France-based top T&T women's ta­ble ten­nis play­er, Rheann Chung earned a tick­et to this sum­mer's Pan Amer­i­can Games Ta­ble Ten­nis Tour­na­ment when she qual­i­fied on the third at­tempt at the Latin Amer­i­can Ta­ble Ten­nis Union and North Amer­i­can Ta­ble Ten­nis Union Qual­i­fy­ing Tour­na­ment for the Pan Amer­i­can Games in Guatemala City, Guatemala, yes­ter­day.

An emo­tion­al Chung, a five-time Caribbean women's cham­pi­on, who is still reel­ing from the pass­ing of her step-fa­ther and men­tor, for­mer na­tion­al and five-time Caribbean men's sin­gles cham­pi­on Dex­ter St Louis re­cent­ly, out­classed Cos­ta Ri­can Fiorel­la Val­le­cil­lo 11-4, 11-7, 11-4, 11-4 in the round-of-16 fol­lowed by an 11-5, 11-8, 11-7, 11-7 whip­ping of Paraguay's Lucero Over­lar in the quar­ter­fi­nals.

With one of two spots at stake for the Pan Amer­i­can Games card­ed for Li­ma Pe­ru in Ju­ly/Au­gust at stake, Chung then brushed aside Guyana's Tre­nace Lowe 11-4, 8-11, 11-5, 11-2, 11-9.

In the oth­er half of the draw, two-time T&T na­tion­al women's cham­pi­on, Brit­tany Joseph beat Hon­duran, Re­bec­ca Ayestas 8-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-3, 11-8, 9-11, 15-13 but was then oust­ed by Paraguay's Ley­la Gomez 3-11, 7-11, 7-11, 4-11.

Joseph then con­test­ed the play­offs for fifth to the sixth spot, beat­ing Bar­ba­di­an, An­thonette Ri­ley 11-6, 11-1, 11-5, 11-4 on­ly to fall to Paraguay's Over­lar, 6-11, 8-11, 4-11, 6-11.

Among the men, T&T duo, Aaron Wil­son, the na­tion­al cham­pi­on and Cur­tis Humphreys, both failed in their at­tempt to qual­i­fy.

In the first knock­out com­pe­ti­tion, France-based Rheann Chung was beat­en by Ley­la Gomez of Paraguay 8-11, 11-9, 8-11, 5-11, 16-18 while two-time T&T na­tion­al women's cham­pi­on, Brit­tany Joseph was beat­en in her first match by Ecuadore­an Myle­na Plaza 12-10, 9-11, 8-11, 8-11, 8-11.

On the men's side, Cur­tis Humphrey was beat­en by Cos­ta Ri­can Mauri­cio An­gu­lo 1-11, 11-9, 8-11, 8-11, 10-12, 4-11, 1-11 and Aaron Wil­son was hum­bled by Venezue­lan Ce­cil­lio Cor­rea 5-11, 11-8, 6-11, 5-11, 9-11, both in the last-16.

In the sec­ond knock­out com­pe­ti­tion, Chung start­ed with an 11-9, 11-7, 10-12, 11-5, 8-11, 11-7 win against Hon­duran Re­bec­ca Ayestas but then suf­fered a shock 0-11, 11-5, 10-12, 11-7, 11-8, 4-11 loss to Guyanese ri­val, Chelsea Ed­hgill in the quar­ter­fi­nal stage.

Mean­while, Joseph did not get past her open­ing match, los­ing 5-11, 5-11, 7-11, 5-11 to Venezue­lan Ner­idee Ni­no.

Wil­son was stopped by Guatemalan Hec­tor Gat­i­ca 7-11, 11-9, 6-11, 11-8, 7-11, 5-11 while Humphreys beat Cos­ta Ri­ca's Os­car Ma­ta 5-11, 8-11, 11-13, 11-6, 11-6, 11-5, 13-11 be­fore los­ing to Pana­ma's Omer Avi-Tal, 4-11, 5-11, 6-11, 11-8, 6-11.

And in the third knock­out se­ries, Wil­son de­feat­ed Haiti's Rafael Neposiano 11-4, 11-5, 11-1, 8-11, 11-8 but was then halt­ed by Venezuela's Mar­co Navas 11-9, 5-11, 8-11, 9-11, 7-11 while Humphreys came up short against Avi-Tal, 10-12, 5-11, 11-5, 14-12, 6-11, 6-11.

NIGEL SI­MON

nigel.si­mon@guardian.co.tt

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