BRIEFLY : SAMPRAS, KAFELNIKOV TO MEET.

Top-seeded Pete Sampras coasted through his quarterfinal match in the $1 million Swiss Indoor championships in Basel, beating Sweden's Mikael Tillstrom 6-3, 6-4 Friday.

In contrast, third-seeded Yevgeny Kafelnikov, winner of the French Open, labored in defeating Germany's Marc Goellner 5-7, 6-4, 6-2.

In his earlier matches, Sampras had shown signs of rust from a two-week layoff. But against Tillstrom, he appeared to be regaining his form. He broke Tillstrom for a 4-2 lead on his way to winning the first set.

In the second set, the world's No. 1 player broke the Swede's second serve and methodically wrapped up the match in 1 hour, 2 minutes.

The two Grand Slam champions, Sampras and Kafelnikov, will meet in today's semifinal.

In Mannheim, Germany, defense lawyers at the tax-evasion trial of Steffi Graf's father, Peter Graf, demanded a $10 million refund, saying a lot of the money at issue was not taxable.

Graf, 58, is on trial with former family tax adviser Joachim Eckardt. They are charged with failing to declare $28 million of Steffi Graf's income between 1989-93, on which $13.1 million in taxes were due, according to authorities.

Since Peter Graf was arrested nearly 15 months ago, the family has paid the back taxes based on figures determined by investigators and tax authorities.

BOXING

Four-time world champion Roberto Duran hurt Mike Culbert with a barrage of punches and stopped him at 2:24 of the sixth round of a scheduled 10-round middleweight bout in Chester, W. Va.

FOOTBALL

A 20-year-old man with Down's syndrome who was barred from taking the field with his high school football team because of his age has won the right to play after all in Greeley, Colo.

Colorado's High School Activities Association Executive Committee voted 11-0 to let Gabriel Lane play football and also take part in swimming. The athletic association previously had ruled Lane was too old under its rules, which allow high school athletes to compete only until they are 19.

BASEBALL

Cal State State Northridge's baseball team has received an oral commitment from infielder Brandon Martin of Fontana. Last season at A.B. Miller High School, he hit .402 with four home runs. He played on the 1995 Junior Olympic team that won a bronze medal.

BASKETBALL

Guard Eldridge Recasner signed a one-year contract with the Atlanta Hawks. Recasner played in 63 games for the Houston Rockets last season. Financial terms of the contract were not announced.

The Sacramento Kings said they have withdrawn from an international arbitration proceeding in London over first-round draft choice Predrag Stojakovic. The naturalized Greek citizen, 19, will play this season for the Greek League team PAOK.

Phoenix Suns guard Kevin Johnson underwent abdominal hernia surgery and will be sidelined up to two months. Johnson, who has said that this, his 10th season, would be his last, was bothered by pain in his lower abdomen and groin last season and missed 26 games.

MOTOR SPORTS

A 2-1/2-hour rain delay didn't faze Ted Musgrave or Jeff Gordon. They grabbed the front-row qualifying spots for Sunday's North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway Winston Cup swan song, the Tyson Holly Farms 400.