From left: Ashante Smith and Bruce Burrowes.
Top seeds Ashante Smith and Bruce Burrowes are set to battle it out to be crowned champions of the inaugural Jamaica Invitational Squash tournament at the Liguanea Club later on Saturday after disposing of their semi-final challengers Friday night.
In the first semi-final, the number two seed Burrowes defeated number four seed Stephan Morrison in straight sets with scores of 11-1, 11-2, 11-7 to end Morrison’s unblemished run in the tournament.
Burrowes, who was happy with the win, said that it was not as easy as the scores suggest.
“I am quite happy, just happy with how I played today. Just happy to get on to another round. Just taking it one point at a time. I had a good start coming out of the gate so I was quite happy with the way I started the match. Stephan may have been a little slow to wake up but by the end he was definitely running around and sometime the score doesn’t really show how close a match can be. The score sounds dominant but the rallies were really difficult to get through.”
The final match of the night which was the second semi-final between number one seed Smith and the number five seed Jonathan Hope of the Bahamas was a very exciting five-setter.
Smith started strong in the first two games but was overcome by Hope who was very efficient in the box. Smith turned the page on Hope to win the next two games in commanding fashion.
It was left to the final set to see who would outlast the other as they both looked winded in the box. Smith again started strong to post a quick 5-1 but Hope gained ground to tie the set at 10 all which meant that the eventual winner had to get two clear points to win. After some long rallies Smith took the set 12-10. The match ended with scores of 9-11, 7-11, 11-2, 11-5, 12-10.
“Honestly it was a lot of work. I can’t say that I took him for granted but I don’t think I went in with the right game plan initially. I think I kinda overworked myself and really had to dig deep to really get those two games and then finish it off with the third one. (It) definitely wasn’t an easy game but I had to really adjust, I had to be creative and flexible and stick to a game plan that worked and I am glad it worked out, for sure” said Smith.
Other results from the third round include:
Men’s Draw –
Alex Chin defeated Elthan Miller 11-8, 11-3, 11-8.
Adam Lee defeated Mario O’Connor 10-12, 11-6, 12-10, 11-7
The number three see Jerazeno Bell got the better of Leonel Sorrillo of Trinidad & Tobago 11-4, 11-5, 11-9
Women’s Draw –
The undefeated number two seed Sanjana Nallapati got a commanding win over Priya Stoddart in straight sets 11-3, 11-0, 11-5
The number three seed Tracey Binnie got the better of Kerry-Gay Wright 11-7, 11-7, 16-14.
In the final female match of the night the number four seed Elle Wilson stretched the number one seed and still unbeaten Mehar Trahan to a thrilling five setter with scores of 4-11, 11-4, 5-11, 12-10, 10-12.
Saturday’s final day action will see a males and female champion being crowned. Additionally matches will be played to determine the position placements for all players in the tournament, both.
Top seeds continue winning streak at inaugural Jamaica Invitational squash tournament
The top seeds in the Jamaica Squash Association’s inaugural Jamaica Invitational tournament continued their winning runs on Thursday’s second day of action on the courts at the Liguanea Club.
Number one seed on the female side, Mehar Trehan, recorded another straight sets win when she defeated Kerry-Gay Wright 11-2, 11-3, 11-4. On the male side, Ashante Smith got a bye in the first round, then in the second round he was challenged by Leonel Sorrillo of Trinidad and Tobago but was too good for him. Their match also ended in straight sets after Smith outscored Sorrillo 14-12, 11-5, 11-4.
Meanwhile, number two seed Sanjana Nallapati got a second win after defeating number three seed Tracey Binnie 11-6, 11-3, 11-2.
Number four seed Elle Wilson got her first win against unseeded Priya Stoddart in straight sets—11-6, 11-9, 11-4.
In the men’s draw, number two seed Bruce Burrowes defeated the number eight seed Fitzroy Smith 11-3, 11-3, 11-5.
Number three seed Jerazeno Bell went down to Jonathan Hope of the Bahamas in a four-setter 6-11, 11-4, 11-6, 11-5. Hope has won the two matches he has played so far.
Number four seed Stephan Morrison defeated sixth seed Tobias Levy in an exciting five-setter with scores of 8-11, 11-8, 11-8, 10-12, 11-5.
The other match of the round saw Mario O’Connor defeating Andre Wright 11-4, 11-3, 11-9.
The men’s semifinals were played last night while the women continued their round-robin matches.
Top seeds comfortable on day one of Jamaica Invitational
Top women’s seed Mehar Trehan led all winners on Wednesday’s day one of the inaugural Jamaica Invitational held at the Liguanea Club in Kingston.
Trehan, the U17 Caribbean Champion and reigning local champion, defeated Priya Stoddart in straight sets 11-5, 11-1, 11-2.
She spoke about her expectations for the tournament after her win.
"My expectations for this tournament would be to just see all the hard work that I've been putting in recently into my next few matches and challenge myself mentally and physically. The competition is quite broad and there's different types of players and I'd just like to challenge myself and see how I can better perform in the next tournaments to come," she said.
"I trust myself to play well, to the best of my ability and with a good heart and spirit and I think everything will work out," she added.
Second seed Sanjana Nallapati, the third-ranked U19 player in the Caribbean and a Caribbean Girls Doubles Champion, also won in straight sets, defeating Kerry-Gay Wright 11-7, 11-5, 11-5.
Third seed Tracy Binnie also came out victorious in three sets, defeating fourth seed Elle Wilson 11-1, 11-4, 11-7.
On the men’s side, Guyanese third seed Jerazeno Bell got by Allan Roper 11-6, 11-8, 11-6 in a tight three set affair.
Fourth seed Stephan Morrison got by Mario O’Connor 11-7, 11-6, 11-7 while fifth seed Jonathan Hope from the Bahamas was dominant in a win over Ethan Miller, 11-3, 11-2, 11-3.
Hope, the highest ranked visiting player, spoke about his expectations coming into the tournament.
“Coming into the tournament I had no real expectations of what to expect other than I knew that, having been here a long time ago, that I’d be welcomed by a friendly squash community and it would be an awesome event to be a part of,” he said.
“Having had very little time to prepare, more or less two weeks before the tournament, my main focus has been on making sure that I can play efficiently and effectively. I realize that many of the people I’m hoping to be playing against are somewhat younger then myself so, chances are, they would have stamina and fitness on me so I have to be much more thoughtful about how I play my shots and hos I use my energy,” he added.
Sixth seed Tobias Levy of Jamaica defeated countryman Andre Wright 11-5, 11-6, 11-4.
The closest match of the day saw eighth seed Fritzroy Smith defeating Adam Lee in four sets. Smith won the first two sets 11-9 and 11-5 before Lee won the third 11-3.
Smith ended up closing it out inn four with an 11-6 score line.
Jamaica Squash Association launches inaugural Jamaica Invitational
The Jamaica Squash Association (JSA) is set to host the inaugural Jamaica Invitational from November 27-30, 2024, at the Liguanea Club in Kingston. This highly anticipated event will showcase top squash talent from Jamaica and the Caribbean, with men and women competing for the prestigious title of Jamaica Invitational Champion.
The invitational will feature Jamaica’s best, led by Ashante Smith, the top seed and last year’s All-Jamaica Championship runner-up. Smith will be challenged by Bruce Burrowes, the second seed, who has been a consistent finalist in national and regional tournaments. The third seed, Jerazeno Bell, hails from Guyana and has impressed with his competitive performances while playing in Jamaica. Rounding out the top five are Stephan Morrison, a seasoned national representative seeded fourth, and Jonathan Hope, the fifth seed and the highest-ranked visiting player from The Bahamas.
On the women’s side, the six-player round-robin format highlights emerging and established talent. Mehar Trehan, the U17 Caribbean Champion and reigning local champion, takes the top seed, while Sanjana Nallapati, the third-ranked U19 player in the Caribbean and a Caribbean Girls Doubles Champion, is seeded second. Tracy Binnie, a consistent performer on the local circuit, is the third seed, followed by Elle Wilson, who rounds out the top four.
Mehar Trehan
JSA President Karen Anderson emphasized the tournament’s significance as a platform for player development and future opportunities.
“The inaugural Jamaica Invitational is an opportunity for our players to showcase their hard work and be considered for national representation. The plan is to grow the event to include prize money and invite more Caribbean players to compete,” Anderson said.
She also noted the event’s role in shaping the future of Jamaica’s national teams.
“It’s a 16-person draw. It is being used as a selection event, so players who participate, the top four, can be considered for future national representation at events we may be travelling to. All-Jamaica will be the priority in March (2025), but this will also be one of the events that we will look at and put in the pot for consideration.”
Anderson expressed excitement about the calibre of players in both the men’s and women’s draws, highlighting the depth of talent on display.
This inaugural tournament aims to set a high standard for squash in Jamaica, providing opportunities for local and regional players to excel while contributing to the development of the sport across the Caribbean.
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