HIGH SCHOOL TENNIS : Top 8 Seeded Boys Make Quarters

SAN DIEGO — Pardon the members of the seeding committee if they’re feeling a bit smug today.

As the San Diego Section boys’ individual tennis championships get under way today at 1 p.m. at Morley Field, 14 of the 16 seeded singles and doubles teams had advanced to the quarterfinals.

Not to shabby. All eight of the seeded singles players made it past the fourth round Wednesday, with just three matches going three sets. In doubles, mild upsets were handed to the sixth- and eighth-seeded teams, where only two matches were stretched to three sets.

In singles, the Nos. 1 through 4 seeded players, Henry’s Jerry Miyamoto, La Jolla’s Jon Elsberry and James Conda and USDHS’s Chris Tontz breezed through their matches. The Nos. 5, 6 and 7 players, La Jolla’s Jim Brown, University City’s Joe Barbarie and El Capitan’s Mike Paradowski won in three.

Only one La Jolla player, Dave Smith, was ousted in singles. Barbarie defeated Smith, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, in the longest match of the day. But the Vikings are well represented nonethless. Two La Jolla doubles teams remain in second-seeded Simon Kurth-Jonathon Gilula and seventh-seeded Carl Adams-Brett Johnson.

La Jolla Coach Steve Lende likes the tennis Elsberry has played throughout the team championships in this tournament.

“Of all our players, Jon is playing the best tennis for us,” Lende said. “He blew through Smith and Conda pretty easily in our league tournament. He’s hot now.”

After today’s two rounds, only the finalists will remain to square off in Friday’s singles and doubles championships.