BRIEFLY : SAMPRAS, BECKER FALL QUICKLY.

Pete Sampras and Boris Becker, who played a stirring final three days ago in Germany, lost their opening matches at the Paris Open on Wednesday, with Becker denouncing the arena as a ``zoo'' and ``madhouse.''

Marc Rosset reeled off 20 aces and clocked one serve of almost 129 mph to beat Sampras, the top seed and defending champion, 6-4, 6-4.

Becker lost to Carlos Moya of Spain 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, then complained bitterly.

Top-seeded Monica Seles ran Elena Likhovtseva all over the court, scoring a 6-2, 6-1 second-round triumph at the Ameritech Cup in Chicago.

Seles, the world's co-top-ranked player, took just 49 minutes to advance to today's quarterfinal round, parlaying her two-handed backhands and accurate serves into her 44th win of the year.

Seles will play Romania's Irina Spirlea in the quarterfinals. Spirlea defeated Mary Joe Fernandez 6-1, 6-2.

FOOTBALL

The neurological test results are in, and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Steve Young - barring a setback - will start Sunday's game against the Saints at New Orleans.

Three days after suffering a concussion against Houston, Young practiced and took about 75 percent of the snaps with the first team. Third-stringer Jeff Brohm took the rest.

The University of Texas has told the Big 12 Conference and NCAA it is probing a report that at least three football players might have met with an agent.

According to a source close to the university, the investigation centers on a reported meeting Sunday at an Austin luxury hotel that included Texas receiver Mike Adams, safety Tre Thomas and cornerback Bryant Westbrook.

BASEBALL

Ending nearly a week of uncertainty, baseball owners scheduled a meeting next Wednesday in the Chicago area to consider the proposed new labor deal.

Management negotiator Randy Levine and union head Donald Fehr completed the five-year agreement last Thursday, and players already have given the union's executive board authority to ratify the contract. Levine and Fehr have agreed that the deal would collapse if it isn't ratified by Nov. 15.

However, it must be approved by at least 21 of the 28 teams, and the outcome of that vote is uncertain. Acting commissioner Bud Selig has not taken a position.

HOCKEY

Abdominal surgery on Claude Lemieux was successful, but the Colorado Avalanche right wing is expected to be sidelined for 10 to 12 weeks.

Lemieux, who suffered the injury Oct. 5 in Dallas, underwent the surgery in Boston.