Melbourne VIC, Australia, 13 December 2017 | Luke Dennehy

The 16/u Australian Championships kicked off on Wednesday as part of December Showdown, with the top seeds having very strong results at Melbourne Park in tough conditions.

Boys No.1 seed Dane Sweeny won 6-1 6-2 over Thomas Pavlekovich-Smith, while No.2 seed Ken Cavrak also had a comfortable win, taking out Sam Edgar 6-2 6-3.

> DECEMBER SHOWDOWN: live scores, schedule & draws

There were some familiar faces competing in the 16/u boys’ singles, including 14/u champion and runner-up Cooper White and Casey Hoole respectively.

White won 6-4 6-3 over Sebastien Flock while Hoole beat David Qariaqus 6-4 6-2.

The girls 16/u championships extended well beyond 6pm, after play was delayed earlier on Wednesday due to extreme heat.

In the 12/u singles, No.1 seed Vivian Yang defeated Baihe Lin 6-1 5-7 6-2 to reach the third round. No.2 seed Hana Sonton also had a strong second-round win, defeating Lily Fairclough 6-2 6-1.

In the boys 12/u singles second round, No.1 seed Shoga Sanada defeated Cooper Errery 6-0 6-0, while No.2 seed Zachary Viiala overcame Jesse Ingleton 6-1 6-1.