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Pierce tops Mauresmo to reach semis

FLUSHING MEADOWS, N.Y., Sept. 7 (UPI) -- Two-time Grand Slam champion Mary Pierce easily defeated former world No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo in an all-French quarterfinal Wednesday at the U.S. Open.

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The 12th-seeded Pierce pasted the third-seeded Mauresmo 6-4, 6-1 in just 1 hour, 6 minutes at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Pierce's semifinal opponent will be second-seeded American Lindsay Davenport or sixth-seeded Russian Elena Dementieva.

Following a fairly tight opening set, Pierce simply cruised in the second against her Fed Cup teammate.

The resurgent Pierce converted on her first match point of the day when a lethargic Mauresmo misfired long on one final forehand. The hard-hitting Pierce has yet to drop a set at this "Big Apple" fortnight (10-0).

Mauresmo and Pierce met for a seventh time, with Mauresmo now holding a slim 4-3 lead in their all-time series. Mauresmo had won the last four matchups, including a pair of battles earlier this season. The two had never met in a Grand Slam event prior to Wednesday.


Mariners' Morse suspended for 10 days

NEW YORK, Sept. 7 (UPI) -- Seattle Mariners shortstop Mike Morse Wednesday was suspended for 10 days for a violation of Major League Baseball's drug policy.

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Morse, 23, who was called up from Triple-A Tacoma earlier this year, is the second player suspended for violating the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program since Baltimore Orioles first baseman Rafael Palmeiro was slapped with a 10-day ban for steroid use in early August. The other was teammate, right-handed pitcher Ryan Franklin, who was penalized just one day following Palmeiro's suspension.

"I know what I did and I was wrong, but I was a man about it and was punished for it," Morse said on the team's Web site.

Morse, a native of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., is the ninth major leaguer to be suspended under baseball's new drug policy and the third member of the Seattle Mariners joining outfielder Jamal Strong.


Jets sign veteran tackle Scott Gragg

HAMPSTEAD, N.Y., Sept. 7 (UPI) -- The New York Jets signed veteran offensive tackle Scott Gragg to a deal Wednesday.

Terms of the contract were not released.

A second-round pick of the New York Giants in 1995, Gragg has appeared in 156 regular season games with 142 starts. After spending the first five years of his career with the Giants, Gragg signed with the San Francisco 49ers as an unrestricted free agent in 2000. He stayed in the Bay Area until he was released this past off-season.

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The 6-foot-8, 315-pound Montana native, who has also participated in four postseason contests, played the majority of his career at right tackle, where he will likely back up first-year starter Adrian Jones on the Jets.

The Jets also placed second-year tackle Marko Cavka on injured reserve with a fractured arm. Cavka, who was inactive last season, was injured in the team's preseason finale against the Philadelphia Eagles Thursday.

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