SHERDON PIERRE

TRINIDAD and Tobago men's and women's table tennis teams booked their spots for the 2023 El Salvador Central and Caribbean Championship (CAC) Games 2023 on Saturday, at the National Indoor Gymnasium, in Guyana.

In the group stage, TT men lose to Guatemala 3-0 in the first match of the tournament. Diego De La Cruz/ Hector Gatica defeated Yuvraaj Dookram/ Derron Douglas 3-1 (13:11; 9:11; 11:8; 11:4). The Guatemalans went 2-0 up when Heber Moscoso narrowly defeated Aaron Wilson 3-2 (13:11; 7:11; 5:11; 11:1). Then, Gatica clinched the victory with a 3-0 sweep of Dookram (12:10; 14:14; 11:1).

A loss against the powerhouse Guatemalans meant that TT need a victory against Haiti to secure a top-8 finish and qualification for CAC Games. TT men delivered handsomely with a blistering 3-0 over their Caribbean counterparts. TT men were later defeated 3-0 by Costa Rica in the quarter-final round and will play Guyana for 5/6 position on Sunday.

TT women rebounded from a 3-1 defeat to host team Guyana and 3-0 against Dominican Republic to upset Central American giants Costa Rica 3-0. Imani Edwards- Taylor/ Priyanka Khellawan won easily against Victoria Castro/ Sofia Perez 3-0 (11:8; 13:11; 11:8). French-based player Chloe Fraser made it 2-0 for TT brushing aside Angie Araya 3-0 (11:9; 12:10; 11:4). Taylor sealed the important victory for her team in a thriller 3-2 against Perez (11:4; 11:9; 8:11; 6:11; 11:5). The results from the other matches in the groups worked in the favour of the teenaged trio from TT who advanced to the semi-final stage to face Guatemala.