Surgery to Keep Hingis Out of French Open

Martina Hingis will have ankle surgery Monday and miss the French Open, the only major title she hasn’t won.

Tests in Zurich, Switzerland, this week revealed torn and loose ligaments in her left ankle, forcing her out of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since she turned pro in October 1994.

“I am obviously very disappointed that I will be unable to play in Paris,” Hingis said Friday. “However, I am hopeful that the surgery on Monday will go well and that I can look forward to a speedy recovery.”

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Jennifer Capriati will head to the French Open as the top-ranked player in the world after she outlasted Amelie Mauresmo, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, in the Italian Open at Rome to assure the move up to No. 1 and set up a semifinal against Serena Williams.

Williams advanced by defeating Anastasia Myskina, 6-3, 6-4.

The other Italian Open semifinal will be between Belgians Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin. Clijsters eliminated Sandrine Testud, 6-1, 6-3, and Henin defeated qualifier Virginia Ruano Pascual, 6-3, 6-4.

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Marat Safin overpowered top-seeded Lleyton Hewitt, and Roger Federer defeated second-seeded Gustavo Kuerten in the quarterfinals of the Hamburg Masters in Germany.

Safin dominated Hewitt, 6-3, 6-1, and Federer outlasted Kuerten, 6-0, 1-6, 6-2.

In the semifinals, Federer will play Max Mirnyi, who eliminated France’s Julien Boetter, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-3. Safin will face Tommy Robredo, who defeated Stefan Koubek, 6-7 (2), 6-3, 6-1.

Soccer

U.S. goalkeeper Kasey Keller’s bruised left leg may keep him out of Sunday’s exhibition game against the Netherlands, but forward Clint Mathis should be available despite breaking his right toenail.

Defender Greg Vanney, who has a sprained right knee, probably won’t play in the game, the last for the United States before the World Cup.

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Santiago Canizares, Spain’s starting goalkeeper, was ruled out of the World Cup after he ruptured a tendon when a bottle of aftershave fell on his foot, news reports said.

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It is still too early to tell if captain David Beckham will be fit for England’s first World Cup match on June 2 against Sweden. England Football Assn. spokesman Nick Barron dismissed BBC reports quoting the F.A. as saying Beckham, who is recovering fro a broken bone in his left foot, would “definitely” be ready.

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Paraguay, Denmark and Slovenia tuned up for the World Cup with victories in exhibition matches, but Russia, Cameroon and Sweden lost.

Belarus defeated Russia, 5-4, on penalty kicks after the teams were tied, 1-1.

Paraguay scored a 2-1 victory over World Cup participant, Sweden, and Denmark also had a 2-1 victory over another World Cup team, Cameroon.

In another game, Slovenia defeated visiting Ghana, 2-0.

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Ze Roberto, a Brazilian midfielder who played for Bayer Leverkusen this season, signed a three-year deal to play for Bayern Munich next season.

Miscellany

Matt Kenseth earned the pole for tonight’s NASCAR all-star race, The Winston, setting an event record with an average speed of 143.442 mph at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C.

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Rookie forward Swin Cash scored 16 points and the Detroit Shock held off the Sparks, 71-68, in a WNBA exhibition at Detroit. Lisa Leslie had 16 points and eight rebounds for the Sparks.

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The remote chance that Kareem Rush would change his mind about entering the NBA draft and return to Missouri for his senior season ended when it was announced he has hired an agent, BDA Sports Management of Walnut Creek.

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A former Western Carolina football player was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter in the shooting of a man outside a nightclub. Toren Gordon, 22, a reserve fullback, will be sentenced Monday to from three years two months in prison to a maximum of about nine years.

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The Tennessee Titans agreed to terms on a three-year contract with offensive lineman Jeff Smith, who had played the last two seasons with Jacksonville.

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The Denver Broncos signed undrafted free agent quarterback Nick Rolovich of Hawaii.