Against Steffi Graf, long-match specialist Chanda Rubin lasted less than an hour.
Graf played nearly flawless tennis and won the Lipton Championships for the fifth time Saturday by beating Rubin 6-1, 6-3 in 55 minutes.Rubin, the winner of two record-length Grand Slam matches in the past year, fell shy in a bid for her first tournament title. In her four matches against Graf, Rubin has won a total of 14 games.
"I'd like to congratulate Steffi," the 20-year-old Rubin said during the award ceremony. "She was definitely too good for me today, yesterday and the day before."
The top-seeded Graf, who committed just seven unforced errors, improved to 11-0 with two titles since returning this month from foot surgery in December.
"I can't ask for a better start," said Graf, who earned $210,000. "I've been playing some top players and always came out playing the right shots at the right time, even in close matches. So I think it's a perfect start."
In six matches in the Lipton, Graf said she experienced none of the chronic back spasms that have plagued her for more than a year. She shares the No. 1 ranking with Monica Seles, who missed the tournament because of a shoulder injury.
"For both of us, it's been pretty difficult injury-wise," Graf said. "Hopefully soon we'll be able to play each other again. It is nothing you can force."
The men's final today between third-seeded Andre Agassi and No. 6 Goran Ivanisevic will feature two of the premier shots in tennis. Ivanisevic owns the game's biggest serve, while Agassi can counter with tennis' best service return.
Graf, who won the Evert Cup at Indian Wells, Calif., two weeks ago, extended her winning streak to 19 consecutive matches. Graf earned her 97th WTA Tour title and her first while wearing a dress - she switched from skirts because of Florida's windy spring weather.
The sixth-seeded Rubin, doomed by 26 unforced errors and five double faults, fell to 0-5 in finals.
"There have to be more opportunities for me," she said. "If I keep working, eventually I'm bound to get one."
As consolation, the Lafayette, La., native received a check for $105,000 and will be ranked a career-best No. 7 next week.
The temperature on the surface of the hard court measured 120 degrees under a cloudless afternoon sky, but the match was too short for heat to become a factor.
Graf took a quick 3-0 lead, converting her first break-point chance when Rubin double-faulted. The first set took just 24 minutes, with Graf committing one unforced error to Rubin's 12.
"I could sense she was a bit tentative right from the beginning on," Graf said.
The 5-foot-6 Rubin began a brief charge in the second set by hitting three consecutive aces.
"I don't think I'd ever done that before," she said. "It felt pretty good."
Rubin then won nine consecutive points. But the streak ended when she rushed an easy forehand volley and hit it wide, and the same mistake later in the game gave Graf a 4-3 lead.
"That could have made a huge difference," Rubin said. "I missed a couple of volleys that could have turned the match a little bit."