Ramdhani takes double gold in GUMDAC Tournament

The Guyana Badminton Association’s annual GUMDAC Open Doubles Tournament served off at the National Gymnasium on Friday evening with both the men’s and ladies doubles being contested.
Caribbean Champion Priyanna Ramdhani, who was allowed the play in the men’s division due to lack of competition in the ladies event, teamed up with Avinash Odit in the Men’s Doubles to defeat last year’s champions Jonathan Mangra and Ronald Chang Yuen in a trilling three setter. Priyanna then teamed up with Prisilla Moore in the Ladies Doubles to win the Ladies Doubles by defeating Ayanna Watson and Christina Kumar.
In the Men’s Doubles quarter-final stage, Tyrese Jeffrey and Akili Haynes defeated Easa Sanichara and Jamal Shamsudeen: 21-9, 21-17. Darrell Carpenay and Avian Rodrigues made light work of Manoj Sharma and Mahender Sharma: 21-5, 21-4. 2018 champions Ronald Chang Yuen and Jonathan Mangra had a regular day at the office with a win over Damien Waithe and Shimron Lewis: 21-6, 21-3. And the unorthodox pair of Priyanna Ramdhani and Avinash Odit overcame Vikash Mootoo and Matthew Beharry: 21-8, 21-7.
The semi-final saw two exhilarating matches with Ronald Chang Yuen and Jonathan Mangra defeating the strong pair of Akili Haynes and Tyrese Jeffrey in a three setter 21-18, 20-22, 22-20. While on the other hand, Priyanna Ramdhani and Avinash Odit had a two set win over Darrell Carpenay and Avian Rodrigues: 21-15, 21-13.
The final was definitely one to watch and often had the spectators on the edge of their seats as Priyanna Ramdhani and Avinash Odit put on a scintillating performance to defeat Ronald Chang Yuen and Jonathan Mangra: 21-19, 13-21, 22-20.
Over in the ladies quarter-final, some of the notable encounters saw Jayde DaSilva and Stephanie Sajar defeating Kaya Boswick and Sacha Parmanand: 21-11, 21-12. While Roseann Bulkan and Anna Perreira defeated Nina Ramdeholl and Kylie Anthon: 21-6, 21-9.
The semi-final saw a dominant Priyanna Ramdhani and Pricilla Moore overcoming Jayde DaSilva and Stephanie Sajar: 21-5, 21-8, while Ayanna Watson and Christina Kumar defeated Roseann Bulkan and Anna Perreira: 21-12, 21-18 to book the final spots.
The ladies final was a two-set encounter which saw Priyanna Ramdhani and Pricilla Moore registering a win over Ayanna Watson and Christina: 21-8, 21-11.
The Guyana Badminton Association expressed their gratitude to Darrell Carpenay for hosting yet again the first tournament in the year for the 7th year in succession. They also sought to thank Troy Cadogan of ANSA McL Trading for the light refreshments that were generously provided for the participants.