France-based Rheann Chung won both her matches but it was not enough as T&T fell to a 3-2 defeat against Puerto Rico in their women’s team semifinal at the Senior Caribbean Table Tennis Federation at the Parque del Este Table Tennis Hall, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on Wednesday.
Buoyed by their 3-2 upset of host the Dominican Republic in their final Group Two match to end with a 1-1 pool record and secure a semifinal spot behind Cuba who ended 2-0, the T&T women were hopeful of pulling off another stunner against the Puerto Ricans who topped Group One with victories over Guyana and Barbados.
A five-time Caribbean Women’s Singles champion, Chung handed T&T the perfect start against the Puerto Ricans when he defeated Fabiola Diaz 8-11, 11-6, 11-8, 9-11, 11-7 but the Spanish-speaking was quickly back on level terms at 1-1 via Brianna Burgos’ 11-6, 11-9, 11-3 beating of Chloe Fraser.
Edmarie Leon then put Puerto Rico ahead for the first time in the best-of-five series at 2-1 following her 11-7, 11-7, 11-7 defeat of Imani Edwards-Taylor, but Chung came up trump for T&T to end the series to a decisive fifth match after beating Burgos 11-8, 14-12, 11-8.
However, Fraser could not repeat her heroics from the round-robin Group Two clash with host Dominican Republic and went under to Diaz, 7-11, 8-11, 9-11, leaving T&T to settle for the bronze medal along with fellow Caribbean country Guyana, who were beaten 3-0 in the other semifinal by Cuba. On Wednesday in their must-win clash with T&T, Dominican Republic took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series when Eva Brito defeated 15-year-old Fraser 11-6, 11-7, 3-11, 11-7 but Chung got T&T on level terms courtesy her 11-7, 12-10, 8-11, 11-7 victory against Esmerlyn Castro.
The see-saw battle swung back in Dominican Republic’s favour thanks to Yasiris Ortiz’s straightforward 11-4, 11-2, 11-6 win against Imani Edwards-Taylor 11-4, 11-2, 11-6 but once again, Chung drew T&T even, this time as 2-2 after she outplayed Brito 11-9, 11-8, 11-7 to set up the deciding contest between Fraser and Castro, which the former won 11-5, 7-11, 11-9, 11-6. On Tuesday in their opening match, T&T went under 3-0 to Cuba with Fraser, who plays for GV Hennebont in France and recently made an impressive debut in the National 1 Table Tennis Critérium Fédéral Tournament in Pont-à-Mousson, France winning both the Senior Women’s Elite B and the Junior Women’s Elite B, losing to Estela Crespo 11-4, 11-7, 6-11, 6-11, 9-11 in the opener.
Chung was then beaten by Rosalba Aguila 12-14, 6-11, 11-9, 7-11 and Edwards-Taylor went under to Karla Perez-Gonzalez 11-7, 5-11, 4-11, 6-11.
In the men’s team competition, T&T fell one win away from at least a bronze medal after going down to Dominican Republic in one of two quarterfinals with Aaron Wilson, Arun Roopnarine and Luc O’Young, all tasting defeat yesterday. Wilson put up a spirited effort in his 5-11, 8-11, 10-12 loss to Rafael Cabrera; Roopnarine was overwhelmed by Isaac Vila 11-9, 7-11, 4-11, 12-14; and O’Young proved no match for Abit Tejada losing 4-11, 2-11, 6-11.
In the morning session, T&T men blanked Jamaica 3-0 with Wilson beating Mark Phillips 11-4, 11-7, 11-9; O’Young sweeping past Emani Mc Pherson 11-9, 16-14, 11-9 and Roopnarine, an 11-7, 9-11, 11-4, 8-11, 11-8 winner against Rohan Lewis, to end with a 1-1 record in Group Three and the second spot behind unbeaten Barbados who ended 2-0 while Jamaica was winless from their two encounters.
In the opening round, T&T was edged out by Barbados 2-3 in their Group Three curtain-raiser with Wilson beating Mark Dowell 11-9, 11-9, 11-7 and O’Young an 8-11, 11-3, 11-4, 11-4 victor against Tre Riley. However, Barbados got wins from Tyrese Farley over Arun Roopnarine 11-3, 11-7, 16-14 and Wilson 11-6, 11-6, 11-8 and Dowell over Roopnarine 11-4, 11-8, 14-12 in the decider to snatch the win.
Last night, the men’s and women’s singles competitions served off with Edwards-Taylor, Jordan Thong, O’Young and Wilson all in action. Edwards-Taylor was to face Puerto Rico’s Brianna Burgos and Jordan Thong competed in Group Four versus Puerto Rican Fabiola Diaz in the women’s singles while O’Young came up against Dominican Republic’s Isaac Vila, and Wilson tackled Barbadian Romario Gill.
Today, Roopnarine will begin his campaign against Angel Naranjo of Puerto Rico and Jameson Bernard of Haiti in Group One; O’Young completes his series against Cuban Rene Mendez in Group Nine, in Group II Malik Gopaul plays St Lucian De Andre Calderon and Aruban Bryan Lopes and in Group 12, Wilson will tackle Puerto Rican Jabdiel Torres.
In the women’s singles, Edwards-Taylor faces Cuban Karla Perez Gonzalez in Group One; Fraser contests Group Three against Dominican Republic’s Shary Munoz, and Barbadian Qadesh Weekes; Thong completes her Group Four series versus Guyana’s Natalie Cummings, and Chung battles Estela Crespo of Cuba, and Guyana’s Jasmine Billingy in Group Five. Also today, the men’s doubles serve off with round-of-32 clashes, T&T’s O’Young and Gopaul facing St Lucians Joshua Lubin and Manie Eleuthere, while Roopnarine and Wilson come up against Arubans Bryan Lopes and Shaofeng Xie. In the mixed doubles round-of-16, Roopnarine and Chung battle Dominican Republic’s Rafael Cabrera and Brito, and Wilson and Fraser face Dominican Republic’s Ramon Vila and Yasiris Ortiz.
The women’s doubles serve off tomorrow (on Saturday) with the round-of-16 and T&T will be represented by Fraser and Jordan Thong against Puerto Ricans Brianna Burgos and Fabiola Diaz while Chung and Edwards-Taylor play Dominican Republic’s Dafne Sosa and Dahyana Rojas.
