Pint-sized, 11-year-old Jean Claude Jeffrey proved to all and sundry that he will be a force to reckon with in the boys’ under-15 division of the Woodpecker Products 2008 National Junior Squash competition when he pulled off a stunning upset win over his more illustrious opponent Nyron Joseph at the Georgetown Club, Wednesday night.
There were also convincing victories for Victoria Arjoon, Larissa Wiltshire, Ben Mekdeci and Alexander Arjoon who all blew out their opponents in straight sets, whilst Raphael de Groot scored an upset win over Alexander Arjoon in an under-17 clash.
But the match of the night was the Jeffrey/Joseph encounter which the former had to pull out all the stops to turn back the challenge of his opponent.
From the very first rally it was obvious that Jeffrey meant business. His early intensity caught Joseph off guard and in a flash Jeffrey was up 6-1. It was at this point that Joseph began to settle down and gradually establish himself.
He took a 7-6 lead, but in what was to become the pattern of the match, Jeffrey refused to let it slip away and claimed the first 9/7.
Things seemed to return to normal in the second set when Joseph blew away his opponent 9/3, but Jeffrey had different ideas when he raced out to a 8-0 lead in the third and eventually closed out the game at 9/3.
With both players sensing the urgency of the fourth game, the crowd was treated to a retrieving exhibition usually demonstrated by much older players as the late night sacrifice training of Jeffrey kicked in.
After countless service changes it was Joseph who emerged at game point at 8-4, he had one more opportunity to claim the game but once again Jeffrey refused to give in and earned the well deserved victory 10/8.
This result has set the tone for Sunday’s rematch between these two players in the under-13 division which is expected to be another thriller.
Next it was Raphael de Groot and Arjoon’s turn to take the show court and these two exceptional athletes did not disappoint.
As he usually does, Arjoon dominated the early exchanges to take a 5-1 lead in the first set. He got to 6-2 before de Groot came roaring back to take a 7-6 lead. In his calm, methodical manner, Arjoon took back the serve and reached game point at 8-7, before de Groot stole the first 10/8.
De Groot pounced on his opponent early in the second to reach game ball at 8-2, but again Arjoon calmly worked his way back into the game and was gaining momentum when de Groot finally ended it on his fourth attempt, 9/5.
Realizing that the match was slipping away, Arjoon upped his game in the third set and saw immediate results, allowing him to establish a 5-2 lead. De Groot then went on a four- point run before Arjoon got back the serve and after several service changes it was de Groot who claimed the monumental upset over the two-time Caribbean champion Arjoon, 9/5.
Results from the second night of action are as follows:
Girls Under 11 & 13 Combined
Akeila Wiltshire defeated Rebecca Xavier 9-5, 9-0, 9-2
Victoria Arjoon defeated Taylor Fernandes 9-0, 9-0, 9-0
Larissa Wiltshire defeated Alexandra Phang 9-0, 9-0, 9-0
Girls Under 15
Ashley de Groot defeated Kristina Cheeks 9-1, 9-0, 9-0
Girls Under 17 & 19 Combined
Keisha Jeffrey defeated Kayla Jeffrey 9-3, 9-4, 9-6
Mary Fung-A-Fat defeated Alysa Xavier 3-9, 9-1, 9-1, 9-1
Ashley Khalil defeated Samantha Fernandes 9-2, 9-0, 9-0
Alysa Xavier defeated Ashley de Groot 9-5, 9-1, 9-0
Boys Under 11
Alec Melville defeated Matthew Phang 9-0, 9-6, 10-8
Ben Mekdeci defeated Immanuel Barker 9-0, 9-0, 9-0
Patrick Fraser defeated Alexander Cheeks 9-7, 9-1, 9-1
Boys Under 15
Jean-Claude Jeffrey defeated Nyron Joseph 9-7, 3-9, 9-3, 10-8
Boys Under 17 &19 Combined
Raphael de Groot defeated Alexander Arjoon 10-8, 9-5, 9-5
Oliver Kear-Downes defeated Javed Rahaman 9-5, 9-2, 9-3
Kristian Jeffrey defeated Jason Ray Khalil 9-0, 9-0, 9-1
Alexander Arjoon defeated Alonzo Lawrie 9-0, 9-0, 9-0
