PORTLAND – It took eight years of practice, three straight trips to the semifinals, and a near-complete overhaul of her game in the offseason, but for Erin Moakler, it was all worth it after finally winning her first Maine State Singles Tournament championship.

The Greater Houlton Christian Academy junior didn’t waste her first chance at a state title after advancing past the semifinal round for the first time in three tries. This time around, she made it worth the long trip by dethroning defending champion and top seed Kelly Graham of Kennebunk in three grueling sets on a warm and windy Thursday afternoon at Waynflete High School’s athletic complex.

Moakler survived a comeback scare by Graham after jumping out to a 4-1 lead in the first set, won it 6-4, and then came back from a 5-7 loss in the second to clinch the match with a 6-1 victory in the deciding third set.

“I’ve been working really hard this year and there have been times I’ve been sick of it, but this makes it all worth it. I’ve wanted this so badly for a long time,” said the 17-year-old Moakler.

Moakler can now take a break from tennis and concentrate on her other spring sports job – left fielder for her high school softball team. She was coming off a Wednesday doubleheader (a split with Central Aroostook) before heading back down the Interstate for Thursday’s matches.

Moakler managed to survive six service breaks by the gimpy Graham, who managed not only to stay in the match, but give Moakler all she could handle for the first 25 games despite coming in with a sprained and heavily taped right ankle. Early in the second set she suffered some kind of injury to her left calf which left her unable to serve off her plant foot.

“I was going back for a lob and I kind of twisted my foot and it completely spasmed,” Graham explained. “It wasn’t just a cramp because it’s still really, really sore. This was just kind of another nail in the coffin for me.”

Meanwhile, Moakler was having trouble with the wind gusts and the way they were affecting her service.

“My serve just fell apart. The wind threw my toss, which is very high, off and that took some getting used to,” she said.

Moakler held serve her first three times, but then Graham won three straight games to tie the first set 4-4. Moakler then held serve and broke Graham to win it.

“I’m surprised I pulled it off because a year ago I would have completely fallen apart,” she said. “I just told myself to stay focused. I think playing in the semis the last two years really helped that way.”

After Graham took the second – a back-and-forth affair which was tied in games five times – by winning the final two games, Moakler held serve and took the first game, but not before fighting through three deuces.

“It took me a little while to settle down, even after I was out there, but hitting a couple winners and really helped and winning that first game was really important for me,” said Moakler.

She then broke Graham to lead 2-0. After Graham broke back, Moakler followed suit and won the rest.

Graham downed No. 4 seed Elizabeth Currie of Waynflete 6-2, 6-0 to advance while Moakler defeated Camden Hills sophomore and No. 2 seed Laura Stein 6-1, 6-2 in the semis.

“She was able to control the points with her ground strokes, which were real deep and powerful,” said Stein, who lost to Graham in last year’s final. “That put me in a defensive position and she was able to construct a point by going deep and then taking care of it with short shots at the net or her passing shots.