Seeded badminton powerhouses Avril Plaza-Marcelle and Chequeda Deboulet will head groups B and A respectively when the Solo National Senior Badminton Championship serves off at the National Racquet Centre in Tacarigua from 6 pm today.
Plaza-Marcelle, the most consistent player for T&T over the years who has won numerous medals under the red, white and black of T&T will head a group that comprises Johanna Walker, Shania Lee, and her doubles partner at the National Championship at the Chinese Association a few months ago Leanna Castanada in a round-robin playoff, from which the top two players will progress to the semi-finals.
Deboulet, whose standout performance as a junior for the year has earned her three medals at the Suriname International Tournament, as well as gold medals at the recent Solo Juniors, leads the other group that will feature Nekeisha Blake, Afiya Clarke and Demi Ramdial.
She opens against Ramdial while Plaza-Marcelle, who was fourth last year, will begin her quest for precious metal against Walker at 8 pm. In other women's group matches Clarke will clash with Blake, and Lee will have a date with Castanada, also slated for 8 pm at the Tacarigua facility.
The Men's singles also promise to be a juicy affair with Allistair Espinoza, the country's top player among eight seeded for the event. Jade Allman, Mikael Joachim, Joshua Smith, Roger Moore, Surajdeen Mohammed, Nathaniel Khillawan and Ameer Mahabir are the others bidding for one of two spots in as many groups this evening.
Due to the number of participants in the men's singles, the format will be a lose-and-out playoff beginning at a round of 16. Espinoza will get his campaign started against Vijai Sanmarine and Smith will come up against Travis Sinanan. Allman will meet Nathaniel Joseph: and Josef Gonzales will square off against Joachim.
There will also be action in the women's doubles, mixed doubles and men's doubles competitions this evening. Meanwhile, the Solo National Juniors took place last week with Khilliawan and Deboulet dominating in the u-19 age brackets. Khillawan expectedly whipped Leon Cassie 21-7, 22-20 in the singles final while Deboulet clobbered Walker 21-14, 21-12.
But both lost their respective doubles matchups (boys and girls doubles) later on before they combined for the mixed doubles and defeated the pair of Zion St Rose and Walker 21-18, 22-20 in the final.
RESULTS
2018 Solo Juniors Finals
BS U11: Andrew Babwah (1), TTO, def. Ethan Ramcharan, , 21-9 21-14.
GS U11: T'Shelle Barnes (1), TTO, def. Nicha Fraser, TTO, 21-11 21-11.
BD U11: Andrew Babwah and Hassan Khan (1), TTO, def. Luke Mollah and Aeden Williams (2), , 21-13 21-17.
GD U11: Emily Lewis and Yelena Lewis (1), TTO, def. Arianna Mansook and Aliyah Urquhart (2), , 21-11 21-8.
XD U11: Andrew Babwah and T'Shelle Barnes (1), TTO, def. Aeden Williams, , and Yelena Lewis (2), TTO, 21-10 21-10.
BS U13: James Babwah (1), TTO, def. Jace Smith (2), TTO, 21-15 21-8.
GS U13: Sanna Guria (2), TTO, def. Danyelle Barnes, TTO, 21-8 21-2.
BD U13: James Babwah and Tyrelle Lamorelle (1), TTO, def. Aditya Maharaj and Jace Smith (2), TTO, 21-16 17-21 21-14.
GD U13: Kara Ashley Robertson and Amara Urquhart (1), TTO, def. Sanna Guria, TTO, and Kaylee Maharaj, , 21-14 17-21 25-23.
XD U13: James Babwah and Kara Ashley Robertson (1), TTO, def. Kiran Rampersad and Sanna Guria (2), TTO, 18-21 24-22 21-13.
BS U15: Reece Marcano (2), TTO, def. Travis Sinanan (1), , 22-20 21-15.
GS U15: Cathline Ramroop (1), TTO, def. Danae Mootoosingh (2), TTO, 21-14 21-13.
BD U15: Donovan David and Reece Marcano (1), TTO, def. Jamaal Copeland, , and Nicholi Marcano (2), TTO, 21-15 21-16.
GD U15: Zharia Hinds and Cathline Ramroop, TTO, def. Danyelle Barnes and Kyra James, TTO, 21-6 21-11.
XD U15: Travis Sinanan, , and Sonja Cassie (1), TTO, def. Seth Mollah and Janiah Boodoosingh (3), TTO, 21-19 21-8.
BS U17: Zion St. Rose (1), TTO, def. Josiah Hitlal (8), , 21-10 21-16.
GS U17: Cathline Ramroop, TTO, def. Alyssa Ramdath (4), TTO, 21-10 21-15.
BD U17: Reece Marcano and Zion St. Rose, TTO, def. Luke Lutchman, , and Uzair Omardeen (1), TTO, 21-13 21-9.
GD U17: Kristy Diljohn and Sadhika Jaggessar (1), TTO, def. Kayanna Blake and Rianne Singh (2), , 21-16 21-9.
XD U17: Jae Marc Tagalie and Kristy Diljohn (4), TTO, def. Mattaus Joachim and Amara Joachim, TTO, 21-14 16-21 21-17.
BS U19: Nathaniel Khillawan (1), TTO, def. Leon Cassie (2), TTO, 21-7 22-20.
GS U19: Chequeda Deboulet (1), TTO, def. Johannah Walker (4), , 21-14 21-12.
BD U19: Leon Cassie and Josef Gonzalez (1), TTO, def. Nathaniel Khillawan, TTO, and Josh Patrong (2), , 21-13 21-17 .
GD U19: Sandhya Cassie and Ananda Ramsingh (1), TTO, def. Chequeda Deboulet, TTO, and Johannah Walker (2), 21-19 21-19.
XD U19: Nathaniel Khillawan and Chequeda Deboulet (1), TTO, def. Zion St. Rose, TTO, and Johannah Walker, 21-18 22-20.
