Ex-Palos Verdes Player Advances in U.S. Open Qualifying Match

Cammy MacGregor, a 1987 Palos Verdes High graduate, took her first step toward a berth in the U.S. Open tennis tournament by upsetting Miriam Oremans of the Netherlands, 6-1, 6-4, in a first-round qualifying match Thursday at New York.

Oremans was seeded 12th in the qualifying draw. Eight qualifiers will earn spots in the main draw.

In another match involving a South Bay player, Nicole London, a sophomore-to-be at Peninsula High, lost to Luanne Spadea of Boca Raton, Fla., 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.

The pairings for the main draw, which begins play on Monday, were also announced Thursday. Defending men’s champion and sixth-seeded Pete Sampras, a former Palos Verdes High standout, will open against South Africa’s Christo Van Rensburg; Todd Witsken of Hawthorne will play Finland’s Veli Paloheimo; Jeff Tarango of Manhattan Beach will oppose India’s Ramesh Krishnan and Jim Pugh of Palos Verdes will meet a qualifier.

In the women’s division, Kimberly Po, a 1989 Miraleste High graduate who helped UCLA to a second-place finish in this year’s NCAA tournament, is paired against Elise Burgin. Lindsay Davenport of Palos Verdes, who got a wild-card spot in the draw after winning the U.S. Tennis Assn.’s girls’ 18-and-under national championship earlier this month, will challenge Debbie Graham, the 1990 NCAA singles champion.