Fernandes, Fraser storm into mixed doubles final
By Michael DaSilva
Stabroek News
November 30, 2002
Squash players Nicolette Fernandes and Luke Fraser stormed into the final of the mixed doubles competition of the 19th Central American and Caribbean Games (CAC) currently underway in El Salvador.
The local duo upstaged El Salvador’s Frayda Aisemberg and Coronado 2-1 in the semi-final and were slated to meet Mexico’s Samantha Teran and Aguilar in the final last evening.
Guyana, however, suffered losses in the men’s and women’s doubles competition.
Fernandes and Jillian Griffith-Lilico lost their women’s doubles semi-final encounter 0-2 (15-6, 15-13) to Teran and Diana Huerta of El Salvador while Fraser and Maxim Weithers lost their semi-final match to Colombia’s Diestro Samper and Santiago Montoya by a similar margin (15-13, 15-9).
According to Chef-de-Mission of the Guyana team, Garfield Wiltshire, Fraser and Fernandes dropped the first game 13-15, but rebounded to take the second and third 15-12, 15-9 respectively. The match lasted approximately 90 minutes, Wiltshire pointed out.
Wiltshire said the duo from the host country - Aisemberg and Coronado - were favoured to win the gold.
Asked about Fernandes and Fraser’s chance of landing the gold in the mixed doubles, Wiltshire said their chances are pretty good. “They (Mexicans) don’t seem as good as the players from El Salvador, but who knows, they might rise to the occasion, but Nicolette and Luke have a good chance of winning,” Wiltshire opined.
Fernandes secured a bronze medal in the women’s individual tournament.
Weithers and Fraser won their men’s doubles quarter-final match against the Jamaican pair of S. Smith and E. Burrowes by 15/11 and 15/6 margins.
Wiltshire had pointed out that Fraser only arrived in El Salvador one day before going into competition and was not acclimatised but has since settled in and much is expected of him.
Table tennis player, Godfrey Munroe, began his quest for a medal yesterday, while the two-man boxing team are expected to start battle today.
