Following Guyana’s record performance at the Under-12 International Tennis Federation/Confederation of Tennis of Central America and the Caribbean (ITF/COTECC) development tournament in Trinidad, coach Shelly Daly-Ramdyhan has expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance.
The Guyana contingent that travelled to Trinidad and Tobago last week comprised seven members including Daly-Ramdyhan, three boys, Hayden Mentore, Gerald Scotland and Ricy Romacindo, and three girls, Paula Kalekyezi, Menikshi Jaikisson and Renola Jordan.
For the first time in the tournament’s history, Guyana reached the finals with the girls eventually falling to Trinidad and Tobago 3-0 in the final, surpassing the previous record of the South American side where the boys finished third in 2017.
The girls were pitted into the main draw after suffering one loss to eventual champions Trinidad and Tobago. In the main draw, the Guyana ladies defeated Antigua 2-1 to head into the finals.
The girls are now awaiting confirmation on the dates for the next round which will see them coming up against other countries from South America.
Meanwhile, the boys managed just one win which wasn’t enough to send them through but they eventually ended in seventh place after beating St Vincent.
“Performance-wise, because the tournament was a development tournament, it allowed the players to showcase their talent and us as coaches to identify the areas where they are strong and weak but Kalekyezi played extremely well. Every match she showed fight and determination and was outstanding,” Daly-Ramdyhan said.
The National Sports Commission Female Coach-of-the-Year went on to note, “For the boys, Mentore played well but I expected more from him, I know the boys’ category was much tougher but I still expected more.”
Nevertheless, the coach related that she has seen improvement from all the players who are hungry to come home and work harder with all the ladies eligible for next year’s tournament.
