Source: www.guardian.co.tt
By: Nigel Simon
T&T doubled its gold medal tally at the Third World Junior Table-Tennis Circuit Tournament in Guatemala City, Guatemala to four with victories in both the Cadet boys’ and girls’ mixed doubles finals yesterday. In the Cadet boys’ doubles, the gold medal team pair of Arun Roopnarine and Aaron Wilson defeated Brazilian duo Isaac Zauli and Gabriel Pereira 11-8, 9-11, 11-7, 11-13, 11-6 for their second gold medal. This after the local duo advanced from their semifinal with an 11-4, 11-5, 11-6 demolition of Guatemalans, Josue Soto and Guerry Sagastume. Likewise, the mixed doubles Cadet pair of T&T/Uruguay, Brittany Joseph and Maria Lorenzotti also won a second gold medal with after beating Guatemalans, Caterine Agustin and Mechael 11-8, 11-9, 4-11, 11-3 in their decider.
Earlier on, Joseph and Lorenzotti defeated another Guatemalan pair, Dulce Rivera and Marilena Belteton 12-10, 11-8, 5-11, 11-4. The T&T junior girls’ duo of Catherine Spicer and Renuka Sitram had to settle for bronze after going down to Mexico’s Monica Serrano and Barbara Siller 13-11, 6-11, 6-11, 8-11 in their semifinal. On Friday, Spicer and Sitram also got bronze in the girl’s junior team event, thanks to a 3-1 triumph over El Salvador while the T&T/Ecuador junior boys team’s pair of Andreus Pantin-Abraham and Tapia Rodrigo went under to Mexico, 2-3 in their semifinal for bronze. Yesterday when the singles competition served off with mixed results for the local players. Roopnarine, competing in group nine of the Cadets category crushed Julio Quezada of Guatemala 11-4, 11-5, 11-2 but lost to Garza 7-11, 12-14, 8-11, 7-11 in the juniors.
Zauli and Guatemala’s Ottoniel Veliz defeated Wilson 7-11, 12-10, 11-8, 8-11, 11-9 and 11-7, 8-11, 11-8, 12-10 in the Cadets and juniors competition respectively. Among the juniors’ Carlos Umanzor (El Salvador) downed T&T’s Pantin-Abraham 11-6, 11-7, 12-10 who rebounded with an 11-2, 11-9, 11-6 triumph over Guatemala’s Diego Castellqanos. Sitram went under in her first match to Margarita Ortiz (El Salvador) 5-11, 5-11, 6-11 but stopped Nancy Hernandez (Guatemala), 10-12, 11-6, 11-5, 11-7. Seller outclassed Joseph 11-6, 9-11, 11-4, 11-7, who also rebounded to beat Angie Alarcon of Guatemala 11-7, 11-6, 12-14, 8-11, 12-10 while Spicer crushed Lucia Cordero also of Guatemala, 11-3, 11-3, 11-9. This after losing her opener, to Serrano came from behind to beat Spicer 4-11, 11-3, 11-3, 11-8.