Martina Navratilova's advance to the semifinals of the Virginia Slims women's singles almost took a funny turn last night when she encountered a surprisingly tough challenge from eighth-ranked Kerry Reid.

Reid took the top-seeded Navratilova to three sets before falling, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, in a flurry of short volleys.

After dropping a close first set, Navratilova settled down in the second set, drilling serves that Reid was unable to return and playing an aggressive net game that often found her opponent out of position.

The left-handed Navratilova continued to dominate in the third set, as her shots to the corners started to fall with surprising regularity. Reid had trouble finding the lines, and it was game, set, match. Navratilova, as yet another of Reid's backhands sailed past the baseline.

In the other quarterfinal singles match, third-ranked Evonne Goolagong aced Marise Kruger on the last point of the tiebreaker to take her match, 6-4, 7-6, 5-4.

Kruger and Goolagong played the baselines, with long, smooth strokes and prolonged rallies. Goolagong sported an excellent net game in the first set, catching the 19-year-old Kruger off-balance with her quick backhands.

Goolagong started strong in the second set, gliding from side to side to return almost all of Kruger's shots, and breaking her opponent's service to open up a -1 lead.

Kruger seemed to take backhand lessons from Goolagong, as she battled back from the deficit, and the match went to a nine-point tiebreaker at 6-6. With the tiebreaker even at four-all, Goolagong reached back and rifled one of her finest serves to the corner that Kruger couldn't touch.

In doubles action, Navratilova and Billie Jean King downed Lesley Hunt and Julie Anthony, 6-4, 6-3, in a match that was nowhere near as close as the score indicates.

King and Navratilova, the top-seeded doubles team, delighted the crowd with lively chatter and antics, but good communication and steady play kept them in control all the way.

In an earlier match, the fourth-ranked team of Rosie Casals and JoAnne Russell had little trouble in reaching the semifinals as they defeated Marita Redondo and Trish Bostrom, 6-2, 6-4. The winners worked well as a team--"I've got it," shouted Casals, as she drove Bostrom's serve down the middle to win the match.