Top-ranked local men’s player Aaron Wilson and national women’s champion Brittany Joseph captured the Boys and Girls Under-21 Division titles when the 2018 Solo National Junior Table Tennis Championship took place at the National Racquet Centre, Tacarigua on Saturday and Sunday last.
In fact it was the third straight time that Wilson had emerged as champions in the Under-21 singles competition.
A member of the T&T men’s team at the Commonwealth Games in Australia earlier this year, Wilson had to withstand a strong challenge from his Carenage Blasters teammate Luc O’Young before he prevailed 6-11, 11-9, 16-14, 11-7.
Wilson, also the senior Solo men’s champion had earlier defeated Under-18 winner, and another club mate Jesse Dookie 11-2, 10-12, 11-6, 11-9 in their semi-final while O’Young overcame PowerGen’s Sarvesh Mungal 5-11, 11-4, 11-9, 11-7.
Like Wilson, Joseph of WASA is also the reigning national senior singles champion and she played like it in beat Under-18 champion, Chelsea Fong 11-7, 11-3, 11-9; Derah Ramoutar 11-3, 11-4, 11-4 and Aaliyah Singh 11-1, 11-2, 11-1 to top her four-player round-robin series with a perfect 3-0 record.
Fong, also of WASA ended second with wins over Warrenville United’s Ramoutar and Singh, both in straight sets while Ramoutar took third.
Joseph also captured the Under-21 Mixed Doubles after she combined with Sarvesh Mungal for a 6-11, 13-11, 11-9, 11-6 win over Luc O’Young and Fong.
Dookie had a relatively easy time in beating PowerGen’s Matthew Mootra 11-7, 11-4, 11-9 in their Under-18 boy’s decider.
This after Dookie was taken to five sets by club-mate Luc O’Young in their semi-finals, 11-9, 11-7, 4-11, 9-11, 11-2 while Mootra outlasted Finn Bos, also of Blasters 11-7, 12-10, 12-10.
Fong showed her experience in getting past Shreya Maharaj 11-7, 11-4, 11-9 in the girls Under-18 title match. In the last-four round, Fong spanked Nyla Bissessar of WASA 11-1, 11-4, 11-1 and Maharaj came-from-behind to beat Rayanna Boodhan of Arima Hawks’ 3-11, 11-8, 11-7, 11-8.
Under-11 Boys singles, Gabriel John of Carenage Blasters defeated Petrotrin’s Malick Gopaul 11-7, 9-11, 1108, 9-11, 11-4 in the final.
John won his semis 11-9, 11-2, 11-9 over Jordan Joseph of Arima Tennis Club, and Gopaul beat Sekel Mc Intosh of Maloney Tigers also in straight sets.
The Under-11 Girls comprised only four players and was contested on a round-robin basis at the end of which Petrotrin’s Chloe Fraser lifted the title courtesy wins over WASA’s Ashlea Mohammed 11-5, 11-1, 11-3; Arima Hawks’ Lyllana Boodhan 11-5, 11-3, 11-2 and WASA’s Shreya Maraj, 11-1, 11-0, 11-3.
Mohammed took second with a 2-1 record followed by Boodhan (1-2) and winless Maraj (0-3).
Jalen Kerr of Bago Slammers outplayed Nicholas O’Young of Blasters 11-6, 11-8, 11-6 in the Under-13 Boys’ decider.
This after Kerr swept past PowerGen’s Vheer Samnarine 11-4, 11-6, 11-5 and O’Young battled past Bago Slammers’ Jamaali Mauge 11-6, 11-9, 8-11, 11-8 in their semifinals.
Pryanka Khellawan of Petrotrin lived up to her favourite rage in the Under-13 Girls age-group by easing Gladiators’ Imani Edwards-Taylor 11-4, 11-2, 11-8 in their championship match.
Khellawan had early beaten Rebekah Sterling also of Gladiators 11-9, 11-5, 11-1 and Edwards-Taylor stopped Bago Slammers’ Sheneika Colette 11-7, 11-9, 11-5 in their final-four encounters.
Derron Douglas added another title for Bago Slammers when he brushed aside O’Young 12-10, 11-6, 11-5 in the Boys Under-15 finale.
In the semifinals, Douglas humbled Blasters Mikhail Dookie 11-8, 11-4, 11-5 and O’Young twice came from behind to beat Mauge 4-11, 11-7, 10-12, 11-9, 161-4.
Blasters’ Shreya Maharaj was also in winners row for her club with a polished 11-4, 11-3, 9-11, 11-3 victory over Khellewan in a highly anticipated Girls Under-15 final.
Maharaj booked her place in the final by beating Edwards-Taylor 11-6, 11-3, 11-6, and Khellawan ousted Sterling 11-7, 11-6, 11-2.
She enjoyed more success when she paired with Nicholas O’Young to beat Derron Douglas and Brianna Solomon 12-10, 11-6, 11-7 in the Under-15 Mixed Doubles.
Sarvesh Mungal did not leave without a title though as she paired with cousin Amresh Mungal to beat Luc O’Young and Bos in the Under-21 Boys Doubles, 4-11, 4-11, 11-4, 11-7, 11-6.
And it the Under-15 Girls Doubles, Shreya Maharaj and Khellawan proved a winning combination over Solomon and Collette and Edwards-Taylor and Sterling in a three-team round-robin.
Overall, Blasters dominated with 19 medals, six gold, seven silver and six bronze while Petrotrin, WASA and Bago Slammers each won two gold medals apiece.
