Sports briefs for November 11, 2004

Thursday, Nov. 11, 2004 | 10:49 a.m.

Serena's comeback wins WTA opener

Serena Williams rallied from a set and two service breaks down Wednesday to beat French Open champion Anastasia Myskina 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the WTA Championships at Los Angeles.

U.S. Open winner Svetlana Kuznetsova beat Vera Zvonareva 6-2, 6-4.

Lindsay Davenport, the world's No. 1 player, defeated Elena Dementieva 6-0, 6-1.

Williams overcame 61 unforced errors to improve to 4-0 lifetime against Myskina, who led 3-0 in the second set before Williams reeled off eight consecutive games seemingly to take control of the match. But Myskina won three games in a row in the third to take a 3-2 lead and Williams had to stave off three break points in the sixth game.

UCLA loses guard

Guard Cedric Bozeman had surgery on a torn ligament in his left knee and will miss UCLA's season.

Woman in PBA

Liz Johnson today became the first woman to qualify for a PBA Tour event by finishing fourth in the qualifying round for the PBA Uniroyal Tire Classic at Cheektowaga, N.Y.

Power fight settled

Valentino Castellani, the chief organizer of the Turin 2006 Winter Olympics, withdrew his threat to resign today in Rome after resolving a dispute with government officials.

Winner tests positive

Nina Kraft tested positive for an endurance-boosting drug after winning last month's Hawaii Ironman competition, the German triathlon union said today.

Sprinter banished

Former 400-meter world champion Jerome Young was banned for life by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for testing positive a second time for an illegal steroid.

NASCAR adds liquor

NASCAR, which already allows ads on cars for beer and malt liquor, lifted its ban on hard liquor.