COLLEGE ROUNDUP : Graham Moves Into Tennis Semifinals

NCAA singles champion Debbie Graham of Fountain Valley overcame three match points in a second-round match of the Riviera Women’s All-American Tennis Championships and won a quarterfinal match later Friday to move into today’s semifinals at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades.

Graham, a Stanford junior and the No. 1-seeded player in the tournament, trailed UCLA’s Kimberly Po 5-4 in the third set and 40-15 in the 10th game.

“At 40-30, she hit a serve and I shanked a backhand,” Graham said. “It barely went over the net, maybe by about three feet. She was running up to hit a forehand, and she hadn’t missed a forehand the whole match. I was ready to walk up and shake her hand, and she hits into the net. The gods were with me on that one. If she didn’t win it there, I definitely wasn’t going to lose from then on.”

Graham rallied for a 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 victory.

“She was starting to think about that shot and having two match points,” Graham said. “It wasn’t that tough after that.”

Graham said she played better in a 6-4, 6-3 quarterfinal victory over Georgia’s Caryn Moss, but there remain areas for improvement.

“I’m still not making all my shots,” Graham said. “Every once in a while, I’d hit it long for no reason. I’ve been really jumpy. I don’t know if my nerves are coming or what the deal is right now.”

In today’s semifinal, Graham will face Emilie Viqueira of California, a 6-0, 6-1 winner over Kansas’ Eveline Hamers. The other semifinal matches Stanford teammates Sandra Birch, the tournament’s second seed, defending champion and 1989 NCAA champion, against Heather Willens.

The Riviera Women’s All-American Tennis Championships is one of four tournaments comprising the Collegiate Grand Slam.