Seventh seed Sri Lanka-based Australian entry, Michael Siyaguna, and Guyanga Weerasekera (seed 8) entered the quarterfinal of Boys’ Singles of the ongoing 25th ITF Junior International Championship (Grade 5) at SSC, Colombo, on Tuesday (12).

There were 11 Sri Lankans who featured in the 32-player Boys’ Singles Main Draw in this six-day event. By beating India’s Jaisal Kohli Mariwala on Tuesday, Sri Lanka 2008 Davis Cup poolist Siyaguna, an ITF junior rank of 1188, booked a hot quarterfinal berth with the top seed in his category, Chun Min Yam of Hong Kong (ITF rank of 392). The quarterfinals are scheduled for today (13).

Other local boys entries, Dhanuk Withana, Kaushalya Kulatunga, Dineshkanthan Thangarajah, Sahan Pandula, Asha de Silva, Yasas Dewage and Shehan Gomesz, fell in the first two rounds. Amresh Jayawickrema, who created an upset by ousting fifth seed Indian Vidhan Vyas in the first round on Monday, lost to Rytoto Tachi of Japan on Tuesday.

Siyaguna represented Australia while another Sri Lanka-based Indian, Rajat Maheshwari, played in the boys’ Main Draw as a wildcard entry. Sri Lanka’s Artha Hewacottege and M.A. Shakir were two others who got wildcard entries in the Boys’ Singles Main Draw. Maheshwari, Hewacottege and Shakir lost in the first round.

Un-seeded Sri Lankan Shenalie Weerasekera, meanwhile, toppled the fifth seed and the ITF’s 960th junior rank Susitha Das of India 6-4, 6-1 in Girls’ Singles on Tuesday. Weerasekera will now meet bottom seed Japanese Minami Hashizvme (ITF rank 645) in her quarterfinal match fixed for today.

Along with Weerasekera, there were two other local lasses in the final eight in the Girls’ Singles, Jithmie Jayawickrema and Amritha Muttiah, while another Lankan, Nilupul Goonasekera, was fighting for her entry into the quarterfinals when we were going to press last evening.

Another un-seeded Indian, Natalla Khaniejo, who held an ITF junior rank of 1867, beat 8th seed Pakistani Ushna Suhail, who came to this Colombo event with an ITF rank of 1644, 6-3, 6-4 in Girls’ Singles.

J. Jayawickrema (No.1 Seed) (SL) bt

Anushka Bahrgava (Ind) 6-4, 6-0

Yoko Nagai (6) (Jap) led against

Kemali Herath (SL) 6-1*

Shwetha Rana (4) (Ind) bt

Vaidehi Bhagwat (Ind) 6-1, 6-1

Theiviya Sevarajoo (Mal) led against

N. Goonasekera (7) (SL) 6-4, 2-3*

N. Khaniejo (Ind) bt U. Suhail (8) (Pak) 6-3, 6-4

A. Muttiah (3) (SL) bt Sherene Wijesinghe (SL) 6-0, 6-1

S. Weerasekera (SL) bt S. Das (5) (Ind) 6-4, 6-1

M. Hashizvme (2) (Jap) bt Boey Adelle (Mal) 6-1, 6-2

C. M. Yam (1) (HK) bt Srikar Alla (Ind) 6-4, 6-0

M. Siyaguna (7) (Aus) bt J. Mariwala (Ind) 6-2, 6-3

Marcus Chee (Mal) bt D. Thangarajah (3) (SL) 6-3, 6-2

Elliot Barnwell (6) (GB) bt

Bowom Hudson (Thai) 6-1, 6-1

R. Tachi (Jap) bt A. Jayawickrema (SL) 6-2, 6-1

Kriangkrai Suecharoenki (Thai) bt

Y. Dewage (SL) 6-4, 6-4

G. Weerasekera (8) (SL) bt

Joshua Crisp-Jones (GB) 6-1, 6-2

Kriangkrai Prajoubphans (2) (Thai) bt

S. Gomesz (SL) 6-2, 6-4