TENNIS L.A. OPEN : Daylight Helps Edberg See Way to Victory

Out of the lights and under the sun, Stefan Edberg was able to see a lot better Friday at UCLA.

The world’s No. 2 tennis player advanced into the semifinals of the Volvo/Los Angeles tournament, beating Jeff Tarango of Manhattan Beach, 6-4, 6-4, in a quarterfinal match.

“I didn’t play better, but I saw better,” said the top-seeded Edberg, who had trouble tracking the big serve of Shuzo Matsuoka Thursday night.

Today, Edberg will meet third-seeded Pete Sampras of Rancho Palos Verdes, a 6-3, 6-4 quarterfinal winner over Jason Stoltenberg.

What did Edberg think of the go-for-broke style of Tarango?

“He goes for everything and tees off every chance he gets, which is very hard to do,” Edberg said. “I think you can get away with it sometimes, but if you play somebody in the top 10, it can be difficult because he makes a bit too many mistakes. All I was trying to do was keep the ball in play and let him make the mistakes.”

Edberg may have a more difficult time against Sampras, whose biggest problem seems to be keep ing his mind on his work.

“My concentration just goes yonder,” Sampras said.

Edberg should command his attention.

“Probably the biggest thing for me is returning his big kick serve,” said Sampras, 18, of his first meeting with the laconic Swede. “I was having a little trouble with Stoltenberg’s second serve. I was letting it get behind me, and I was slicing some backhands long.

“It’s tougher for a one-hander to hit a big high ‘kicker.’ I think the return of serve is going to be a very big part of the match.”

Edberg’s serve is a bit underrated, Sampras said.

“He’s probably the best at getting into the net,” he said. “His serve gives him time because it’s not a (Boris) Becker serve at 120 m.p.h. It’s at 100 to 105 and he (follows it and) really gets in close to the net. You have to hit a great return to get it by him.

“Even if you get it low, he’s one of the best volleyers in the world. So, basically, to break him you really have to play a perfect game.”

Edberg hadn’t been broken this week until Friday, when Tarango, whose return of service may be his greatest strength, broke him twice.

“He’s really solid,” Tarango said. “If you beat him, you have to beat him. He’s not going to lose a match. He’s very mobile at the net. I hit a couple of really good lobs that he got to that other players wouldn’t get.

“He’s just a good athlete and an unbelievably solid player.”

Tennis Notes

Fourth-seeded Michael Chang moved into the semifinals with a 6-1, 7-5 victory over former Stanford All-American Dan Goldie. Chang, who held serve throughout the match, broke Goldie in the 11th game of a competitive second set, winning a game that went to deuce five times when Goldie double-faulted at game point. How did Chang account for his fast start? “I think he had a slow start,” Chang said. Chang, though, didn’t let up. “You don’t mess with a guy like Dan Goldie,” said Chang, adding that in a tournament at Philadelphia last year, he lost to Goldie after opening a 6-2, 4-1 lead. “That was on my birthday, too,” Chang said. . . . Chang’s opponent tonight will be seventh-seeded Gary Muller, a Los Angeles-based South African who beat former UCLA All-American Brian Garrow, 6-3, 6-4.