Oct. 19, 2000

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — Notre Dame women’s tennis senior All-American and 18th-ranked Michelle Dasso defeated third-seeded and fourth-ranked Kristina Kraszewski of Washington 7-6 (7-4), 6-7 (7-5), 6-1 on Thursday in the first round of the Riviera Women’s All-American Championships, the second leg of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association grand slam, at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif. Dasso advances to the second round to face Tulane’s Anna Monhartova, a 7-5, 6-2 winner over Mississippi’s Julie DeRoo. Dasso defeated the 68th-ranked Monhartova in three sets in the semifinals of the T. Rowe Price National Clay Court Championships in September to reach her first grand slam final.

Dasso rallied from a 3-5 deficit in the first set to beat Kraszewski for the first time after two previous losses during their college careers. Kraszewski won in straight sets in their only previous grand slam meeting in the first round of the 1999 Rolex National Indoor Championships and also won 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 at No. 1 singles in an Irish dual-match win over Washington on Jan. 14, 2000.