UPSETS were the order of the quarter-final round of the Digicel sponsored Guyana Squash Association (GSA) Senior National Championships which were played on Friday evening at the Georgetown Club courts.
The first upset occurred in the Women’s Open Division when 2014 National Junior Under -17 Champion Larissa Wiltshire defeated her fellow junior team member 2013 Caribbean Under- 19 runner up and number three seed Victoria Arjoon by three games to one.Wiltshire won a close first game 11 – 9 and then again won the second game 11 – 9, but with score at 8 – 7 up in third game, it seemed as if Wiltshire would close out the match in three but Arjoon summoned all of her energy and won the next four points and the game 11 – 8.
This, however, seemed to take all of the energy out of Arjoon and from being 4 – 2 down in the fourth Wiltshire won the next nine straight points to win the game 11 – 4 and the match three games to one.
Then fellow Under- 17 junior player Taylor Fernandes was also looking for a major upset over number two seed Ashley de Groot, however, de Groot had other thoughts and even though all three games were very close, she (deGroot) was still able to prevail in straight games 11- 8, 11 – 9, 11 – 7.
National Junior 2014 Under -19 Champion Akeila Wiltshire was clinical in her win over Kathy Ten-Pow in the third women’s quarter final match, winning a close first game 11 – 9 but then won the second game 11 – 2 and the third game 11 – 6.
The last Women’s quarter final was rescheduled to be played early yesterday as number one seed Mary Fung A Fat who sustained an ankle injury while training earlier in the day on Friday was down to play Alysa Xavier yesterday.
The other major upset occurred in the first of the Men’s Open quarter finals when 2014 National Under-19 Junior Champion and three-time Caribbean Champion Nyron Joseph defeated former National Champion and number four seed Regan Pollard three games to one.
Joseph won a close first game 11 – 8 but then Regan won the second 11 – 7. Winning the second game took a lot of energy and strength out of Pollard as Joseph easily won the third 11 – 1 and the fourth 11 – 4.
Overseas based former Caribbean Champion Richard Chin was clinical in his victory over Nicholas Narain winning in straight games 11 – 8, 11- 0, 11 – 5.

Current National Champion Alex Arjoon easily overcame his former junior teammate Deje Dias also in straight games. Alex won 11 – 2, 11- 2, 11 – 4.
In the last of the quarter final men’s matches Jason Ray Khalil was initially made to work hard by 2014 Under- 17 National Champion Ben Mekdeci, but eventually wore him down and took the match three games to nil.
Khalil won a tight first game 11 – 9. The loss of this game seemed to deflate Mekdeci and Khalil easily won the second 11 – 3 and then the third game 11 – 0.
Play also continued in the Men’s Veterans 35 – 49 category where all of the top seeded players won their quarter final matches.
The only matchup which did not end in straight games was the match between Stephen Fernandes and Brian Yong which ended in Yong’s favour by three games to one, winning the first two games 11 – 3, 11- 9; lost the third 11 – 7, but then won the fourth 11 – 7.
In the Women’s Open plate former Caribbean Junior Champion Andrea King was pushed to the limit by 2014 Under 15 Champion Rebecca Low but prevailed in five tough games.
King won the first game 11 – 9 but then lost a tough second game 17 – 15. She bounced back to win the third game 11 – 8 but then again lost a close fourth game 13 – 11. She, however, held her nerve in the fifth and won the game 11 – 5.