Stage set for final round of Junior National Badminton Champs

ALL semi-final round matches for this year’s Trinidad and Tobago Badminton Association Junior Nationals are completed, and the stage is now set for the March 15-16 trophy round at the National Racquet Centre in Tacarigua.

On March 8 and 9, scores of players battled through the rounds to secure title shots at next weekend’s finals. Several players who advanced to their respective age-group singles finals, also qualified to contest doubles and mixed doubles finals.

In the boys’ Under-17, Nicholi Jebodhsingh and Ethan Jitmansingh will lock horns in the singles title match and then team up to face top-seeded Ethan Ramcharan and Ricardo Sagramsingh in the doubles final.

Jebodhsingh came back from a set down (9-21) to defeat Triston Sewdass 21-14, 21-13 in the semi-final, while Jitmansingh got past Aadil Argour Mohammed 21-13, 21-14.

In the Under-17 doubles, Jebodhsingh and Jitmansingh teamed up to beat Isaiah Persadie and Zachary Rigues 21-9, 21-16 in the first semi, while Ramcharan and Sagramsingh were 21-19, 20-22, 21-19 victors over Sewdass and Maximus Walsh in the other.

Similarly, Samiya Karim’s 21-10, 21-13 semi-final win over Arianna Mansook in the Under-17 girls’ singles will see her battle Tenniya Tobias in the trophy match, after Tobias came up trumps 20-22, 21-10, 21-18 over Aliyah Urquhart in the other.

The two also face each other in the doubles final as Karim and partner Azaria Gaskill, take on Tobias and Arianna Mansook.

Additionally, Ramcharan also has a chance to lift the Under-19 boys’ singles crown after bettering Jace Smith 19-21, 21-6, 22-20 in semi-final one. Ramcharan meets top-seeded Kaveer Ramoutar for the title, who emerged with a 21-11, 21-19 win over Dante Homer in semi two.

Other results:

Singles semi-finals

Boys

U15 – Liam Persad def Logan Waithe 21-3, 21-9; Chijioke Kalu def Devan Durga 21-9, 21-19

Doubles

U15 – Chijioke kalu/Liam Persad def Zidan Hosein/Liam Rajkumar 21-7, 21-13

U19 – Jonathan Julien/Daryl Mendoza def Yannic Inniss/Vishwanath Maraj 19-21, 21-18, 21-16

Girls

U13 – Asia Lee Waller def Lillian Gordon 21-6, 21-7; Kaia jan def Mia Smith 21-13, 24-22

U15 – Rishelle Boodoosingh def Tanvi Orie 21-24-22; Azaria Gaskill def Serenity Tinto 21-13, 21-13

U19 – Amara Urquhart def Cheyenne Bhola 21-12, 21-9; T’Shelle Barnes def Kara Ashley Robertson 21-12, 21-13

Doubles

U17 – Arianna Mansook/ Tenniya Tobias def Kimora Lee Bissessar/Adia Lall 21-14, 21-10

U19 – T’Shelle Barnes/Isabelle Walker def Aliyah Urquhart/Amara Urquhart 11-21, 21-11, 21-19; Natalia Henry/Kara Ashley Robertson def Emily Lewis/Yelena Lewis 21-17, 19-21, 22-20