At the 14&U event in Bournemouth, the top four boys’ and girls’ seeds all booked their place in Wednesday’s quarter finals.
Kyle Edmund and Luke Bambridge recorded straight sets victories while Shakeel Manji was forced to come from behind to beat Callum Poland-Smith 4-6 6-1 6-2.
Chris Pearce, who also won in two sets against Robert Mitchell, was happy with his performance on the clay courts of West Hants Club.
“I was pretty pleased with the result as I was moving really well and executing the shots the way I wanted to,” said Pearce, the No.3 seed from Milton Keynes.
“These courts are really good for movement so although my game isn’t necessarily suited to clay I am able to get round my backhand and play a lot of inside-out shots. I have been playing a lot of tournaments abroad this season, where the standard is very high, but the Nationals are pretty similar so I’m used to what to expect.”
Katy Dunne, Eleanor Dean, Beth Askew and Alice Keddie all looked in impressive form as they cruised into the last eight with routine victories. The top four seeds are yet to drop a set in the opening two rounds.
Joshua Sapwell, the reigning 12&U champion, and Dominique Covington became the only qualifiers to reach the quarter finals after defeating Dean Michael Kelleher 6-2 4-6 6-2 and Allanah Griffin 6-1 6-2.
"I tried everything possible today but she was a lot bigger and stronger than I was, so she was even able to return shots that were previously winners for me,” said Griffin. “I’ve learnt a lot from playing in the Nationals this week and it’s given me a lot to go away and think about and improve upon.”