Sampras Breaks Wheaton in Stockholm : Tennis: The U.S. Open champ from Rancho Palos Verdes reaches semifinals of the $1.1-million meet.

U.S. Open champion Pete Sampras beat fellow American David Wheaton in a tight serve-and-volley duel today to reach the semifinals of the $1.1-million Stockholm Open.

Sampras, 19, playing his first ATP Tour event since becoming the youngest U.S. Open champion in history Sept. 9, won 7-6 (7-3), 5-7, 6-4 on the fast Supreme Court.

Alexander Volkov of the Soviet Union joined Sampras in the semifinals, beating 1989 world junior champion Nicklas Kulti of Sweden 6-2, 6-1 in a match between unseeded players.

Sampras, who rested three weeks last month because of shin splints, will meet the winner of tonight’s match between No. 2 seed Boris Becker of Germany and Goran Ivanisevic of Yugoslavia in Saturday’s semifinals.

In the other quarterfinal tonight at the Globe Arena, world No. 1 Stefan Edberg of Sweden plays Brad Gilbert of the United States.

Serving powerfully, the fourth-seeded Sampras, from Rancho Palos Verdes, blasted 24 aces and had as many service winners during the two-hour match against Wheaton.

Sampras, who played three tiebreakers in his two previous matches, fired two aces past Wheaton en route to winning the first-set tiebreak.

Wheaton, leading 6-5 with service, capitalized on a poor smash by Sampras at 40-30 on his second set point to send the match into the tiebreak.

“It was the light,” Sampras said. “I mis-hit the ball and it went about six feet long. But I just blocked that out of my mind and concentrated on the third set.”

Sampras, playing Wheaton for the first time, broke early in the third set and held the rest of the way.

“That was the match right there when I broke him,” Sampras said.

“This is the best I’ve played all week. I was very rusty and nervous in my first match, against (Rikard) Bergh.”

Bergh, a Swedish qualifier ranked only 426th in the world, forced Sampras to two tiebreakers before the American won his opening match in three sets Tuesday.

At Brighton, England, Steffi Graf needed a few extra games but still scored her 12th consecutive victory over Nathalie Tauziat today, winning 6-2, 6-4 and moving into the semifinals of a WITA indoor tournament.

Third seed Helena Sukova also moved into the semifinals with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Sara Gomer of Britain.