T&T's senior men and women teams endured losing starts to their respective team events when the International Table-Tennis Federation Latin American Championships served off in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, yesterday.
In their Men's Group C, four-team opener, the T&T trio of top ranked local Curtis Humphreys, five-time Caribbean singles champion Dexter St Louis and Aaron Wilson went under to Mexico, 0-3 while Venezuela toppled Uruguay 3-1.
For the reigning Caribbean champions T&T, Humphreys was beaten by Mexico's Marcos Madrid 1-11, 3-11, 5-11; St Louis suffered at the hands of Salvador Uribe 7-11, 12-10, 7-11, 6-11 and the combination of Uribe and Daniel Perez defeated Wilson and Humphreys, 8-11, 4-11, 7-11.
In their second match yesterday, Humphreys had a decisive fifth match win over Gonzalo Lorenzotti 11-9, 5-11, 11-9, 11-9 as T&T overcame Mexico improved to 2-0 by whipping Venezuela 3-1.
St Louis started off things for T&T by beating Santiago Kacowicz 11-5, 13-10, 11-7, however Santiago Lorenzotti replied for the South Americans with an 11-4, 11-5, 11-8 win over Wilson.
Uruguay then went 2-1 ahead when Kacowicz and Mateo Weitzner battled past Humphreys and St Louis in the doubles 12-10, 11-9, 10-12, 12-10.
With his team facing defeat, St Louis outclassed Weitzner 11-4, 11-7, 11-8 to level the tie at 2-2 before Humphreys humbled Lorenzotti in the decider to set up a battle for the other quarterfinal spot from the group with Venezuela.
Once again, St Louis provided T&T with a winning start, 11-9, 9-11, 11-6, 12-14, 11-5 over Venezuela's Luis Diaz.
But that was as close as T&T got to victory as Marco Navas defeated Wilson 11-5, 11-7, 11-8 while Diaz and Marcos Rosas spanked Humphreys and St Louis 11-3, 11-6, 11-6 before Rosas rallied past St Louis, 12-10, 8-11, 9-11, 11-1, 11-7 for a 3-2 triumph.
Mexico blanked Uruguay 3-0 to end with maximum six points, one more than Venezuela (2-1) while T&T (1-2) was third with four, and winless Uruguay, fourth with three points.
The T&T women's trio of France-based five-time regional champion Rheann Chung, 10-time singles queen Aleena Edwards and Linda Partap-Boodhan, who were all part of their regional winning team last year along with Jasher De Gannes put up more of a contest before they were edged out by Peru, 2-3 in their opener.
This was followed by defeats, both by 1-3 margins to Chile and Caribbean rivals, Dominican Republic.
Chung won the opening tie for T&T, 11-5, 11-3, 11-5 over Gabriela Soto, but Peru's Angela Mari overwhelmed Aleena Edwards 14-12, 11-5, 11-3 to level the tie at 1-1.
Partap-Boodhan and Edwards were then beaten in a tough five-set doubles encounter, 3-11, 11-8, 11-4, 7-11, 3-11 by Andrea Guzman and Mari, but Chung extended the match to a fifth encounter via her 11-3, 11-6, 11-7 defeat of Guzman.
However, in the fifth and deciding match, Partap-Boodhan was humbled by Soto, 7-11, 9-11, 3-11 to secure the tie for the South Americans, 2-3, while Chile also won over Dominican Republic, 3-2.
Against Chile, Partap was beaten by Judith Morales. 4-11, 7-11, 7-11 but Chung defeated Natalia Castellano 11-5, 12-10, 11-7 to even the match at 1-1.
Partap-Boodhan and Edwards fell to Katherine Low and Castellano 7-11, 4-11, 5-11 and Morales beat Edwards 11-6, 9-11, 11-4, 12-10.
It was more of the same against Dominican Republic with Chung again getting the lone win, 8-11, 11-5, 11-6, 11-7 over Lineth Vila.
But that was cancelled out by Eva Brito's defeat of Edwards 11-6, 11-7, 11-2; Eva Brito win over Partap-Boodhan 11-9, 11-4, 11-9 and Vila and Yasiris Ortiz doubled triumph against Partap-Boodhan and Edwards 11-3, 11-7, 11-7.
Today, the T&T players will all be involved when the men and women singles competition serve off.
Tuesday results:
Men's Team events:
Group A:
Brazil bt El Salvador 3-1
Brazil bt Dominican Republic 3-0
Dominican Republic bt El Salvador 3-1
Group B:
Argentina bt Peru 3-0
Puerto Rico bt Jamaica 3-0
Puerto Rico bt Argentina 3-2
Peru bt Jamaica 3-0
Argentina bt Jamaica 3-0
Puerto Rico vs Peru 3-0
Group C:
Venezuela bt Uruguay 3-1
Mexico bt T&T 3-0
Mexico bt Venezuela 3-1
T&T bt Uruguay 3-2
Venezuela bt T&T 3-1
Mexico bt Uruguay 3-0
Group D:
Chile bt Costa Rica 3-0
Ecuador bt St Kitts/Nevis 3-0
Ecuador bt Chile 3-2
Costa Rica bt St Kitts/Nevis 3-0
Chile bt St Kitts/Nevis 3-0
Ecuador bt Costa Rica 3-0
Women's Team event:
Group A:
Brazil bt El Salvador 3-0
Brazil bt Venezuela 3-2
Venezuela bt El Salvador 3-2
Group B:
Puerto Rico bt Mexico 3-0
Puerto Rico bt Ecuador 3-0
Mexico bt Ecuador 3-1
Group C:
Colombia bt Costa Rica 3-0
Argentina bt Jamaica 3-0
Colombia bt Argentina 3-0
Costa Rica bt Jamaica 3-0
Colombia bt Jamaica 3-0
Argentina bt Costa Rica 3-1
Group D:
Chile bt Dominican Republic 3-2
Peru bt T&T 3-2
Chile bt Peru 3-1
Dominican Republic bt T&T 3-1
Chile bt T&T 3-1
Dominican Republic bt Peru 3-1