BRIEFLY : SAFIN WINS U.S. PRO.

Byline: Daily News Wire Services

Sixth-seeded Marat Safin of Russia used a powerful service game Sunday to upset top-seeded Greg Rusedski of Great Britain 6-4, 7-6 (13-11) and win the U.S. Pro Championships in Brookline, Mass.

The victory was Safin's first professional championship, while Rusedski, who has seven career titles, failed in his bid to earn his first in 1999.

Safin will play No. 1 Pete Sampras in the opening round of the U.S. Open, which starts today.

Magnus Norman beat Alex Corretja 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 6-3 to win the Hamlet Cup in Commack, N.Y., and tie Sampras for the ATP Tour lead with four tournament titles this year.

SWIMMING: Jenny Thompson was involved in two of the U.S. team's three golds on the final day of the Pan Pacific championships in Sydney, Australia, giving her six golds in the meet. The U.S. and Australia finished with 13 golds each, but the U.S. team won on points - 391 to 372 - and had 35 medals overall to Australia's 32.

COLLEGES: Only one-third of the African American male basketball players who entered NCAA Division I colleges on scholarship in 1992 received degrees from their original schools, the lowest graduation rate in that category since freshman eligibility was tightened more than a decade ago. Overall graduation rates, however, were roughly the same as those for athletes who started college in 1991, according to figures to be released by the NCAA today.

MOTOR SPORTS: Pole-sitter Greg Ray won for the third time in four races, holding off Davey Hamilton and Mark Dismore down the stretch in the Colorado Indy 200 in Fountain, Colo.

David Coulthard won the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, while teammate Mika Hakkinen moved atop the Formula One points standings.

TRACK AND FIELD: IAAF chief Primo Nebiolo announced Paris (2003), London (2005), Tokyo (2007) and Berlin (2009) will be the next sites for the World Championships.