Sun Devils to their 10th Pac-10 title and fifth in a row. UCLA finished second.

UCLA’s Heidi Moneymaker was one of four nominees for the 1998-99 Honda Award for gymnastics. Also nominated were Theresa Kulikowski of Utah, Karin Lichey of Georgia and Andree Pickens of Alabama. The Honda Award recognizes the top female college athlete in 11 sports.

Oregon women’s basketball Coach Jody Runge has agreed to a four-year contract extension, with a base annual salary of $140,000.