Florida Teen Earns Match With Agassi

High school senior Andy Roddick will get to meet idol Andre Agassi this weekend in the Ericsson Open at Key Biscayne, Fla. The only hitch is that Roddick has to play him too.

The 17-year-old Floridian earned his first victory as a tennis professional Thursday, beating Fernando Vicente of Spain, 6-4, 6-0, before a small crowd on stadium court.

Roddick probably will be back on the same court when he faces Agassi in the second round Saturday.

“I think the stands will be a bit fuller,” Roddick said. “He’s been a hero of mine since I was small. Even when I pass him in the halls here, it’s like seeing a superstar celebrity.”

Roddick, the first American to be ranked No. 1 in boys’ juniors since 1992, was bound to meet Agassi sooner or later. They’ll be Davis Cup teammates next month when the United States faces the Czech Republic, with Agassi playing singles and Roddick chosen as a practice partner.

Another promising Florida teenager, Mardy Fish, also won in his ATP Tour debut. Fish, 18, who lived with Roddick’s family last year while training, led Galo Blanco, 4-1, in the third set when the Spaniard retired because of a back injury.

The emergence of Roddick and Fish suggests a turnaround for the much-maligned U.S. juniors program. It has been in decline since Agassi, Pete Sampras, Jim Courier and Michael Chang began winning Grand Slams more than a decade ago.

Only unseeded players were in action on the first day of the Ericsson, formerly known as the Lipton Championships. In other men’s matches, Goran Ivanisevic defeated David Prinosil, 6-3, 6-2; Justin Gimelstob lost to Roger Federer, 7-5, 6-3; Andrei Medvedev beat Andrew Ilie, 7-5, 6-2; and Carlos Moya defeated Juan Albert Viloca, 6-4, 6-2.

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Two-time U.S. Open champion Pat Rafter was recalled to the Australian Davis Cup team for its April 7-9 quarterfinal against Germany.

Pro Football

The NFL and its players’ union asked a judge in Minneapolis to allow them to sanction or fine agents if they violate the collective bargaining agreement when negotiating contracts.

The appeal was made to U.S. District Judge David Doty, who oversees the agreement, in a case that stemmed from an investigation of deals with players made by the San Francisco 49ers. The union and the league say they were designed to get around the NFL’s salary cap.

The league contends that the 49ers and agents Leigh Steinberg, Jeff Moorad and Gary Wichard made secret agreements for payments to quarterback Steve Young, retired tight end Brent Jones and quarterback Jim Druckenmiller, who now plays for the Miami Dolphins.

Gene Upshaw, a Hall of Fame guard for the Oakland Raiders who has headed the NFL Players Assn. for 17 years, has been elected to his seventh three-year term as the union’s executive director.

The Buffalo Bills extended the contract of backup nose tackle Pat Williams.

The New England Patriots signed linebacker Tedy Bruschi to a two-year contract, releasing offensive tackle Zefross Moss to clear salary-cap space.

William Thomas, a fixture at outside linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles since 1991, was released.

Offensive lineman Solomon Page of the Dallas Cowboys was arrested in Morgantown, W.Va., on charges of disorderly conduct--fighting in public--and obstructing police.

Miscellany

Magic Johnson announced that he has become an owner of the fledgling Dayton Dragons, a minor league baseball team. By becoming a partner in the Class-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, the former Laker star helps satisfy a requirement by the Reds that the Dragons have some minority ownership.

Troy Dumais won the 1-meter springboard and the Texas 400-meter medley relay team collected a title as the Longhorns took a 22-point lead over defending champion Auburn after the first day of the men’s NCAA swimming and diving championships at Minneapolis.

Texas had 173 points to 151 for Auburn, which has been first or second the last four years, and 114 1/2 for Arizona. Texas is bidding for its third title in 10 years and seventh overall.

A controversial neck-to-ankle swimsuit promising faster times is expected to be worn for the first time in official competition this weekend in Australia. Speedo International, maker of the “Fastskin” suit, gave the go-ahead for Australian swimmers Michael Klim and Grant Hackett to unveil the new suit Sunday.

Soccer clubs will be required to release players 10 days before the Sydney Olympic tournament instead of 14, soccer’s international governing body decided. Players must be released by Sept. 4, allowing them time to adapt to the time change and recover from the long trip to Sydney, said Michel Zen-Ruffinen, FIFA’s general secretary.

Galaxy midfielder Roy Myers will sit out Saturday’s game against D.C. United at Washington because of a deep bruise in his right thigh.

The Southern Section Council approved Santa Ana Mater Dei’s proposal to institute a tiebreaker system in all section football championship games. Mater Dei and Long Beach Poly played to a 21-21 tie in the Division I final last December.

The first part of Mater Dei Principal Patrick Murphy’s proposal, the use of tiebreakers in championship games, was approved by a vote of 38-26 in Buena Park. The second part, to use the 25-yard tiebreaker already used for all playoff games except championships, was approved overwhelmingly.

The U.S. government has paid $4 million to surviving members of a British rugby team to settle a lawsuit stemming from a fatal auto crash seven years ago on I-85 in Georgia.

The 15-member team was returning to Fort Benning from Atlanta in a van driven by Pvt. Jeffery Kanney, a Fort Benning soldier. Kanney fell asleep and crashed the van near Newnan, killing 26-year-old British Army Lt. Michael Whitley.