Guyana’s male and female table tennis teams missed out on finals berths of the 2022 Caribbean championships in Cuba, losing at the semi-final stage yesterday afternoon.
The Guyanese had played excellently yesterday morning with the women defeating Trinidad and Tobago 3-2 to reach the last four and the men disposing of Barbados 3-2 to reach the semis.
However, in the afternoon’s semifinals match ups the men’s team lost 1-3 to Puerto Rico while the women’s team went under 10-3 to host Cuba.
In the men’s semi-finals national champion Christopher Franklin lost to Puerto Rico’s Oscar Birrell 7-11, 14-16, 10-12.
Shemar Britton, however, defeated Rich Pietri 11-6, 14-12, 11-5 to level the score 1-1.
Jonathan Van Lange, though, lost to Daniel Gonzalez 7-11, 6-11, 8-11 and Britton fought valiantly before succumbing to Birrell 6-11, 11-8, 10-12, 9-11.
In the women’s semifinals Guyana started brightly when Olympian Chelsea Edghill stopped Idalys Lovet of Cuba 11-8, 8-11, 11-4, 11-7. Natalie Cummings failed to build on that momentum going under to Daniela Carrazana Fonseca 6-11, 3-11, 4-11.
Guyana fell 1-2 behind when Priscilla Greaves lost the pivotal third match to Karla Gonzalez Perez 4-11, 2-11, 2-11 and Edghill lost in straight sets to Carrazana Fonseca 6-11, 5-11, 7-11.
Earlier yesterday morning Van Lange won the crucial third game while Britton and Franklin got the better of former Caribbean men’s singles Champion Kevin Farley as Guyana edged the Barbadians 3-2.
Tyrese Knight defeated Franklin in the opening encounter 11-9, 11-8, 11-6 before Britton defeated Farley 11-6, 11-6, 12-10.
Van Lange the edged Ramon Maxwell in a thrilling five setter winning 11-8, 8-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-2.
Knight, though, kept the Bajans in contention with an 11-7, 11-3, 7-11, 11-8 win over Britton before Franklin sealed the deal by beating Farley 12-10, 11-7, 11-6.
In the women’s quarter final the hero was Edghill who won two matches including a defeat of Trinidad’s semi-professional player Rheann Chung in straight sets.
In the opening game Edghil defeated Imani Taylor-Edwards 11-3, 11-8, 11-4 before Cummings lost to Chung 11-13, 11-8, 8-11, 6-11.
Greaves lost to Chloe Fraser 4-11, 9-11, 9-11 but Edghill knotted the score 2-2 with a 12-10, 11-7, 11-5 defeat of Chung.
Cummings then wrapped up the tie by defeating Taylor Edwards 11-2, 11-5, 11-5.
The singles competition will commence this morning.
