Sunday's briefs

AREA

RAIN WIPES OUT RACING PLANS AT ATPR, OTHERS

Saturday's racing events at Auto Tire and Parts Racepark near Benton, Mo., were called off because of heavy rain through the week. Racing is scheduled to resume at 7 p.m. Saturday.

The scheduled races Friday at Fredericktown (Mo.) Raceway and at Malden (Mo.) Speedway also were cancelled because of rain.

ELSEWHERE

COLLEGES

Two Michigan football players were shot after a fight at an off-campus party. Sophomore defensive back Markus Curry was hit in the back, and junior linebacker Carl Diggs was shot in the leg, police said. The shooter escaped. An official with University of Michigan hospitals said Diggs was released and couldn't give a condition for Curry.

Soccer

FIFA president Sepp Blatter denied allegations of corruption and financial mismanagement and delivering a stinging attack on his former ally Michel Zen-Ruffinen.

"The extent and unsubstantiated content of these allegations must be set right," Blatter said in a 30-page document. "They will come back to haunt my accusers, above all the General Secretary."

Blatter was responding to a report presented to FIFA's execute committee by Zen-Ruffinen, No. 2 official of soccer's governing body, responsible for the day-to-day operation of the organization.

Tennis

Serena Williams spoiled Jennifer Capriati's return to the No. 1 ranking in the world, winning 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 to reach the final of the Italian Open in Rome. Williams will play Justine Henin in today's final, a rematch of last week's German Open championship, won by Henin in a third-set tiebreaker. Henin defeated fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters 7-5, 6-2 in the day's first semifinal.

-- From staff, wire reports