Sports briefs 5/6/05

Football

* Carolina Panthers linebacker Mark Fields will miss the 2005 season after a recurrence of Hodgkin's disease, his agent said Thursday.

Fields missed the 2003 season while he battled the disease but returned last year to earn a trip to the Pro Bowl. He declined to sign Carolina's offer of a contract extension in March, saying he wanted to wait until after an annual medical checkup that was part of the cancer treatment.

Tennis

Kim Clijsters' status for the upcoming French Open is in doubt after she injured her right knee Thursday during a third-round match at the German Open.

The Belgian slid awkwardly on the clay court chasing down a ball in the second set against Patty Schnyder and appeared to hurt her leg. She received court-side treatment, but gave up a short time later. A WTA spokesman said it was a knee injury.

Clijsters had won the first set 7-6 (4) and was trailing 6-5 in the second when she retired.

Maria Sharapova kept up her quest to become world No. 1, beating Shuai Peng of China 6-2, 6-1 in 57 minutes to reach the quarterfinals.

In today's quarterfinals, Sharapova will face 2004 French Open champion Justine Henin-Hardenne, who won her 13th straight match, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 against Kveta Peschke of the Czech Republic.

Second-seeded Amelie Mauresmo, the defending champion, also advanced in an all-French battle against Virginie Razzano, 6-4, 6-2.