Tennis: Graf denies reports of her retirement

STEFFI GRAF has denied that she is to retire at the end of the season, saying that she was misquoted earlier this week. "Until now I've just said that I will not play at Paris [the French Open] and at Wimbledon," said the 30-year-old German.

Graf, who has had 17 seasons on the women's circuit, will compete in tournaments in San Diego, Toronto and Newhaven before playing in the US Open.

Marlene Weingartner of Germany scored a surprising victory yesterday over the top seed, Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario of Spain, 6-4, 6-4, advancing to the quarter-finals of the Polish Open. The game was interrupted for two hours by heavy rain with the score 6-4, 4-2, 30-0 in favour of Weingartner.

The second seed, Sandrine Testud of France, and third seed, Conchita Martinez of Spain, also advanced in the tournament. Testud beat Sandra Nacuk of Yugoslavia 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 and Martinez defeated Magdalena Grzybowska of Poland 6-1, 6- 1.

In other matches, the sixth-seeded Henrietta Nagyova, of Slovakia, defeated Paola Suarez, of Argentina, 6-2, 6-2 and Karina Habsbudova, of Slovakia, beat the seventh seed, Anna Smashnova of Israel, 7-5, 6-2.

Pete Sampras will return to the United States Davis Cup team this weekend in the quarter-final against Australia in Boston.