Sports briefs for April 2, 2004

Friday, April 2, 2004 | 9:34 a.m.

Serena's comeback still going strong

Serena Williams said she wanted only to avoid losing a first-round match in her comeback from injuries that put her out of action for eight months. She has gotten a lot more than that. Her 6-4, 6-4 victory against fifth-seeded Eleni Deniilidou Thursday in the Nasdaq-100 Open at Key Biscayne, Fla., sent Williams into the championship round.

She will play Elena Dementieva, who upset Venus Williams in the quarterfinals.

"As far as I've gotten is a major confidence boost," Williams said. "I really, really am proud ofmyself because it's hard to come back. It's nerve-racking."

Dementieva earned her spot in the final with a 6-4, 6-2 victory against Nadia Petrova Thursday night in an all-Russian semifinal.

On the men's side, Andy Roddick and Vince Spadea advanced to a semifinal meeting tonight. Roddick rallied to beat Carlos Moya 5-7, 6-2, 7-5, and Spadea ousted Agustin Calleri 7-5, 6-1.

"I feel like I've cheesed through a couple of matches this week," Roddick said. "But I'm still alive, and hopefully we can make something of it this weekend."

Spadea beat Roddick last month en route to his first career title in Scottsdale, Ariz., at age 29.

Guillermo Coria and Fernando Gonzalez will play in today's other men's semifinal.

HR x 8 x 2 = record

The Texas-Antonio team tied the single-game NCAA record with eight home runs in the first game of a doubleheader, an 18-0 victory against visiting Texas Southern, and then did it again in the second game, a 19-0 win.

Olazabal shares lead

Jose Maria Olazabal's 7-under 65 tied rookie Roger Tambellini for the first-round lead at the BellSouth Classic in Duluth, Ga. Craig Bowden was one shot out of the lead.

Rebels at San Diego

UNLV resumes its Mountain West Conference schedule this weekend with three games at San Diego State beginning tonight. The Rebels (17-8, 6-0) are coming off a tough loss to 12th-ranked UC Irvine on Tuesday when they let a one-run game turn into a blowout loss in the ninth inning. The Aztecs (16-18, 5-1) are coming off a 5-1 victory against UCLA on Tuesday.

Adu draws a crowd

D.C. United's season opener in Major League Soccer -- and 14-year-old Freddie Adu's debut as a pro player -- is nearly a sellout. About 100 tickets remained for the match Saturday night against San Jose at RFK Stadium, which has a capacity of 24,603 for soccer.

Summerall transplant

Veteran football play-by-play man Pat Summerall, 73, was scheduled for a liver transplant in Jacksonville, Fla. He was flown by air ambulance from his home in Dallas.

Lobos lose player

Sophomore forward Mika Monette said he will transfer out of the University of New Mexico.