Mixed results for hosts Jamaica

Ryon Jones, Gleaner Writer

Host nation Jamaica had mixed results on yesterday's opening day of the Ocean Spray Wata/Pan Am Junior Badminton Championships, which is being staged over eight days at the National Indoor Sports Centre.

Jamaica's junior badminton players were beaten 5-0 by top seeds United States of America in their Group A team match during the morning session. They, however, rebounded in the afternoon session to clip the group's other member, Barbados, 3-2, to all but book their place in the quarter-finals, as the two top teams from each group will advance.

Jamaica now only need the USA to not suffer a huge defeat to Barbados, in one of three matches down to be contested during today's morning session, which gets under way at 9 a.m. The other two matches will see Peru meet Guatemala in Group B, while Canada tackle Puerto Rico in Group C. The quarter-finals will serve off at 3 p.m.

Losing start

In their crucial game against Barbados, the home team got off to a losing start as Mikaylia Holdane, after taking the first set 21-18 in the women's singles, lost the next two sets 24-22, 21-17 and the match 2-1 to Monyata Riviera.

Anthony McNee, who was the only Jamaican to win a singles match, pulled the team level, as he stopped Jevon Gaskin 21-8, 21-11 in their men's singles encounter.

Barbados edged ahead when the pair of Monyata Riviera and Mikeila Carrington triumphed 21-14, 21-19 over Wynter and Jade Clarke in the women's doubles.

Jamaica then needed to win the next match, the men's doubles, to keep the tie alive, and the duo of McNee and Dennis Coke put on a grand show, as they outclassed Gaskin and D'Andre Thorpe 21-3, 21-4.

It then came down to the final and decisive match, the mixed doubles between Holdane and his teammate Gerald Isaacs, who had the small but vocal gathering fully behind them as they tackled the Barbadian duo of Carrington and Sabeel Foster. The Jamaicans treated the match with the urgency it deserved and established early dominance, which they did not relinquish to emerge 21-10, 21-11 victors.

In their earlier meeting with the USA, Mcnee was the only Jamaican to take a set off the USA, as he went down 16-21, 21-16, 10-21 to Randy Ma in the men's singles.

Isaacs and Holdane lost the mixed doubles to Samantha Li and Jeffrey Kao 22-20, 21-19. McNee and Coke went down in the men's doubles 21-13, 23-21 to the team of Brandon Chi and Michael Buasan. Holdane and Wynter were also beaten in straight sets, 21-18, 21-12 by the duo of Claudia Hardi and Dane Long in the women's doubles; while Wynter lost 21-13, 21-7 to Christine Chen in their women's singles encounter.

McNee teamed up with Dennis Coke in the men's doubles, but were turned back 21-13, 23-21 by the team of Brandon Chi and Michael Buasan. The local pair of Holdane and Wynter were also beaten in straight sets, as they went down 21-18, 21-12 to the duo of Claudia Hardi and Dane Long.

In Group B, second seed Peru blanked Trinidad and Tobago 5-0, but share leadership of the group with Guatemala, as both teams have a point. Guatemala also got by the twin-island republic 5-0 to leave them pointless.

Third seed Canada and Brazil share the leadership of Group C, both having gained a point; the latter have, however, played a game extra. Canada clipped Brazil 3-2 in the group's opening encounter. Brazil bounce back to get by the group's other member, Puerto Rico, 3-2.