Clijsters, Davenport, Ferrero advance
NEW YORK, Aug. 26 (UPI) -- - Top seed Kim Clijsters overcame a shaky start Monday night and avanced at the U.S. Open with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over American wild card Amber Liu.
Hoping to give her No. 1 ranking legitimacy by capturing her first career major title, Clijsters was down a break early in the first set to Liu, the reigning NCAA champion.
With defending champion Serena Williams sidelined following knee surgery, Clijsters took over the top ranking earlier this month and is the first woman to do so without a Grand Slam crown.
Former champion Lindsay Davenport also had a routine first-round victory as she battles a painful foot injury. The third-seeded American beat Belgian Els Callens, 6-1, 6-0.
On the men's side, French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain got past towering qualifier Jan Vacek of the Czech Republic, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Collins wins 100 at Track Championships
PARIS, Aug. 26 (UPI) -- Commonwealth champion Kim Collins won the 100 meters at the World Track and Field Championships on Monday night.
Missing from the final was American Maurice Greene, who saw his reign as 100-meter champion end when he suffered a leg injury in his semifinal heat.
There was huge disappointment for gold medal favorite Dwain Chambers of Britain, who finished fourth after clocking the same time silver medallist Darrel Brown and third-place Darren Campbell of England.
Collins, the St Kitts & Nevis sprinter who rained on Chambers'Commonwealth Games parade last year, triumphed in 10.07 seconds.
Brown, an 18-year-old from Trinidad, Campbell and European champion Chambers were all given the same time of 10.08 with only the photo-finish able to separate them.
Heredia claimed off waivers by Yankees
CINCINNATI, Aug. 26 (UPI) -- The New York Yankees continued retooling their bullpen Monday, claiming lefthander Felix Heredia off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds.
Heredia, 28, becomes the latest reliever to be acquired by the Yankees this season. Since the All-Star break, the Yankees have made trades for relievers Armando Benitez, Jeff Nelson, Jesse Orosco and Gabe White.
In 57 appearances with the Reds, Heredia was 5-2 with one save and a 3.00 ERA. He allowed 24 earned runs and 61 hits in 72 innings, striking out 41 and walking 28.
The Reds signed Heredia as a minor league free agent last January after he appeared in 53 games for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2002. Heredia also has pitched for the Florida Marlins and Chicago Cubs.
Sampras announces retirement Monday
NEW YORK, Aug. 26 (UPI) -- Pete Sampras, one of the greatest tennis playerd in history, announced his retirement Monday at the place where he won his first and last Grand Slams.
Sampras made it official at a new conference before the evening session of the U.S. Open.
"I am 100 percent retired," Sampras said. "I knew once Wimbledon came and went it was time for me to stop."
Sampras, whose 14 Grand Slam crowns are two more than any other player, has not played competitively since he defeated longtime rival Andre Agassi in four sets to win last year's U.S. Open. Sampras, 32, won his first Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open in 1990.
He won Wimbledon seven times, the U.S. Open five times and the Australian Open twice. The top-ranked player most of the 1990s, Sampras won 64 singles title.
The 6-1 Sampras turned 32 Aug. 12.
