Local squash queen Nicolette Fernandes romped to an historic gold medal in the women’s individual section of the Pan Am Senior Squash Championship in Guatemala, defeating top seed Laura Tovar of Colombia in straight sets last evening in the championship match.
“Fernandes gave a solid performance at the championships, dropping only one game early on. She came out strongly in the final, at home on the court and in command.
The number 1 seeded Laura Tovar could not take the pace of Fernandes’ cross court shots or cover the court fast enough for her precise placement. With a few full-length dives Fernandes kept the ball in play on the many occasions when it looked out of reach and was back in the rallies to dominate, hitting some tight shots forcing weak returns. Keeping her opponent turning and forcing her into the back corners waiting for the perfect opportunity for the kill, Fernandes was outstanding in her 11-9, 11-4, 11-5 victory,” a release from the Guyana Sqauash Association stated last night.
The first set proved to be the most competitive, and Fernandes, 38, took a 1-0 lead following an 11-9 score. She sterengthened her hold on the match by taking a two sets to love lead storming to an 11-4 win. The historic moment was then sealed following an 11-5 outcome in the third set.
According to the GSA release, Carl Ince, long serving coach of Fernandes, said, “Nicolette is outstanding! She knew what she had to do and went out there and did it! I knew from her performance leading up to the finals that this was within her grasp, and I was confident she would give her all and bring home the trophy. I have always admired her discipline, her determination and her spirit and am so pleased to see her on top in her performance- she is an inspiration to athletes in Guyana and around the world.”
In the previous semi-final section, Fernandes brushed aside Hannah Blatt of Canada on Tuesday evening. The former Caribbean champion made light work of her opponent as she won in straight sets.
The opening set ended 11-2, before an 11-9 outcome in the second stanza consolidated her advantage at 2-0. The contest was then sealed, as Fernandes clinched the third set 11-3 to set up a date with Laura Tovar of Colombia in the championship fixture.
In the earlier quarterfinal section, Fernandes defeated Maria Min of Canada in straight sets 11-3, 11-5, 11-8. Meanwhile, Guyana suffered exits in the Mixed and Women’s Doubles respectively. Siblings Ashley and Jason Khalil lost 9-11, 4-11 to the Guatemalan pair of Jose Toscano and Tabitha Gaitan in the Mixed Doubles section.
In the Women’s team doubles, Gabby Fraser and Mary Fung A Fat went down to Maria Falconi and Rafaela Albuja of Ecuador 5-11, 4-11.
Similarly, the pair of Kristian Jeffrey and Alex Arjoon lost in the quarterfinal round to the Peruvian combination of Alonso Escudero and Rafael Galvez 2-11, 4-11 in the Men’s Doubles section. The team event section will be staged tomorrow, and Saturday.
