Tennis Roundup : Shriver Halts Graf’s 46-Match Win Streak

Fifth-seeded Pam Shriver ended Steffi Graf’s 46-match winning streak Saturday with a 6-3, 7-6 victory in the semifinals of the Virginia Slims tennis championships at New York.

It was the top-seeded West German’s third defeat in 75 matches this year and her first since losing to Gabriela Sabatini of Argentina in April.

“What I’ve achieved this year is incredible,” she said. “I wanted to have a better ending, but it’s not my choice.”

Shriver will meet Sabatini, a 6-4, 6-2 winner over Helena Sukova of Czechoslovakia, for the title today.

Graf, suffering from the flu, didn’t have the usual zip on her groundstrokes, especially her backhand, which often fell softly into the net.

“You have to treasure moments like this because they don’t happen every day,” Shriver said. “It’s a big win--and bigger if I win the tournament.”

The loss, Graf’s first to Shriver in 3 years, ended a sensational season in which she won the Australian, French, Wimbledon and U.S. Open titles, plus an Olympic gold medal.

Second-seeded John McEnroe reached the final of the Little Caesars Championship at Detroit with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 win over unseeded Kelly Evernden.

During the first set, McEnroe told a line judge, “Get out of the stadium, get out of the state,” after the judge ruled one of his shots was out. McEnroe was not penalized.

In today’s final, McEnroe will play third-seeded Aaron Krickstein, who defeated Leif Shiras, 6-1, 6-0, in the other semifinal.