In brief: Davenport returns to competition

Lindsay Davenport returned to the court Wednesday after taking almost a year off to have a child, losing a doubles match at the Pilot Pen to the top team in the world.

Davenport and partner Lisa Raymond were beaten by Cara Black and Liezel Huber 5-7, 6-3, and 10-4 in the match tiebreaker at New Haven, Conn.

But for Davenport, it wasn’t all about winning or losing.

“It was fun to be back,” she said. “Obviously, this is the first step in a long process.”

Davenport had not played since last September, and gave birth to her first child, Jagger Jonathan Leach, in June. She plans to return to singles play next month at a tournament in Bali.

“Roger Federer and Andy Roddick, last year’s U.S. Open finalists, could meet earlier in this year’s final Grand Slam of the season with a potential quarterfinal match looming.

On the women’s side, top-seeded Justine Henin found herself on the side of the bracket with both Williams sisters when the draw was announced at New York. The tournament begins Monday.

As Federer attempts to become the first man in the Open era to win four consecutive U.S. Open titles, the No. 1 seed could face the top two Americans in the field. Fifth-seeded Roddick and No. 6 seed James Blake are in Federer’s half of the bracket.

Basketball

NCAA penalizes Purdue’s women

Purdue’s women’s team will lose two scholarships for this season and the school will spend two years on probation after the NCAA ruled that a former assistant coach helped write a research paper for a player and made more than 100 improper recruiting calls.

The NCAA, however, did not punish then-coach Kristy Curry, now at Texas Tech.

“Illinois guard Jamar Smith will sit out next season following his drunken-driving conviction.

Coach Bruce Weber said in a statement that Smith will redshirt and rejoin the team next fall as a junior if he meets unspecified obligations.

Smith, a 6-foot-3 guard from Peoria, Ill., pleaded guilty in April to aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol. He was sentenced to 15 days in jail and 24 months of probation.

“Indiana Fever forward Tamika Catchings participated in her first full practice in a month on Tuesday as the team prepares for its playoff opener.

Catchings was a leading contender for the Most Valuable Player award before she injured her left foot on July 20 and missed the final 13 games of the regular season. She ran plays with the starters and hopes to play today at Connecticut in the opener of the best-of-3 series.

“The Atlanta Hawks shook up their coaching staff, hiring Alton Lister as an assistant coach and giving two assistants new duties.

Herb Brown and Greg Ballard, who had been on the bench with coach Mike Woodson, will work as a consultant and a scout, respectively.

Soccer

Sweden shuts out U.S. team

Back in Europe, the United States men lost as usual.

Kim Kallstrom scored in the 56th minute to lead Sweden over the United States 1-0 at Goteborg, Sweden, sending the Americans to their first four-game losing streak in a decade.

“We feel like we need to do better and get results over here,” U.S. defender Carlos Bocanegra said. “These games are good for us in the long run.”

With most of its top players in the starting lineup, the U.S. team failed to create many offensive opportunities. After starting the year 10-0-1 – all at home – under new coach Bob Bradley, the U.S. team has lost four straight, all on the road.

“David Beckham’s sore left ankle held up enough for him to play the entire game in the middle leg of his transatlantic odyssey.

Beckham made his 97th international appearance, but his presence wasn’t enough to keep England from losing 2-1 to Germany in an exhibition game at Wembley, England.

“Vince Coluccio, a construction magnate and former owner of the Seattle Sounders of the old North American Soccer League, is dead at 77 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.

Coluccio, also one of the original investors in Wild Waves, an amusement park in Federal Way, Wash., died last week at his home in Normandy Park, Wash.

“Jaime Moreno broke the MLS goal-scoring record when he converted a penalty kick in the second half of D.C. United’s 3-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls.

It was the 109th career goal for the 33-year-old Bolivian forward, moving him ahead of Jason Kreis.

Miscellany

Vegas arena plans announced

Casino giant Harrah’s Entertainment Inc. announced that it will partner with AEG, the company that brought David Beckham to the Los Angeles Galaxy, to build a 20,000-seat arena in Las Vegas capable of housing an NBA or NHL team.

The $500 million arena, behind the Bally’s and Paris hotel-casinos on the Las Vegas Strip, is projected to open in 2010.

It’s a step toward attracting a pro sports franchise to a city that has tried to persuade reluctant league officials to look past its legalized sports betting.