Queen's Park Cricket Club (QPCC) duo, Imani Edwards-Taylor and Yuvraaj Dookram, were crowned national women's and men's singles champions when the T&T Table Tennis Association Senior National Championship concluded at the National Racquet Centre, Orange Grove Road, Tacarigua, Sunday (September 7).
The victorious Edwards-Taylor joined her mother Astra Edwards-Bennett, aunt and 12-time national singles champion Aleena Edwards and her deceased grandmother Verna Edwards as national women's champion when she outplayed her QPCC clubmate Jordan Thong 14-12, 8-11, 11-6, 14-12, 11-6 in the best-of-seven sets decider.
For Edwards-Taylor, it was her first lien on the title as well after coming up short in three previous finals, twice against France-based Chloe Fraser, and once against Aleena Edwards.
The women's title was left vacant by back-to-back champion Fraser, who missed a chance at a three-peat after she returned to her club in France before the tournament began.
Edwards-Taylor, who had lifted the mixed doubles crown with Dookram a few weeks ago, secured her spot in the final after beating Powergen's Jerisse Elder in her semifinal 10-12, 11-5, 11-5, 11-5, 11-3 while Thong overcame veteran Linda Partap-Boodhan 3-11, 11-6, 11-4, 3-11, 11-4, 11-9 in her semifinals.
When the women's main draw served off, Edwards-Taylor defeated Carenage Blasters' Elizabeth Rajah 11-3, 11-9, 11-9 and Thong, also of QPCC, rallied past SUTTC's Makeisha Lewis, 11-5, 11-7, 5-11, 11-3.
In the other quarterfinals, Elder battled past the University of T&T's (UTT) Yzabelle Morris 12-10, 11-9, 11-7 and Partap-Boodhan of Tunapuna Hindu School overcame QPCC's Jinai Samuel, 11-9, 9-11, 11-6, 11-6.
Dookram, meanwhile, completed the treble in this year's tournament with his win over two-time champion Curtis Humphreys, 11-2, 11-9, 5-11, 11-4, 6-11, 11-8.
The win for Dookram added to his mixed doubles triumph as well as his men's doubles title win with clubmate Sekel McIntosh last month, and was also his first national singles crown since his first in 2014 as a 24-year-old.
Dookram began with a bye in the last-64 after which he brushed aside Oxford's Ethan Ramcharan 11-4, 11-7, 11-4; Powergen's Anson Lowkie 11-7, 11-5, 7-11, 12-10 and Carenage Blasters' Nicolai Barbour-Alexis 10-12, 12-10, 11-8, 11-6, 11-8 in the last-eight and last year's winner Aaron Wilson 4-11, 12-10, 11-9, 11-6, 10-12, 12-10 in the semifinals.
On the other side of the draw, Humphreys had a bye in the round-of-64 followed by wins against Powergen's Daniel Bhim 12-10, 11-6, 11-9; D'Abadie Youths' Everton Sorzano 11-6, 11-7, 9-11, 11-8, 11-6; Carenage Blasters' Luc O'Young 12-10, 8-11, 11-6, 7-11, 2-11, 11-9, 11-5 and Crusaders' Malik Gopaul 6-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-7, 4-11, 11-9 in the semifinals.
Wilson was also gifted a bye to start the round-of-64 and was made to work hard for an 11-5, 7-11, 11-5, 11-9, 11-9 triumph against Crusaders Nirav Basant in the last-32 after which he booted D'Abadie Youths' Edwin Humphreys 11-8, 11-5, 11-8 in the round-of-16 and Hillview Renegades' Andrew Edwards 6-11, 11-2, 11-7, 11-6, 11-6 in the quarterfinals before his demise in the semifinals.
Gopaul had booked his place in the final-four via main draw wins over Warrenville United's Sharaz Ali 14-12, 11-1, 11-6; Don Savant 11-9, 12-10, 11-3; Powergen's Josiah Joseph 11-9, 11-9, 11-0 and WASA's Alaric Humphrey's 9-11, 11-4, 11-9, 11-8, 11-1.
