Jamaica face tough opening day at Pan Am Badminton Champs
Published:Thursday | April 27, 2023 | 1:05 AMOrane Buchanan/Staff Reporter
JAMAICA HAD a tough start to the four-day-long 2023 Yonex Pan American Individual Championships at the G.C. Foster College yesterday.
In the mixed doubles round of 64 action, Jamaica lost all three games as the Venezuelan pair of Henry Leon and Maria Zambrano defeated Kemar Valentine and Breanna Bisnett 21-13, 21-11 (2-0). In the other fixture, Peru’s Sharum Cardenas and Namie Tsukazan also handed defeat to Jamaica, the team of Zane Reid and Alexandra Beckford losing 21-8, 21-13 (2-0).
In the final mixed doubles fixture of the round, El Salvador’s Javier Alas and Fatima Fuentes got the better of Jamaica’s Joel Angus and Katherine Wynter, 21-18, 21-13 (2-0).
In the mixed doubles round of 32, Jamaica registered a solitary victory, with Samuel Ricketts and Tahlia Richardson defeating Argentina’s Jonathan Solis and Diana Soto, 21-16, 14-21, 21-17 (2-1).
The other games from the round of 32 saw Brazil’s Fabrisio Farias and Jaqueline Lima stopping Jamaica’s pair of Nathaniel Finzi and Mikaelah Mustafaa, 21-4, 21-4 (2-0), while Canada’s Joshua Hurlburt-Yu and Rachel Honderich beat the pair of Bradley Evans and Rihanna Rust, 21-2, 21-4 (2-0).
There was better news in the men’s singles round of 64, where Jamaica’s Samuel Ricketts progressed to the round of 32 with a 21-12, 22-20 (2-0) victory over Canada’s Adriano Aguire.
Also moving on was Bradley Evans, who defeated the Dominican Republic’s Ernick Zorrilla, 21-16, 21-23, 21-17 (2-1). However, Evans’ countryman, Nathaniel Finzi, wasn’t as fortunate, suffering a 21-11, 21-14 (2-0) defeat to the Dominican Republic’s Anderson Taveres.
Kemar Valentine also tasted defeat, beaten by Canada’s Victor Lai, 21-5, 21-4 (2-0).
In the women’s singles round of 64, Jamaica’s Rihanna Rust felt the brunt of Venezuela’s Mendoza Daibetes’ raquet with a 21-6, 21-7 (2-0) defeat. Brazil’s Simai Lima also handed Jamaica defeat, getting the better of Breanna Bisnet, 21-7, 21-6 (2-0).
Katherine Wynter was also easily handled by Peru’s Ines Salazar with a 21-11, 21-10 (2-0) defeat. Mikaela Mustafaa also failed to move beyond the round of 64 phase as the Dominican Republic’s Alisa Acosta took the victory 21-4, 21-11 for an easy 2-0 victory.
In women’s singles action, Jamaica’s Alexandra Beckford failed to progress beyond the round of 32 phase as she was comfortably handled by Canada’s Talia Ng, who registered an easy 21-5, 21-4 (2-0) victory.
Over in men’s singles action, Jamaica’s Zane Reid was ousted at the round of 32 phase despite putting up a valiant effort against the Dominican Republic’s Anderson Taveras. Reid suffered a hardf-ought 21-19, 21-15 (2-0) defeat.
Jamaica’s leading contender on the male side for a gold medal, Samuel Ricketts, who was drawn against Costa Rica’s Gianpiero Cavalotti, punched his ticket to the round of 16, registering a composed 21-16, 21-6 (2-0) victory.
Action in the Yonex Pan Am Individual Badminton Championships continues today.