Favourites On Course In Malmo

The top seeds comfortably overcame their second round opposition in the 16th European Junior U19 Championships at the Bellevuestadion in Malmo, Sweden.

Chris Simpson, favourite in the Men's event, beat Ireland's unseeded Rory Byrne 9-4 9-0 9-1 and now meets another unseeded player Kristian Gross Jeppesen, from Denmark, who upset France's 9/16 seed Thibault Prandi 9-6 9-4 9-6.

Simpson, from Brighton in Sussex, joins three fellow Englishmen in the third round - 3/4 seed James Wright, 5/8 seed Tom Richards, and 9/16 seed Shaun le Roux.

Belgium's top seed Charlie de Rycke, the defending champion in the women's draw, beat Germany's Eve Rixen 9-5 9-4 9-2 to set up a third round clash with 9/16 seed Lisa Kho, from the Netherlands.

While 17-year-old de Rycke is one of only two Belgians though to the last sixteen, there are four Englishwomen contesting quarter-final places - including No2 seed Jenna Gates, 5/8 seeds Rachel Willmott and Fiona Moverley, and 9/16 seed Deon Saffery.

Men's 2nd round:
[1] Chris Simpson (ENG) bt Rory Byrne (IRL) 9-4, 9-0, 9-1
Kristian Gross Jeppesen (DEN) bt [9/16] Thibault Prandi (FRA) 9-6, 9-4, 9-6
Ben Hardwidge (WAL) bt Pontus Olsson (SWE) 9-1, 9-3, 9-0
[5/8] Rik Smet (BEL) bt Matthias Maierhofer (GER) 1-9, 9-7, 9-0, 9-7
[5/8] Jens Schoor (GER) bt Jamie Macaulay (SCO) 9-6, 9-3, 9-4
Graham Melvin (SCO) bt Mark Carnall (WAL) 5-9, 9-3, 9-5, 9-3
[9/16] Ondrej Ertl (CZE) bt Benjamin Fischer (SUI) 9-3, 6-9, 9-3, 10-8
[3/4] James Wright (ENG) bt Jean Cezar Langlois (FRA) 9-1, 9-0, 9-7
[3/4] Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) bt Kevin Brechbuhl (SUI) 9-0, 9-0, 9-1
[9/16] Thibault Gouti (FRA) bt Victor Gupta (SWE) 9-2, 9-1, 9-1
[9/16] Sebastian Victor (SWE) bt Pyry Poikolainen (FIN) 9-1, 9-2, 9-2
[5/8] Tom Richards (ENG) bt Alan Clyne (SCO) 9-7, 9-7, 9-0
[5/8] Gustav Detter (SWE) bt Sebastiaan Weenink (NED) 9-6, 9-5, 3-9, 4-9, 9-5
[9/16] Shaun le Roux (ENG) bt Peter Creed (WAL) 9-4, 9-2, 9-5
[9/16] Nicolas Muller (SUI) bt Pedro Espeleta (ESP) 4-9, 9-2, 9-4, 9-4
[2] Simon Rosner (GER) bt Jaroslav Cech (CZE) 9-6, 9-1, 9-2

Women's 2nd round:
[1] Charlie de Rycke (BEL) bt Eve Rixen (GER) 9-5, 9-4, 9-2
[9/16] Lisa Kho (NED) bt Vanessa Isola (SUI) 9-7, 9-1, 9-7
[9/16] Deon Saffery (ENG) bt Julie Nillson (DEN) 2-9, 9-1, 9-1, 9-5
Odile Wavreille (BEL) bt [5/8] Chantal Moros-Pitarch (ESP) 9-6, 4-9, 9-7, 8-10, 9-6
[5/8] Rachel Willmott (ENG) bt Lovia Forstadius (SWE) 9-0, 9-2, 9-0
[9/16] Charlotte Delsinne (FRA) bt Bethan Williams (WAL) 5-9, 9-7, 9-2, 9-5
[9/16] Joanna Morgan (SCO) bt Maren Myhre (NOR) 9-4, 9-0, 8-10, 9-2
[3/4] Celia Allamargot (FRA) bt Ciara Moloney (IRL) 9-1, 9-3, 9-1
Jasmin Ballmann (SUI) bye
[9/16] Pamela Hathway (GER) bt Alexandra Clark (SCO) 9-7, 9-5, 5-9, 0-9, 9-1
Melissa Meulenbelt (NED) bt Sandra Hogberg (SWE) 9-4, 9-0, 9-0
[5/8] Fiona Moverley (ENG) bt Anna Detter (SWE) 9-5, 9-10, 9-6, 7-9, 10-8
[5/8] Sandra Krueger (GER) bt Joseta Bertilsson (SWE) 9-1, 9-2, 9-1
[9/16] Lotte Eriksen (NOR) bt Esther Jongerden (NED) 9-4, 9-3, 9-5
[9/16] Soraya Renai (FRA) bt Gemma Davies (WAL) 9-1, 9-5, 9-1
[2] Jenna Gates (ENG) bt Lucie Fialova (CZE) 9-4, 9-5, 7-9, 9-7