Samuel Ricketts and Tahlia Richardson got off to winning starts at the 2020 Jamaica International Open Badminton tournament that began on Thursday at the National Indoor Sports Complex in Kingston.

However, Jamaica’s number-one female Katherine Wynter and Dennis Coke were not as fortunate, losing their respective first-round matches.

Meanwhile, Matthew Lee had a first-round walkover over USA’s Timothy Lam but was to face number-one men’s seed and defending champion Kevin Gordon of Guatemala Thursday night.

Ricketts defeated Shae Michael-Martin of Barbados 21-10, 21-5 in a relatively easy manner.

“It is never easy. You have to go out there and be focussed, but I was at a different level physically,” he said, revealing that he pounced on the Barbadian’s nervous start and height.

“I sensed that he was a bit timid so I took advantage,” he said afterwards. “He is tall so I kept him digging for the low stuff.”

Meanwhile, Richardson beat Cheyanna Burnett-Griffith 21-9, 21-11.

Richardson later paired up with Dennis Coke to win her mixed doubles match against the Barbadian pair of Kennie King and Burnett-Griffith 21-13, 21-8.

Richardson was down to play defending champion Jordan Scott in second-round singles play on Thursday night. Scott brushed aside Jamaica’s Tania Daley 21-8, 21-5 in her first-round match.

Wynter, meanwhile, went out having lost to USA’s Isabel Zhong 21-15, 21-13 in a keenly contested match.

She later teamed up with Matthew Lee in the mixed doubles to defeat fellow Jamaican pair of Che Alexander-Beckford and Stefani Brown 21-6, 21-8.

Coke lost to Ade Resky Dwichayo of Azerbaijan 21-11, 21-10.