Sports briefs 8/19/05

Basketball

• Reggie Miller is taking a shot at another line of work -- basketball analyst for TNT.

The multiyear agreement announced Thursday also calls for the former Indiana Pacers star to provide features this season on "Inside The NBA." Miller will join the studio team of host Ernie Johnson and analysts Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley. Sister Cheryl Miller already is part of TNT's stable of NBA announcers.

Football

* Upset and frustrated that running back Cedric Benson is still a holdout and the only first-round draft pick without a contract agreement, the Chicago Bears have made their final offer to the No. 4 pick.

"After missing all of training camp, we want to make it abundantly clear that the Chicago Bears have made their best and final offer to Cedric Benson," Bears general manager Jerry Angelo said in a statement released by the team.

Benson's holdout reached its 26th day Thursday and the former Texas star has already missed two preseason games. The Bears' training camp at Bourbonnais ended Wednesday.

Tennis

Svetlana Kuznetsova, who begins her U.S. Open title defense in 10 days, played despite lower back pain Thursday and lost to Argentina's Gisela Dulko 7-6 (3), 7-6 (8) at the Rogers Cup.

The third-seeded Russian struggled throughout the match, and in the first set it appeared she would be unable to finish.

Dulko, ranked 35th, forced Kuznetsova several times to lunge for crosscourt shots. Trailing 6-5 in the first set, Kuznetsova asked a trainer to massage her back. She walked gingerly back onto the court, clutching her back and grimacing.

Kuznetsova became the first Russian woman to win the U.S. Open singles title last year, beating Elena Dementieva in the all-Russian final.

Injuries have become the theme at the Rogers Cup, and tournament directors received more bad news Thursday when 12th-seeded Ana Ivanovic withdrew because of a strained right chest muscle.

Mary Pierce of France, the No. 8 seed, pulled out Tuesday with a strained right quadriceps muscle.

There were more tense moments when Anastasia Myskina rolled her left ankle in the second set of her match against Shinobu Asagoe.

But Myskina, the No. 9 seed, had the ankle taped and went on to beat Asagoe 7-6 (5), 7-5. Myskina will play Dulko in the quarterfinals.

In other matches, No. 2 seed Amelie Mauresmo cruised by Conchita Martinez 6-0, 6-2 to advance to the quarters, and No. 4 seed Justine Henin-Hardenne eliminated China's Jie Zheng, 6-2, 6-4. Henin-Hardenne will play Nicole Vaidisova in the quarters, after Vaidisova beat countrywoman Hana Sromova 6-2, 6-2.