By Sean Devers

Tuesday was another tough day for Guyana’s Squash team at the Pan Am Games qualifiers in Cartagena, Columbia; losing both in the men’s and women’s team event in the round of 16.

In the process, the team failed in its bid to qualify for the Pan American games later this year.
“The ladies lost to a very determined Ecuador team in some very hot conditions here. Everyone had a chance to win but ultimately came up short. The highest we can now finish is 9th, however, we hope to close out the championship on a positive note,” revealed Coach Ramon Chan-a-Sue.

Guyana Women lost 3-0 to Ecuador.
World Masters over-35 Singles Champion and six times Caribbean Squash Queen, Nicolette Fernandes, lost 2-3 to Ecuador’s Maria Paula Moya Lopez in a hard-fought match.

Nicolette, still recovering from illness, took the first game 11-5 before Lopez won 11-5 to leave the 1-1.

Nicolette, Guyana’s most accomplished female Squash player dug deep and rallied to win the third stanza 11-5 to take a 2-1 lead.

However, the 39-year-old lost the last two games 8-11, 4-11 to lose the almost one-hour long match three games to two.

Ashley Khalil, the defending Caribbean Singles Champion, lost 14-12, 7-11, 11-7, 11-4 to Maria Caridad Buenano Araque before Taylor Fernandes lost to Rafaela Albuja Sanchez 13-11, 11-5

Meanwhile, the Boys team lost 3-0.

Jason Ray Khalil lost 11-3,11-3, 11-1 to Jeremias Azana; Alex Arjoon lost 11-1, 11-0, 11-6 to Roberto Pezzota, while Samuel Ince-Carvalhal lost 11-3, 11-5 to Miguel Pujol.

Coach Chan-a-Sue informed that the ladies will play Bolivia tomorrow morning and the Men were scheduled to play Brazil last evening in their consolation bracket.