18 Apr 2019

Success earlier in the proceedings in the junior girls’ team event, followed by junior girls’ doubles and junior mixed doubles gold, the host nation’s Esmerlyn Castro emerged the most successful player, when matters concluded on Wednesday 17th April at the 2019 Caribbean Junior and Cadet Championships in the Dominican Republic’s capital city of Santiago.

On the concluding day of play, the 17 year old added the junior girls’ singles top prize to her collection and thus ended the tournament, the one player to complete a clean sweep of available titles.

by Ian Marshall, Editor

At the final hurdle, after having ended Puerto Rican hopes by beating Edmarie Leon (14-12, 11-5, 11-7, 12-10), she accounted for colleague, Estefany Rodriguez (13-11, 11-8, 6-11, 11-6, 10-12, 11-8) to secure the title.

Success for Esmerlyn Castro; in the junior boys’ singles competition it was success for colleague, Mariano Lockward. On the concluding day of action, following success against colleague Abit Tejada (11-6, 9-11, 9-11, 9-11, 12-10, 11-8, 11-2), he accounted for a further compatriot in the guise of Pedro Cabrera (11-2, 11-5, 11-4, 11-4) to reserve the top step of the podium.

The junior boys’ singles podium (left to right) Pedro Cabrera, Mariano Lockward,Abit Tejanda and Gabriel Perez (Photo: Martin Avila)

 

Notably, one round earlier Pedro Cabrera had halted the Puerto Rican challenge by narrowly beating Gabriel Perez (12-10, 5-11, 9-11, 11-5, 11-6, 11-9), the player who had remained unbeaten throughout the whole of the junior boys’ team competition on the first two days of play.

Two titles for the Dominican Republic, it was two titles for Puerto Rico; Derek Valentin emerged the cadet boys’ singles winner, the cadet girls’ singles top prize was secured by Kristal Melendez.

Medallists in the cadet boys’ singles event (left to right) Ramon Vila, Derek Valentin, Eduardo Darley and Pablo Figueroa (Photo: Martin Avila)

 

Impressively, Derek Valentin overcame the Dominican Republic’s Ramon Vila to secure cadet boys’ singles gold (11-5, 11-7, 11-7), after at the semi-final stage having ousted colleague Pablo Figueroa (12-10, 11-9, 5-11, 13-11).

Meanwhile, in the cadet girls’ singles final, by the minimal two point margin in the deciding game, Kristal Melendez overcame Zulnamy Soto to seal the title (11-9, 8-11, 5-11, 13-11, 11-9). Notably, it was the one and only defeat for Zulnamy Soto in the whole tournament.

All smiles from the cadet girls’ singles medallists (left to right) Zulnamy Soto, Kristal Melendez, Shary Muñoz and Alondra Rodriguez (Photo: Martin Avila)

 

In a scoring system based on the rounds that players reached, Puerto Rico (2,400 points) finished ahead of the Dominican Republic (2,100 points); Trinidad and Tobago concluded play in third position (390 points).

 

Entries

2019 Caribbean Junior and Cadet Championships: Entries (Friday 12th April)

Resumé

2019 Caribbean Junior and Cadet Championships: Complete Results (Updated Thursday 18th April)

Junior Boys’ Team & Junior Girls’ Team

2019 Caribbean Junior and Cadet Championships: Junior Boys’ Team – Complete Results (Saturday 13th April)

2019 Caribbean Junior and Cadet Championships: Junior Girls’ Team – Complete Results (Saturday 13th April)

Cadet Boys’ Team & Cadet Girls’ Team

2019 Caribbean Junior and Cadet Championships: Cadet Boys’ Team – Complete Results (Saturday 13th April)

2019 Caribbean Junior and Cadet Championships: Cadet Girls’ Team – Complete Results (Saturday 13th April)

Junior Boys’ Singles & Junior Girls’ Singles

2019 Caribbean Junior and Cadet Championships: Junior Boys’ Singles – Results (Wednesday 17th April)

2019 Caribbean Junior and Cadet Championships: Junior Girls’ Singles – Results (Wednesday 17th April)

Junior Boys’ Doubles, Junior Girls’ Doubles & Junior Mixed Doubles

2019 Caribbean Junior and Cadet Championships: Junior Boys’ Doubles – Results (Sunday 14th April)

2019 Caribbean Junior and Cadet Championships: Junior Girls’ Doubles – Results (Sunday 14th April)

2019 Caribbean Junior and Cadet Championships: Junior Mixed Doubles – Results (Sunday 14th April)

Cadet Boys’ Singles & Cadet Girls’ Singles

2019 Caribbean Junior and Cadet Championships: Cadet Boys’ Singles – Results (Wednesday 17th April)

2019 Caribbean Junior and Cadet Championships: Cadet Girls’ Singles – Results (Wednesday 17th April)

Junior Boys’ Doubles, Cadet Girls’ Doubles & Cadet Mixed Doubles

2019 Caribbean Junior and Cadet Championships: Cadet Boys’ Doubles – Results (Sunday 14th April)

2019 Caribbean Junior and Cadet Championships: Cadet Girls’ Doubles – Results (Sunday 14th April)

2019 Caribbean Junior and Cadet Championships: Cadet Mixed Doubles – Results (Sunday 14th April)

General News 2019 Caribbean Junior Championships