Sports briefs for August 5, 2005

Friday, Aug. 5, 2005 | 10:37 a.m.

Roddick extended to three sets in win

At Washington, top-seeded Andy Roddick struggled before advancing past 14th-seeded Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina in three sets at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic.

Roddick won 85 percent of his first-serve points and took advantage of nine double-faults by Chela to win 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-4. Clearly frustrated throughout the match, Roddick was able to win despite an admittedly below-par performance.

Ivo Karlovic advanced to the quarterfinals with a 7-6 (4), 6-2 win over 11th-seeded Greg Rusedski of Britain.

Earlier, Paradorn Srichaphan overcame 15 aces by Wesley Moodie of South Africa in a 6-3, 7-6 (1) victory to advance to the quarterfinals.

Russia's only remaining player from the 11 who entered the event is unseeded Anna Chakvetadze, who defeated No. 9 seed and countrywoman Elena Likhovtseva 6-3, 6-1.

Starace's countryman, fifth-seeded Filippo Volandri, was knocked out by Florian Mayer of Germany 6-3, 7-5, but 2002 champion Jose Acasuso of Argentina advanced with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Polish wild card Adam Chadaj.

Acasuso will face Starace in the quarterfinals, while Mayer plays Finland's Jarkko Nieminen, who beat Nicolas Almagro of Spain 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (6).

Forged Ali art to be destroyed

Muhammad Ali has settled a lawsuit against several sports collectibles dealers to block the sale of artwork and other memorabilia relating to the former heavyweight champion, including a Koran given to him by the former president of Egypt.

An injunction issued after the lawsuit was filed in 2003 had prevented the sale of hundreds of lithographs that bore forged Ali signatures, along with other items, Ali's attorney, Ron DiNicola, said Thursday in a statement.

The lithographs were copies of an artist's rendering of Ali's knockout of Sonny Liston in 1965. Handwriting and memorabilia experts determined that the signatures on the lithographs were forged, the statement said.

Ali also inspected the items and confirmed that he had not signed them. All the items were offered for sale without his knowledge or permission.

As part of the settlement reached this week, the lithographs will be destroyed and the companies will return to Ali the memorabilia in their possession.

Former LSU coach dies

She came to LSU 23 years ago talking of Final Fours when many in the area likely did not realize there was a women's Final Four.

Sue Gunter, 66, died Thursday morning among family and friends at her home here after a year-and-a-half long bout with emphysema and its complications. Gunter, who came out of retirement to coach LSU in 1982, never actually coached LSU in its first Final Four in 2004, but she was credited with doing so, according to NCAA rules, because she started that season as the coach.

"She's in a better place now," said former LSU guard Kisha James who played from 1999-2003. "She was miserable and really struggling. I'll miss her. She was another mom to me -- a mom away from home. She watched all of us grow up. Anything we needed, she was there for us."

Gunter, who smoked for more than three decades, left the coaching box for good after an 80-74 loss at Georgia on Jan. 25, 2004.

She will be inducted posthumously into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in September and is already in the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.

-- Sun wire services