Nathan Henry recorded three singles victories across two age groups as the National Junior and Senior Badminton Tournament got underway at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue, on Thursday, October 8.
Henry reached the boys’ under-17 and under-19 quarter-finals on a busy opening day that also saw Cathalina Wong and Galianna Frank eliminate the top two seeds in the girls’ under-15 competition.
Henry’s under-19 campaign began with a comeback against Chioke Nurse in the round of 32. After dropping the opening game, he recovered to win 18-21, 21-19, 21-15, then defeated Christopher Andrews 21-8, 21-9 in the round of 16.
In the under-17 draw, where he is seeded third/fourth, Henry faced another three-game contest against Halen Jiang. He took the first game, lost the second and regained control in the decider to win 21-16, 15-21, 21-6.
Vaibhav Natarajan also collected three victories, progressing in two singles divisions and the under-17 mixed doubles. He beat Danveer Hira 21-5, 21-1 in the boys’ under-15 round of 16 and Jason Imran Hussain 21-11, 21-1 at the same stage of the under-17 competition.
Natarajan then teamed up with Frank to defeat Liam Singh and Anya Manickchand 21-12, 21-19 in the mixed doubles round of 16.
Frank’s singles performance was another highlight. She defeated second seed Sakina Klass 21-15, 23-21 in the girls’ under-15 quarter-finals, joining Wong, who had beaten top seed Vaishnavi Natarajan 21-4, 21-16.
Zariah Ivan secured another under-15 semi-final place with a 21-16, 21-17 win over Mika Morgan. Gabriella Persaud completed the last four after receiving a walkover against Skyler Gurchuran.
There was success across two age groups for Anya Manickchand, who reached the girls’ under-19 semi-finals by beating Anika De Freitas 21-5, 21-11. She also defeated Neeharika Shetty 21-8, 21-12 in the under-17 round of 16.
Gabriella Henry advanced to the under-19 semi-finals with a 21-8, 21-15 victory over Andreanna King, while second seed Harshini Muralidharan progressed by walkover against Alleyia Grant.
Elsewhere in girls’ under-17 singles, Tei Haynes defeated Jada Pike 21-9, 21-12 and Sarah Ramnarine beat Leanna Carmichael 21-9, 21-17. Brianna Morgan received a walkover against Grant.
Morgan also enjoyed mixed doubles success, partnering Emmanuel Lozano to a 21-6, 21-12 win over Jonathan Lynch and Eyota Adams in the under-17 round of 16.
In boys’ singles, Ruel Rambiriche justified his top seeding in both the under-17 and under-19 divisions with straight-game victories. He beat Ethan Mangra 21-7, 21-6 in the under-17 round of 16 and Eon Williams 21-12, 21-12 in the under-19 competition.
Williams advanced in the under-17 draw, where he is seeded third/fourth, by defeating Carl Fungafatt 21-8, 21-3. Second seed Hasani Robinson reached the same stage with a close 21-19, 21-17 win over Egan Bulkan.
Mikkel Wong moved through two rounds of under-17 singles, beating Amari Abel 21-5, 21-5 before defeating Liam Singh 21-7, 21-5. Ethan Bulkan also won twice, overcoming Shane Satrohan 21-6, 21-8 and Nathan Mohanlall 21-9, 21-11.
Steen Antonio Gomes came from behind to beat Casey Beckles 16-21, 21-14, 21-19 in the under-17 round of 16. Beckles had earlier defeated Timothy Subryan 21-9, 21-8.
Before his loss to Nathan Henry, Jiang beat Malachi Tucker 21-6, 21-8 in the under-17 round of 32. Hussain received a walkover against Brandon Cunje at that stage before being eliminated by Natarajan.
Mohanlall, meanwhile, advanced in the boys’ under-15 singles through a round-of-16 walkover against Viren Meghan.
In the under-19 singles, second seed Christopher Jordan defeated Chike Nurse 21-6, 21-8, while Robinson beat Nathan Morrison 21-6, 21-16. Darean Thomas and Ronit Gulchand, both seeded third/fourth, also reached the quarter-finals. Thomas defeated Kunal Alert 21-10, 21-8, and Gulchand beat Jiang 21-8, 21-8.
Nikolas Pollard advanced with a 21-11, 21-4 victory over Miguelanjel Jose Vasquez Silva, who had beaten Micah Holder 21-9, 21-10 in the previous round. Gabriel Felix needed three games to overcome Percival Chester, winning 21-16, 13-21, 21-11.
Jordan and Rambiriche carried their success into the boys’ under-19 doubles, defeating Chike Nurse and Chioke Nurse 21-11, 21-5 to reach the semi-finals. Top seeds Alert and Thomas also advanced, beating Vasquez Silva and Satrohan 21-8, 21-10.
In the boys’ under-17 doubles round of 16, Egan Bulkan and Ethan Bulkan defeated Gomes and Hussain 21-10, 21-6.
Organised by the Guyana Badminton Association, the tournament features established and promising players from clubs and schools nationwide. The programme includes men’s and women’s singles, along with junior singles, doubles and mixed doubles across several age categories.
Play continues over the coming days, with the association encouraging supporters to visit the National Gymnasium and support the continued growth of badminton in Guyana.
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