Khalil, Da Silva dominate open category as Bounty Handicap Tournament continues

The first matches for the open category in the Bounty Farm Ltd Handicap Squash Tournament were played on Wednesday night alongside the second round of the Category A games.
Central American and Caribbean Games (CAC) 2018 bronze medallist Ashley Khalil was in fine form on Wednesday evening at the Georgetown Club, as she recorded her first win in the 2019 Handicap Tournament. Damien Da Silva, Ian Mekdeci, Kirsten Gomes, and Abosaide Cadogan were all winners on night two.
Khalil (16) put returning Lydia Fraser (10) through her paces with powerhouse shots and strategic placement. Fraser fought hard, but could only muster one point per game finishing up 15-11, 15-11. Dane Pereira (10) followed a shaky start against Adam Alves (5), with a spirited bid in the second game. Alves proved too much and claimed a close second game 15-14, giving him the match 15-7, 15-14.
Playing with a greater handicap, Da Silva (-6) tasted victory after his encounter with Tian Edwards (13). Da Silva took the game in two sets 15-13, 15-13. Mekdeci (5) also registered a first-round win after a match with Medhi Ramdhani (8), which he won 15-7, 15-7. Jonathan Antczak (6) also had an open category win after he defeated Reagan Rodrigues (10) 15-5, 15-6.
Over in Category A, excitement brewed as Gianni Carpenter (-6) faced Demetrius DeAbreu (-4) in a highly-anticipated battle. The left-handed Carpenter came out strong with some hard drives and good length cross courts to dominate a 15-10 win. DeAbreu answered with his signature drop shots in the second game and wrong-footed Carpenter to a 15-4 defeat. Both boys came out determined on the final game with DeAbreu pulling ahead after long, varied shot rallies. Carpenter seemed to find something extra to come back from a 13-3 score to win four straight, but DeAbreu took the next two for a 15-7 triumph. Final scores 10-15, 15-4, 15-7.
Gomes (-4) enjoyed her second win of the tournament over Beau Fernandes (11) 15-12, 15-11, while Abosaide Cadogan (-4) also kept her slate clean with a victory over Ethan Jonas (-4) 15-12, 15-10. Meanwhile, Lucas Jonas enjoyed two wins on the second night. Jonas (-3) first defeated Matthew Daby (14) 15-14, 15-14. Later on, Jonas returned to thump Joshua Verwey 15-13, 15-14.
Michael Alphonso (-10) bounced back from a big handicap to overcome Lucas Persaud (11) 15-11, 15-12, while Nicholas Verwey (-8) did the same when he met with Brenno DaSilva (13). Verwey won 15-14, 15-14. Zachary Persaud (7) used his advantage to outplay Mohryan Baksh (-3) in a heated three-set encounter 15-10, 11-15, 15-12. Lajuan Munroe (10) also defeated Dhiren Persaud (11) 15-7, 15-11.
The competition continues on weeknights, with the Squash Association’s customary barbeque on Sunday to close off the tournament.