Qualifying Starts Saturday for Slims of L.A.

Andrea Temesvari-Trunkos, who was ranked seventh on the pro tennis tour in 1984, leads a field of 32 players in two days of qualifying for the $375,000 Virginia Slims of Los Angeles.

Play begins at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Manhattan Beach Country Club. Eight players will qualify for the 56-player singles main draw. Main draw play begins Monday and the finals are Aug. 15.

Players whose Virginia Slims rankings are not high enough to earn them places in the main draw must qualify. Players need to win three matches to reach the main draw.

Temesvari-Trunkos, 27, has won five Kraft Tour singles titles, including the 1983 and 1985 U.S. Clay Courts Championship and the 1983 Italian Open. Temesvari-Trunkos has also won four doubles titles, including the 1986 French Open with Martina Navratilova.

After playing some professional tournaments as an amateur in 1981, Temesvari-Trunkos turned professional in January, 1982, and was voted as the tour’s most improved player by the Women’s Tennis Assn. and Tennis Magazine.

Temesvari-Trunkos had surgery on an ankle and shoulder and was sidelined for 20 months. She returned to the tour in 1989 and was ranked 43rd.

In 1992, the Hungarian-born Temesvari-Trunkos advanced to the quarterfinals of two tour events.

The qualifying field also includes Jenny Byrne, the 1992 WTA comeback player of the year, Jessica Emmons, a former UCLA standout and Jennifer Santrock, a singles semifinalist in the 1987 NCAA championships.

Several Southland players are expected to be added to the qualifying field today.

In 1991, qualifier Kimiko Date reached the finals at Manhattan Beach by defeating Gabriela Sabatini, then the world’s third-ranked player. Date lost to Monica Seles.

Navratilova is the defending champion.