The T&T Cadet boys team of Luc O'Young, Joshua Maxwell and Derron Douglas combined to give their team a 2-0 start in their team event at the Cadet and Junior Caribbean Regional Table-Tennis Championship, which served off in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, yesterday.
In their opening clash, the T&T boys blanked Curacao 3-0 and then trounced St Lucia by a similar 3-0 margin to be certain of a place among the top two in the four-team table and into the semifinals ahead of its group decider last night with Puerto Rico.
Against Curacao, O'Young spanked Ralph Vincent 11-2, 11-5, 11-5 and Maxwell humbled Nasir Ignacio 11-4, 11-7, 11-6 with Douglas winning by default as their opponents only had two players on their team.
And in the encounter with St Lucia, O'Young beat Andrew Daniels 11-9, 11-1, 11-5; Maxwell outclassed Mario St Cyr, 11-9, 11-4, 11-5, and Douglas stopped Sunil Chtolie 11-9, 11-7, 11-7.
However in the Cadet Girls, the T&T team of Shreya Maharaj, Chelsea Fong and Shanekah Johnson went under to Puerto Rico, 0-3. Lineris Rivera humbled Maharj 11-4, 11-2, 11-2; Fong went under to Poala Sanabria 8-11, 2-11, 2-11 and Nicole Malavie overcame Johnson 11-9, 11-4, 11-3.
The T&T boys also got off to a losing start in the Junior Team event, 0-3 to the Puerto Ricans.
Puerto Rico got its wins from Sebastien Echevarria, 11-8, 9-11, 14-12, 11-9 over T&T's Arun Roopnarine; Tomar Gonzales defeated Aaron Wilson 11-7, 11-7, 9-11, 11-7 and Ivan Vargas scolded Shaquille Mitchell 11-0, 11-6, 11-8.
In its remaining matches, T&T will face the Dominican Republic A and B teams. The Junior Girls team of Anjana Valsalan, Gyshan Latchman and Nalini Boodoo also went under in their opener to Puerto Rico, 3-0.
Gabriela Diaz whipped Valsalan 11-3, 11-2, 11-1; Ana Poala Rivera brushed aside Latchman 11-4, 12-10, 12-10 and Bianca Serrano swept past Boodoo, 11-8, 11-6, 11-3.
Up next for the junior girls are matches against Dominican Republic I and II.