Sports briefs: U.S. edges Brazil in Davis Cup

TENNIS • Sam Querrey beat Thiago Alves 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (3) on Sunday to give the United States a dramatic 3-2 victory over Brazil and a spot in the Davis Cup quarterfinals in Jacksonville, Fla.

The U.S. will host Serbia in the next round in Boise, Idaho, from April 5-7.

Querrey stepped up after teammate John Isner lost 2-6, 6-4, 6-7 (7), 6-4, 6-3 to Thomaz Bellucci earlier Sunday, forcing a deciding fifth match. It was the first time since 2000 that a U.S. team needed to win the fifth match to advance.

The 25-year-old Querrey started fast, breaking Alves in the second game of the match. But Alves, ranked No. 141, responded with breaks of his own in the third and ninth games to take the opening set.

Querrey responded with a consistent array of cross-court winners to control play the rest of the way.

• Sloane Stephens is pulling out of the U.S. Fed Cup team's upcoming first-round matches against Italy because of a strained abdominal muscle. Melanie Oudin replaces Stephens on the U.S. roster for the Feb. 9-10 matches on indoor red clay at Rimini, Italy.

Texas regents order review of policies

COLLEGE SPORTS • University of Texas regents Sunday ordered a review of policies regarding inappropriate relationships between employees and students after a two-hour, private telephone meeting to discuss incidents involving assistant football coach Major Applewhite and former women's track coach Bev Kearney.

The call between the regents, their legal staff and Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa was scheduled after the disclosure Friday that Applewhite, the Longhorns' offensive coordinator, had been disciplined by the school in 2009 for his conduct with a student during a trip to the Fiesta Bowl. Applewhite was ordered at the time to undergo counseling and his pay was frozen for a year. The regents did not order any further discipline against him after Sunday's meeting.

From wire reports