Former national women's champion, Brittany Joseph of WASA and Bago Slammers' Benoni Daniel were crowned Under-21 champions when the Tobago Open Table Tennis Tournament served off at the Tobago House of Assembly Community Development & Culture Centre, Montessori Drive, Glen Road, Tobago, yesterday.
Joseph proved too much for Artienea Gregoire (11-6, 11-6, 11-7 and Monique Cooper 11-5, 11-8, 9-11, 11-9 to win the three-player round-robin series with a 2-0 record. Gregoire won her battle with Cooper 11-5, 11-8, 8-11, 11-9 for second.
In the Under-21 Boys final, Benoni Daniel of Bago Slammers defeated Sarvesh Mungal 9-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-7.In the semifinals, Daniel defeated Amresh Mungal 11-7, 11-6, 15-13 and Sarvesh Mungal stopped Joshua Maxwell 11-7, 11-9, 8-11, 11-2.
Jesse Dookie of Carenage Blasters lifted the title in the Under-15 Boys category via his 6-11, 9-11, 12-10, 11-6, 12-10 win over Derron Douglas of Bago Slammers
Dookie advanced to the final after he ousted Nikoli Barbour-Alexis 12-10, 11-13, 11-8, 11-8 in his semifinal while Douglas overcame Messiah Walcot 11-1, 12-10, 11-2
Shreya Maharaj repeated in the Under-15 Girls competition with an 11-13, 11-6, 13-11, 12-10 win over WASA's Chelsea FongMaharaj booked her spot in the title match when he beat Shanekah Johnson in her semifinal and Maharaj booted Shurja Welch.
In the Under-11 Girls', Brianna Solomon of Bago Slammers ended with a 2-0 record to claim top honors in her round-robins series courtesy wins over Gladiator's Rebekah Sterling 11-6, 11-9 and club-mate Sheneika Collette 10-12, 11-3, 15-13.
Another Bago Slammers player in winners' row was Jalen Kerr who overcame Jamali Mauge 11-5, 12-14, 10-12, 11-6, 11-7 in the Under-11 Boys final.Kerr reached the final after beating Vheer Samnarine 12-10, 11-2, 11-1 while Mauge battled past Nicholas O'Young 12-10, 12-10, 11-9 in their semifinals.
Today, reigning champions, Curtis Humphreys and Linda Partap-Boodhan will begin defence of their Open men and women titles.In the men's Open, Humphreys is seeded second behind Yuvraaj Dookram among a field of 16 players who have received by into the last 32.
The others include Arun Roopnarine, Reeza Burke, Alaric Humphreys, Kenneth Parmanand, Lionel Darceuil, Terrence Corbin, Andrew Alexander, Lawrence Ince, Sarvesh Mungal, Everton Sorzano, Haadiy Brooker, Anson Lowkie, Franklyn Seechan and Anson Wellington, with the major absentee being Aaron Wilson who has left for a stint in Sweden.
They will be joined by the winners of the 16 first round qualifiers.
In the women's Open, Partap-Boodhan will compete with Chelsea Fong and Shreya Maharaj in Group One while Brittany Joseph, Jamilia Alexander, Artienea Gregoire and Monique Cooper are in Group Two from which two players will advance from each group to the semifinal.