Leading Off

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COLOR PHOTO: PHOTOGRAPH BY MELCHIOR DIGIACOMO Fuzzbuster Venus Williams--and, in an optical illusion, her beads--let fly during a second-round doubles match, in which she and sister Serena beat Amanda Coetzer and Ines Gorrochategui 6-7, 6-4, 6-4 at the U.S. Open (page 82).

COLOR PHOTO: PHOTOGRAPH BY NATHANIEL S. BUTLER/NBA PHOTOS Trey Bon! The New York Liberty won Game 2 of the WNBA Finals on this last-second, half-court shot by guard Teresa Weatherspoon, but the Houston Comets, led by Cynthia Cooper, three-peated by winning the title in Game 3 (page 56).

COLOR PHOTO: PHOTOGRAPH BY MATT BROWN L.A. FlawThird baseman Adrian Beltre of the struggling Dodgers couldn't come up with this foul ball off the bat of Jeromy Burnitz in a 5-4 Brewers' win over Los Angeles (page 96).