Top-Seeded Bleszynski Advances, Will Play Her Former Schoolmate : Junior tennis: Third-round match slated against unseeded Romy Mehlman, who was team captain at Harvard-Westlake.

Top-seeded Ania Bleszynski of Thousand Oaks has breezed through the first two rounds of the Southern California Junior Sectional tournament in girls’ 18-and-under singles.

As she prepares for today’s round of 16, Bleszynski could use bitterness to give her a competitive edge.

After all, her opponent--Romy Mehlman--was one of several players who voted to deny Bleszynski the chance to play tennis for Harvard-Westlake High last fall.

But today will be no grudge match, Bleszynski said.

“We’re friends at school,” she said. “I guess it’ll be a friendly match.”

And if Mehlman, who beat Mary-Kate Callaghan of Los Angeles, 6-4, 6-2, Thursday, pushes Bleszynski? “Then it won’t be as friendly.”

Bleszynski and Mehlman, both seniors at Harvard-Westlake last year, were at odds last fall. Bleszynski wanted to play for the school team, on which Mehlman was the captain. Bleszynski, one of the top 16 players in the United States in her age group, said she could only practice with the team once or twice a week.

The Wolverines said that wasn’t enough of a commitment, and they went ahead and won a Southern Section championship without her. Bleszynski said she has no hard feelings.

“I don’t think it was (Mehlman’s) fault,” Bleszynski said. “That was a while ago and they won CIF without me. I wasn’t really upset about that.”

Bleszynski, who has lots of pals on the junior circuit, has grown accustomed to graciously defeating her friends. She plans to add unseeded Mehlman of Beverly Hills to that group after the two play at 10:30 a.m. at the Los Caballeros Sports Village.

In other girls’ 18 singles matches, second-seeded Krissy Hamilton of Agoura Hills defeated Hanna Brummett of Cardiff, 6-2, 6-1. Unseeded Monique Allegre of Camarillo defeated No. 8 Torey Pratt of Rancho Santa Fe, 6-4, 6-7, 6-2.

In boys’ 18 singles, second-seeded Derek Pope of Ojai routed Bret Hankey of Huntington Beach, 6-1, 6-1, and third-seeded Philip Tseng of Los Angeles and Harvard-Westlake High beat Jonathan Gilula of La Jolla, 6-3, 6-2.

In girls’ 16 singles, No. 5 Jessica Kessler (Studio City) defeated Kerry Giardino (Palos Verdes), 4-6, 6-4, 6-4; No. 6 Kirsten Gross (Calabasas) outlasted Michelle Bray (Laguna Beach), 7-6 (10-8), 3-6, 6-2; and No. 7 Brandis Braverman (Encino) beat Shera Wiegler (Bell Canyon), 6-4, 6-1. Each advanced to the quarterfinals.

In boys’ 16 singles, No. 3 Dylan Mann (Canoga Park) advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-0, 6-2 victory over Matthew Snowdon (Los Angeles).