No. 81 Matsuoka Shocks Edberg, Reaches Grass Final

-- TENNIS

Tokyo's Shuzo Matsuoka, ranked 81st in the world, stunned two-time Wimbledon champion Stefan Edberg 1-6, 7-6 (8-6), 10-8 yesterday to reach the final of the Queen's Club grass-court tournament in London.

Matsuoka saved six match points - two in the tiebreaker and four at 5-6 in the third set - against the tournament's top seed as he scored the biggest victory of his six-year career.

In the final, Matsuoka, 24, will meet 12th-seeded Wayne Ferreira of South Africa, who beat No. 7 Brad Gilbert 7-6 (8-6), 6-4.

-- Defending Wimbledon champion Michael Stich beat John McEnroe 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) to move into the final of the Rosmalen, Netherlands, grass-court championships against upstart Jonathan Stark.

Stark, 22, from Medford, Ore., advanced to his first ATP championship match with a 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) upset over eighth-seeded Michiel Schapers of the Netherlands.

-- HORSE RACING

Argentine-bred Algenib rallied after six furlongs and beat Missionary Ridge by four lengths in winning the $400,000 Golden Gate Handicap at Golden Gate Fields in Albany, Calif.

Algenib, ridden by Laffit Pincay Jr., and trained by Ron McAnally, covered 1 3/8 miles of turf in 2:13 4/5, the second-fastest running in the 46-year history of the race.

-- Argentine-bred favorite Paseana accelerated down the stretch to win the $167,700 Milady Handicap at Hollywood Park, in Inglewood, Calif., her sixth straight triumph. The 5-year old was

ridden by Chris McCarron.

-- BOXING

Andrei Rudenko's dream of becoming the first Russian to win a professional world title ended when he was knocked out in the fifth round by France's Anaclet Wamba in the Paris suburb of Levallois-Perret.

Wamba sent Rudenko to the canvas with several fierce right hooks to retain his WBC cruiserweight title.

-- Joey Gamache outbrawled South Korean Chil-Sung Chun to win the WBA lightweight title in Portland, Maine.

-- CYCLING

Mario Cipollini scored his fourth stage victory of the Tour of Italy in Vigevano and, with one day to go, no one threatened Miguel Indurain's chances of winning the 22-day cycling race.

-- HOCKEY

Paul Holmgren will be named coach of the Hartford Whalers tomorrow, General Manager Brian Burke said. Holmgren formerly coached the Flyers.

-- Left wing Brendan Shanahan, 23, was signed to a multiyear contract by the St. Louis Blues. Terms were not disclosed but reported to be worth $3.5 million over three years.

-- SOCCER

Warren Spink's header with 5:28 remaining lifted Australia to a 1-0 victory over the United States national soccer team in Orlando, Fla.

-- Violence flared on the streets of the Swedish port city of Malmo when English soccer fans clashed with police.

Hundreds of English, Swedish and French fans in Sweden for the European soccer championships were drinking at a beer tent in the downtown area of Malmo when the trouble started, police said.

-- RUGBY

Gareth Rees scored nine points early in the game to spark a 22-point first half that carried Canada to a 32-9 victory over the U.S. in the 16th CANAM rugby competition in Englewood, Colo. -- BOWLING

Dave Ferraro won his eighth PBA title, beating David Traber 217-202 in the championship round of the $125,000 Riverside, Calif., Open. Ferraro collected the $18,000 winner's share, increasing his earnings this year to $110,175.

-- LOCAL NOTE

Curt Corvin won the 12-kilometer Sound to Narrows run for a record fourth straight time.

Corvin, 27, covered the course in 38 minutes and 22 seconds in occasional light showers, 54 seconds ahead of his closest competitor. But it was nearly a minute slower than his previous worst winning time. David Mays finished second.

Molly Ostlund, 26, was the first woman to complete the race with a time of 43:34. Her closest competitor, Shauna Guscott of Spanaway, trailed by more than two minutes.