ORONO – Eighty of the best high school tennis players in the state converged on a sun-splashed University of Maine tennis facility here Saturday, but only eight of them – three of whom come from the same school – advanced into next Wednesday’s championship round of the 1992 State Singles Tournament.

Traditional tennis power Cape Elizabeth placed three of the four schoolgirl semifinalists into the championship round with a dominating overall performance which saw the threesome lose only 18 games in nine matches.

Sophomore Erin Wentworth, junior Sarah Newcomb, and sophomore Bernadette Sweeney – the Nos. 1, 2, and 3 singles players for the Capers – each cruised through their matches, joining defending state singles champ and No. 1 seed Anna Chai of Cony of Augusta in the semifinals. Wentworth was seeded second, Newcomb third, and Sweeney fifth.

Last year, Chai defeated Wentworth 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 for the title.

The top four boys seeds – No. 1 Brian Patterson of Falmouth, No. 2 John Weber of St. Dominic in Lewiston, No. 3 Brian Wickenden of Camden-Rockport, and No. 4 Esko Pietikainen of Lewiston also advanced.

Weber lost last year’s final to Roman Pavlik of Cheverus in Portland by a 6-3, 6-1 score.

The semifinal and final matches will be held at Deering Oaks park in Portland, starting at 1 p.m. on Wednesday. Inclement weather would move the matches to the Racket and Fitness Center at 2445 Congress Street in Portland at 1:30 p.m.

While Chai dropped only five games in victories over Lise Carter of Caribou (6-2, 6-1), Caitlin Tso of Waynflete in Portland (6-0, 6-1), and Julie Kilcoyne of Gardiner (6-1, 6-0), Cape’s Newcomb advance to the semis losing one game less.

Newcomb topped Sarah Eustis of Waterville 6-3, 6-0, Julie Kleeman of Kennebunk 6-0, 6-1, and Darcy Toothaker of Gardiner 6-0, 6-0 to advance. Wentworth lost six games while Sweeney dropped eight.

In the boys draw, Patterson was perfect on the day, losing no games in his victories over Maxi Failla of Edward Little in Auburn, Milton Maluhy of John Bapst (who won a tough three-set match over Jason Oliverio of York, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4), and John Gasink of Cony.

No Eastern Mainers who played for schools north of Augusta advanced farther than the second round.

The match of the day may have been the second-round matchup between Jeff Pendexter of Scarborough and Chris Deneke of Bonny Eagle in West Buxton. Pendexter outlasted Deneke 7-6 (10-8), 7-5.

State Singles Tennis Round of 40 Boys

Semifinal qualifiers: Brian Patterson, Falmouth; Esko Pietikainen, Lewiston; Brian Wickenden, Camden-Rockport; John Weber, St. Dominic

Preliminary round: Maxi Failla (Edward Little) def. Heath Savage (Presque Isle) 6-2, 6-2; Chris Molda (York) def. Peter Haase (Waterville) 6-2, 2-6, 7-5; Eric Salminen (Caribou) def. Tim Blakely (Foxcroft) 6-2, 6-0; Mike Turner (Ellsworth) def. Chris Kumka (Sanford) 6-2, 6-0; Greg Vincent (Edward Little) def. Chris Jordan (Ellsworth) 4-6, 6-3, 6-1; Fred Roediger (South Portland) def. Todd McCann (Sanford) 6-1, 3-6, 6-3; Chris Deneke (Bonny Eagle) def. Mike Louder (MCI) 6-2, 6-1; Chris Spencer (C-R) def. Dave Toussaint (Lewiston) 6-0, 6-0.

First round: Brian Patterson (Falmouth) def. Failla 6-0, 6-0; Milton Maluhy (John Bapst) def. Jason Oliviero (Cape Elizabeth) 6-4, 3-6, 6-4; Christian Davalos (MDI) def. Molda 6-7 (5-7), ret.; John Gasink (Cony) def. Matias Ganices (Gorham) 6-2, 6-1; Esko Pietikaianen (Lewiston) def. Salminen 6-2, 6-2; Tim Killoran (C-R) def. Matt Brodsky (York) 6-1, 6-2; Tom Gable (Kennebunk) def. Turner 6-1, 6-0; Jeff Lathrop (Hall-Dale) def. Dave Yarema (Houlton) 7-6 (7-2), 6-4; Vinny Riccobono (Foxcroft) def. Jeff Smith (York) 6-3, 6-1; Brian Bouchard (Lewiston) def. Vincent 6-3, 6-2; Sam Fasulo (Houlton) def. Toby Glaseke (John Bapst) 6-0, 6-1; Brian Wickenden (C-R) def. Roediger 6-2, 6-3; Jeff Pendexter (Scarborough) def. Erik Irish (NYA) 6-1, 6-3; Deneke def. Troy Caverhill (Caribou) 6-3, 6-3; Eric Maddocks (Hampden) def. Mark Farmer (Schenck) 6-4, 6-4; John Weber (St. Dom’s) def. Spencer 6-0, 6-0.

Second round: Patterson def. Maluhy 6-0, 6-0; Gasink def. Davalos 6-2, 6-2; Pietikainen def. Killoran 6-3, 6-2; Gable def. Lathrop 6-0, 6-1; Bouchard def. Riccobono 6-1, 7-6 (7-5); Wickenden def. Fasulo 6-1, 6-2; Pendexter def. Deneke 7-6 (10-8), 7-5; Weber def. Maddocks 6-0, 6-1.

Quarterfinals: Patterson def. Gasink 6-0, 6-0; Pietikainen def. Gable 6-2, 6-1; Wickenden def. Bouchard 4-6, 6-4, 6-1; Weber def. Pendexter 6-0, 6-1.

Girls

Semifinal qualifiers: Anna Chai, Cony; Erin Wentworth, Cape Elizabeth; Sarah Newcomb, Cape Elizabeth; Bernadette Sweeney, Cape Elizabeth.

Preliminary round: Lise Carter (Caribou) def. Christina James (Woodland) 6-2, 7-6 (7-4); Maki Hayashi (Portland) def. Sandra Sneiderman (Belfast) 6-3, 6-1; Jenny Smith (York) def. Maggie Wdowiak (Deering) 2-6, 6-3, 6-2; Urte Schellenberger (Dexter) def. Celeste Douchette (St. Dom’s) 6-1, 6-2; Darcy Toothaker (Gardiner) def. Jen Oxman (Edward Little) 6-2, 6-2; Sarah Eustis (Waterville) def. Jessica Foreman (Ellsworth) 6-3, 6-1; Courtney Allen (Yarmouth) def. Stacy Bowman (Skowhegan) 6-1, 6-0; Caroline Balazs (York) def. Liz Anderson (South Portland) 6-0, 6-2.

First round: Anna Chai (Cony) def. Carter 6-2, 6-1; Caitlin Tso (Waynflete) def. Marie Hansen (Bangor) 6-2, 6-0; Julie Kilcoyne (Gardiner) def. Hayashi 6-3, 6-0; Melanie Griffin (York) def. Andrea Leishman (Calais) 7-6 (7-2), 6-3; Angela Laberge (South Portland) def. Smith 6-2, 6-0; Abby Goldenfarb (Kennebunk) def. Melissa Weber (Lewiston) 6-0, 6-1; Bernadette Sweeney (Cape Elizabeth) def. Schellenberger 6-3, 6-1; Suzanne DeGolian (Gorham) def. Cary Donaldson (Ellsworth) 6-2, 6-2; Heidi Wheaton (PVHS) def. Julie MacDonald (Hampden) 6-2, 6-1; Toothaker def. Liz Brown (Waynflete) 6-3, 6-4; Julie Kleeman (Kennebunk) def. Eliza Ahn (Old Town) 6-1, 6-4; Sarah Newcomb (Cape Elizabeth) def. Eustis 6-3, 6-0; Anne Bernard (Caribou) def. Nicole Levesque (Brunswick) 7-5, 6-4; Caryn Dumond (Fort Kent) def. Allen 6-2, 6-4; Darcy Clark (Schenck) def. Jen Stewart (Greely) 6-3, 7-6 (8-6); Erin Wentworth (Cape Elizabeth) def. Balazs 6-2, 6-0.

Second round: Chai def. Tso 6-0, 6-1; Kilcoyne def. Griffin 6-1, 6-3; Laberge def. Goldenfarb 3-6, 6-3, 6-0; Sweeney def. DeGolian 6-3, 6-0; Toothaker def. Wheaton 6-3, 6-1; Newcomb def. Kleeman 6-0, 6-1; Dumond def. Bernard 5-7, 6-1, 6-1; Wentworth def. Clark 6-0, 6-1.

Quarterfinals: Chai def. Kilcoyne 6-1, 6-0; Sweeney def. Laberge 6-0, 6-1; Newcomb def. Toothaker 6-0, 6-0; Wentworth def. Dumond 6-1, 6-2.