text: TENNIS - GRAF WORKS HARD FOR FIRST-ROUND WIN . Bill Berkrot NEW YORK 1996-08-27 It was n't supposed to be this hard for defending champion Steffi Graf to win her opening match at the U.S. Open on Tuesday night . But the script that called for the usual first-round demolition by the top-ranked top seed was rewritten by 29th-ranked Indonesian Yayuk Basuki playing with nothing to lose abandon . Graf , of course , prevailed 6-3 7-6 , but not before some tense moments that even had the German superstar thinking the match was going three sets . " I won the second set , which I did n't think I would do , being down 5-2 and the chances she had at 6-5 , " Graf recalled . Several of the other women 's seeds eased into the second round with more typical Graf-like efficiency Tuesday . As afternoon turned to evening , fourth-seeded Spaniard Conchita Martinez took apart Romanian Ruxandra Dragomir in 58 minutes with the loss of just two games , one more than second seed Monica Seles , who opened the second-day programme by crushing American Anne Miller 6-0 6-1 . Third seed Arantxa Sanchez Vicario , the 1994 champion , and eighth-seeded Olympic gold medalist Lindsay Davenport dropped three game each en route to the second round . But the day was not without its seeded casualties on the women 's side . Fifth-seed Iva Majoli of Croatia was picked off by Austrian Judith Wiesner and Wimbledon semifinalist Kimiko Date of Japan , the 10th seed , fell 6-2 7-5 to 53rd-ranked American Kimberly Po . Date 's defeat left no other seeded players in Seles 's quarter of the draw , which lost Anke Huber ( 6 ) and Maggie Maleeva ( 12 ) on Monday . But Graf , winner of 20 Grand Slam titles , was not about to join that list . " At some points I felt a little nervous , " she admitted . " When it came down to the important points , I felt more confident . " Basuki , a first-round loser here for the fifth consecutive year , was clearly going for winners , hitting the lines and running Graf around the court as she broke the top seed twice in the second set to grab that shocking 5-2 lead . Graf ran off the next three games to restore some semblance of order . But Basuki , her long black ponytail flying as she raced for shots , held her serve and twice had set point on Graf 's serve at 6-5 before the German unleashed a forehand pass to force the tie-break . " I lost the moment , " lamented Basuki , who has reached the fourth round at Wimbledon four times and was a semifinalist in Montreal earlier this month . Still , the feisty Indonesian got off to a 3-0 lead in the tie-breaker before a pair of costly double faults gave Graf her chance to avoid a third set . " Usually in the first one or two matches , you want to find your rhythm and want to get into it , " said Graf , who won seven of the last eight points in the breaker . " To be in that situation today , a couple of times having to play well , get down and play point-by-point , definitely is a good start . "