Aleena Edwards will start as firm favourite to make it title number ten when the Solo-sponsored National Table-Tennis Championships concludes at the Central Regional Indoor Sports Arena, Chaguanas from 6.30 pm, today.Edwards who has already won the mixed doubles title with her University of T&T team-mate and defending men's singles champion, Curtis Humphreys will come up against long-time rival and national team-mate Linda Partap-Boodhan of Arima Hawks in one semifinal while two-time winner, Natalie Montes also of Hawks faces PowerGen's Catherine Spicer in the other.
On Saturday last, at the at the Eastern Regional Indoor Sports Arena, Tacarigua, Spicer made certain a new champion would be crowned when she ousted last year's winner 14-year-old Brittany Joseph of Hawks at the quarterfinal hurdle 11-8, 10-12, 5-11, 11-5, 11-3 while Montes defeated national youth team player Jasher De Gannes of Bishop High School, 11-7, 12-14, 11-6, 6-11, 11-6 in her last-eight match.Edwards reached the last-four after she won her group and then whipped Cunupia Crew's Gyshan Latchman, 11-4, 11-7, 11-4 and veteran Merle Baggoo 11-6, 11-5, 11-7 while Partap-Boodhan, beaten in the final by Joseph last year swept past Cunupia's Renuka Sitram, 11-5, 11-9, 11-3 in her quarterfinal.
Humphreys faces tough test
Humphreys, meanwhile, faces a tough battle to keep hold of his crown with five-time national champion and local association president Reeza Burke, two-time champion Anthony "Sandfly" Brown, unseeded Canadian David Mahabir, inform Yuvraj Dookram and 14-year-old Aaron Wilson, all still in the mix.When men's action resumes this after Humphreys' who won his round of last-16 clash with Hawks' Mark Modeste 11-7, 11-6, 9-11, 11-7 meets with former club-mate Yuvraj Dookram of D'Abadie Youths.Dookram who led D'Abadie to the men's team crown last weekend and also had two wins over Humphreys in the team events dispatched former two-time Caribbean singles champion, Hawks' Lionel Darceuil in three tough sets, 14-12, 11-7, 14-12.
Mahabir, 62, and winner of the veterans title already, the first singles crown at stake stunned UTT's Kenwin Small and Ronald Williams of UWI in his second round group afterwhich he dumped seeded players Alaric Humphreys', Curtis brother, 9-11, 11-8, 11-3, 13-11 and meets Terrence Corbin who outlasted 14-year-old previously unbeaten, Arun Roopnarine of Hawks' 5-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-9.On the other side of the draw, Brown of Crusaders overcame D'Abadie's Everton Sorzano 11-6, 11-9, 11-9 to set up his last-eight clash with Anson Wellington of Hawks' who booted UTT's Kenwin Small 11-5, 11-7, 8-11, 11-5 while Burke who won the doubles with Roopnarine came-from-behind to beat Crusaders' Riad Abas Ali 9-11, 11-6, 11-5, 11-5 and Wilson of Blasters crushed Anil Ramlakhan of Crusaders, 11-2, 11-3, 11-5.