TOP seeds Richard Del Nunzio and Blair Shankle of the United States of America (USA) easily strode into the quarter-final rounds of the Boys’ and Girls’ 18 and under singles, respectively, at the 2011 International Tennis Federation (ITF) Jamaica Junior Tournament on at the Eric Bell tennis Centre, Picadilly Road yesterday.

Del Nunzio, who received a bye into the second round, easily disposed of Jose Andres Illescas Maury of Mexico in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2 in the Boys’ 18 and under singles, while Shankle also had an easy passage, knocking away Breana Stampfli of Trinidad and Tobago, also in straight sets 6-3, 6-2.

Other seeded players advancing to the quarter-finals in the Boys ’18 and under singles were second seed Ibian Hodgson of Aruba, who beat Eduardo Bringold of Mexico 6-3, 7-6 (3); fourth seed Austin Siegel of the US, who brushed aside Jorge Enrique Gonzalez Aramburu of Mexico 6-1, 6-0.

Fifth seed Adrian de Silva of Trinidad and Tobago also came out with a convincing 6-2, 6-1 win over Tristan Meraut of France; sixth seed Aws Laaribi of Tunisia cruised past Ryan Newman of the US in straight sets 6-3, 6-0; seventh seed Daniel Shebshayevich of the US crushed Daniel Gutierrez of Curacao in straight sets 6-0, 6-1.

Unseeded Yannik James of Grenada upset eighth seed Luke De Caires of Trinidad and Tobago in straight sets 7-5, 6-0, while unseeded William Albanese of the US brushed aside Oshane Trail 6-0. 6-1. Trail was Jamaica’s lone qualifier in the second round.

Meanwhile, the other players reaching the quarter-final of the Girls’ 18 and under singles are second seed Valeria Salazar of Mexico; third seed Johnnise Renaud of the US; Fifth seed Jasmin Jebawy of Germany; seventh seed Kandis Legall of the US; eighth seed M Rodriquez of Mexico.

The semi-finals of the Boys’ 14 and under main draw will also be played today with top seed Andrew Bicknell of Jamaica facing Gabriel Barrientos Carboni of Curacao and Jamaica’s James Cruze going up against Dylan Hall of Barbados. Bicknell defeated Tjimon Louisy of St Lucia 6-1, 6-1 in his second round game yesterday, while Cruze had a tough 7-5, 7-6 (5) win over Daniel Herman Gonzalez of Curacao.

Carboni had beaten Andrew Symmonds of Barbados 6-4, 6-1, while Hall came from a set down to beat Jamaica’s second seed Jacob Bicknell in three sets, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-2.

The Girls’ Under-14 main draw final will be between two Jamaicans — Shaeda Nickle and second seed Llana Blackwood. Nickle upset number one seed Asmara Faluke of the US in straight sets, while Blackwood turned back Stephanie Tom of Trinidad and Tobago 7-5, 6-3.

Jamaica’s pair of Jacob and Andrew Bicknell will face Alberto De Mendiola and Daniel Gonzalez of Curacao in the Boys’ 14 and under doubles final. The Bicknells defeated Dylan Hall and Brandon Tom of Trinidad and Tobago 6-2, 6-0, while De Mendiola and Gonzalez knocked out Carboni of Curacao and James Cruze of Jamaica 6-1, 6-2.