As was expected the France-based duo of five-time Caribbean singles champion, Dexter St Louis and his step-daughter Rheann Chung captured the Solo National Table Tennis Championship men and women titles at the Central Regional Indoor Sports Arena, Chaguanas on Monday night.
The 47-year-old St Louis of Solo Crusaders, ranked third for the tournament got the better of 64-year-old Canada-based David Mahabir, 8-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-1, 11-7, 11-9.
Earlier on, when the tournament resumed on the night, St Louis who won the mixed doubles with Chung, but was ousted at the semifinal round of the men's team competition by Arima Hawks defeated Caribbean Junior champion and Senior bronze winner, Aaron Wilson of Blasters 11-6, 11-9, 11-8, 11-2 and then dumped last year's winner Yuvraaj Dookram of WASA 11-7, 11-2, 12-10, 11-3.
Mahabir, who was crowned national champion two years ago eased past five-time champion Reeza Burke of Hawks 15-13, 11-4, 11-9, 11-4 followed by an 11-5, 11-5, 11-9, 7-11, 11-7 triumph over top ranked local Curtis Humphreys of WASA.
In the other quarterfinal matches, Humphreys accounted for Arun Roopnarine 4-11, 12-10, 11-8, 4-11, 11-7 and Dookram silenced Hawks' veteran and former national and Caribbean champion, Lionel Darceuil 15-13, 11-8, 11-3, 11-9.
Chung dethrones
Edwards as women's champ
Chung had a much easier night as she won both her matches in straight sets to dethrone 11-time winner Aleena Edwards.
In fact, Chung of Crusaders overcame Edwards of the University of T&T in their highly anticipated semifinal 11-8, 11-6, 13-11, 11-3 before she humbled another of her national team-mates Linda Partap-Boodhan of Hawks, 11-9, 11-5, 11-4, 11-7 in the decider.
Partap-Boodhan won her semifinal 11-7, 9-11, 5-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-6 over former titlist, teenager Brittany Joseph, also of UTT.
In the quarterfinals, Edwards who was part of the UTT team to win the women's team title defeated of University of West Indies' Ambika Sitram 11-6, 11-6, 11-5; Chung outclassed veteran player Merle Bagoo of Queen's Park Cricket Club, 11-7, 11-5, 11-5; Joseph swept aside Tobago Slammers' Ackayla Lucas 11-3, 11-3, 11-5, and Partap-Boodhan ousted PowerGen's Catherine Spicer 10-12, 15-13, 11-5, 6-11, 11-8.
On Saturday night, 12-year-old Derron Douglas powered Slammers to the Division Two Open Gender crown after he played unbeaten in a 3-1 whipping of last year's winners, UTT.
However, it was UTT who made the better start with Davone Joseph beating Benoni Daniel 4-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-7.
Douglas then whipped Kamal Hunte 11-5, 11-4, 11-5 to get his team back on level terms while Shaquille Mitchell put Stars' ahead via his 11-3, 11-4, 11-6 victory over Lamani Clarke before Douglas returned to beat Joseph 11-7, 11-4, 11-5 to clinch the title.
Last week in the semifinals, UTT defeated Himalaya Sports Club by a 3-0 margin with Joseph, Hunte and Clarke all in winners row and in the other semis, Stars 'A' created somewhat of an upset as they dumped Solo Crusaders which featured seven-times Caribbean mixed doubles champion, Chung, 3-2.
