Bajan men in tennis semi-finals

BARBADOS qualified for the semi-finals of the men’s team championship on a day of mixed fortunes when the 52nd Caribbean Table Tennis Championships opened in San German, Puerto Rico on Monday.Barbados cruised to 3-0 victories over Haiti and Martinique but flunked the Spanish component when they went under by a similar margin to the host country.Trevor Farley put the Bajans ahead in the opening match against Haiti by beating Mario Pyram 11-7, 11-9, 11-5.Anderson Carrington maintained the tempo, downing Fabrice Joseph 11-7, 11-9, 11-6 and then teamed up with Mark Dowell to topple Pyram and Esale Termonfils 11-7, 11-5, 11-6.In the second match Farley lost a close set with Puerto Rico’s Daniel Gonzalez 3-11, 11-8, 13-11, 10-12, 6-11 and the Barbadians found themselves 2-0 down when Carrington succumbed in straight games to Hector Berrios at 4, 9 and 4.Intense battleDowell and Carrington tried to keep Barbados in the contest in an intense doubles battle but fell short after recovering from two games down. The pair went under to Gonzalez and Elvin Rivera 6-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-8, 8-11.Needing to win the third match against Martinique to be assured of a place in the semis, Barbados crushed the frenchmen 3-0 without even dropping a game.  Dowell beat Tevin Alcindor 11-7, 11-4, 11-7; Carrington defeated Nicolas Martial 11-8, 11-7, 11-6 while in the doubles Abbie Clarke and Carrington took out Alcindor and Nicolas Francois-Haugrin 11-5, 11-4, 11-7.Puerto Rico found less opposition against Martinique and Haiti, beating both 3-0 to top Group A and advance to the semis to set up a meeting with second placed team in Group B, the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic qualified by virtue of 3-0 wins over Curacao and St Lucia.Aruba won Group B after beating Curacao and St Lucia 3-0 but they had to work hard in a gruelling fixture against the Dominican Republic that they won 3-2.Aruba and Barbados will meet in the other semi-final. (PH)