Lynn moves into quarterfinals at SoCal Junior Sectionals

Rebecca Lynn was shy as a young child, so her parents wanted to find an individual sport she could pursue.

Growing up in Denver, skiing was an option. But tennis seemed to work, too.

Rebecca picked up a racquet. That decision is working out for the Lynn family, who moved to Orange County about a year ago, then moved from Irvine to Newport Beach in January.

“She’s really determined,” said Rebecca’s mom, Maya. “You can tell that she loves the sport from her heart.”

Rebecca appears to have quite the bright future in tennis. She’s just 12 years old, and not only is she playing up in the 14s at the 115th annual Southern California Junior Sectionals, but she’s the top seed.

She showed why Friday afternoon at Fountain Valley Tennis Center, earning a 6-1, 6-0, over No. 9-seeded Kaytlin Taylor of Huntington Beach to move on in the main draw.

Rebecca will play No. 5-seeded Justine Dondonay of Alhambra in the girls’ 14s quarterfinals Saturday at noon at Los Caballeros. She has done well in her first major Level 1 Southern California tournament, as she has yet to drop a set.

“I guess I played OK,” Rebecca Lynn said, assessing her performance on Friday. “I played pretty well. I was moving well.”

Lynn, who is home-schooled for the moment but will attend a local charter school in the fall, had her way against Taylor, a 13-year-old who also is home-schooled through Community Home Education Program (CHEP).

Lynn dropped her serve in the first set to go 1-1, but from there she won the final 11 games of the match. Taylor, a left-hander, also played well, but Lynn played nearly mistake-free tennis.

“It wasn’t my best day, but she played really well,” Taylor said. “It’s OK. I used to practice with her, so we’re pretty good friends.”

Lynn, who also had her father Brent and younger brother Jacob watching the action, finished the match in a little bit over an hour. She said she is enjoying the Southern California lifestyle. Her new house in Newport Beach features a tennis court in the backyard, making practice easy.

“I love it,” she said. “It’s really nice. The food’s great, and amazing weather.”

And as far as being the top seed in a big tournament, she said she isn’t putting any extra pressure on herself.

“It doesn’t really matter,” she said. “I just came here to have fun and enjoy the experience.”

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Two of the other three local players to advance to the Junior Sectionals quarterfinals were both in the 12s.

No. 5-seeded Perry Di Giulio of Newport Beach outlasted No. 9 Thomas Lynch of La Mesa, 6-1, 3-6, 6-1, in a boys’ 12s round of 16 match. Di Giulio will play No. 4 seeded Dominique Rolland of West Hills in the quarterfinals, Saturday at 2 p.m. at Los Cab.

In the girls’ 12s, No. 5-seeded Mika Ikemori of Huntington Beach was a winner. She beat No. 9 Anne Yang of Arcadia, 6-2, 6-4, to advance. Ikemori plays No. 3-seeded Katherine Hui of San Diego in the quarterfinals, Saturday at 10 a.m. at Los Cab.

Jett Cole of Laguna Beach beat Marco Alvarez of Chula Vista, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, to advance in the boys’ 16s. Cole, who is unseeded, plays No. 9 Ian Freer of South Pasadena in a quarterfinal match Saturday at 10 a.m. at Los Cab.

Other local players lost in the round of 16. In the girls’ 16s, No. 9-seeded Leyden Games of Newport Beach was outlasted by No. 5 Lindsay Hung of San Clemente, 3-6, 7-6, 6-3. In the girls’ 14s, No. 5 Ella Pachl of Laguna Beach lost to No. 9 Taylor Cataldi of Corona, 6-4, 6-4, in a round of 16 match.

No. 5-seeded Julia Lilien of Newport Beach lost to Jenna DeFalco of Tustin, 7-6, 4-6, 6-2, in a girls’ 18 singles round of 16 match.

In the boys’ 16s, Emin Torlic of Corona del Mar lost to No. 5-seeded Brett Brinkman of Canoga Park, 6-3, 6-3, in another round of 16 match.

matthew.szabo@latimes.com

Twitter: @mjszabo