Foreign-based players seek Solo crown
Edwards chases number nine in women's singles
By Kwame Laurence (Express),
Five foreign-based players are hoping to leave the Central Regional Indoor Sports Arena (CRISA), in Chaguanas, tonight with the Solo National Table Tennis Championship men's singles title.
United States-based Dayanand Maharaj, Yuvraj Dookram and Nazruddin Asgarali, Cuba-based Aaron Edwards, and Asgarali's son, Puerto Rico-based Khaleel Asgarali, have all made it to the quarters.
Each would be keen to go all the way, at CRISA. In addition to a $1,200 cash prize, the winner will earn automatic selection on the Trinidad and Tobago team for the August 12-19 Caribbean Championships, in Guyana.
Reigning national champion Michael Nanton, four-time winner Reeza Burke and Terry Corbin—the three home-based players in the last eight—will do their best to ensure the winner's trophy remains in T&T.
Top-seeded Nanton takes on Nazruddin in the quarter-final round. The winner of that duel meets either Maharaj or Dookram in the semis. On the other side of the draw, Burke faces Khaleel, and Corbin squares off against Edwards.
Like Nanton and Burke, Khaleel and Maharaj have tasted National Championship men's singles success. Khaleel beat Burke in the 2005 final, while Maharaj won in 2007, beating Anthony Brown in the championship match.
Nazruddin's best showing at Nationals came way back in 1988, when he lost in the final to Augustus Mark (now deceased).
Burke is joint-second, with Derek De Silva, on the all-time men's singles list—two wins behind six-time champion Dexter St Louis.
But while St Louis is the leader among the men, the France-based pro is second on the overall list, behind eight-time women's singles champion Aleena Edwards.
Edwards chases number nine, at CRISA today. In the semi-final round, she faces the youngest player still in the competition, 18-year-old Ashley Quashie.
The other last four duel features Avernelle Abraham and Linda Partap-Boodhan.
Edwards and Quashie won their quarter-final fixtures, on Sunday, in straight games, beating Priya Ramcharan and Kristen Scipio, respectively.
Abraham battled past Brittany Joseph 5-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-9, while Partap-Boodhan also needed four games to stop Catherine Spicer.
While the $1,000 first prize will surely serve as an incentive for the four women's singles semi-finalists, Abraham, Partap-Boodhan, Quashie and Edwards are likely to be more motivated by the automatic Caribbean Championship pick on offer for the winner.
First serve at CRISA today is at 6.30 p.m.
