The Associated Press

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Third-seeded Jennifer Capriati rallied for a 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 victory over Elena Bovina on Wednesday night and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Pilot Pen hard-court tournament.

Both hard hitters, Capriati and Bovina locked up in several long rallies. The 6-foot-2 1/2 Bovina used her range to run down returns in every corner of the court.

Winless since the 2002 Australian Open, Capriati relied on her stronger service game and aggressive net play. She finally gave herself some breathing room by going up 4-2 in the third set, closing the game with a 110 mph ace.

PAES RECOVERS: Top doubles player Leander Paes is still suffering headaches from a brain lesion but is in stable condition, a cancer specialist said Wednesday.

Paes, a winner of six Grand Slam doubles titles, will not play in the upcoming U.S. Open.

The cause of Paes' illness is not known, but possibilities include a brain abscess or a brain tumor.

Colleges

BAYLOR: A player killed, NCAA violations and an attempted cover-up of misdeeds by the head coach have raised questions about the future of the men's basketball program at Baylor and whether the school needs to stay in the Big 12.

But even after a summer of scandal, it appears unlikely the Big 12's smallest and only private school will leave the conference, either on its own or forced out by the league.

"Our commitment certainly is to remain in the Big 12," Baylor President Robert Sloan Jr., said this week.

Baylor's football and men's basketball teams - typically the money makers of any athletic program - routinely finish at or near the bottom of the league. The football team has won four conference games in seven seasons. The Waco Tribune-Herald has reported the athletic program ran a deficit of $9.1 million last year.

While Baylor's troubles have become a hot topic for Texas editorial pages, Internet message boards and radio talk shows, Big 12 commissioner Kevin Weiberg said he has heard no rumblings of discontent from the league's other members.

"We've received no calls from (members) suggesting Baylor should go," Weiberg said.

Big 12 bylaws require nine members to vote to expel a school, something several school presidents have said is unlikely.

SAN DIEGO STATE: Basketball coach Steve Fisher signed a two-year contract extension at San Diego State, the once-moribund program he has helped turn around.

Fisher's extension runs through the 2007-08 season, interim athletic director Gene Bartow said.

Fisher is 56-63 in four seasons and has led the Aztecs to the NIT and NCAA tournaments the last two seasons.

Fisher coached Michigan to the 1989 NCAA title.

Hockey

RANGERS: Gefenseman Darius Kasparaitis underwent successful surgery Wednesday to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee.

Kasparaitis will need two weeks of rehabilitation but is expected to be ready for the start of New York's training camp Sept. 10.

Auto racing

IRL: Driver Tom Wood was in fair condition Wednesday after surgery on his broken back.

The IRL Infiniti Pro Series driver was injured in a crash during the Kentucky 100 Saturday at Kentucky Speedway. He had surgery Sunday on fractures of his right leg, right knee, right ankle and right foot, and another operation on his back Tuesday.

Wood, 46, of Calgary, Alberta, was airlifted from the track to the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington.