Davenport in quarters

AMELIA ISLAND: Lindsay Davenport needed just 55 minutes to beat Kveta Peschke 6-2, 6-2, before rain cancelled most of the evening and afternoon matches at the Bausch & Lomb Championships. Fifth-seeded Venus Williams and Marta Domachowska were tied at one set each before the delay. Sixth-seeded Vera Zvonaeva beat ninth-seeded Elena Likhovtseva 6-4, 6-4. All other matches — including the one between Serena Williams and former champion Mary Pierce — were postponed. — AP

Martin ousts Kuerten

VALENCIA: Alberto Martin of Spain halted Gustavo Kuerten’s comeback from a hip injury with a 6-2, 6-0 second-round win at the Valencia Open. Kuerten, who had been out of action since having surgery in September, made a promising return to the ATP tour with a first-round win over fourth-seeded Olivier Rochus of Belgium. Third-seeded Rafael Nadal and fifth seed David Ferrer of Spain advanced to the quarter-finals. — AP

Kipketer set to retire

COPENHAGEN: World 800 metres record holder Wilson Kipketer said he will retire after the 2006 European championships in Goteborg, Sweden, where he won the first of his three world titles in 1995. The 32-year-old who switched to Denmark after arriving from Kenya in 1990, won the 1995, 1997 and 1999 world titles. He set his 800m world mark of 1min 41.11sec in 1997. He was also European champion in 2002 and won the Olympic silver medal at the 2000 Sydney Games and a bronze medal at the 2004 Athens Games. — AFP