Guyana’s squash queen, Nicolette Fernandes lost a grueling five-set thriller in the women’s singles final of the South American Games last evening in Paraguay.
Fernandes, the most famous squash player in the nation’s history, jumped out to an early two-set lead against Colombia’s Laura Perez but faded down the stretch as her opponent, 14 years her junior prevailed 6-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-7, 13-11.
Fernandes, 39, had struck gold in the women’s singles at the quadrennial fixture in Medellin, Colombia 12 years ago and was looking to mirror that achievement last night.