WITH VIRGINIA SLIMS, THE WTA HAS COME A LONG WAY, BABY

     The WTA Tour is not only losing Martina Navratilova this
week, but also Philip Morris, "its most significant benefactor."
Philip Morris, parent company of Kraft and Virginia Slims, ends
its 25-year relationship with women's tennis Sunday when the
Virginia Slims Championships at Madison Square Garden ends (Doug
Smith, USA TODAY, 11/16).  "Anti-smoking crusaders who rail
against the tobacco company for using women's tennis to glamorize
smoking couldn't be happier.  But players and tour officials
couldn't be more ambivalent, especially since they are having a
tough time finding a replacement.  Perhaps no sponsor in all of
sports has given more lavishly" than Philip Morris, notes Josh
Young in the WASHINGTON TIMES.  "And it's doubtful that any
sponsor has gotten such a good return on its investment"
(WASHINGTON TIMES, 11/16).  Chris Evert:  "If we don't find a
sponsor, we're strong enough that we can endure next year.  But
starting in '96, we really need to find a sponsor" (PHILADELPHIA
DAILY NEWS, 11/15).