Graham to Team With Slovenian at U.S. Open

Debbie Graham, a former La Quinta High and Stanford tennis player whose 10-year career is ending because of two incidents with blood clots in her leg, will play doubles at the U.S. Open with 19-year-old Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia.

Graham and Srebotnik will open play Monday or Tuesday against Americans Tanner Cochran and Kristen Schlukebir, who were given a wild card into the 64-team draw.

Graham, who has a disorder that makes her blood prone to clotting, has said she will retire after the U.S. Open. She has played only one WTA tour event since March, when a life-threatening blood clot sent her into the hospital for two weeks. In July--Graham’s first tournament back--she and Kim Po reached the semifinals of the Bank of the West Classic in Palo Alto.

Srebotnik is playing this week with Martina Navratilova at the Pilot Pen in New Haven, Conn., where they have reached the semifinals. Graham, who turned 30 Friday, is ranked 55th in doubles. Her best result at the U.S. Open came in 1998 when she reached the mixed doubles semifinals with Sandon Stolle.