Rehe, Gurney Advance Rivalry to Tennis Final

Melissa Gurney and Stephanie Rehe, who shared the No. 1 ranking in the 18-and-under division in 1984, meet for the first time as professionals in today’s final of the $75,000 Virginia Slims of San Diego at the Hilton Beach and Tennis Resort.

Today’s winner will receive a $13,000 check instead of a silver tray.

“We were both so close in juniors,” Gurney said. “We had a lot of endless matches and a lot of great matches. Sometimes she was ranked No. 1 and sometimes I was No. 1. We had a really good rivalry.”

Both advanced to the finals with impressive semifinal victories Saturday.

The 16-year-old Rehe, seeded No. 2 in the tournament and ranked No. 16 in the world, beat fourth-seeded Kate Gompert, 6-3, 6-4. Gurney, unseeded in the tournament and ranked No. 73 in the world, beat Caroline Kuhlman of USC, 6-2, 6-3.

Thus, the rivalry resumes.

“We’ve met over 30 times,” said Rehe, who believes she has a slight edge overall.

Gurney thinks Rehe is right.

The two met for the first time when Gurney was 8 and Rehe was 7. They played on a hot day in a tournament held at a public park in Redlands, which is about 15 minutes from where Rehe lives in Highland.

“I won the match and the tournament,” Rehe said.

Gurney said: “After that match, I remember my dad asking me, ‘Who’s this Stephanie Rehe?’ Well, we found out soon enough.”

The last time they played was in the finals of the 18-and-under Nationals at Memphis in August, 1984. Gurney won, 6-2, 6-2.

“I played really well,” Gurney said.

Gurney turned pro in the spring of 1985. Rehe followed a couple of months later.

In her first year as a professional, Rehe was ranked No. 18 in the world. She won two tournaments and earned $68,539.

Gurney was not nearly as successful. She lost numerous first-round matches, finished No. 81 and made $21,724.

It wasn’t until last Sunday that Gurney won her first professional tournament. She defeated Barbara Gerken, 6-1, 6-3, in the final of the $50,000 Berkeley Development Classic.

“Stephanie and I both went into the pros at different rates,” Gurney said. “I’ve been a late bloomer. But now I think we’ll be rivals for a while.”

As competitors in the same tournaments for so long, Rehe and Gurney are friends, but not best friends.

On the court, they both play a baseline game and have two-handed backhands that are as powerful as they are accurate.

Neither displays much, if any, emotion. And they are the epitome of sportsmanship, never throwing a racket or yelling at an official.

Gurney looks younger than Rehe, even though she is almost five months older.

Gurney is 5-feet 4-inches, has a pony tail. Rehe is 5-11 and sports a punk-style hairdo.

Rehe is reserved. Gurney has become a hit at the interview room.

When Gurney was asked if she was intimidated by anyone on the tour, she said: “No.”

A reporter asked: “You mean playing Martina (Navratilova) on grass wouldn’t intimidate you?”

Gurney said: “No, I think that would be more of a joke.”

On Saturday, Gurney played on hard courts at the Hilton. She was much too steady for Kuhlman, who recently won the gold medal at the Goodwill Games in the Soviet Union.

Consistently hitting deep and sharply angled service returns, Gurney broke Kuhlman’s serve all four times in the first set and raced to a 6-2 victory.

“Melissa really steps into the return and takes control of the point right away,” Kuhlman said.

Kuhlman took a 3-1 lead in the second set, but Gurney--whose concentration never seems to waver--won five straight games to take the set and the match.

“She (Gurney) is tough to beat on the baseline,” Kuhlman said, “and I don’t have the net game to come in.

“But I really didn’t think I had the winning attitude today. It’s hard to play someone for the first time. I got frustrated. Flustered. And I wasn’t real patient.”

In the opening semifinal match, Rehe was very patient. She had no choice but to stay out in the hot sun for 2 hours and 5 minutes and blast backhands and exchange moonballs with Gompert.

“It seemed like every point was 100 rallies,” Rehe said. “But that was the way to beat her. I’m glad it’s over. She played really well.”

The first seven games of the match--and hundreds upon hundreds of groundstrokes--took an hour and five minutes.

When the normally reserved Rehe broke Gompert to take a 4-3 lead, she thrust her fists in the air.

The match was that tight and tense.

Rehe held serve and broke Gompert for the fourth time in the set to win, 6-3.

Gompert, playing with braces on her right thigh and left knee, matched Rehe game for game through the first eight games of the second set.

At 4-4, Rehe held serve. Serving at deuce, Gompert hit two forehands wide to lose serve and the match.

“My whole body is really fatigued,” Gompert said. “The fatigue in my legs was really a factor. My legs are really sore and tired.

“I went out there at 50%. I played late last night (Friday), and when I went out there today I could barely move. I warmed up, but I was always about three steps slow.”

Thus, the professional matchup between Rehe and Gurney.

“I think I’m sort of the underdog because she (Rehe) is playing so well,” Gurney said. “I’m really excited to be playing her.”

Virginia Slims Notes Today’s schedule: Rosalyn Fairbank of South Africa will meet Anne White of La Jolla in an eight-game pro set exhibition at 1 p.m. Melissa Gurney will face Stephanie Rehe in the singles final at 2, followed by the doubles final between the top-seeded team of Elise Burgin and Fairbank against fourth-seeded Beth Herr and Alycia Moulton. On Saturday, Burgin and Fairbank defeated Lori McNeil and Catherine Suire, 6-4, 7-5. Herr and Moulton beat Betsy Nagelsen and White, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4. . . . Today’s singles final will be televised live at 2 on Channel 51 (KUSI). Fred Lewis and former pro player Valerie Ziegenfuss Bradshaw will provide the commentary.