Guyana’s podium hopes in Squash singles ends

Jul 31, 2022 Sports

2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games…

By Sean Devers

After Shomari Wiltshire and Ashley Khalil were beaten by their Sri Lankan opponents on the opening day of 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, on Friday Guyana’s changes of getting a medal in Singles Squash rested on Jason-Roy Khalil and Mary Fung-a- Fat.

However, in yesterday’s Squash action, the 27-year-old, Jason-Roy Khalil, who made his Commonwealth Games debut with 3-2 win against Paul Kadoma of Uganda on Friday, lost to Eain Yow of Malaysia 11-4, 11-2, 11-4 after Fung-a-Fat was beaten 3-0 in her first game in the Women’s Singles.

According to Coach Ramon Chan-a-Sue, Mary played well in spurts before losing her match to Kaitlyn Watts of New Zealand 11-2, 11-6, 11-4.

Three of the players should be playing in the plate draw today.

“We just don’t have this level of play in the Caribbean, our athletes need to play more on the world stage more than once every four years,” said Chan-a-Sue, who played for Guyana from 1990 to 2015.

“I think we should see all their games jump a notch because of the quality of play they are seeing here. But their biggest challenge is mostly technique and court craft which comes with playing quality players,” continued Chan-a-Sue.

This is Chan-a-Sue’s second Coaching stint at the Commonwealth Games having Coached Guyana in the last Games in 2018 in Australia.

Chan-a-Sue has over 25 years of experience as a Coach and feels Guyana’s showing in the Doubles and Mixed Double should be better that it was in the Singles.

“I think we should give a good account of ourselves, as we did a lot of doubles prep in the US before coming here so we hope to be competitive,” informed Chan-a-Sue.