The 27th Pan-American Senior Squash Championships, hosted in Asuncion, Paraguay, delivered exciting results for Caribbean squash nations on Thursday, as Barbados’ women’s team punched their ticket to the competition’s quarter-final stage with a dominant 2-0 win over regional rival Guyana.
Fresh off a strong showing at the CAC Championships held in the Dominican Republic just prior to this tournament, the Barbadian women carried their red-hot international form into the cross-Caribbean clash. Eboni Atherley set the tone for the match early, securing a straight-game win over Guyana’s Kirsten Gomes with set scores of 11-8, 11-5, and 11-4 to put Barbados on the board first.
The victory was soon sealed by Margot Prow, the newly crowned CAC champion, who also claimed a straight-game win against Ashley Khalil. Prow’s 11-9, 11-9, 12-10 win locked in the 2-0 advantage for Barbados, making the scheduled third singles match between Meagan Best of Barbados and Guyana’s Mary Fung-A-Fat unnecessary. The match was ultimately scratched from the schedule.
While the women’s team celebrated their quarter-final qualification, Barbados’ men’s squad also earned a spot in the tournament’s round of 16 after a hard-fought 2-1 win against the Dominican Republic. Shawn Simpson opened the men’s tie with a convincing straight-game victory over Jesus Pena, finishing with set scores of 11-2, 11-6, 11-8. The balance of the tie shifted, however, when Barbados’ top-ranked competitor Khamal Cumberbatch dropped a grueling five-game battle against Christopher Fernandez. The 51-minute match ended 7-11, 11-3, 7-11, 12-10, 11-13, leaving the overall tie tied at one win apiece.
It fell to Darien Benn to secure the men’s progression, and he delivered a dominant straight-game performance against Amado Hernandez, winning 11-5, 11-4, 11-8 to lock in Barbados’ spot in the round of 16. The men’s campaign hit a speed bump later the same day, however, when they faced a formidable host nation Peru side and fell 2-0. Alex Stewart lost in straight sets to Thiago Cabrejos (3-11, 5-11, 1-11), while Cumberbatch dropped another straight-game match to Alonso Escudero, with set scores of 8-11, 4-11, 6-11.