Second-seeded Zachery Byng has just one more game to go to be considered the champion in the boys' Under-18 division of the RBC Junior Tennis Tournament currently taking place at the National Racquet Centre in Orange Grove, Tacarigua. He will have to tangle with Kale Dalla Costa in the final for that crown.
Byng, a finalist at the Sagicor Junior Lawn Tennis Tournament which took place at the Eddie Taylor Courts at the Nelson Mandela Park in St Clair earlier this year, took care of Thomas Chung in Wednesday's semifinal on court 10. Following a perfect performance to date, Byng, the younger of two tennis siblings, first moved ahead in the first set 6-3 over Chung.
He was even more severe in the second set, romping home with a 6-1 win to seal his place in the title match Thursday.
Dalla Costa, the winner of the singles crown at the Central American and the Caribbean Confederation (COTECC) Carnival Cup at the National Racquet Center, Tacarigua last year, took care of Luca Denoon in his semifinal battle 6-2, 6-4.
In the equivalent girls' semifinals (U-18s), the top-ranked Christiana Hills was equally convincing in her semifinal contest as she disposed of Makayla Smith 6-2, 6-2 for the final. In 2020, Hills claimed the girls' U-14 RBC crown with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Gabriella Prince, and today she will attempt to enjoy the same success.
Meanwhile, the usually prolific Jordell Chapman was stopped in his tracks in the boys 16 and under category when he met Guyana's Gerald Scotland. Chapman went into the match as the number one seed but he was only able to claim three matches as the Guyanese took the advantage in the opening set 6-3.
Chapman then tried to level the scores but Scotland tightened the screws in the second to seal the win 6-2, thereby marching into the final. Scotland was joined in the final by countryman Denzel Luttres, the second-seeded player who turned back T&T's Nirav Dougdeen in the other semifinal, 6-1, 6-1.
In the girls' U-16s, it will be a showdown between Guyana and Antigua, as no T&T player was able to make a breakthrough. Paula Kalakyezi (Guyana) made her entry into the final, courtesy of a 7-5, 6-1 triumph over Iyana Paul of St Lucia, while Janae George-Alexander of Antigua took three sets before defeating T&T's Naomi Mohammed 6-4, 4-6, 11-9.
In the boys' U-14s, Jacob Jacelon confirmed the right to contest the title match when he overcame Jack Brown in an all-T&T encounter 6-4, 4-6, 10-8. In another boys' U-14 semifinals match-up, Jaysean Wells went down to St Lucia's Alhil Cyril in straight sets 6-2, 6-2.
Meanwhile, in the U-10 division, Teijha Wellington kept the T&T flag flying when she turned back her teammate Anaya Roberts 5-3, 5-2(3) in the round-robin affair, however, her compatriot Isabela Rambhajan could not follow in her footsteps, going down to St Lucia's Ivertari Goddard 4-0, 4-0.
Among the boys, there were also wins for the pair of Dhruv Rambhajan, defeating Zachary Anthony 5-4 (5), 4-5(4), 10-1 and Ethan Primus who beat Kimani Felix of St Lucia 1-4, 4-2, 10-5.