CARIBBEAN junior champions Liam Persad and Asia Lee Waller and led the way as Trinidad and Tobago players sparkled when the Costa Rica Junior Badminton Championships served off on Saturday.
The two brushed aside a combined five opponents to march into the latter stages of two divisions.
Waller, who captured an Under-13 Triple Crown in the CAREBACO (Caribbean Regional Badminton Confederation) in Junior Championships for the second straight year last month in Barbados, crushed Naiara Barrantes 21-4, 21-3 to reach her age-group semi-finals.
The national Triple Crown champion also outclassed the Costa Rican (21-4, 21-5) in the round of 16 in the Under-15 category, and later trounced Isabella Jiminez 21-7, 21-7 in the quarter-finals.
CAREBACO Under-15 champ Persad hammered Geanluca Porras 21-4, 21-12 to reach the last eight, and he stepped up in class and whipped Carlos Hidalgo 21-16, 21-4 for a place in the Under-17 quarters.
Two other T&T players advanced to the last eight in the boys’ Under-17 draw. Ankit Singh was a 21-18, 19-21, 21-9 winner over Lian Kung in the round of 16, while CAREBACO doubles bronze-medallist Nicholi Jebdoosingh whipped Antonio Cruz 21-8, 21-4.
But Jared Bheekoo was beaten 21-10, 21-6 by Mathias Carias of Argentina. Jebdoosingh also reached the Under-19 quarters, but after his 21-19, 21-18 win over Mexican Diego Garcia, he was denied 21-17, 21-18 by compatriot Aditya Maharaj.
Maharaj, who did not play in CAREBACO last month after earning the under-19 bronze in singles and gold in doubles in the age group last year, had brushed aside Luca Hernandez 21-8, 21-11 in the first round.
Bheekoo was defeated 21-19, 21-12, Singh went down 21-9, 21-9 and Kiran Rampersad was denied 21-15, 21-16 by Peruvian Jeshua Loza in in their attempts to clear the first hurdle.
In the girls’ Under-19 division, Waller’s sister Isabelle was a 21-9, 21-18 winner over Sofia Rodriguez, while the other three T&T players received byes into the last eight.
Two-time defending CAREBACO champ Amara Urquhart and her sister Aliyah are seeded first and second, respectively, while Natalia Henry is in the top half, and Isabelle is in the bottom.
Aliyah and CAREBACO doubles gold-medallist Samiya Karim are among the eight players in the Under-17 draw. There is also action in doubles, girls’, boys’ and mixed, and the three-day tournament will conclude today.
