1988

SECOND TIME A CHARM FOR REHE

In the most lopsided final in tournament history, Stephanie Rehe, routed qualifier Ann Grossman 6-1, 6-1 before a capacity crowd of 1,700 at the San Diego Tennis & Racquet Club to win the $100,000 Virginia Slims of San Diego.

Rehe, who reached the tournament's 1986 final, used a strong and steady baseline game to claim the winner's check for $17,000. The match was closer than the score indicated as nine games went to deuce with Rehe winning eight of them.

Grossman, a 17-year-old amateur from Grove City, Ohio, began the week ranked 171 in the world. She saved two match points in her first qualifying match and had to save two more match points in her second round victory in the main draw over fifth-seeded Robin White.

Playing eight matches in nine days was simply too much for the 5-foot-3, 110-pound Grossman, who double faulted eight times and committed 28 unforced errors.

	Stephanie Rehe accepts flowers from a ballgirl after winning the tournament.

Following her victory, Rehe revealed that her coach (Gene Malin) promised to buy her a cheesecake if she won the tournament.

Patty Fendick of Sacramento and Canadian Jill Hetherington, the fourth seeds, won the doubles title with a 7-6 (10), 6-4 victory over the top seeded team of Dinky van Rensburg of South Africa and Betsy Nagelsen of Kapalua Bay, Hawaii.

Nagelsen and van Rensburg served for the first set at 5-4 and 6-5, but were broken both times. In the tiebreaker, Fendick put away a volley at 11-10 after the top seeds saved five set points.

TOURNAMENT NOTES

Tracy Austin, who had not played a sanctioned match in nearly five years, entered the doubles draw with fellow American Robin White. They were defeated in the first round by Nagelsen and van Rensburg, 7-6 (8), 6-1.

Lori McNeil, who had been seeded first, was forced to withdraw before the tournament began due to a knee injury.

Former Tijuana resident Angelica Gavaldon won her first match in a professional tournament with a 6-3, 6-3 first-round win over Japan's Masako Yanagi. Ten months earlier, the 14-year-old Gavaldon had won the San Diego CIF girls championship on the same court. The wildcard entrant lost to Rehe in the second round, 6-0, 7-6 (3).

Defending champion Raffaella Reggi of Italy did not enter due to visa problems.

The tournament was sold out four of the scheduled seven days.