Senior female national squash champ Ashley Khalil is of the view that Guyana’s involvement at the 2019 Pan American Games was ideal preparation for the upcoming senior Caribbean Area Squash Association (CASA) championships to be held in Guyana later this month.
Khalil, along with Taylor Fernandes and Mary Fung-A-Fat, placed sixth in the teams’ event after a 0-2 defeat at the hands of Argentina.
“The Pan Am Games was a great and very useful prep for Senior CASA,” Khalil revealed while adding: “I will now have a little bit of time to try and improve on my consistency and match play going into Senior CASA.”
Khalil, in the aftermath of the Lima Games, told Stabroek Sport that the games served as a stark reminder of where Guyana stands in the world of squash, noting that Guyana isn’t far behind the pack.
“My experience in Peru was amazing, having an opportunity to play against some of the world’s best squash players.
“It was also very eye-opening to see that coming from such a small place like Guyana, that we are not too far off from those world-class athletes. We just need a little more patience on the court and to be a little more consistent when we play,” Khalil disclosed.
A review of Guyana’s showing in Peru saw Khalil and Fung – A – Fat failing to get past the round of 16 stage of the singles competition following 1-3 defeats to Chileans Paulina Delgado and Maria Ana Pinta respectively.
Meanwhile, in the doubles event, Khalil and Fernandes, who teamed up to win bronze at the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games (CAC) were denied another podium finish after being edged out of the semi-finals.
The duo displayed a spirited performance against Chileans Maria Pinto and Paulina Delgado but eventually lost 1-2.
The Guyanese trio in the teams’ category went on to triumph over the host twice on their way to their sixth-place finish.
