# 1988 Dow Classic – Singles

Pam Shriver was the four-time defending champion but lost in the final 6–2, 6–1 against Claudia Kohde-Kilsch.

## Seeds

A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated. The top nine seeds received a bye to the second round.
* Pam Shriver (final)
* Claudia Kohde-Kilsch (champion)
* Lori McNeil (semifinals)
* Zina Garrison (semifinals)
* Larisa Savchenko (third round)
* n/a
* Anne Minter (quarterfinals)
* Nathalie Tauziat (third round)
* Leila Meskhi (second round)
* Etsuko Inoue (second round)
* Elly Hakami (first round)
* Isabelle Demongeot (first round)
* Gigi Fernández (first round)
* Rosalyn Fairbank (third round)

## Draw
### Key

* Q = Qualifier
* WC = Wild card
* LL = Lucky loser
* Alt = Alternate
* SE = Special exempt
* PR = Protected ranking
* ITF = ITF entry
* JE = Junior exempt
* w/o = Walkover
* r = Retired
* d = Defaulted
* SR = Special ranking

### Finals

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final | Final | Final |
| 1 | Pam Shriver | 6 | 4 | 6 | | | | |
| 3 | Lori McNeil | 1 | 6 | 3 | | | | |
| 3 | Lori McNeil | 1 | 6 | 3 | 1 | Pam Shriver | 2 | 1 |
| | | | | | 2 | Claudia Kohde-Kilsch | 6 | 6 |
| 4 | Zina Garrison | 2 | 4 | | 2 | Claudia Kohde-Kilsch | 6 | 6 |
| 2 | Claudia Kohde-Kilsch | 6 | 6 | | | | | |

### Top half
#### Section 1

| First round | First round | First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Third round | Third round | Third round | Third round | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals |
| | | | | | 1 | P Shriver | 7 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| | E Smylie | 7 | 2 | 6 | | E Smylie | 5 | 3 | | | | | | | | | |
| | J Salmon | 6 | 6 | 3 | | | | | | 1 | P Shriver | 6 | 7 | | | | |
| | V Lake | 3 | 6 | 1 | | | | | | | D Van Rensburg | 3 | 5 | | | | |
| | D Van Rensburg | 6 | 4 | 6 | | D Van Rensburg | 6 | 1 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| | C Porwik | 3 | 7 | 3 | | W White | 3 | 6 | 3 | | | | | | | | |
| | W White | 6 | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | 1 | P Shriver | 6 | 6 |
| 14 | R Fairbank | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | 14 | R Fairbank | 2 | 1 |
| Q | S Godman | 3 | 3 | | 14 | R Fairbank | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| | S Walsh-Pete | 5 | 6 | 4 | | E Krapl | 2 | 3 | | | | | | | | | |
| | E Krapl | 7 | 2 | 6 | | | | | | 14 | R Fairbank | 6 | 6 | | | | |
| Q | R Reis | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | Q | R Reis | 3 | 4 | | | | |
| Q | K Steinmetz | 1 | 0 | | Q | R Reis | 2 | 7 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 9 | L Meskhi | 6 | 6 | 1 | | | | | | | | |

#### Section 2

| First round | First round | First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Third round | Third round | Third round | Third round | Third round | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals |
| | | | | | 3 | L McNeil | 7 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | A Henricksson | 6 | 6 | | | A Henricksson | 6 | 4 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | M Lindström | 4 | 1 | | | | | | 3 | L McNeil | 4 | 6 | 8 | | | | | |
| | E Burgin | 5 | 6 | | | | | | | J Durie | 6 | 2 | 6 | | | | | |
| | J Durie | 7 | 7 | | | J Durie | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | T Phelps | 6 | 6 | | | T Phelps | 3 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 12 | I Demongeot | 4 | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | 3 | L McNeil | 6 | 4 | 6 |
| | A Kijimuta | 3 | 6 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | 7 | A Minter | 3 | 6 | 1 |
| | B Nagelsen | 6 | 4 | 6 | | B Nagelsen | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | H Witvoet | 4 | 7 | 4 | | L Golarsa | 1 | 4 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | L Golarsa | 6 | 6 | 6 | | | | | | B Nagelsen | 5 | 2 | | | | | | |
| Q | M Yanagi | 0 | 6 | 1 | | | | | 7 | A Minter | 7 | 6 | | | | | | |
| | S Parkhomenko | 6 | 4 | 6 | | S Parkhomenko | 4 | 5 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 7 | A Minter | 6 | 7 | | | | | | | | | | |

### Bottom half
#### Section 3

| First round | First round | First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Third round | Third round | Third round | Third round | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals |
| | | | | | 5 | L Savchenko | 7 | 3 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| | K Schimper | 2 | 2 | | | E Pfaff | 6 | 6 | 1 | | | | | | | | |
| | E Pfaff | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | 5 | L Savchneko | 1 | 1 | | | | |
| LL | K Adams | 7 | 6 | | | | | | | | E Reinach | 6 | 6 | | | | |
| Q | C Jolissaint | 6 | 4 | | LL | K Adams | 3 | 1 | | | | | | | | | |
| | E Reinach | 6 | 4 | 8 | | E Reinach | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| 13 | G Fernández | 3 | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | E Reinach | 2 | 5 |
| 10 | E Inoue | 7 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | 4 | Z Garrison | 6 | 7 |
| | J Hetherington | 6 | 2 | | 10 | E Inoue | 6 | 4 | 2 | | | | | | | | |
| | S Gomer | 6 | 6 | | | S Gomer | 2 | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| Q | N Medvedeva | 4 | 0 | | | | | | | | S Gomer | 3 | 2 | | | | |
| | H Ludloff | 6 | 6 | 6 | | | | | | 4 | Z Garrison | 6 | 6 | | | | |
| Q | L Field | 2 | 7 | 3 | | H Ludloff | 1 | 2 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 4 | Z Garrison | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |

#### Section 4

| First round | First round | First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Third round | Third round | Third round | Third round | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals |
| | | | | | 8 | N Tauziat | 2 | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| | B Gerken | 2 | 2 | | | M Jaggard | 6 | 3 | 1 | | | | | | | | |
| | M Jaggard | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | 8 | N Tauziat | 6 | 3 | | | | |
| | H Na | 4 | 6 | 5 | | | | | | | B Cordwell | 7 | 6 | | | | |
| | C Singer | 6 | 2 | 7 | | C Singer | 2 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| Q | K Okamoto | 5 | 1 | | | B Cordwell | 6 | 7 | | | | | | | | | |
| | B Cordwell | 7 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | B Cordwell | 2 | 6 |
| 11 | E Hakami | 2 | 7 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | 2 | C Kohde-Kilsch | 6 | 7 |
| | C Benjamin | 6 | 6 | 6 | | C Benjamin | 3 | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| | M Bollegraf | 6 | 6 | | | M Bollegraf | 6 | 2 | 4 | | | | | | | | |
| | C Wood | 3 | 2 | | | | | | | | C Benjamin | 2 | 0 | | | | |
| | N Bykova | 5 | 4 | | | | | | | 2 | C Kohde-Kilsch | 6 | 6 | | | | |
| | E Minter | 7 | 6 | | | E Minter | 0 | 2 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 2 | C Kohde-Kilsch | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |