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 It
was September 1984 and San Diego experienced a heat wave. On court temperatures reached
118 degrees during the $50,000 Ginny of San Diego, which was held at Balboa Park's Morley
Field.
The action on the court was just as hot as seventeen-year-old Debbie Spence, a junior at
Cerritos High School (near Los Angeles), took two-hours and 45 minutes to defeat Betsy Nagelsen,
6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-4 before an estimated 1,000 tennis fans to win the inaugural event.
Nagelsen, who had been ranked as high as 17 in the world, fought off two match points while
serving at 5-6 in the second set.
After holding serve, Nagelsen fell behind 3-0 in the tiebreak before winning seven straight
points to force a third set.
Spence, who had turned pro only a month before, was down 3-0 early in the third set before
reeling off five straight games on her way to the victory and the champion's check for $7,000.
Nagelsen, who won the singles runner-up check for $4,000, teamed with Paula Smith for a
6-2, 6-4 win over Terry Holladay and Iwona Kuczynska in the doubles championship.
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