Yao Ming is back, transforming China's basketball team and providing a big relief for Olympic organizers.
The Houston Rockets' center marked his return from injury Thursday with 11 points in just over 12 minutes of play for the Chinese national team in an Olympics warmup against a Serbian squad.
Entering six minutes into the first quarter to huge applause from the crowd in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, Yao appeared a little rusty but made a solid contribution to China's 96-72 victory in the four-team Stankovic Cup tournament.
It was Yao's first game since a stress fracture in his left foot ended his NBA season in February and threatened his star turn as part of China's team.
U.S. soccer star Abby Wambach underwent surgery to repair a broken left leg that will keep her out of the Olympics.
The team's leading scorer had a titanium rod inserted in her lower left leg during a one-hour operation performed by Dr. Damion Valletta, an orthopedic surgeon for U.S. Soccer. Wambach can begin full weight-bearing activities on the leg in five to six weeks.
Wambach, 28, broke her tibia and fibula during the team's final tuneup Wednesday night against Brazil in San Diego, and is expected to be sidelined about 12 weeks.
The Americans begin defense of the gold medal on Aug. 6 against Norway.
Laura Wilkinson and her diving partner, Jessica Livingston, have asked an arbitrator to overturn a decision not to have them compete in synchronized platform at the Beijing Olympics, according to a published report.
Wilkinson, the 2000 Olympic platform champion, and Livingston filed an appeal of the decision by the USA Diving selection committee with the American Arbitration Assn., the Houston Chronicle reported on its website. A hearing is scheduled for today in Los Angeles.
TENNIS
Williams sisters head field for U.S. Open
Venus Williams, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova are among the five past U.S. Open women's champions in this year's field.
Lindsay Davenport and Svetlana Kuznetsova are the other previous winners entered in the Grand Slam tournament, which begins Aug. 25.
Fifth-seeded Patty Schnyder displayed a nice array of power and finesse to defeat Alisa Kleybanova, 7-6 (8), 6-4, in the second round of the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford.
Next up for Schnyder: a match with top-seeded Serena Williams in today's quarterfinals.
