Fernandes advances to semi-finals

World-rated squash player Nicolette Fernandes remains the  only Guyanese contesting the individual championship at this year’s senior Caribbean squash tournament in the Cayman Islands after  Keisha, Kayla and Kristian Jeffrey along with Victoria Arjoon were booted from the competition in the quarter-finals.

Fernandes, ranked 103 by the Women’s International Squash Players Association (WISPA), was seeded number one heading into the tournament and drew a bye to the second round where she faced Samantha Hennings of the Cayman Islands, demolishing her 11-3, 11-5 and 11-1.

She then moved on to play Trinidad and Tobago’s Kerrie Sample.

Sample was the person responsible for the exit of Kayla Jeffery from the second round, sending her packing in straight sets (11-3, 11-6, 11-7) but was no match to Fernandes who exacted revenge for her compatriot’s loss.

The former Caribbean champion literally outplayed the Trinidadian in similar fashion (11-1, 11-4 and 11-0).

This is Fernandes third major tournament of the year and the former CAC and three-time Southern Caribbean Games ladies champion will be hoping to continue her climb in the WISPA world ranking when she faces Barbados’ Cherri-Ann Parris in the semi-finals.

Meanwhile, after a positive start, the Caribbean’s junior squash champion Keisha Jeffery was no match for Bermuda’s Denise Summers and was booted in the quarter-finals.

Keisha, who like Fernandes was given a bye in the first round and played Karina Lutchmeesingh of Trinidad in the second, defeating her 11-7, 11-7 and 11-6,  was not as fortunate against the Bermudan.

Summers whipped the young Guyanese in straight sets (11-5, 11-5 and 11-3).

Arjoon after showing some form in the first round, could not keep up the momentum in the second round and went down to Lilianna White of Barbados in straight games by an 11-5 margin in all three sets.

Over in the men’s competition national champion Kristian Jeffery, the only Guyanese to have made it out of the first round, repeated his performance in the second with another excellent performance against Kevin Ross of Trinidad and Tobago, winning 11-0, 11-6 and 11-1.

But Kristian was not as impressive against Jamaica’s Chris Bennie who eliminated the Guyanese from the tournament at the quarter-finals stage with a straight set victory,  11-5, 11-6 and 11-5.

In the meantime, Guyana’s Oliver Kear-Downes has advanced to the semi-finals of the plate championship of the tournament after edging out teammate Alexander Arjoon in the quarter-finals.

Both players exited the senior men’s championship in the first round but turned in some good performances in the plate.

Downes dropped one set in his victory against Bermuda’s Stephen Smith (11-4, 9-11, 11-6 and 11-8) while Arjoon had an easy win against another Bermudan Tim Shave, 11-7, 11-5 and 11-5.

It was evident that a great match was in the making when the two Guyanese met in the quarter-finals and the scores reflected that  prediction since the game went five sets with Downes coming out on top 11-7, 7-11, 11-7, 7-11 and 11-5.

Downes is down to face Jamaica’s Bruce Burrowes in the semis.