Sophie Earley, Tianer Yu, Sienna Jetha and Hannah Saunders all reached the quarter-finals at the WTT Youth Contender Lignano in Italy – Earley and Yu pushing two leading Japanese players all the way.

Earley and Yu both comfortably won their groups in the Under-17 Girls’ Singles, and made it through the early knockout rounds. Yu put in a great performance against Clea De Stoppeleire of France in the last 16, winning in five against an opponent ranked 37 places above her at 75.

In the quarters, both faced Japanese opponents and it was five games in each case. Yu twice levelled against Yuna Ojio, the top seed and world No 5, before losing the decider 11-7. Earley (WR 78 meanwhile twice led against Rin Mende and had a match point in the fourth before eventually going out 3-2 (6-11, 11-6, 8-11, 12-10, 11-8) to the second seed and world No 20.

Jetha went out in the round of 32, going down 11-9 in the fifth against Emma Sereno-Regis of Italy. She had earlier overturned a 2-0 deficit in the groups to beat another Italian, Giorgia Filippi.

Jetha made it into the quarter-finals in the under-15s, where she faced top seed Mao Takamori of Japan, ranked more than 200 places above her at No 53 in the world.

Jetha acquitted herself well but went out in three to a player who went on to win the competition.

Saunders got through to the last eight in the under-11s, dropping only one game as she won her group.

She faced third seed Polina Encheva of Bulgaria in the quarters and took a 2-0 lead. The next three games were desperately close and Saunders had a match point, but she lost them 14-12, 11-9 and 14-12.

Saunders was also unfortunate in the under-13s, in which she won one of her three group matches but went out in a three-way countback behind group winner Akhyata Patra.

In the under-19s, Earley and Yu both went out in the last 16, Yu in five to third seed Nicole Arlia of Italy (WR 32) and Earley in three to Elina Rahimi of Iran, ranked eight places below her at 86.

Results

Under-19 Girls’ Singles
Qualifying group 7
Sophie Earley bt Caterina Angeli (ITA) 3-0 (11-6, 11-5, 11-2)
Earley bt Nicoleta Pascui (HUN) 3-0 (13-11, 11-9, 11-5)

Qualifying group 11
Tianer Yu bt Ginevra Sartori (ITA) 3-0 (11-5, 11-1, 11-7)
Yu bt Sara Tokic (SLO) 3-0 (w/o)
Jeanne Robbes (FRA) bt Yu 3-2 (11-7, 9-11, 13-11, 5-11, 11-9)

Round of 32
Yu bt Lea Lachenmayer (GER) 3-1 (11-6, 10-12, 11-8, 11-8)

Round of 16
Nicole Arlia (ITA) bt Yu 3-2 (12-10, 9-11, 11-3, 8-11, 11-9)
Elina Rahimi (IRI) bt Earley 3-0 (11-9, 13-11, 11-7)

Under-17 Girls’ Singles
Qualifying group 6
Clea De Stoppeleire (FRA) bt Sienna Jetha 3-0 (11-2, 11-2, 11-3)
Jetha bt Giorgia Filippi (ITA) 3-2 (6-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-2, 11-8)

Qualifying group 7
Sophie Earley bt Alessandra Benassi (ITA) 3-0 (11-3, 11-4, 11-8)
Earley bt Veronika Vasylenko (UKR) 3-1 (11-4, 11-2, 7-11, 11-3)

Qualifying group 10
Tianer Yu bt Emma Sereno-Regis (ITA) 3-0 (11-6, 11-8, 11-3)
Yu bt Nicoleta Pascui (HUN) 3-0 (11-7, 11-5, 11-4)

Round of 32
Yu bt Lana Slatinsek (SLO) 3-0 (11-9, 11-4, 11-6)
Emma Sereno-Regis (ITA) bt Jetha 3-2 (11-8, 8-11, 5-11, 11-8, 11-9)

Round of 16
Yu bt Clea De Stoppeleire (FRA) 3-2 (11-6, 8-11, 11-6, 8-11, 11-6)
Earley bt Enya Moltara (SLO) 3-0 (11-8, 11-5, 11-8)

Quarter-finals
Yuna Ojio (JPN) bt Yu 3-2 (11-9, 8-11, 11-6, 8-11, 11-7)
Rin Mende (JPN) bt Earley 3-2 (6-11, 11-6, 8-11, 12-10, 11-8)

Under-15 Girls’ Singles
Qualifying group 4
Giorgia Filippi (ITA) bt Sienna Jetha 3-2 (7-11, 7-11, 11-8, 11-7, 11-8)
Jetha bt Esther Hasek (ESP) 3-0 (11-9, 11-7, 11-7)

Round of 16
Jetha bt Lana Slatinsek (SLO) 3-1 (11-7, 9-11, 11-5, 11-4)

Quarter-finals
Mao Takamori (JPN) bt Jetha 3-0 (11-8, 11-6, 11-8)

Under-13 Girls’ Singles
Qualifying group 2
Akhyata Patra (SUI) bt Hannah Saunders 3-0 (11-6, 12-10, 12-10)
Laura Depentori (ITA) bt Saunders 3-0 (11-7, 11-8, 11-6)
Saunders bt Carolina Rossi (ITA) 3-0 (15-13, 11-6, 11-9)

Under-11 Girls’ Singles
Qualifying group 4
Hannah Saunders bt Yue Yan Liu (FRA) 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 11-8)
Saunders bt Alice Borsani (ITA) 3-0 (11-2, 11-8, 11-3)
Saunders bt Carolina Rossi (ITA) 3-1 (11-3, 7-11, 11-8, 11-7)

Quarter-finals
Polina Encheva (BUL) bt Saunders 3-2 (7-11, 9-11, 14-12, 11-9, 14-12)