Canada-based David Mahabir kept hold of his Solo Senior National Table Tennis Championship Men’s Veterans Singles title following a three-set victory at the National Racquet Centre, Orange Grove Road, Tacarigua on Saturday.
In the championship match, Mahabir made light work of Solo Crusaders’ Michael George 11-4, 11-8, 11-5.
Earlier on in the knockout phase, Mahabir dispatched Warrenville’s Dave Ramoutar, 11-6, 11-1, 11-1 and George rallied past Hazaire Gopaul of Petrotrin 11-6, 9-11, 11-6, 11-5.
Then in the semifinals, Mahabir humbled Survivors’ Michael Mc Comie 11-6, 11-5, 11-7 and George came-from-behind to beat Himalaya Tough Guys’ Riad Abasali, 2-11, 11-4, 11-6, 11-9.
Mc Comie swept past Carenage Blasters’ Nigel Morgan 11-4, 11-5, 11-3 and Abasali defeated Franklyn Seechan of WASA, 8-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-1 in their last-eight encounter.
In the Men and Women Open Singles competition, both defending champions, who are also the reigning national Under-21 title-holders, Aaron Wilson of Blasters and WASA’s Brittany Joseph are still in contention to retain their respective crowns as well.
Joseph set up a semifinal showdown with Carnage Blasters’ Shreya Maharaj while her club-mate Chelsea Fong faces PowerGen’s Catherine Spicer in the other tomorrow night at the same venue.
This after Joseph ousted 12- time national singles champion Aleena Edwards 11-4, 11-6, 12-10 at the quarterfinal hurdle, in a rematch of last year’s final, and Fong beat Derah Ramoutar of Warrenville 11-8, 11-2, 11-2.
In the other quarterfinals, Maharaj overwhelmed Linda Partap-Boodhan of Arima Hawks’ 11-7, 11-9, 11-5 and Spicer silenced WASA’s Ambika Sitram, 11-6, 11-5, 11-5.
Last year, 18-year-old Wilson’s rallied from a 0-3 deficit in the best-of-seven sets final to topple WASA’s Curtis Humphreys’ 4-3 for his first national senior crown.
