Muster Outlasts Chang to Earn a Shot at Sampras

Fifth-seeded Thomas Muster of Austria upset No. 2 Michael Chang, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), Saturday night to move into the finals of the $2.3-million ATP Championship at Mason, Ohio.

Muster, the fourth-ranked player in the world, will play top-ranked Pete Sampras for the title today.

Sampras, playing his first tournament since his Wimbledon victory, even impressed himself as he overwhelmed 14th-seeded Albert Costa of Spain, 6-3, 6-4..

“I think it’s the best I’ve served in my career,” he said.

Muster, who has played four three-set matches this week, said he shouldn’t be bothered by playing a 2-hour 43-minute match Friday and a 2:16 match Saturday night.

“Pete is not a guy who is going to make you run forever,” Muster said. “He likes to go for quick points.”

Motor Sports

Tom Kendall of Santa Monica led every lap of the Serengeti Eyewear Trans-Am Classic at Watkins Glen International, N.Y., to earn a record ninth consecutive Sports Car Club of America victory.

Kendall, 30, unbeaten in 1997 in the SCCA’s top division, broke the record of eight consecutive Trans-Am victories set in 1968 by the late Mark Donohue. Donohue, who drove a Penske Camaro, won 10 of 13 races on the way to the championship that season.

Kendall, driving a Ford Mustang Cobra, started from the pole and never lost the lead. He averaged 71.475 mph on the 2.45-mile, 11-turn road course, defeating Paul Gentilozzi and his Chevrolet Camaro by 0.985-seconds--about eight car lengths.

Struggling with his new racing team, defending Formula One champion Damon Hill was pleased to qualify third for the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest after Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve got the top two spots.

Hill switched to the new Arrows-Yamaha team when his former team owner Frank Williams refused to give him a large raise.

Hill failed to finish his first six races with his new racing team. He won 21 races, including eight in 1996, driving for Williams-Renault.

“When you have what is the best car, you do what is expected of you,” Hill said. “But when you have what is perceived as not the best car, to get third is all the more satisfying.”

Ron Hornaday of Palmdale became the winningest driver in the three-year history of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with a victory over Joe Ruttman and Rich Bickle in the Stevens Beil 200 at Flemington (N.J.) Speedway.

Hornaday averaged 98.232 mph on the resurfaced 5/8-mile oval and won by a half a second. His seventh victory of the season and 17th overall was worth $35,925.

Bryan Herta of Valencia maintained the pole position for today’s CART Miller 200 at Lexington, Ohio, when the next five qualifiers failed to improve their times on Saturday.

Defending champion and season points leader Alex Zanardi qualified second and Greg Moore was third.

Herta, driving a Reynard-Ford, set a fast lap of 122.649 mph Friday on the 13-turn, 2 1/4-mile road course. He broke the mark of 122.100 set by Zanardi last year.

Basketball

First-round draft choice Antonio Daniels told a television station he has reached agreement with the Vancouver Grizzlies, who may have been taken out of the bidding for a potential free agent by the comments.

By revealing the three-year deal, Daniels, the Bowling Green guard who was the fourth overall pick, may have hurt his team. Last year, the NBA ruled the Miami Heat had violated salary-cap rules by reaching agreement with Alonzo Mourning, their own free agent, before they signed Juwan Howard, a free agent from the Washington Bullets. Howard was returned to the Bullets.

An NBA spokesman said the league needed more information before it could comment.

Notre Dame’s Pat Garrity had 16 points to lead the United States to a 71-66 victory over Lithuania in a fifth-place semifinal game in the 22-and-under world tournament at Melbourne, Australia.

The U.S. will play Turkey today. Puerto Rico will meet Australia in the championship game.

Miscellany

Irish swimmer Michelle Smith, who won three gold medals at the Atlanta Olympics, set the European short-course record in the 200-meter butterfly with a time of 2:07.04, breaking the old mark of 2:07.18. Smith was swimming by herself at Cork, Ireland, as part of a local promotion.

Vince Phillips held onto his International Boxing Federation junior-welterweight title in Boston when the ringside physician stopped the bout in the third round because of a severe cut above the left eye of challenger Mickey Ward.